In case you are wondering why I veered away from a predominately Paleo diet, I'll fill you in. As a weightlifter and someone who lifts 5-6x a week, I found that when trying to hit my carbohydrate and protein goals each day, a Paleo approach left me deficit on both those macros. I began to include some dairy in my diet in the form of greek yogurt, cheese, grassfed butter, whey protein, and chocolate, as well as other non-paleo foods like rice, quinoa, and oats. While Paleo, I was totaling maybe 50-75g of carbs and 120g of protein (seriously, 16 oz of chicken later and I was still short on protein, and sick of chicken). Later I realized that including a scoop of protein powder or a Quest Bar definitely helped my nutrition goals. I also felt fine reintroducing these non-paleo foods. In fact, having more carbohydrates has helped me improve my performance in the gym!
Now I consider myself to follow an If It Fits Your Macros or IIFYM diet, with a focus still on eating vegetables at every meal, getting tons of protein from chicken, eggs, turkey, and other real sources, healthy fats like coconut oil and avocado, and limiting processed foods high in sugar. The only difference is now if I want to have some ice cream or sushi with rice, I don't have to feel like I am "breaking Paleo" and feel guilty. I simply fit the desired food into my macros and enjoy it! Okay that's the end of my story, time to talk about food.
My Typical Grocery List (featuring Trader Joe's!)
Protein
- Ground turkey 99% lean: One of my favorites! I usually buy 3 pounds so I can keep some in the freezer. I like to have lean ground turkey after a workout when I am trying to stay away from eating foods high in fat so my digestion isn't slowed and the protein I eat can be quickly broken down and shuttled to my muscles. It is also great in stir frys, with scrambled eggs, and on salads.
- Turkey burgers (frozen): Also any sort of chicken or mahi mahi burgers will do. This is a quick and easy dinner option! A 4 pack of turkey burgers from Traders Joe's is $2.99.
- Ground beef: I like to buy 90% lean to 85% lean. Why? Less calories and the same amount of protein per serving. I can really maximize my protein intake with a huge, lean burger instead of a smaller one thats high in calories and leaves me unsatisfied. Also, I like to make my own burgers stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, so the leaner meat doesn't have to mean less flavor!
- Sirloin and Ribeye Steaks: I love steak. I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I alternate between buying ribeyes, which are fattier (~20g fat for 4 oz), and top sirloin steaks which are much leaner (~5g of fat for 4oz). The sirloin is a better choice for those trying to lose weight.
- Chicken breast: Definitely an essential. Chicken has 24g of protein per 4 oz and 1-1.5 of fat. This makes it perfect for pre-workout meal OR post-workout meal. Plus you can eat chicken 100 different ways.
- Fish: I like to go for the wild caught cod or mahi mahi. Wild caught tilapia and salmon are also great choices.
- Sliced turkey breast: I like having turkey breast rolled up around fresh veggies like peppers or carrots as a protein packed snack. No cooking required makes this an essential food item. Make sure to read your labels and buy nitrate and sugar-free turkey breast!
- Plain Greek Yogurt 0%: A quick breakfast is greek yogurt with some protein powder and nut butter, and also a great snack high in protein. Plus if you enjoy making shakes, adding 1/2 cup to it is a quick way to add 10-12 g of protein.
- Chicken sausages: These might be unique to only a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods, but I highly recommend them! I love having 2 eggs with a chicken sausage for breakfast in order to get a high protein breakfast that keeps my feeling full until lunch. They taste delicious and come fully cooked!
- Eggs (not pictured): I buy 2 dozen eggs every time I food shop, because I pretty much eat eggs every day for breakfast. They're a healthy serving of omega-3's, vitamins like A & B, and protein.
Other protein not mentioned that I occasionally buy: nitrate free bacon, cans of tuna, brisket, & bison
Produce
My essential grocery list items for fruits and vegetables:
- Kale: I love Trader Joe's for the sole purpose of buying a huge bag of organic kale, preshedded, for $2.99. Whole Foods costs you about $2.50 for a bunch of the same kale and you usually don't get a much out of it. I have kale every day for breakfast with my eggs.
- Baby spinach/arugula/power greens (not pictured): I always make sure to have a bag of greens in the house for salads.
- Bell peppers: I love peppers! When I buy them I like to get the red, yellow, or orange kinds because they have the most vitamin C. Perfect for stir-fry, with scrambled eggs, or to top salads.
- Crimini mushrooms: These are nutrition powerhouses. One cup of crimini mushrooms provides an excellent source of 15 different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant phytonutrients. I also buy these or baby bellas since brown mushrooms always make the list of the world's healthiest foods.
- Tomatoes: I buy organic cherry, grape, roma, or regular beef steak tomatoes whenever I go shopping for breakfast or salads
- Cauliflower/Broccoli: High in vitamins and fiber, and perfect to pair with protein. I also like making "cauliflower rice" and buying frozen broccoli to keep in my freezer for stir-frys.
- Brussels Sprouts: why Brussels Sprouts get a bad wrap I have no idea, because they are my favorite. I buy at least 2 bags every time I shop. They are delicious when roasted and I can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Plus they are easy to make and have for days on hand to save you time in the kitchen. Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, cut them each in half and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, and now you have veggies prepped for the week!
- Asparagus: Frozen or fresh, asparagus is one of healthiest veggies. These stalks contain anti-inflammatory phytonutrients and provides a wide variety of antioxidant nutrients, including vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E.
- Blueberries: Packed with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, fiber, and they help improve insulin sensitivty. Blueberries are definitely on my essential produce list. Great in yogurt or oatmeal.
- Apples (not pictured): Three words: apples & peanut butter. Plus they are a great high fiber snack on the go and salad topper. Apple, pecan, chicken salads are one of the best combos.
- Avocado: Packed with healthy monounsaturated fats and omega-3's in the form of ALA. Plus one cup of avocado provides about 7-8 grams of dietary fiber. I like making guacamole, eating slices with my eggs in the morning, or using them as a substitute for mayo in my tuna salad. P.S. they are a fruit, not a vegetable :)
- Sweet potatoes: My go to post-workout carb source. They are so easy to prepare. I like to cut them into discs and roast them in the oven drizzled with 1 tbsp EVOO at 400 for 15 mins.
- Spaghetti Squash/Butternut squash (not pictured): Another healthy source of carbs. Spaghetti squash with ground beef meatballs is my go-to healthy version of spaghetti and meatballs. Sprinkled with some nutritional yeast for an added cheesy flavor or with some real Parmigiano, you have yourself a delicious dinner.
Pantry Items
- Coconut oil: I love coconut oil while making my eggs or in my bulletproof coffee. It is one of the healthiest foods on the planet, high in saturated fat in the form of medium chain triglycerides that can be used for as a quick source of energy. It also contains Lauric acid, known for its ability to prevent infections and boost your immune system
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: a healthy source of fat like avocados that I use to top my veggies before roasting and salads
- Rolled Oats: another excellent carb source for breakfast, in shakes, and healthy dessert recipes. I like to buy the gluten free kind.
- Quinoa/Brown Rice/Jasmine Rice: I like having this in the house as a post workout source of carbs to refuel my glycogen. Perfect for stir-fry or on the side with some protein. Trader Joe's sells frozen versions of all 3 that can be microwaved and ready in 3 minutes, perfect for an easy dinner.
- Quest bars: If you haven't already tried these, you need to stop what your doing and go to the nearest GNC! But actually, these are protein bars great snacks and even more delicious when baked in the oven for 5-7 minutes. They are super high in fiber and that contain none of the junk ingredients found in your typical protein bar. They make stevia sweetened kinds too for those that want to avoid sucralose. Plus every flavor tastes great (I have tried every flavor!).
- Whey protein: Perfect for a post-workout shake and to increase protein intake. Check out my blog post on protein powder for more info!
- Nut butters: almond or peanut butter by the spoonful or with apples, quest bars, and yogurt
- Raw nuts & seeds: raw almonds and pecans are my favorite, along with chia seeds and pumpkin seeds
- Black pitted olives: I like these as a dietary fat source on my salads. Along with some chicken, cucumbers, feta cheese and olive oil, I have a yummy homemade greek salad.
Thanks for checking out my blog,
Leighann