Grocery Shopping for Healthy Menus

Do you go into the grocery store and get exactly what's on your list?  Do you take a list or do you wander aimlessly up and down the aisles adding this and that to your cart? If you're like me you make out a list and then leave it on the kitchen counter and play the game "try to remember what was on the list."  I used to go row by row and always ended up with a cart full of cheap, processed food.  Quick, frozen heat and eats, ice cream and chips were a staple in our house.   I searched for the quick, throw it in a skillet box meal that would taste halfway decent and the kids would eat.  What I didn't realize was I was poisoning my family.  Processed foods aren't real food, they are chemicals, artificial colors and artificial flavors.

We have become so dependent on fast foods and processed food because we are all so busy.  Americans are dying from obesity and no one seems to care.  We need to get back to eating real food.

Now, on my weekly trips to the grocery store, I have a routine (even if I do forget my list).  I don't go up and down the aisle anymore.  I stick to the outer sections of the store.  Fresh fruit and produce, meats, chicken, fish, and dairy.  This is where the majority of our food comes from.  Occasionally, I'll go down some of the aisles for things like olive and coconut oil, spices, and other baking items.  I've quit buying bread because we've cut down on eating a lot of processed carbs and I end up throwing out 3/4 of a loaf for the birds.

I'm going to challenge you to try shopping this way for 1 week.  Look up some real food recipes, make your list and try not to leave it on the kitchen counter and shop the outer areas of your grocery store.  Try to stay out of the aisles.  Let me know how you feel after eating real food, fresh food for one week.  I dare you!