In today’s quick food environment, planning, chopping, and cooking healthy meals and snacks can be nearly impossible. Whether you are short on time on a regular basis or just need a quick meal in a pinch, below you will find a shopping list of healthy fresh, boxed, canned, and frozen products as well as sample meal ideas. Shopping list This shopping list is organized by sections in a typical grocery store. You may find that pre-portioned and packaged items/meals are more expensive. It is important to consider how much money your time is worth and if you have extra time to cook and portion all of these foods. If you do have time, then buying in bulk may be more cost effective for you. If you are short on time, then the items below may be the best way for you to choose and eat a wide variety of healthy foods. Produce section
Fresh fruits and vegetables; choose quick hand fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, and pears as well as vegetables that can be eaten on the go such as baby carrots
Pre-sliced/diced fruits and vegetables
Microwave-wrapped sweet potatoes and russet potatoes
Hummus and guacamole single-serving packs
Bread/grains/cereal/crackers aisle
100% whole-grain breads, English muffins, bagels, and wraps; make sure that “whole grain” or “whole wheat” is the first ingredient
Triscuits and other whole-wheat cracker varieties
Multigrain tortilla chips
Cheerios®, Chex™, raisin bran cereals; choose unsweetened cereal options if possible
Oatmeal cups and packs; choose original/unsweetened if possible
Canned goods and the middle aisles
Low-sodium canned vegetables
Canned fruits in natural juice or water
Applesauce and fruit cups; make sure to choose “unsweetened”
Amy’s chilis
Soups; choose low sodium, broth-based, and with lots of vegetables and lean meats
Silk® soymilk, individual serving boxes
Microwaveable brown rice and quinoa
Raisins; other plain dried fruit, individual serving boxes
Salsa
Canned beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, etc)
Canned lentils
Nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, soynuts, etc); can buy 100-calorie packs of various nuts
Nut butters (peanut, almond, cashew, etc); can also buy single-serving peanut butter packs
Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia, hemp, ground flax)
Dry roasted edamame
Granola bars such as LUNA® and KIND® brands
Dairy/refrigerated section
Single-serve yogurt
Single-serve cottage cheese
Light cheese sticks
Pre-diced cheese cubes
Already boiled hard boiled eggs
Nitrate/nitrite-free lean deli meat
Fully cooked chicken sausage
Fully cooked grilled chicken strips
Frozen section
Kashi® frozen meals and pizzas
Amy’s frozen meals, pizzas, and burritos
Evol products
Food for Life® Ezekiel 4:9 breads
VitaTops®
Birds Eye® Steamfresh® Protein Blends
Frozen vegetables and vegetable blends, steam in bag; try different varieties to easily mix up a meal; limit varieties with sweetened and cream-based sauces
Frozen fruit; make sure that fruit is the only ingredient
Veggie burgers from Morning Star Farms®, Boca®, Dr. Praeger’s™, Amy’s, etc
Frozen edamame
Already cooked grilled chicken strips
Quick meal ideas According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate, a healthy meal should consist of lots of vegetables (half the meal), a side of lean protein (1/4 the meal), and a side of whole grains (1/4 the meal). Below are five quick meal examples using this concept.
Frozen Asian vegetable blend + microwave rice + Asian veggie burger
Canned green beans + microwave sweet potato + frozen grilled chicken
Frozen Southwest vegetable blend + black bean chili can + multigrain tortilla chips
Carrots + pre-sliced fruit salad + sandwich thin + lean deli meat
Vanilla soy milk box + frozen berries + oatmeal packet + 2 tablespoon (Tbsp) nuts
Quick snack ideas A healthy snack should consist of a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. Most snacks should be between 100-250 calories. Below are five quick snack examples using these guidelines.
2 Tbsp raisins + 2 Tbsp dry roasted edamame + 2 Tbsp nuts
6 Triscuits + cheese stick
1 slice wheat bread + ¼ mashed up avocado
Apple + cottage cheese + 1 Tbsp nut butter
Greek yogurt + 2 Tbsp chia seeds
Contributed by Alex Lewis, RD, LD Review date: 4/26/16