Shopping list~

They say the best way to switch to clean eating is to do a sweep of your pantry and throw away everything that isn't "clean."  Well, I honestly couldn't bring myself to do that.  Yes, I know that it isn't wasted money; it's an investment in my health.  In my mind, it's still wasted money.  I think that's really an individual decision.  And there are items that will always require use of those refined/white items like baking.  So we have minimized our use of the processed and refined items and as we've used them up, we are not buying more of the same.  I thought today I'd post some clean eating basics with which I'm stocking my cabinets and refrigerator as we clear out the items that we want to use less often.

1.  Dried beans/legumes
2.  Fresh fruit and veggies
3.  Whole grain bread
4.  Whole grain crackers
5.  Green tea bags
6.  Agave, honey, molasses, raw sugar, pure maple syrup, organic syrups (like Boysenberry)
7.  Whole wheat flour
8.  Organic eggs
9.  Steal cut oats
10.  Plain Greek yogurt
11.  Whole grain pasta
12.  Brown rice
13.  Real butter
14.  Olive oil
15.  Low/no sodium broth (read label for added ingredients!)
16.  Nothing added stewed/sauce/pureed tomatoes
17.  Fresh herbs:  parsley, dill, cilantro, mint, rosemary, basil, oregano...  They are relatively inexpensive at farmer's markets so try them in small batches in salads, warm dishes and soups.  Experiment!


Canned veggies or frozen ones are fine, just read the label and be sure you're not inadvertently eating something you'd rather not.  As always, the nutrition content is higher the closer to nature you get.