Shopping list

I thought I would share a typical shopping list so you would know what kind of things I'm buying on a more regular basis...to give you an idea of how much you would be spending for a weeks worth of food...My shopping list is for 5 people for a week, but it actually goes further because we end up having leftovers on some days or even CEREAL for dinner! Or pancakes! Or french toast! This is a journey by the way, lol...

I usually end up having to go to 2-3 different places for groceries...and I don't have a Costco membership (yet), but when I do it will be glorious! I go to Winco for the bulk of my groceries; Sunflower Market for things like almond butter and sprouted grain tortillas, and Macey's for their fresh pico de gallo...

Shopping List

 (This costs me about $220)

We typically end up spending around $500- $600 in groceries every month

Celery
Cilantro
Carrots (whole)
Sweet Potatoes (3-4)
Parsley
Tomatoes (4)
Broccoli (3 stems)
Spinach
Cucumber (3)
Romaine Lettuce
Onion
Leek
Green Onions
Avocados (8)
Roma Tomatoes (8)
Frozen Mixed Veggies
Green Pepper (2)
Ginger Root
Frozen peas
Lemons (3)
Limes (8)
Pineapple
Green grapes
Banana (2 bunches)
Frozen blueberries
Fresh Raspberries
Fresh Strawberries
Green Apple (8)

Pico de gallo
Honey
Cider Vinegar
Veggie Broth
Rice Milk (3)
Coconut Oil
Almond butter
Pizza sauce

Black beans (3 cans)
Pinto beans (2 cans)
Cereal (Kashi brand)
Red lentils

Brown basmati rice
White corn tortillas
Hamburger buns (thin whole wheat)
English muffins (sprouted grain)
Sprouted grain tortillas
Tortilla chips
Wheat bread

Salmon
Turkey (2 lbs)
Mozerella cheese (8 oz pkg)
Kashi snacks
Spring water jugs

Carob vs Cocoa

"Carob, like cocoa powder, comes from a tropical pod, which is dried, roasted, and ground into the powder that we're familiar with. However, carob is a slightly healthier alternative when comparing the two. With a higher calcium count (three times as much), no caffeine content, nor fat, carob presents your taste buds with a different experience (1). When contemplating substitution, consider that while unsweetened carob powder is slightly sweeter than its cocoa counterpart (containing twice the carbohydrate content), due to the composition and lack of fat, carob is considerably less flavorful. When making the switch, for every one part of cocoa powder, use 2.5 parts carob by weight (1).
Don't forget that both contain properties thought to reduce artery clogging and cancer risks (1), so go ahead and indulge...I mean get healthy!" http://mariyayufest.blogspot.com/2010/04/carob-vs-cocoa-powder.html

**Check out the No-Cook Chocolate Chia Crispies

under "snacks"

in the left upper corner on my blog!

Good stuff!**

Dinner Menu for the week...

Dinner menu for the week

 in no particular order:

Curried Red Lentil Soup w/ Lemon (http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/)  

Pineapple Turkey burgers w/ sweet potato fries

Baked black bean taquitos w/ cafe rio rice (http://www.greenshakesandgiggles.com/)

 Broccoli-Rice Bake w/ Coconut curry sauce (http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/)

Curried Quinoa and Salmon  

Mini Pizzas

Stir Fry

 

And don't forget dessert:

Banana Blueberry Whole Grain muffins (http://www.graincrazy.blogspot.com/)

Grapey Green and Strawberry Blackberry

These shakes are perfect for the summer!

 I only wish I had a better blender...someday.

 For now, my Walmart special is going to have to do.

Grapey Green Shake

(http://www.greenshakesandgiggles.com/)

2 Handfuls spinach

1 1/2 Cups grapes

1 Banana

1/3 to 1/2 C Coconut Milk

1/4 C hemp seeds

Ice (about 10-12 cubes)

Blend!

Strawberry Blackberry Shake
(http://www.greenshakesandgiggles.com/)

2 handfuls spinach
2 C strawberries (with stem)
3/4 C fresh or frozen blackberries
1 banana
1/3 to 1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 hemp seeds
Juice of one lime (opt)
Ice

Blend!

Healthier No-Bake Cookies

I don't post any recipes on my blog unless they have been given a thumbs up from most of my family. Not only did my family really enjoy these, but also my good friend and her 2 year old little boy. These turned out delicious and filling and they were super easy to make. You could even double the batch and freeze them for later...a perfect little healthy snack in between mealtime.

No-Cook Chocolate Chia Crispies

(Green Smoothie Girl 12 Steps to Whole Foods)

1 C Almond Butter (or organic peanut butter)

2/3 C raw honey

1/4 C  chia seeds

1/4 C raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa, which is less nutritious)

1/3 C coconut oil

1 Tbsp vanilla

1/4 tsp sea salt

6 C crisped brown rice (in a cereal box at the health food store)

Cream together all the wet ingredients in a large bowl by hand. Add the chia seeds, cacao, and salt and then blend well. Add the crisped rice and stir until evenly mixed. Chill the dough for 1-2 hours, then form into balls and refrigerate until serving.

Just a couple of notes:

*Drink water with these, as chia absorbs up to 10 times its own weight in liquid
*I used Carob powder instead of Cacao (found it at Sunflower Market)
*I also found crisped brown rice cereal at Sunflower Market and Walmart...I only added about 5 1/2 cups. The 2nd time I made it, I blended some of the rice cereal in the blender before adding it to the mix.