With all that’s going on with the quarantine, I thought it would be helpful to share ways I’m staying healthy (or trying to!) while being mostly stuck inside. Eating healthy is a huge part of my self-care and wellness, and most likely yours too. When I eat clean, wholesome foods, instead of processed, fried, fatty foods, I FEEL better, I’m far more productive, my skin is clearer, and I’m more confident in myself.

I tend to choose a lot of foods for the following reason:

• healthy
• quick and easy to make
• lasts a long time
• cost effective

That’s because I’m usually buying for just me, but also want to make the most of my dollars. So if those things are right up your alley, stick around, I gotcha covered!

 

The list below has a lot of notes added as to WHY I chose certain foods because I thought that might be helpful for you to know how I actually use it, but for a cleaned up list of JUST the foods, there’s a PDF below!

 

It’s also highly focused on foods that are meant to last a long time, just in case you’re not able to get to the store, or if the stores are unable to stay stocked for any reason. So you’ll notice the produce and dairy sections are pretty short. I only picked produce I knew would last two weeks and stuck to produce that I couldn’t pick up frozen (like salad fixings).

 

You’ll notice there aren’t any snacky foods on there…like fruit snacks, chips, crackers, etc. That’s because I avoid bringing those into my house – I have a hard time controlling myself around them! So it’s easier for me to stick to my goals by NOT having them around me at all. If you find yourself struggling with snacking on a normal basis, you might find it helpful to do the same for yourself during the quarantine. That’s totally up to you! If you want a list of healthy snacky foods, let me know in the comments below, I can definitely do that!

 

A lot of these foods I already have on hand, like rice, quinoa, oats, dried beans, canned beans, etc. I added those to the list because they’re staples that help keep me on track, so in case you don’t already have those you can choose to pick them up.

 

Lastly, I was thinking of sharing my FAVORITE healthy berry muffin recipe with you because I always have them stocked in the freezer! It’s a well rounded snack that’s surprisingly filling because it’s got your fruit, fiber, protein, and healthy fats (there are nuts in there). Wanna try it out? Let me know in the comments below!

Here’s what I’m keeping stocked/shopping for during the quarantine! Hope you find this helpful to stay healthy during your quarantine too!

Some of these are affiliate links and I only ever recommend things I actually use and love!

 

HEALTHY GROCERY LIST (for being stuck at home)

Here’s what’s personally on my list (I did get some produce, but focused primarily on foods that would last more longer term, as you’ll see.)

PRODUCE:

• Bananas (mostly for baking, also for snacking)
• Lemons (for making detox water)
• Sweet potatoes (these last a long time if stored under the right conditions)
• Spring mix (for salads)
• Mini sweet peppers (for salads)
• Baby carrots (for snacking)

DRY/CANNED:

• Almonds (for snacking or DIYing your own almond butter)
• Pecans and walnuts (for baking muffins as snacks)
• Almond butter (for snacking and baking)
• Kidney beans (canned and dry)
• Cannellini beans (canned and dry)
• Canned veggies (peas, green beans, carrots are go-tos)
• Canned fruit (in juice – mixed tropical fruit, pineapple chunks, peaches, and pears are staples)
• Individual marinated tuna packets (I cannot stand tuna from a can…NO idea why. But these flavored packets were a game changer for me! It makes salad prep SUPER easy. They’re usually $1.50 each but often on sale for $1 each. I have fish at least 6x per week (that’s at lunch or dinner, 6 days per week) to keep my healthy omega fats high!)
• Applesauce (for snacking, breakfasts, and baking)
• Brown Rice (basmati brown rice is a new obsession!)
• Quinoa
• Old fashioned oats
• Oat bran
• Steel cut oats (these 3 types of oats are always on hand. I love having oats for breakfast, and the different textures help me mix things so I feel like I’m getting a variety. Oat bran takes less than 5 minutes to make on the stove (but easily overflows the bowl in the microwave), old fashioned oats can cook up in 90 seconds in the microwave and is perfect when making overnight oats, and steel cut oats are firmer in texture (like rice but thicker) and take longest to make – my trick is boiling the water, adding the steel cut oats, then covering and turning the heat off then going about my business while the oats soak up the water within an hour or 2 on their own (instead of having to babysit the stove for an hour) then BAM they’re ready to go!)
• Brown rice or quinoa pasta (honestly, it’s rare for me to eat pasta, but I still keep it on hand!)
• Jalapenos (honestly, this was an impulse buy for my salads)

EGGS/DAIRY:

(generally speaking, I don’t have much dairy. It doesn’t last as long, and I only have about 1 serving of dairy per day IF I have it at all. Just my preference.)

• Eggs (farm fresh brown eggs are my favorite…hard to go back to regular eggs after having your own chickens! So, I settle for organic brown eggs. These are mostly for baking, though I’ll have an egg omelet for breakfast maybe 1-3 times per week)
• Almond Milk (unsweetened vanilla is my choice)
• Shredded parmesan cheese (parmesan tends to last a longer than softer cheeses like mozzarella, feta, goat, muenster, and so on. I add it to my egg omelet or salad as a topping)

I didn’t pick these next few up for this time (it’s too much for me to eat before it goes bad), but these are also great healthy dairy options!

• Greek Yogurt (plain) – love greek yogurt in overnight oats!
• Cottage Cheese (2% or nonfat) – love this with fruit, like pineapples or peaches (& cacao nibs!)
• Kefir (plain) – I love this in shakes!

FROZEN:

• Blueberries (I get a giant bag from Sams Club, but these are a staple! Add to oatmeal for breakfast, baking muffins, and the occasional blueberry pancakes.)
• Strawberries
• Sweet potato fries (sweet potatoes are a healthier option, but these are so much faster to pop in the microwave for 90 seconds in a pinch, while baking whole sweet potatoes takes about an hour)
• Frozen veggies (big bags of broccoli, green beans, peas, broccoli mix (like cauli, carrots, broccoli))
• Frozen fish fillets (the ones in individual vacuum sealed packets, like salmon, flounder, mahi mahi, snapper – I look for deep ocean/wild caught and white fish)

MEAT:

• Ground turkey
• Turkey breast (I picked up a 3.5 lb turkey breast from Sam’s Club for $13.41! I baked it and portioned it out into 3.5 oz servings in little ziplocks and froze them for future use. That’s a pro tip for making bulk food last longer when you’re buying for one and getting the most for your dollar!)
• Ground beef
• Lean beef roast
• Chicken (I don’t eat chicken, but adding to the list because you probably do!)

EXTRAS:

• Olive oil (EVOO best for dressings, a refined version is better for cooking as it has a little higher heat point)
• Sriracha (c’mon guys, you knew this was comin! 😉 )
• Liquid aminos (if you avoid coconut or gluten, this is a fantastic alternative for soy sauce! Tamari is a gluten free soy sauce alternative too)
• Cayenne pepper (this goes on almost everything I eat.)
• Cumin (spice)
• Curry (spice)
• Ginger (spice)
• Clove (spice)
• Nutmeg (spice)
• Turmeric (spice)
• Honey (for tea and baking)
• Maple syrup (for baking)
• Cacao or carob powder (for baking and mixing with oatmeal for chocolate flavoring)
• Cacao nibs (most recent obsession and substitution for chocolate chips!)
• Flax or chia, milled or whole (usually for baking or shakes)

SPORTS NUTRITION:

This isn’t a necessity BUT… I always keep protein powder handy! It is SO easy to mix up a quick shake for a meal when I don’t have anything made, and SO much better than reaching for something less healthy. And protein powder will definitely last a while, so it makes the list!

• Vegan protein powder (with protein powders on hand, it’s easy to make a quick shake in a pinch, especially if you get super busy! Vegan my go-to because I don’t do too much dairy so this is my typical post-workout protein.). PEScience is my fav for vegan (I’ve tried plenty!), and their whey protein is absolutely delicious too if you’re not tied to vegan!
  • Here’s my fav Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder
  • Here’s my fav Vanilla Vegan Protein Powder

• Energy protein powder (I love adding these to morning oatmeal to give it some flava! Plus the pricing is super affordable and the formula is more suited for women (I only use one scoop for 10G of protein). It has a little bit of caffeine for a boost of energy, which is why I use it in my breakfast.) Here’s my favs:
  • Chocolate cookies and cream
  • Vanilla Cupcake
  • Get BOTH here!
• BCAA recovery drink mix
• From what I’ve researched, BCAA’s aid in muscle recovery and amino support so basically you’re not as sore after your workout. (but also, stretching after your workout helps immensely with that!)
  • Here’s my current fav! This one is Blue Raspberry flavor by MusclePharm, but here are a few others that I’ve loved if you’re interested:
  • Xtend Mango Madness
  • Cellucor Alpha Amino Fruit Punch

 

DOWNLOAD THE PDF GROCERY LIST HERE!

Or save the graphic below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want my go-to healthy muffin recipe so you always have a healthy snack on hand? Drop a CUPCAKE emoji in the comments below for a yes!

Also, let me know how this list works out for you in the comments!

 

Stay well! Sending so much love!

Cindi