With the beginning of a new year, it's time to break old habits, be open to new ideas, and embrace an all-around healthy lifestyle. Our refrigerators might be empty after the holidays, so the grocery store is great place to start your year off right. In order to begin the new year with fresh food in your pantry and refrigerator, we curated a grocery list that will help you kickstart 2017.
Produce
If you're going on a long grocery store run, the produce section should be the first place you stop. It's winter, so it won't be the best selection — but there are some flavorful fruits and veggies that are in season. Go for the butternut squash, carrots, grapefruit, clementines, broccoli, and cactus pear — all great for building a salad or as a side dish for dinner. Try seaweed instead of kale, we hear it's going to be trendy this year. Grab a zucchini to make zoodles, cauliflower to make pizza crust, and if you see a pink pineapple... we dare you to try it.
Dairy
Now you should be moseying along to the dairy section. Grab some eggs for a natural source of protein, coconut milk yogurt as an alternative low-glycemic sugar substitute, and cheese for wine and cheese night. Don't forget milk!
Drinks
Grab some tea from the shelf, it will aid in digestion. We recommend turmeric tea as an anti-inflammatory, or ginger tea to sooth any stomach problems. Kombucha is also going to be super trendy this year. It's a fermented drink that is used as a probiotic that helps reduce blood pressure, improve digestive health, and increase your overall immune system.
Deli
The deli can be kind of intimidating. It's tough to know what you might want for the week because you might be in the mood for turkey one day, and chicken another. In order to save money, just stick with one deli meat and switch from week to week. Turkey, chicken, tofu, and salmon are nutritious options. These can be great for building a turkey sandwich or tofu salad for lunch, and baking chicken or salmon for dinner.
Snacks/Cereals/Frozen Food
The middle aisles of the grocery store is always a toss up. It's mostly canned foods, baking items, snacks, and frozen food. If you're looking for some snacks, go for seeds or nuts. Grab chia seeds to add to your yogurt, or sunflower seeds and almonds as a healthy snack throughout the day. Grab some steel cut oats for breakfast, and whole wheat bread to make sandwiches throughout the week. For a late night snack, try a new popcorn flavor to help curb salt cravings.
Don't forget to pick up anything else you may need to re-stock your pantry with: olive oil, vinegar, mustard, ketchup, peanut butter, hummus, pickles, beans, soups, quinoa, pasta, tuna, and a pint of ice cream. You need something sweet. Start 2017 off right with this healthy grocery list. You'll be happy to come home to a well-stocked fridge with nutritious and trendy options.