{Top 10 Clean Eating Grocery Must Haves}

There are just certain items that I get every single week at the grocery store and certainly could NOT live without and I thought I would share those with you!  A little peek into my grocery cart if you will! I strive to eat a "clean" diet but I will say there is always a little wiggle room.  You do the best you can and you "clean" up as many meals and snacks as you can each week.  You start replacing small things at first like the light, artificially sweetened yogurt you have been eating.  Switch to plain, Greek yogurt and sweeten it up with some honey and fruit!  It's baby steps.  That is what I always tell people when they give me that crazy look after I tell them some of the new substitutions I have made in my everyday eating!

1. Milk

This is everyone's must-have, I am sure!  I usually drink Almond Milk and the brand that I love is Silk Unsweetened Vanilla.  Silk is the only brand that I have seen that doesn't have Carrageenan in it. Carrageenan is a known carcinogen so I like to stay away if I can!  The kids drink Organic Valley Omega-3 Whole Milk.

2. Ezekiel Bread:

I LOVE this bread!  I use the Regular bread with Sesame Seeds, English Muffins and the Raisin Cinnamon Bread.  They are in the freezer section at the grocery store and they need to be kept in the refrigerator or freezer once you get them home!  My kids also adore this bread.

3. Fruits:

My grocery order mainly consists of fruit. We love bananas, apples, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mango, grapes, clementines....the list goes on and on!  I try to buy organic when available, and I always wash everything thoroughly with a Veggie wash spray.

4. Veggies:

I try to get as many veggies as I possibly can during the day.  I love salads and roasted veggies.  Baked sweet potatoes and roasted green beans are an every other day occurrence!  Some of my other faves are cucumbers, carrots, peppers, brussel sprouts, asparagus, baby spinach, lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower.  I either get fresh or frozen for veggies. 

5. Nut/Seed Butters:

Seriously I couldn't go half a day without these. All natural Almond butter, Peanut Butter and Sunflower butter are my faves.  Just check the ingredients.  Some brands try to sneak in other ingredients.  It should just be the nut or seed and maybe some salt.

6. Greek Yogurt

I love Greek yogurt.  I used to get the brands that were sweetened with fruit but about 6 months ago I read about all the added sugar and questionable ingredients added to the flavored greek yogurts so I quit cold turkey.  I love plain, all natural Greek yogurt . I usually buy Chobani brand.  My favorite mix-ins are apple/cinnamon/honey and grapes/walnuts/Stevia. YUMM!

7. Tortillas

Now these are where I have a hard time being 100% clean.  It is VERY hard to find a really good brand of whole grain tortillas that don't have a million ingredients.  The brand that I love is La Tortilla High Fiber Low Carb.  I usually eat them with some almond butter, a banana in the middle, and rolled up!  For corn tortillas, you can't beat Trader Joes.  They have a corn tortilla with only 3 ingredients!!  They are great for making your own chips!

8. Flax Seed Meal:

I could use all kinds of crazy words to describe the benefits of flax seeds.  The best way to put it is that it is high in Omega 3's and lots of great fiber!  Basically there is every reason in this world to add this to your diet.  I love it in my raw oat cereal.  That is my all time favorite way to eat it!

9. Protein Powder:

A few times a week...I love a good protein shake!  My favorite is my Peanut Butter Cup Protein Shake. There are many different kinds but one I have found that I really love is Designer Whey.  It is sweetened with Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners and it tastes great!

10. Old Fashioned Oats

I was never a big fan of oatmeal growing up.  It wasn't until I started "eating clean" that I fell in love with oats. I love raw oat cereal, overnight oats, and oat muffins.  I eat oats almost everyday!!  Let me just say that I have genetically high cholesterol (up to as high as 240) and I have lowered my cholesterol to 150!!  That is enough of a reason to eat them!! 

I hope this gives you guys some ideas for things to add to your own grocery cart!! Tell me what your grocery MUST-HAVES are!!!