To my kitchen: “are you ready for your close up?

So, if I were in an episode of MTV Cribs (which, based on the size of my apartment, would probably not be able to fill up the 30 min time slot that the show allows to tour ones home); there would be a critical point of the episode where the camera crew would ask to peek into my refrigerator. I would open the freezer probably first and show off my frozen veggie burger collection, before taking the cameras to the fridge where you would see yogurt, milk, salsa, and leftovers from whatever Seamless Web delivered to me the night before. Recently I have received a few emails from friends with nutrition questions. When I came home from the food store tonight and unpacked the groceries on my counter, I thought “hey now…this is what I eat.” Then, I took out my camera…and my own little “Dear You (reader), this is what is behind my cupboard…with love, the future dietitian” experiment began.
It is true that I don’t buy that much of a variety when I food shop, (and variety is key to a healthy lifestyle) but there are two reasons for this! 1. I only food shop for one (that’d be me) and 2. I am never home. Both of these reasons lead to 3. When I buy too much it usually goes bad before I can finish it and I end up throwing it all away. So I have learned how to stick to my basics, on my budget, while making some important right choices. Here is what you see in my grocery picture below:


Cascadian Farm Cereal (whole grain squares, low in sugar, high in fiber and whole grains. Keeps me very full each morning)
Organic Non Fat Milk (to have with the cereal every morning, but of course)
Cans of beans (both red, and black beans this week). Beans are my favorite source of protein since I don’t eat meat. I eat some form of beans everyday whether it’s with veggies and rice on a plate, in a salad, or in a burrito. If I have time I will make beans from “scratch” (sold in the giant bag, not pre cooked, must soak for 24 hours before cooking them) but with my schedule I rarely have time for this. Canned will do for now, but I always rinse them off first since canned products are typically high in sodium.
Cous Cous/Rice Pilaf/Brown Rice (and camera shy, Quinoa). These are my grains. The cous cous cooks in 5 minutes and comes in all sorts of flavors I enjoy (this week, its roasted garlic and olive oil). The brown rice boils in 10 minutes as well and is 100% whole brown rice. Quinoa is high in protein, low on the glycemic index and also pairs well with vegetables, beans, veggie burgers, soups, etc. All are under 5$ per box but give me about 2 meals.
White Peach Tea: For days I am tired of water and coffee, and when it is too early in the day for it to be socially acceptable for wine. No sugar added.
Triscuits: More whole grains (I like my whole grains. They are good for my heart and keep me full, and since I am active, using the gym consistently, I always feel like I need the energy from my positive carbs. Carbohydrates should be about 50% of your daily calorie intake ( I should put that statement in bold for all my no carb diet readers). I eat these with a cheese stick (more on this snack later) and tomato slices.
The Frozen bags of Veggies! Frozen vegetables are just as great as fresh vegetables, since they are flash frozen sometimes just hours after being picked from a farm. All the nutrients are still locked inside and frozen means no sodium had to be added as a preservative. (Frozen veggies > Canned Veggies). The good news is I can stock them in my freezer and not worry about them going bad. I usually only buy fresh vegetables if I am buying them for a meal I know for a fact I am making that same day. I hate when I buy fresh produce, and then don’t see my apartment for 16 hours a day and forget to eat it. I do, however, like to pick up apples and bananas fresh because I know I will eat them when I wake up in the morning with my cereal. The frozen vegetables, I place in a pot with a teeny bit of water, cover and steam for anywhere from 3-7 minutes depending on the veggie. I add garlic, a pinch of salt, or sometimes nothing at all before eating.
Almost every time I go food shopping, the above items end up in my cart. Some items that I didn’t pick up this night, but usually do most of the time include: Oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, fruit, stoneyfield yogurt cups, veggie burgers, arugula, & hummus.
This food list usually doesn’t go over 50 dollars and can give me breakfast and dinner for approx a week. I tend to eat lunch out every day, (guilty) but before I leave my apt, and when I come home at night…these foods can really last. AND they are easy to cook for just me. If I am cooking for more than just me, I go to whole foods that day and buy exactly what I need to cook for 2 (or more) so that I am prepared, but once again not wasteful. It’s tough cooking for one, on a budget, with a schedule that would make some go insane. I hope tonights blog can be of help to recommend some great brands, in addition to quick and affordable meals. Keep the questions coming.
Remember, when all else fails: “Eat food, not too much, mostly greens”—Michael Pollan