Grocery Shopping Tricks!

Combining sneaky little bits of exercise with smart eating!

1. Make sure to fill your cart with lots of good snacks.  Those are the things that you're most likely to eat when you're hungry throughout the day and in a hurry.  Saltines are one of my FAVORITE snack foods so I get fat free saltines.  Most of your favorite snacks will come in a fat free, reduced fat, low cal, sugar free variety. 100 Calorie Packs, WOO HOO!  Fresh fruits and veggies*! Hard boiled eggs**!
2. Don't go to the grocery store hungry.  This may be a little cliche, but it is a good rule of thumb. 
3. Allow yourself impulse buys! Everyone has them, especially if you discover a new product (Skinny Cow candy, helllooo!).  Don't allow yourself to buy stuff that is horrible for you.  It's a little harder if you share the fridge with people who aren't in the pursuit of skinny (husbands, kids, roommates that eat whatever they want but don't need to lay down to button skinny jeans - rude), but a little willpower goes a long way.  You WANT to lose weight, then you'll WANT to skip the fattening snacks.  Or...
4. Include your family/roommates in your diet plan...completely eliminate temptation from your refrigerator and pantry.  You are the one who is at the grocery store, so you are the one who chooses what to buy.  There is nothing wrong with encouraging healthy snacking!
5. Park your car away from the store.  I don't mean across the street or anything, but give yourself a little bit of a walk.  It's an easy way to sneak in some steps.
6. Utilize the hanging aisle signs.  If you notice that you don't need anything down a certain aisle, don't go down there.  That will eliminate possible temptations.
7. Don't forget the list!  Before grocery shopping, make a menu for the week and make a list from there.  This will cut down the aimless wandering (what should I cook?!), cut down return trips (forgotten ingredients - my downfall), and save money. 

I will post more grocery shopping tips as I discover them!

 * When you get home from the grocery store, clean and cut ALL of your produce into snack size pieces and store in bags or containers.  They will still be usable for cooking and recipes, but they are also readily available for when you need a snack NOW.

** I buy a dozen eggs just to hard boil.  In the "olden days," eggs were shunned for having TOO MUCH CHOLESTEROL! But now we know them as the incredible edible.  Just like prewashed & cut veggies, if there are prepared hard boiled eggs in your fridge to grab & snack on, you won't need the easily available cookies.

Hard boil eggs a few days after you buy them.  I don't know why, but this works best.  Start with a generous shakin' of salt at the bottom of a stock pot.  Arrange the eggs in a single layer and cover with an inch or two of COLD water.  Bring to a boil and let boil for about a minute.  Cover the pot, turn off the stove, remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.  Have a bowl of ice water ready.  When the 15 min are up, put the eggs in the ice water until they're cooled completely and refrigerate!  They last about a week!