Top 10 Pantry Items

Healthy Grocery Shopping

When it comes to healthy grocery shopping many people are left scratching their heads unsure of what to buy. Planning ahead has helped me tremendously! I'm a person who loves sweets, but I know too many of the wrong ones are not healthy for me. I make sure to have a list prepared ahead of time so my hands don't unconsciously start reaching for stuff I know I don't need lol. 

I'm really big on meal planning and my grocery list varies from week to week, but there are certain items I always keep stocked. Here are my top 10 items I usually keep on hand.

1. Fruit: Strawberries, blueberries, bananas, raspberries (varies)

2. Veggies: Spinach, mushrooms, peppers, kale.

3. Unsweetened almond milk: Great with smoothies, and anything else you use milk for.

4. Plain Greek yogurt: Great alone or with fruit.

5. Almond butter or peanut butter: Good with sandwiches or as a snack with fruit.

6. Eggs: Perfect for breakfast, or in salads (great source of protein)

7. Beans: Black beans and garbanzo beans (great for making hummus)

8. Balsamic vinegar/olive oil: Use to make your own vinaigrette.

9. Salmon and fish: Good source of omega 3.

10. Oatmeal: Perfect for a healthy nutritious breakfast (That your having every morning right?!!! ummm hmmm :)))

****Bonus item*** Almonds: Great alone of with fruit and yogurt.

(Grocery haul from Trader Joe's)

(balsamic vinegar and olive oil)

These two are great for making your own healthy salad dressing.

Hopefully this list gives you some ideas on what healthy items to buy the next time you go grocery shopping. Leave any questions or comments below. I'd love to hear from you. 

Coming soon........

Easy ways to prepare healthy meals that still taste great.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Live Fit Be Free

Eboni :)

Detox Strawberry Lemon Smoothie

I usually have one for breakfast or after a workout. I made this detox smoothie today.

2 cups of strawberries

1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup of greek yogurt

2 tbsp of honey

1 cup of ice

(add water as needed) 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Live Fit Be Free

Eboni :)

Delicious Breakfast Smoothie

This morning I decided to make a new breakfast smoothie and thought I'd share it with you guys. It's really simple to make and it tastes great.

Handful of spinach

Half a cup of almond milk

3 strawberries

3 or 4 pineapple chunks

1 banana

1 scoop of protein #Itworks vanilla #ProFit

(add water as needed)

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy :)

Live Fit Be Free

Eboni

Strawberry Pecan Oatmeal

Most Important Meal of The Day

We've heard it a million times. "breakfast is the most important meal of the day!", and it really is. Eating breakfast every morning has done wonders for me. When I eat breakfast I have more energy and it has been great for my metabolism. Here's a quick, easy oatmeal recipe I like to make some mornings. 

(Organic oatmeal from Trader Joe's)

(Almond Milk)

(Brown Sugar)

(Pecans)

(Strawberries)

Making your own oatmeal is much more healthy than buying many of the prepackaged fruit oatmeal with a bunch of sugar and additives. Give this a recipe a try and let me know how you like it. Enjoy :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Live Fit Be Free

Eboni :)

Save Money Freeze Fruit

Ever had this happen? 

Of course! We all have. I use to waste so much money on food because it would go bad before I got a chance to eat it. Fruit only lasts for so long before going bad. Here is one way I learned to save more food and money at the same time.

Slice up your fruit of choice before they go bad.

Place in freezer storage bags
(any fruit can be frozen)

place in the freezer
(here I have frozen mango, pineapples, strawberries and bananas)

Frozen fruit lasts in the freezer for a pretty long time. I typically use within a couple months. I use frozen bananas sooner..... I would say within a couple weeks (but you don't have to). I do this because I buy fresh bananas every week.

I like to use my frozen fruit to make smoothies.... I have at least one a day. Sometimes I'll mix fresh fruit and frozen fruit together. I do this a lot when I make strawberry banana smoothies. I'll use frozen strawberries and fresh bananas. It all depends on what I have available at the time.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope this tip helps. Leave any questions or comments below.

Live Fit Be Free

Eboni :)

Is Organic More Expensive?

Walmart vs Trader Joe's 

I'm constantly hearing people say they would love to eat organic food, but they don't normally buy it because it's too expensive. Well, if you shop at Walmart and you don't think you can afford organic fruits and veggies, you may want to think again.

I decided to do a little price comparison just for kicks. I wanted to see what the difference would be between the produce at Walmart vs Trader Joe's and here's what I found.....

(Walmart  left, Trader Joe's  right)

Walmart's spinach is about $1.00 more than Trader Joe's organic spinach. I always had a hunch that Walmart was not always the cheapest, but it was good to do a side by side to confirm.

Trader Joe's vs Trader Joe's

(Trader Joe's organic lemons vs Trader Joe's non-organic lemons)

Most people have at least heard that organic fruits and vegetables are more expensive, but the question is how much more? Well, based on my trip to Trader Joe's, there was only a 20 cent difference between the organic vs non-organic lemons....which is not that big of a price gap. I personally go for the organic when possible.

Hopefully this provides you with some insight for your next trip to the grocery store. The conclusion is that you may pay a bit more more for organic depending on what you buy. I know organic meats are usually always more expensive, but other organic items don't always have to be.

Thanks for stopping by... leave any questions or comments below. I'd love to hear from you!

Live Fit Be Free

Eboni :)

Oven-Roasted Vegetables

Bringing Out The Flavor of Vegetables

Oven roasting vegetables is one of the best ways to bring out the flavor. Use any vegetables you like, below I'll show you how I prepared this delicious oven-roasted dish.

Ingredients:

2 large sweet onions, cut in chunks

4 large sweet carrots, cut in chunks

1/2 lb of Brussels sprouts

1/2 lb of Artichokes 

8 to 10 small potatoes 

4 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

4 minced cloves of garlic

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cooking spray (I used extra virgin olive oil in a spray bottle)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F peel all the vegetables. Toss all vegetables in oil, and  minced garlic. Arrange the vegetables in a large roasting pan coated with cooking spray (extra virgin olive oil). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes.

2. Uncover and turn vegetables with a large spoon. Add salt and pepper and roast at 425 degrees F for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are thoroughly cooked and the edges are not burned.

****Serving size 6

Serve this meal alone or as a side dish with grilled fish or chicken. 

Enjoy!!!

Live Fit Be Free 

Eboni :)

Delicious Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies are full of so many nutrients and excellent for meal replacements. They're also great for you if you're always busy on the go and don't always have time to get your daily intake of fruits and veggies in. Most of the smoothies I make are green, but I realize many people can't stand the idea of drinking anything green. Your smoothies don't have to be green in order to be healthy, they just need to have the proper balance of ingredients. 

Here are some simple tips to keep in mind when making your own well balanced smoothie:

A liquid base
Milk -- 1 percent or nonfat -- because it's rich in vitamin D and calcium, which can help your body break down fat. But nondairy milks, like soy and almond, are fine too.( unsweetened almond milk is a great option.)

Lean protein
Getting protein at every meal helps you maintain lean muscle mass, which means you burn more calories throughout the day. Try one of these: plain nonfat yogurt or unflavored protein powder.

Healthy fats
These give you energy, make your smoothie satisfying, and help your body absorb vitamins. (Avocado, seeds, or nuts)

High-fiber carbs
Any fruit will do, but raspberries and blueberries deliver the most fiber and the least amount of sugar. As for veggies, spinach and cucumber have the mildest, easiest-to-mask flavors.

PB&J Smoothie

4 ounces plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana, chopped
2 teaspoons smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup ice

Nutrition facts per smoothie: 327 calories, 18g protein, 55g carbohydrate, 7g fat (1.4g saturated), 9g fiber, 94mg sodium

(If your allergic to peanut butter try this one)

Tropical Morning Smoothie
6 ounces plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fresh or frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 frozen banana, chopped
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

Nutrition facts per smoothie: 368 calories, 22g protein, 60g carbohydrate, 7g fat (0.9g saturated), 9g fiber, 68mg sodium

Recipes courtesy Fitness magazine. Check out the link below for more delicious smoothie recipes:

Smoothie Recipes

For even more nutrients try adding 2 scoops of It Works Greens to your smoothies. 

It Works Greens has the equivalent of 8+ servings of fruits and vegetables in each serving also helps with energy and serves as an all natural light detox. In addition to smoothies, greens can be added to juice or water.

Hope you Enjoy! Leave comments below if you have questions :)

Live Fit Be Free!

Eboni