Grocery shopping. Some people dread it. Others, like myself, look forward to it every week.
Why?
I have a plan when I go in via the Notes app on my phone
Grocery shopping and meal prepping free up my time during the week and allow me to stay on track with my nutrition and overall health goals.
I prioritize getting enough fruits, veggies, and protein into my diet. I've recently been using Dietician, Monica D'Agostino's, grocery shopping strategy rule, 3-3-2, as a structure to base my meals around for the week.
3-3-2
• 3 Fruits
• 3 Veggies
• 2 Protein Sources
3-3-2 provides the foundation of your grocery list. You fill in carbs and other gaps from there. The idea is to get creative and find multiple ways to use the foundational ingredients on your list.
3 Fruits:
1 to add to a meal, 1 to throw in a smoothie/on top of yogurt, 1 to snack on
Banana
Raspberries
Apples
3 Veggies:
1 meal prep, 1 leafy green, 1 to snack on
Asparagus
Spinach
Cucumbers
2 Protein Sources:
Chicken
Salmon
3-3-2 Style: Example Week of Meals + Snacks
Let's build out example meals and snacks from the 3-3-2 ingredients above!
Chocolate protein overnight oats with banana
Grilled chicken whole wheat wrap with spinach, feta, + green goddess dressing
Air-fried salmon, asparagus, and baked sweet potato
Snacks: Apples with peanut butter, greek yogurt with granola + raspberries, cucumbers with hummus, spinach feta apple side salad with balsamic glaze
Don't be a random ingredients person. There's nothing worse than shopping for ingredients and then struggling to figure out how to turn those ingredients into meals once you get home.
Use 3-3-2 to build the bones of your grocery list ... then fill the gaps with other ingredients you need to complete the meal or snack.
Embrace trial and error. Embrace the repetition.
You'll save money, won't waste food, and be eager to stick to what you like and what works!