ALDI v. Wegmans on $, Quality, Options and Experience

Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  My name is Jeanette.  We are coming up on 10 years of living in Erie, PA.  I am a wife and a mom with kids who are ages 7 and 9.  Today I did a little experiment... I went to ALDI to do some grocery shopping.  I had not been there in YEARS.  Let me begin by saying that I LOVE Wegmans.  We actually have TWO Wegmans stores within a few miles of our home here in the Erie area.  If you have never been to a Wegmans, I hope that you get to go one day!  It is my favorite grocery store of all time!  Here is a blog entry with a detailed look at one of my Wegmans shopping trips, including a 4 day meal plan and recipes!   

I have seen more and more people sharing about their ALDI experiences.  So today I decided to go and check it out myself!  I didn't have a list and honestly didn't know what I would find.  I picked up everything which you see in the photo above.  These are my ALDI groceries, spread out on my dining room table!  I then proceeded to write a list, AFTER coming home from the store.  Who does that??  I knew that I was headed to Wegmans next and I wanted to get a "same day" comparison of the items in relation to the two stores.  I was intrigued by what I discovered.  AND I also learned a lot today!  Good and bad.  More on all that below!

The purpose of this blog entry is to write about today's experiences.  I think that both stores are good!  Well, Wegmans is stellar!  ALDI also serves a purpose.  It is not at all my intent to paint either store in a bad light.  And as for me -- life is always an adventure!  My 9 year old daughter is dramatic and let's just say that I can trace that back to a certain source... me!  :)  SO here is the story of my day and what I discovered!

Morning FB Post:

Grocery store FIELD TRIP/EXPERIMENT to keep things interesting!

I admit, it has been a few years since I have been here. I tried coming a few times and the produce was consistently about to turn... just not impressed when we have several other great options in town!

But I have been hearing enough things about ALDI that I decided to give it a try again! I am curious!

Got my quarter, my bags and this is literally 2 miles from home. I clocked it!
Any ALDI fans here among my FB friends? What are your favorite things to get here? Thanks!
Stay tuned on how the experiment goes. Especially with living five years in the Rochester, NY area (Wegmans HQ!) we all know that I am a Wegmans shopper!

And 1 Hour Later...

Okay! I made it! Today was kind of a reconnaissance mission to explore ALDI. 

Going to get my cart, I had a flashback (and sweaty palms!) as I suddenly remembered a key reason why I stopped going there years ago. My son who is now in kindergarten had reached the point where he was no longer in the baby carrier which I wore happily for so long. He had to sit in the cart. For whatever reason, some vandals would come along and cut all of the seatbelts in the carts during the night. It was horrible! Not a seatbelt to be found. Maybe, you would spot one once in a while and it was way back in the row. I did not have that many quarters or that much time to try to access it. I remember trying to shop with my little climber when there was no option of a seatbelt.

Back to the present! I gathered my thoughts and reminded myself that I was shopping solo. Although I had just seen an old friend in the parking lot and her children's current meltdown took me right back to the old days. Hugs for her!
Anyways, I entered the store. It felt like not knowing which lane to be in on a busy highway. You may have an exit just ahead but you don't know when or which side! Some people were gracious towards me and others were not. I tried to smile and explain that I have not been here in a long time and needed to look at the items. Still, in such a busy place I felt as though I were constantly in someone's way during that first aisle. Lots of bumping and shuffling along and I was thinking of a world without Wegmans. 
I did find some really great prices on items which we use here. I also picked up a few different sorts of items for my family to try. We do eat fairly organic, although not 100%. I was pleased with their selection and a parent quality. I look forward to trying out these items here at home.
Bottom line, I do think that it would be worthwhile to return to ALDI. I will have a better feel for the flow of the store and what is available.

Then a Little Game:

Guessing game! Guess the total cost of these groceries?? Comment below!

Today was my first visit to ALDI in years. It was quick and I did not have a list. These are the things that I happened to grab! All but the cheese puffs, they all represent something that I would typically buy at Wegmans. 

I do actually still need a few specific things at Wegmans and I am headed there next. I made a list of what all I found at ALDI today. I am actually going to jot down the Wegmans price for each item and then I will have a very realistic comparison for myself. Stay tuned for the results!

Then I Left Off Here...

Oh boy! I just finished with the calculator. My ALDI trip came in at $65.40 today. I was super curious to go through and spend a few moments jotting down prices of comparable items at my favorite store – Wegmans.
Any guesses on that price difference?? $65 at ALDI = _________ at Wegmans?
I have to go and get the kids and then the next three hours are a very full time of the day before I leave for Bible study.

I will be back around at 9:30 tonight and will get a post together with some of the things that I learned today. It has been quite informative!

Okay!  Now we are caught up on all of that!  There was some great discussion in the threads below each of the posts!  

This is NOT going to be a cut and dried sort of thing.  We are not exactly comparing apples to apples here.  I may be biased, but there is nothing like shopping at Wegmans.  Their quality is top-notch all around!  And from some discussion on my FB page, it does seem as though perhaps I happened to be at ALDI on an unfortunate day?  Something about social security and a new flyer?  Bottom line, I sooooooooo did not enjoy shopping there at our West 12th Street ALDI.  We do have to leave room for the fact that it was a new experience and I don't know the store or selection at all.  It was crazy crowded, which you could say is a good sign.  But there was 0 room to maneuver or to stop and read labels.

HERE IS MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT.  At least in today's shopping experience, there was literally no time or space to really stop and read things.  There is no "passing lane" in the aisles.  There was a crush of people and plenty of them were not so very pleasant!  Others were friendly.  This could be totally different on some other day and time.  And I do have to leave room for the fact that once I know what I am looking for there and also feel confident of the layout of the store, I will do much better.  I DO plan to return to ALDI and I will take the time to learn what I need to learn as I do see some value in shopping there for certain items.

I bought three things today that I would have NEVER BOUGHT if I had read the labels.  They are each organic.  BUT ORGANIC DOES NOT GUARANTEE HEALTHY.  I was very troubled upon taking a look at them here at home.  More on that later... 

So, on to the price comparison...

I spent $64.50 today at ALDI.  I then went to Wegmans an hour later and compared the closest items that I could find.  This was not hard to do as I know Wegmans very well after being a regular there these past 10 years!  A couple of things were packaged a bit differently and I looked at the price per pound to get the most accurate estimate.  

A similar list came out to be $105.41 at Wegmans.  BUT HOLD ON>>>> There is more to this story and I am going to break it down below!  That  price difference alone is not a "real world estimated impact" for my own household.  I am going to give you more of our ballpark difference below.

Biggest takeaway is that I will continue to visit ALDI for certain items.  And Wegmans for others!

This list rounds up a penny to the dollar in certain areas.  It was just less writing on my notepad! I will list the items with the Wegmans price first and ALDI second.

2 Avocados $3 or $1

12 ounces Blueberries $6 or $3.38

1 Pound Mini Cucumbers $5 or $2

1 Pound Mini Peppers $3 or $2.49

1 Pound Round Tomatoes $4 or $3

9 Ounces Cheddar Cheese Sticks $3.69 or $2.69

Organic Almond Milk $3 or $3.50

Regular Almond Milk $3 or $2.29

12 Ounces Organic Almond Butter $8 or $6

12 Pouches of Non-GMO Applesauce $7 or $4.50

1 Pound Organic, Grass-Fed Beef $7 or $5.89

1 Pound Wild Caught Salmon, Frozen $18.65 or $3.79

(2) 24 Ounces Organic Red Sauce $2.50 or $1.89

Organic Mac and Cheese $2.50 or $1.29

1 Pound Organic Pasta  $2.50 or $1.29

5 Ounces Dried Cherries/Berries Mix $3.50 or $2.45

6 Pack of Raisins $1.79 or $1.29

12 Ounces Organic Raw Almonds $9.50 or $7.39

4 Ounces Organic Cheese Puff Curls $2.79 or $1.99

Box of Triscuit-style Crackers $2 or $1.49

22 Ounce Loaf of Organic Bread $4.50 or $4 

Okay -- so what are the disclaimers here??

FIRST, I only buy whichever fresh berries are a low price.  We buy frozen organic (SO DELICIOUS!) more often than not and just pick up the others when they are in season.  I do shop at Sam's Club occasionally and always check their berries, typically buy almond milk and also a few of the kids' snacks.  Plus they have a bread that we like, called "Dave's Killer Bread" and in the two-pack it does come in just a bit less than the comparable bread found at ALDI.  Plus the taste is MANY times better.  That being said, Ezekiel bread is still my go-to and I always have a loaf of that in my freezer.

Other HUGE thing here is that I NEVER, never buy the wild caught salmon at Wegmans!  At $18 a pound, it is just too expensive for our family budget.  Sometimes Sam's Club will have a nice salmon option.  Sometimes not!  Wegmans does have the farm-raised salmon for around $7-$8 a pound but everything that I read suggests going with the wild caught.  I am somewhat suspicious how the ALDI wild caught salmon can be $4 per pound??????  We will give it a try on Friday!

I was REALLY DISAPPOINTED in myself with the red sauce.  Clean eating is important to me and my family -- check out this blog entry for my clean eating 101.  The sauce that I bought at ALDI (didn't read the label in all of the confusion today!) is way HIGH IN SODIUM and it is not something that I would choose to feed my family or eat myself.  We just do not eat things like that.  Period. There is a sauce at Wegmans which we really enjoy.  It is also organic and has good ingredients!  Comparison is 200 mg sodium to 490 mg of sodium per serving!  I don't mind that the sauce on the left has a few more calories and saturated fat - it does contain a bit of cheese.  It is SUPER delicious and we all love it.  I use approximately two jars per month.  The price difference between Wegmans and ALDI on this sauce is $.70.  So, for $1.40 more per month, I will go with the lower sodium!  The organic mac and cheese that I bought today (for the kids!) is also quite high in sodium.  This is just not something that I would serve to them.  There are better options out there!  With them having this twice per month, that winds up costing $2.40 more per month. 

We have tried out all of today's produce finds with the exception of the cucumbers.  I have been pleased with it!  Given the fact that we go through A LOT of produce around here, I will for sure be checking back at ALDI for our produce needs.  What I brought home today is quite nice and I am hopeful that this is their consistent quality.

I like the almonds that I bought.  The kids like the ALDI "squeezy applesauce" and that is a big savings right there.  

Beef and chicken (cooler section) are similar between the two stores.  Tomorrow we will try the beef from ALDI and see how it compares to the beef from Wegmans.  

The kids are yet to try the cheese and we have not opened the new almond milk.

They liked the cheese puff curls.  I tried a Triscuit sort of cracker and didn't care for it myself.  BUT, I am not a big cracker-lover anyways!  The bread is ho-hum and I prefer the options from Wegmans and Sams and the prices are all very close on that.  

Oh!  And the almond butter!  I was hoping to love it for the $2 difference in price.  BUT, it has sugar added!  Again, something that I would NOT have purchased if I were reading labels as usual!  Yikes!

Takeaways - my ALDI list will for sure include some produce, nuts, some snacks for the kids and perhaps the salmon if we like it!  I imagine that as I shop there again, I will find other staples that suit us.  The savings in produce alone will make it worthwhile!

BUT, I will always be a Wegmans shopper.  Too many of our staple pantry items from there are just not replicated in other places!  We use mainly fresh foods but there are some pantry things that I like to keep on hand.  And Wegmans offers sooooooo many other perks.  Too much to list here!

I can see myself making an ALDI trip weekly and a Wegmans trip weekly.  This could work!  I currently visit Wegmans twice a week anyways!  I am just going to have to find my own rhythm between the both of them!  A major benefit is that they are both super close to our home!

In my mind, my "true savings" today are on the items that I will be using and will continue to buy on a regular basis.  That adds up to be around $14-$15.  All in all, this experiment has been worthwhile!  Follow me on my personal FB page for more of my adventures found in the everyday details of life!  Check out my business FB page for an album of clean eating recipes and daily health inspiration! 

Cauliflower "Rice"

Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  My name is Jeanette.   I am a mom of two who enjoys horses, outdoor activities, friendship, coffee and the changing seasons here in northwestern PA.

In September 2013, I began taking steps to change my life by improving my health through clean eating, home fitness and being part of FB-based accountability groups!

I became a coach in March 2014 in order to share these things with others! It is an honor to work daily with those who are making personal progress as well as leading a team of coaches who are doing the same!

Looking back on the past two+ years, I am filled will a variety of emotions. I can't help but think... what if I had not taken a chance on myself?

I would still be 60 pounds heavier and likely more...

Rather than dropping to a size 10/12, I would probably still be in my 18/20 or higher.

My cholesterol and triglyceride levels were becoming a concern and who knows where they would have climbed without change?

And the thing that takes my breath away?? What would I have missed out on doing with my husband and kids these past two years because I did not have the energy, ability, confidence or desire to put myself out here and try it??

If you are interested in making your own changes or helping others to do the same, we should talk! I would be glad to help you in getting started with your own new chapter!

Now, for the Cauliflower Rice! 

First, all carbs are not bad! But some of us look for ways to trim down our number of carb servings. Personally, I aim for 2-3 per day and I look for quality grains such as sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice, oats, Ezekiel bread, potatoes, beans, etc. 

When possible, I do like to eat my grains earlier in the day to give my body more time to process them.

But sometimes you just want a grain with dinner! They do round out the plate nicely.

OR - how about a veggie "disguised" as a grain!

Tonight was our first time to try this approach with cauliflower. It was excellent and really quite easy!  I encourage you to give it a try!  You just might be surprised.  :)

Fixate Macaroni and Cheese

Clean Eating Mac-N-Cheese for a Crowd!
                                                                 Serves 8-10

** this recipe is based on a recipe from the Fixate cookbook by Autumn Calabrese. I have adjusted the quantities/ratio to be convenient in cooking for a crowd!  

I was making dinner to share with friends and also for my own household.  We did serve a plate of fresh veggies on the side but I didn't want to make this entire dish as "broccoli-heavy" when preparing it to serve to a bunch of kids!  This version does include more pasta per serving than the "21 Day Fix approved" original Fixate version from Autumn which I will share later in this blog entry!

2 pounds lean ground beef or chicken breast

16 ounces pasta of choice - preferably whole grain
12 ounces broccoli florets, chopped and steamed
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, cubed into bits
4 cups unsweetened almond milk
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons whole wheat flour
Sprinkle of sea salt

1) Thoroughly brown your ground beef or cut rotisserie chicken into chunks or cube cooked chicken breast - whatever your preference!

2) Cook pasta in a large pot, according to package directions, keeping it firm! Drain pasta and set aside. 

3) Use that same warmed pot to melt the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and be attentive so that lumps do not form! Add the milk, one cup at a time, whisking thoroughly along the way. Next add the cheese and give it time to melt, stirring every moment or so. Allow the mixture to simmer on medium-low heat for a few moments, stirring often.

4) Steam the chopped broccoli florets while step #3 is underway!

5) Add meat, broccoli and pasta to cheese sauce. Mix gently but thoroughly. Top with a bit of sea salt and give another stir.

6) Serve immediately OR place in a baking dish to reheat later at dinnertime.


"Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken"  
                                  as found in Fixate on page 155 and serves 8
                          21 Day Fix = 1 Green, 1 Yellow, 1/2 Red, 1/2 Blue

4 ounces dry whole wheat macaroni or pasta
4 tsp. organic grass-fed butter or extra-virgin organic coconut oil 
2 Tbsp. unbleached whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 1/4 cups freshly grated extra-sharp cheddar  
3 cups cooked chopped chicken breast, boneless, skinless
6 cups chopped broccoli florets, steamed  
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
You would then follow the steps above on how to prepare this recipe!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

(per serving): Calories: 250

Total Fat: 10 g Saturated Fat: 5 g Cholesterol: 68 mg Sodium: 491 mg Carbohydrates: 15 g Fiber: 2 g Sugars: 0 g Protein: 26 g

Fixate Chicken Tortilla Soup

Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  Today I am so happy to be able to share with you an EXCELLENT clean eating chicken tortilla soup which we made here for the first time last night.  I really loved this recipe and I have to say that it is my favorite dinner that I have made in the past couple of months!  For real!  You have to give it a try!

This recipe comes from the cookbook called "Fixate".  Fixate is available through Team Beachbody.  After experiencing a significant transformation with my health, I became a Coach with Beachbody.  I would be glad to help you out with how to obtain a copy of Fixate!  This cookbook was created by Autumn Calabrese of the 21 Day Fix.  Even if you are not doing the 21 Day Fix fitness/nutrition program, this cookbook is still an excellent resource with 101 clean eating recipes!

To best suit our day here yesterday, I did a few things a little bit differently with the recipe and I will include those notes below.  I did still use the exact same ingredient list!  I just skipped the blender/food processor part and had all of this simmering for a couple of hours instead.  It was AMAZING!

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

                                        from Fixate

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 8 (6") tortillas, divided use
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups celery, sliced (about 4 medium stalks)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 6 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped and/or shredded rotisserie chicken, boneless/skinless
• 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots (about 3 medium)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
• ½ teaspoon pepper + more to taste
• optional garnish: chopped avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, crumbled Cotija (or Feta) cheese

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.

  

2) Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.

3) Place tortillas on baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until toasted and crispy.  Remove from oven.  When cool, break into pieces.  Set aside.  

4) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and celery; cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes and until veggies are soft. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Add tomatoes; cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes and until tomatoes are soft. Set aside.

5) Add onion mixture, 2 cups broth and half of the toasted tortilla pieces to high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

6) Transfer blended mixture back to saucepan and add remaining 4 cups broth, chicken, carrots and seasonings. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender.

7) Top each serving with preferred toppings such as avocado, cilantro, feta, and remaining tortilla chips.

Here is what I modified in making this recipe:  Steps 1-4 were exactly the same for me.  I did not place anything in a blender.  Once step 4 was complete I went ahead and added my chicken, carrots and seasonings.  I stirred everything well and then covered the pot.  I placed it in the oven at 275 and it remained there for 2 hours.  I then served the soup topped with the tortilla chips, avocado and feta.  There were no tortilla chips incorporated into the soup itself.  They were just on the top.  The entire thing was just so delicious.  Give it a try!

AND - we made some cookies for dessert last night and also to share with my daughter's teachers plus today's lunches for my husband and kids.  This cookie recipe was "new to me" and was created by a friend of mine.  I will include her blog link below!

 

These cookies are considered "clean eating", minus the M and M's that top some of them!  The cookies themselves do not contain any sugar and use honey as the sweetener.  We always work with raw honey here and it is really just fantastic!  

This kind of cookie would be my weakness!  They are clean eating but do contain a good amount of "healthy fat".  So we made 3/4's of a batch and that produced the 12 nicely-sized cookies that you see here.  The recipe calls for either coconut oil OR butter.  We used about 3/4 coconut oil and 1/4 butter to create our app. 1/3 cup total.  

Get the recipe here at my friend Brittney's blog!  We very much enjoyed these cookies and will for sure be making them again here in my home.  :)

 

Grocery Shopping: List, 4 Day Meal Plan, Clean Eating Recipes

Hello!  My name is Jeanette.  I am a mom with two kids who are currently ages 6 and 8.  I have been married for 10 years now.  We live in Erie, PA.  In September 2013 I began to learn about clean eating and discovered the key to drastically change my health.  Since then we have continued to implement these principles in our household and it truly has become our lifestyle.  I became a Team Beachbody coach in March 2014 in order to share with others about home fitness and clean eating.  I lead FB-based "Challenge Groups" with daily coach posts, accountability, fitness and nutrition support and lots of fun and encouragement!  

For a quick "Clean Eating 101" - check out this blog entry of mine!  There are MANY different ways to approach clean eating in order to find out how to make it work for your lifestyle!  Today's blog entry is a look at what is working for us here!  This is by no means absolute or all-inclusive.  :)

Today in one of my groups we are taking a close look at nutrition.  Here is what I had posted myself in that group today:

Day 12: Nutrition FOCUS today!

Good morning to everyone! I have been messaging quite a bit with many of my challengers here in the group and there is for sure a common theme!

We are not all eating enough of the right foods. Too much time is passing between snacks and meals due to life circumstances and busy schedules.

This will be a longer post! So I wanted to give a little assignment here at the top! COMMENT BELOW with which nutrition category is coming more easily to you and also where you are finding yourself lacking more often than not.

We are going to brainstorm here today and come up with some helpful tips and encourage each other on how to make this work!

When I first began making my own healthy changes in September 2013, I had just started a new job and I was teaching riding lessons at a barn outside of Erie. Within a matter of weeks, I was to a point of teaching back-to-back-to-back for a LOT of lessons in a row. In between actively instructing beginner/intermediate riders who were mounted in the arena, I was in the barn aisle-way talking with them and their parents as we tacked and untacked their ponies.

Ummm..... this was NOT your usual sort of "ideal dining experience".

I did wind up losing 30 pounds my first 90 days and it was not just because of my home workouts. It was through making good nutrition a non-negotiable that just had to happen for me no matter what!

SO - if we are results-oriented here AND want to feel our best by being well-fueled throughout our days, we can make it happen!

First, toss out your old ideas of where you need to be/what you need to do/what it should look like before you are "ready to eat something".

We are going to be on the move most days and that is okay!

Set aside the idea of eating "one good meal". We are going to be grabbing smaller things along the way. You can still for sure still sit down to a nice meal a couple of times a day! But if your days are not allowing that, NO WORRIES!

Snacking well is the key to success.

When I would pack things to be out of the house for 10 hours on a Saturday with a 30-40 minute drive each way, teaching back-to-back and maybe riding a green horse or two within the mix, I had to be prepared with my clean eating foods.

Here are some of the things that I would bring:

Greek Yogurt with Berries (just pack a spoon and eat it somewhere in there!)

Hard Boiled Eggs (I would strategically open these so that the scent was not too much for anyone nearby!)

Wrap with PB/Banana/Chia Seeds (easy to eat while walking)

Wrap with Turkey and Avocado (also portable!)

Fresh Fruit

Fresh Veggies

Nuts

Extra Serving Shakeology in a Shaker Cup (I do love it blended at home but sometimes you have to just shake it up!)

LOTS of WATER!

I have since also discovered Quest Bars and they are another handy option to have while on the go! Some are a bit higher in saturated fat, depending upon the variety. So be on the lookout for that. But they are VERY LOW in sugar (1 gram or less!) and are filling and are made with quality ingredients. This is a nice boost of protein while on the run!

I keep a nutrition tracker printed and make sure to hit my categories most days. This is truly at the heart of our success with our life change efforts! It also makes all the difference in feeling our best!

There is a lot of great energy and support here in this group. None of us are going to be able to "do this perfectly". But we can for sure give it our best shot! That is going to require getting creative. We need to find new ways of thinking. Take action even when it means pushing to develop a new habit. WE ARE WORTH IT!

Once I had the kids off to school here today, it was time for me to head to the grocery store.  We have some things this weekend where I need to bring food to share.  My 6 year old on had requested this morning that we make our homemade granola tomorrow and he asked me to buy the ingredients today.  So cute!  Plus we are heading into the weekend.  If I don't have foods ready to go here, we will wind up going out to eat.  We do eat out a couple of times a month.  But we just ordered pizza one night this week, I was out at the MOPS Steering Team Christmas party last night AND with a neighborhood Christmas party tomorrow night, my preference is to do the rest of our meal here at home working with my own ingredients!  After you have been eating clean for a while, it is not that you finding yourself "wanting extra cheat meals".  You truly want to stick with your routine nutrition because you have found that this is how you feel your best!

I decided that today I would do something that I have not done in the past!  I would snap photos of the contents of my grocery cart as I shopped each department at our local Wegmans (Peach Street location) and then I would come home and blog the list, my perspective on all of this, 4 day meal plan and recipes.  So here we are!

First - what will meals/snacks look like over the weekend?  I will detail that now and will then get into the shopping and recipes. 

A general nutrition game plan for myself involves 1+ gallon of water each day, 4 protein servings, 4-5 veggie servings, 3 fruit servings, 2-3 grain servings and a couple of healthy fats.  I follow the guidelines that I learned through the 21 Day Fix and PiYo nutrition plans.  I do drink coffee (black) and enjoy an average of 2 cups per day.  I always have my first in the morning and then my 2nd later in the day.  I also add in tea whenever desired in the evenings.

Friday

5:15 AM - 16 Ounces of Water

5:30 AM - Coffee and Ezekiel Toast with PB

8 AM - Fresh Green Beans

While Shopping - MY FAVORITE SPROUTED ALMONDS! and Coffee

10:30 AM - Vegan Chocolate Shakeology with 1/2 a Banana

12:30 PM - Celery and Apple with PB

  ** Do Workout!

2:30 PM - Quest Bar and Green Beans

4:30 PM - 2 Scrambled Eggs w/Peppers, Ezekiel Toast, Avocado

6:30 PM - Vegan Chocolate Shakeology with 1/2 a Banana

                  * Drink while on the way to school activity!

Saturday

6:15 AM - 16 Ounces of Water

6:30 AM - Coffee and Ezekiel Toast with PB

  ** Do Workout!

8:00 AM - Vegan Chocolate Shakeology with 1/2 a Banana

10 AM - Celery and Green Beans

12:00 PM - Chili and Spinach Salad

3:00 PM - Greek Yogurt with Raspberries and Granola

5:00 PM - Neighborhood Party!  Take Hummus w/Veggies & Pita Chips

                 * Plan to eat as "clean" as possible with minimal "extras"!

Sunday

6:15 AM - 16 Ounces of Water

6:30 AM - Coffee and Ezekiel Toast with PB

  ** Do Workout!

8:00 AM - Vegan Chocolate Shakeology with a Full Banana

10 AM - Fresh Green Beans on the Way to Church

12:45 - Chili and Spinach Salad

3:00 PM - Greek Yogurt with Raspberries and Granola

5:30 PM - Portobello Chicken with Red Potatoes and Broccoli

7:30 PM - Celery and Cucumber

Monday

5:15 AM - 16 Ounces of Water

5:30 AM - Coffee and Ezekiel Toast with PB

  ** Do Workout!

7:00 AM - Fresh Green Beans while Packing Lunches

8 AM - Vegan Chocolate Shakeology with 1/2 a Banana

10 AM - Celery and Cucumber

12:30 PM - 2 Scrambled Eggs w/Peppers, Avocado

3:00 PM - Quest Bar and Apple between Hair Appt. and School Pick-Up

5:30 PM - Chicken Fajita Bowl and Spinach Salad

Okay!  Now we are off to the grocery store!  I visited my favorite spot today... Wegmans on Peach Street here in Erie, PA.  First stop was to grab some coffee while I gathered my thoughts and jotted down a bit of a list on a piece of paper that I had found in my purse!  I knew that three of the recipes I wanted to make were accessible through my own blog and another could be found in my recent "Clean Eating Crock-Pot Group" so I looked them up while sitting there in the Cafe.  I knew that other staple grocery items would just come to mind as I went through my usual departments.

Produce (we do a combination of organic and non-organic here):
Carrots, Bell Peppers, Apples, Green Beans, Seedless Cucumbers, Baby Spinach, Celery, Bananas, Red Potatoes, Portobello Mushrooms, Vidalia Onions

Bakery/Deli:
I am planning to make breakfast sandwiches for my husband and kids for our early dinner tonight. These are a family favorite!  I picked up two bakery bagels (one for my husband and one for the kids to split) and I will have a slice of Ezekiel toast myself.  I also bought some deli "ham off the bone" and "cooper cheese" as my family think that these elements make for the best breakfast sandwiches.  Though not considered "clean eating" we do buy this sort of thing in moderation and it still fits into an 80/20 approach with the idea of eating 100% clean 80% of the time.  For myself today?  Given that I was out last night at a Christmas party and tomorrow night is another Christmas party, I will stick to my eggs/bell pepper scramble tonight along with my Ezekiel toast and sliced avocado.  Other times I will have a slice of ham and cheese with my eggs.

Nature's Marketplace (organic grocery area):
Annie's Bunny Crackers (single serve packets for the kids as they typically have one per day), Pita Chips and Boom Chicka Pop Holiday Popcorn (to take to neighborhood party), Quest Bars (I prefer the Cinnamon myself and the kids like the cookie types and they will split a bar), Raw Honey (for the granola recipe and this is also what my son eats daily with his PB on a sandwich!), Tomatoes, Dried Beans, Veggie Broth, Refried Beans for the Chili Recipe, and MY FAVORITE thing to eat which I only buy a tiny amount of on grocery day ---- Sprouted Almonds from the Bulk Organic at Peach Wegmans (West doesn't carry them).  They are just so delicious and I love them!  But at $14.50 a pound and the fact that I could eat waaaaayyyyyy to many of them, I just buy around $2.60 worth and enjoy them all that day. 

Meat Cooler (not currently buying organic as it is not yet in the budget!):
Club Pack of Chicken Breast and Smaller Pack of 90/10 Beef - I would have bought the bigger pack of beef to save $ per pound but it was only dated through tomorrow and when I am freezing it I do prefer to have things dated out farther, given that I am going to thaw it and cook with it and probably eat that day and the next.  Tomorrow I will make a double batch of chili but the beef will be browned and mixed in with the portion that we are eating tomorrow.  The rest will stand as a vegetarian chili for Sunday's lunch and my husband's lunch on Monday!

Dairy Area Cooler (mixture of organic and non-organic):
Eggs (we all just prefer the organic eggs so they are worth the slightly higher cost), Hummus, Plain Organic Greek Yogurt (the organic has a much better taste and texture to me! I don't eat tons of dairy but will incorporate plain Greek yogurt twice or so each week), Flavored Single Serve Greek Yogurts (my husband and kids prefer this to the plain and we buy the big box of 12 cups - still had some here at home so I just picked up a few of their favorite flavors to supplement our supply!) 

Grocery Bulk and ONE Grocery Aisle:
Pecans and Almonds from Bulk and Old-Fashioned Oats from Grocery for the Granola!

Frozen Foods:
When berries are not in season, I just buy frozen instead.  The organic raspberries are only 50 cents more per pound than the regular frozen raspberries and the flavor is DECADENT!  Raspberries are my own favorite berry and I just love these!

The organic broccoli package is FAR SUPERIOR to the regular frozen broccoli package!  The organic broccoli is "Broccoli Florets" and they are beautiful and so flavorful and the bag really is like 90% florets.  The regular frozen broccoli is called "Broccoli Cuts" and with that you are looking at like maybe 25% florets and a bunch of stem and no one in my family ever liked those much at all.  We will never go back!  Why not serve veggies that everyone is more likely to enjoy??  

So this was my $167 trip to the grocery store today!  I also included a 3-pack of chewing gum!  There were a few staple item already on hand here in my freezer, fridge and pantry.  I will include those photos below!  I didn't think to pull out butter, coconut oil, pink sea salt, cinnamon and other assorted spices.  But we do cook with them!

These are some cereals that my husband and kids enjoy. I am not really a cereal person myself!  I enjoy my Shakeology for breakfast daily and sometimes at a 2nd point during the day!

Frozen Foods - the kids like these organic frozen waffles.  I eat Ezekiel bread toasted each day as one of my grain servings.  We also keep assorted frozen veggies on hand!

From the Fridge and Counter - a seasonal fruit, almond milk, PB and Jam, Lemons, Avocado, our FAVORITE Marinade plus we have a handful of Condiments in there.

And FINALLY - a few recipes from this meal plan!

Honey Pecan Granola

Chicken Fajita Bowl 

My "Portobello Chicken with Red Potatoes and Broccoli" is simply cooking up some sliced chicken breast in a skillet and then setting is aside.  Saute your mushrooms and then mix your chicken back into the skillet. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over everything and toss to coat.  Top with feta cheese if desired.  Bake, boil, roast or mash your red potatoes and steam or roast your broccoli and dinner is served!  

A Chili Recipe that we have been LOVING came from a coach on my team!  This post was initially shared by Amy within our "Clean Eating Crock-Pot" recipe group.  I will include her words and recipe below!

Amy's Vegetarian Chili

I'm a vegetarian and my husband is not. When I make this, I have meat sautéed on the side that my husband can add to his. I just made this the other day and it was so easy because most of the ingredients can just be stock piled in your pantry. The main ingredients are dried beans which are very economical. I was able to throw this together on a day that was super chaotic and it was so rewarding to have a hearty and healthy home cooked dinner ready when we were.

There is a small amount of prep to get it going. You could soak your beans overnight or if you are like me and forget, then just boil them for about 45 minutes in the morning just to get them started.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried lentils (I simmered these in 2 cups water until the water was absorbed, about 15 minutes)
1 cup dried kidney beans
1 cup dried white beans
3 cups canned chopped tomatoes (I used one box of the Pomi tomatoes) include liquid
4 cups vegetable stock
1 onion diced
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
3 tsp cumin
1/4 - 1/2 tsp shed red pepper (depending on how spicy you'd like it)
*2 Tbsp masa harina (corn flour) added near end to thicken the chili
*1/2 can organic vegetarian refried beans (I used Amy's brand) this is optional, but adds more creaminess flavor
Shredded cheddar and Greek yogurt for garnish

Directions:
Prepare lentils by simmering and beans by boiling or soaking overnight. Sauté onions and garlic in a little oil. Drain and rinse beans. Add all ingredients to crockpot except for corn flour and refried beans. Cook on low setting for 5 hours. Stir in corn flour and refried beans. Cook for another 15-30 minutes. Serve garnished with shredded cheddar and Greek yogurt. Enjoy!