The "I'm Gonna" Shopping List

I'm so fickle sometimes.

As I was writing out my list for my next shopping trip, I found last month's list. And made myself giggle.

This is last month's list (with its notes):

• Granola (organic, bulk)
• Grapes (for the hydration and late-night snacks)
• Berries - raspberry, strawberry, blackberry. (If on sale. For my smoothies. This month is going to be smoothie month.)
• Prune juice (to make prune pops & to add to smoothies)
• Cereal (the usual: Honey Bunches, Quaker Squares. When I'm tired of grapes & instead of chocolate.
• Only one jar of Vanilla Caramel Creamer. (Gotta cut back on the coffee!)

Okay. I pretty much stuck to the shopping list, but what I did with the items is a whole other story.

I made cookies with the granola and ate the whole pound of grapes during a Netflix night marathon of "Nightmare Next Door". (Gave myself a serious case of "bathroom runs" and made a solemn vow to stay away from the prune juice for a week.

I did use the berries for smoothies. Mostly. Then, since I had no grapes left for snacking, I finished off the berries - all of them - in two days.

The creamer lasted all of three and half days. (Did you know that vanilla caramel creamer is yummy in vanilla chai tea?)

I ate cereal a few times, but I was still pretty cleaned out by the grapes and I heard that the cereal might have the same effect. I still have most of both boxes left over.

Besides the laxative effects grapes have on a grape glutton, I learned that it's very easy to justify making a store run for just one chocolate bar to go with the last of the peanut butter in a jar. I also learned that I really don't like organic, plain granola unless it's in a cookie.

This month's list looks like this so far:

• Grapes (but just half a pound this time)
• Just two jars of Vanilla Caramel creamer.
• Apple juice to blend with the prune juice (just in case I get around to making those pops)
• Two chocolate bars (to save myself the gas money of midnight store runs)
• Some more of that delicious vanilla chai tea (because I'm still cutting back on coffee!)
• Some frozen yogurt (to go with the berries I get on sale)

~sigh~

I should just start shopping meal-by-meal. The way I'm going now, I'm just feeding my fickle belly.

Peace

--Free

**QUICK POST** Food Fitness Tip #1

If you are trying to get into shape, shape up the way you shop. (Cute saying, ain't it?)

We usually shop by product: just buying items we like. That's fine, unless you are trying to change your eating habits. When I was writing out my grocery list the other day, I realized that I am preparing my meals differently, so I should be shopping differently. Usually, I list out things I like to eat. This time, I put together items they way I need to be eating them. For example, I've been eating a lot of Tilapia (sauteed with olive oil & garlic). I checked and saw that I am low on the oil & garlic, not to mention I need different sides to go with the fish.

Because I eat so dang much fish now, I checked out various simple recipes while I made out my list. I ended up with things that I am actually going to be using up. That sounds so common sense, but I can't tell you how often I leave the store with a mish-mash of ingredients for recipes I haven't thought out.

Benefits:

• This is going to save me some money
• Keeps me on track with my better eating habits
• Helps me resist "snack shopping."
• Forces me to plan out meals in advance, and...
• ... even if I don't, I'm not going too far out of my fitness plan

The downside to this is that it works mostly for singles or couples without kids - unless the whole family is on the same fitness plan. It's also inconvenient if you lack basic willpower and end up making return trips to the store because you get weak for something out of your "plan."

This is the first time I am structuring my shopping this way. I will be back to let you know how it works out for me in my "real" life!

Peace

--Free