Kitchen Staples

With living a healthy lifestyle, preparation is KEY! I love having a fully stocked kitchen full of healthy, nutritious foods. It makes it so much easier to come home after a long work day and feel excited to whip up something quick, easy and delicious.

I’d like to share with you a few of my kitchen staples. Now, before I provide the list, I’d like to just say that I’m a REAL kind of eater. As much as I would love to tell you that I eat “organic fruits veggies proteins and only whole grains” all day, but I don’t. I eat what tastes good to me and is low in Points (I’m on Weight Watchers). One day, I’d love to get more into things like steel cut oats and protein powders, but for now, I like what I like and I eat what makes my tummy full for low points values.

In the Fridge:

• Various Fruits and Veggies
•   Favorites: Zucchini, Squash, Bananas, Plums, Carrots, Onions, Lemons, Strawberries, Asparagus, Fresh Broccoli, Lettuce
•   Lean Meat and Poultry.
• I love boneless, skinless chicken breast and 97% Fat Free ground turkey!
• Greek Yogurt
•   I use in place of mayo or sour cream and I also love it topped with honey and sliced almonds as a snack
• Unsweetened Almond Milk
• I use this in my smoothies, cereal or oatmeal.
• Fat Free Whip Cream or Cool Whip
• I love just a tablespoon of ff cool whip on my smoothies or strawberry shortcakes. Cures the sweet cravings!
• Eggs
•    A great, natural source of protein. I boil an entire dozen every Sunday so that I have snacks through the week. Egg whites are full of protein but I LOVE the taste of Yolk. If I eat one egg, I will eat the whole thing. More than one egg, I just eat one yolk then stick to just the egg whites.
• Reduced Fat Cheese
•   Yes, cheese can be bad for you. BUT, I like to enjoy the things I love and I believe I can do that in moderation. Let’s face it, a pinch of cheese makes pretty much anything delicious. Stick to measuring your cheese and be sure to count those pinches that you put straight in your mouth from the bag when you are cooking. (Am I the only PHAT girl that does that?)
• A gallon of prepared Crystal Light
•  Yeah, Crystal Light has artificial sweeteners and some say those are bad for you. BUT I’m going to be honest, I’m really tired of plain old water or lemon water. I used to be a diet soda freak and I recently quit drinking it. So now, about once a day, I enjoy a nice tall glass of ice cold crystal light and It’s a God send.

In the Freezer

• Frozen Veggie Steamers
•     Sometimes convenience gets you through the day. I love being able to just grab a bag from my freezer and plop it into the microwave for 5 mins and have a nice healthy side dish to my dinner. Yes, they can be high in sodium, but that’s a personal choice you’ll have to make..
• Frozen Grapes w/ Jello
•   My new favorite dessert. You’ve probably all tried regular frozen grapes. But have you tried frozen grapes with sugar free jello? Amazing!! Just separate your grapes, wash them (and dry) and sprinkle on one packet of the sugar free jello powder. Then freeze and enjoy. They are like little mini Popsicles! So delicious!
• Emergency style chicken burgers or turkey burgers
•  Its 7:00pm, you just worked 9 hours then went to the gym for 2 hours. You are exhausted. You still have to get a load of laundry in and you REALLY want to just go lie down and relax. BUT you have to eat dinner first. Instead of hitting the drive through, heat up  one of those frozen chicken burgers or turkey burgers (I like the ones from Costco) and top with your favorite veggies on a bun or bed of lettuce. Quick. Easy. Healthy. Smart.
•   Vitatops
•   They come in all kinds of flavors. They are packed FULL of fiber and they are low calorie. When you crave something sweet, reach for a vitatop instead of your kid’s ice cream stash or the ho-ho’s in the pantry.

In the Pantry

• English Muffins
•    We all know that I eat the same exact breakfast almost every single day. An English muffin with turkey and cheese. Its filling and high in protein. I also love to make little English muffin pizzas with my muffins, or peanut butter and banana discs. They are just so versatile!
•   Flat Outs
• These little guys get used mostly for Flat Out Pizzas. I crave pizza quite often so in instead, I prepare a nice flat out pizza using fresh vegetables and turkey pepperoni. Yum!
• Mini Rice Cakes
•   These are great when you are craving something crunchy OR sweet. I love the yogurt & berry flavor with  just a DAB of FF cool whip and a banana slice on top. Seriously, its amazing.
•   Oatmeal
•    A great option for a quick, easy high protein breakfast when you are in a pinch for time.
• Cooking spray
•    A ZERO calorie replacement for oil!! Enough said!
• Sliced Almonds
•    A great, natural source of protein. Add an ounce to your yogurt, cereal, oatmeal or ice cream for a delicious protein boost!
•    Clif Bars
• A little high in points, but I eat one of these every single day before I go to the gym. It gives me energy and makes me satisfied until dinner time.

What are your kitchen staples? 

Share with us your top 5 staples in your fridge, freezer and pantry!