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Creating a healthy pantry that you keep stocked is the key to healthy eating for me.  At 58 years old, I never thought I could turn my bad eating habits around but I did with the help of my trainer, Kelly, a membership I now use to the gym and a plan to buy, eat and prepare healthy food.  Down 60 lbs, I now love my new healthy life.

I am on the go all day for work so I keep a cooler of food with me in my car to stay on track.

Here’s what I keep in my house at ALL times (You must keep a list going at all times of things you need to replenish to stay on the plan)

I do NOT count calories, I just eat healthy!

PANTRY GOODS

Everything is organized in zip lock bags (3 sizes) or plastics containers

•Organic Oatmeal quick Oats

•UnSweetened Coconut

•Cacao Powder

•cranberries,walnuts,almonds,cashews

•granola( no more than 4g sugar) or make your own

•Sweet Potatoes

•Red potatoes

•Brown rice, Quinoa

•Peanut Butter /Organic low sugar

•mini chocolate chips

•Canola oil, Coconut oil

•Panko bread crumbs

•Newman’s olive oil &Vinegar

•lemon juice,mustard,honey,ginger

•Black Beans

•Artichoke Hearts

•fat-free refried beans,brown rice, canned chicken and tuna and salmon

•green tea, dark chocolate

•Shakeology /strawberry,chocolate, vanilla,

•Skinny pop popcorn

SPICES:

21 seasoning salute (trader Joes), creole, basil, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, sea salt, pepper, parsley

cold milled ground flax seeds, chia seeds

FRESH

•eggs

•light string cheese

•Greek Yogurt (low sugar)

•Basil Pesto

•chopped garlic, edamame, hummus

•peppers, avocado, spinach, kale, Romaine, broccoli slaw, shredded carrots

•carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, celery, onions, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, lemons, tomatoes, peas

•bananas, strawberries, apples (frozen pineapple, blueberries, mango for smoothies)

•Ground turkey, chicken, chicken sausage

I keep a lot of frozen fish (Salmon, tilapia, halibut, shrimp, scallops) take out in the morning its fine to cook at night.

Here is a sample of my daily meals, I keep all meals simple:

Breakfast is oatmeal with fruit ,nuts and 2 glasses of water

Mid morning snack is yogurt w/ granola and tea , 2 more glasses of water

Lunch is usually a salad with chicken or fish, 2 squares of chocolate, water

Mid afternoon snack apple with peanut butter, hummus carrots or my shakeology shake, water then for

Dinner meat, chicken or fish with veggies & potato or rice

Late snack if I need one popcorn or nuts and tea and water.

Thank you Sheila for sharing how you stay organized with healthy eating. The key to success is being prepared & having healthy foods on hand at all times and by avoiding purchasing unhealthy foods! I would also like to say how proud I am of how far you have come on your journey.

(The Picture on the left was taken a year ago in 2014, and the picture on the right was yesterday!)

You amaze me with your weight loss and fitness success over this past year

You have exceeded so many goals already. Not only have you created a lifestyle change for yourself but you have showed me that you are in this forever and I’m so happy to be a part of your journey! 

Over the past few years I have really focused on eating clean and nutritious foods. I try to stay away from packaged foods and I buy minimally processed foods.

There was a time where I made excuses why granola bars were easier, why I needed crunchy foods (pretzels, crackers, chips) in my life, and why these foods were all convenient for me. While they did make my life easier because I just had to purchase them, I didn’t like how bloated I felt, I had less energy and how I could never seem stay full and satisfied.

Once I started experimenting with simple and easy whole food recipes I decided I felt better when I ate cleaner. It took a while to fully transition but now its routine for me to prepare healthy snacks and meals.

Although I have always been a healthy eater, my snack choices in the past weren’t the wisest and I believe that has to do with the fact that I wasn’t as educated about nutrition as I am today!!

I had no idea granola bars were bad for me until I started decoding food labels to find that some ingredients were chemicals, there were added sugars and ingredients I have never heard of.  Now I look at all nutrition labels and ingredients before I buy anything in a package.

Of course there are still some foods that I buy in boxes or cans, but I make sure to read the labels to make sure I’m buying the best product.

My Package Food Checklist

• Can you pronounce all the ingredients?
• Are there any added sugars?
• Does it contain artificial sweeteners?

If I don’t know what the ingredients are I don’t buy it, If I can’t pronounce it, it stays on the shelf, and if it has added sugars/sweeteners its out.

I hope this post makes you think the next time you go buy something at the grocery store. Even a simple jar of BBQ sauce can have a list of ingredients that you don’t want to put in your body so take the time to check it out and find some healthier options!

Have you ever taken the time to read food labels?

Are you a healthy eater or do you find its something you need to work on?