Supermarket Survival

Shop more efficiently, navigate the grocery store like a pro, reduce temptations and distractions and ensure you’re filling your cart with healthy foods!

I don't know about you, but I could spend houuuuuurs strolling through the aisles of my local market.  And the farmer's market?!...forget it, just leave me be and I'll see you at dinner. Most people know that the market is one of my happy places but I know for a fact that some of you absolutely hate it, put it off until the last minute, and then don't have enough time so end up picking up take-out.  You barely have time to throw dinner together, let alone navigate the grocery store to find the healthier items that should be finding their way into your cart.  

Well, I have a few tips when it comes to just that.  

First things first. MAKE A LIST:

Plan ahead and take the time to put a list together and ALWAYS shop with one. If it's not on the list, don't buy it. Just you, your cart and that list! This not only saves you time and money, but it saves the waste from impulse purchases.

DON'T GO UNDER-NOURISHED OR HUNGRY:

I know when I'm hungry, I shouldn't talk to people, make decisions or drive a car. I'm cray. Always be prepared for the grocery store. Have a healthy dose of vegetables, healthy fats and protein before making your way to the store and if you're on the go, never leave home without a little stash of nuts, veggies or a healthy bar in your bag.

MAP IT OUT:

Shop the perimeter of the market.  The healthy items are found along the perimeter, so shop mostly here, where the produce, dairy and meat can be found. Try to avoid the inner aisles as best you can, which is filled with processed, frozen and junk food. If you should have to grab something from an inner aisle, enter and exit from the same side...no need to wander all the way through.  Get what you need and head on out!

BEWARE OF THE AISLE-ENDS:

Markets tend to prop up sale items at the end of aisles and majority of the time they are not items that are going to help you shop efficiently and healthfully. Eeevery once in awhile there might be a good find , but that'll be a gem.

CART HALF-FULL:

Unless it is filled with bunches and bunches of kale and swiss chard or you're feeding a family of five, there's probably not a reason to fill your cart.  

LABEL READING CHECKLIST: 

When reading labels, there are a few things that you should look for.  

 - Whole Foods

 - No more than a few ingredients

 - Food that is close to it's original state

 - Organic and local if possible

 - Minimal or no packaging

And a few things to avoid.

 - Sugar (Look for tricky words such as "syrup", words ending in "-ose", words beginning with "malto-", made with/contains real fruit, fortified with)

 - Artificial sweeteners, additives, preservatives, coloring

 - Hydrogenated oils

 - Any ingredient you don't recognize

I hope this helps!  I'm off to my happy place! xx

Benefits of Coconut

C O C O N U T // The benefits and excitement of coconuts shouldn't end with the water.

I know it's popular B U T ... there's a wide variety of coconut-derived ingredients that allow you to get those beneficial nutrients in various ways.

Open your eyes and discover different ways to incorporate this goodness into your cooking and your diet.

Coconut OIL: use in place of butter or other oils in your cooking. (And rub it into your body! This oil is great for the body both internally and externally) Try adding 1 Spoonful of coconut oil to your morning routine to BOOST YOUR METABOLISM.  This oil contains MCT's (medium chain triglycerides which help you feel more energized, curbs your appetite and revs your metabolism to start the day. 

Coconut MILK: Use canned coconut milk to make creamy dishes like spicy curries or creamy fall soups.  This one here is amaaaaaazing! You can easily  use in place of cream in recipes, but note there will be a hint of coconut if swapping it into another recipe, so make sure it'll work with the flavors!  It adds a richness and luxury to everything it touches and adds a sweet tropical touch. (note: avoid coconut milk that has added stabilizers or gums, or has been homogenized or shaken.  You want to open the can and clearly see the distinction between the milk and the cream on top).

Coconut WATER: hydrate yoself! Use in place of sports drinks when sweating for an extended period of time for enhanced and healthy electrolyte replenishment or use in smoothies in place of milk. Harmless Harvest 100% Raw Coconut Water is my absolute favorite.  

Coconut MEAT: it's delicious, it's low carb and high in good monounsaturated fat necessary for fat loss, but note that it IS high in calories. Eat with care, but savor it!

Coconut FLOUR: use it in baked goods for enhanced fiber and a lower glycemic index. It's one of my favorite flours to use when creating recipes that are gluten free or grain free and it contains lots of fiber! It is tricky to use sometimes, due to the fact that it absorbs a lot of liquid and you will need to use more eggs to help bind the ingredients together, however, once you get the hang of it, it's fantastic and those baked goods leave you feeling way better than regular flour. 

Coconut FLAKES: shredded coconut and coconut flakes are the most common usage of coconut. It's extremely convenient for cooking and baking and tossing into granolas.  You can even use as a healthy crust for meat or fish.

Explore and experiment with this gem!

Power of Purple

My favorite color as a child was purple.  Everything...from backpacks, to lunch boxes, to my jellies sandals, was some shade of purple royalty.  But purple foods as a child, forget it.  I was an eater of anything and everything white (scoffing at my child-self as I write this): angel hair pasta, parmesan cheese, butter, smart food popcorn, white pizza, vanilla ice cream, clear gummy bears, you name it. Fast forward 20 years and it's a complete flip.  Just about everything I choose in my material life is either white, or black (boring, I know). Yet, my foods, are LOADED with this majestic purple. Now that color in food, is beauty. And power.

Not only are these shades simply pretty to look at on a plate, it is scientifically-proven that the darker the shade, the higher the antioxidant level. Thus, dark foods with this glorious purple pigment, such as blackberries, grapes, purple figs, purple onions, cabbage, lavender and purple basil have amazing healing powers.

One of the primary antioxidants in purple produce is the flavanoids, more specifically, Resveratrol, which helps decrease inflammation, relax the arterial walls, increases circulation and leads to decreased blood pressure.

Purple foods also kill cancer cells.  And that even includes red wine (whaaaaaaat?!).  And to add to that, turmeric, which has curcumin in it, seems to boost this cancer cell fighting activity. So when having your next curry dish, here's your excuse to have that glass of red wine with dinner. 

Blueberries have anthocyanins in them which are excellent for your liver, BUT, black/purple rice, has more per gram than the blueberries. This boost can help reduce damage to the liver incurred from excess alcohol intake.  Pass the purple grains, por favor. (curry with purple rice and your glass of red wine, perhaps?)

And to get even more anthocyanin than blueberries AND black rice, we pass the black currants and bilberries to help reduce LDL (the bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (the good) cholesterol.

And let's not forget to mention that these little purple powerhouses make you look and feel younger and help you relaaaaax. On goes the lavender eye mask.

Vegetables: purple cabbage, eggplant, purple potatoes, purple peppers, purple onions

Fruits: blackberries, grapes, prunes, plums, figs

Plants: lavendar and purple basil

*the purple basil in this photo above has super high doses of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Calcium and is great for your skin, eyes and hair.  This just makes it that much easier to put purple on our plate.