Dinner and Grocery Shopping

Summer is almost here and that means two things; sun and the farmer's market! More on the farmer's market in another post, but Summer also makes me want to eat a lighter type of meal that has more of a Summer feel to it. So, last night I made a mozzarella, tomato and basil salad with my version of a tuna melt. Both are extremely easy to make and tasty.

The salad includes fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, a little evoo and cracked pepper. As you can see, you simply slice the cheese and tomatoes and lay them out on a serving plate and then chop the basil and arrange on top. Then drizzle some evoo over it and add cracked pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge for an hour and serve! The tuna melt is my paleo version (so, sans the bread). Simple can of tuna with a slice of pepperjack cheese on top and put in the oven at 375 degree until cheese is melted.

While the above meal is a bit heavy on the cheese and dairy, i'm not too worried about some in my diet. I'll just make up for it by cutting back tomorrow by having very little to none...just balance it out. On to grocery shopping...

Grocery shopping the paleo way can be fun but also stressful at times if you are still tied up to old habits. I guess this will just take some time, but sticking to the outside walls of a grocery store is a helpful way to stay on track. The middle isles are usually full of the processed and packaged crap that we do NOT need anyway. There are a few items to wander into the forbidden ground (my own term) for like evoo, almond butter, pepper, etc., but don't get sucked in to those chips and cookies calling out your name!!!

My usual list at the store includes the following but does vary depending on season and how i'm feeling;

Proteins

-eggs(organic are best here)

-beef(grassfed variety)

-chicken

-Salmon

-Cod

-Shrimp

Veggies (LOAD UP)

-lettuce

-celery

-carrots

-avocados

-roma tomatoes

-green peppers

Fruits (some but not a lot)

-bananas (#1 on my list)

-apples

Dairy (some but not a lot)

-milk

-parmesan cheese

-mozzarella cheese

-string cheese

Sensible Vices (ok, but don't over indulge)

-dark chocolate

-beer

-wine

Liquids (don't waste your $)

Drink H2O, it's free and healthy for you. I know some people like fruit juices, but make sure they are 100% juice without the sugar or other additives included.