My Experience Living Off Food Stamps

I am currently taking a Community Nutrition class for my undergraduate major. In this class we learn about the nutrition needs in a community. We have recently been covering food insecurity, as well as the government, state, and local programs/agencies that help with the huge population of people that are food insecure. As part of our course, we are required to participate in the SNAP Challenge. The SNAP challenge is essentially living off of food stamps. We are only required to participate in the challenge for three days. In these three days, we were only allowed to eat off of $4.10/day totaling $12.30 for the entire three days. We were not allowed to eat any food that we already had, or accept food from anyone.

Me and one of my friends in my class decided that we would put our money together, and split everything. We went to Harris Teeter to buy our groceries, and spent quite a lot of time in the store searching for good deals, and comparing prices. We also had to keep track of how much everything was going to be, so that we didn't have to put anything back at the register. After nearly an hour, we decided we had gotten everything we needed and just hoped that we had done all the math correctly. As the cashier was scanning all our items, we were anxiously watching the total get closer and closer to our budget of  $24.60. Finally, the cashier said, "and your total is $24.59," we were ONE PENNY under budget. We couldn't hide our excitement, we did it! Now, the hard part was going to be eating only that food for the next three days. Both of us had a busy week ahead of us, including our first exam of the semester.

Our combined food ended up looking like not as much once we started dividing everything up, but we still had lots of confidence in our food choice decisions. We tried to choose foods that were filling, and that had a lot of bulk/fiber to keep us feeling full. But we also "splurged" on some luxury foods like avocados and coffee.

This is what I ended up with:
4 bananas
2 apples
5 stalks of celery
8 carrots
1/2 bunch of kale
5 Tbsp. peanut butter
3 sweet potatoes
1 avocado
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 package of brown rice
4 cups oats
1/2 tin of coffee

Day One:
On the first day I woke up with an intense migraine, one of those migraines that are so bad it makes you nauseous. This happens to me maybe once or twice a year, and for some reason it just had to be on the first day of the SNAP challenge. I decided to spend most of the day in bed, thankfully my one class was cancelled and it was snowing/blizzarding too bad for me to drive anywhere. This migraine was unfortunately a blessing in disguise, because all I felt like eating was bananas and oatmeal; two of the foods that I got the most of. For breakfast I had one banana, and 1 cup of oats with a teaspoon of peanut butter. That was enough for my stomach to handle until later in the afternoon when I woke up from a long nap and had another bowl of oats with a banana and an apple. After my migraine started to fade away, I knew I needed to eat some more food, so I roasted one of my sweet potatoes, paired it with some rice and enjoyed that for dinner. Later that night I ate some celery as well, hoping that I would feel much better in the morning and be able to eat a lot more.

Day Two:
Day two was much better than day one. I woke up with no migraine, and ready to start a new day on the SNAP challenge feeling much more like myself. The night before I had planned out exactly what I was going to eat, and even felt good enough (or maybe it was an excuse to not study for my test) to cook a Mexican dish with my black beans, tomatoes, rice, and kale and whip up some hummus with my garbanzo beans. Those two things were on my menu for day two of the challenge. I woke up and was pretty hungry, especially for my oatmeal and coffee. Oatmeal is something I have almost every morning, so I'm definitely used to it. I typically put flax seeds, almond milk, and pumpkin seeds in my oats so on the challenge I've definitely been missing all of the extra little things I usually include in my dishes. So for breakfast, I had 1 cup of dried oats made with water, and a banana, cinnamon, and a tablespoon of peanut butter all mixed in. I paired that with a strong cup of French pressed coffee, and I was good to go.

I had three classes following breakfast, so I decided to pack myself one of my apples, about two tablespoons of hummus, three carrots, and two stalks of celery. I definitely underestimated my hunger during those next four hours, because all of those snacks did not fill me up at all (even though I tried to eat every last bit of the apple, I think I may have eaten a seed by mistake!). I wasn't lightheaded or anything, but my stomach was definitely grumbling most of the afternoon. But I knew I had a big bowl of of my Mexican dish I had made waiting for me at home. I also still had two big sweet potatoes, so I could enjoy one of those as well.
As soon as I got home I made a big plate of the rice, beans, kale, and tomato dish I had made, topped it off with some celery leaves and avocado and I was in heaven. It looked pretty delicious if I do say so myself. I think one thing I've learned in the challenge is to enjoy the little things, one being making food feel/look good. I decided to use some of the celery leaves not only for it's nutrients, but also for it's color and crunch. Because the dish was rather bland, I knew the celery leaves would give it some freshness, which it definitely did. I ate my dinner around 5:30, so by 7:00 I was hungry once again. I think this has been the biggest struggle for me, because I don't really eat meals but instead snacks throughout the day. I've been having to learn to make things last, and to eat small bits of food instead of eating it all at once. So instead of having the sweet potato with the Mexican dish, I decided to wait and eat it later so I would feel like I was eating more food. I also had a lab report I had to write, so I decided to fix a cup of coffee to not only keep me a little more satiated, but also to keep me awake.

Day Three:
Day three went about the same as day two. The last day seemed to last forever though, all I could think about was going grocery shopping and stocking back up on all my favorite foods that I've missed. I ate about all the same foods on day three as I did on day two. I think that was the most challenging part of the challenge, was eating the same thing over and over again. It was definitely difficult to crave something, and not be able to eat it. I like to eat what I crave, and feel like my body needs rather than just eat something because it's on the "menu" for the day. In the three days I really missed my fresh fruit. Fruit is a huge part of my diet, so only having five bananas and two apples as my fruit for three days was very difficult.

Overall Experience:
My overall experience with the SNAP challenge was about what I expected. I really got a grasp at what it feels like to be limited on what I can buy, eat, and cook. While on the challenge I ate foods that I typically would eat, but just on a smaller scale. Some people may ask, if I could eat healthily on a SNAP budget, why can't everyone? Why is obesity and food insecurity such a common occurrence?

 Well there are many reasons for why it is difficult for SNAP recipients to eat healthily on food stamps but there are two main reasons I want to address. One is food deserts, or places where affordable, fresh, and healthy foods are difficult to obtain. In our class we've learned about some SNAP recipients may have to travel (by their own car, bus, train, subway, or by foot) two hours round trip to have access to fresh foods. This is a mind blowing fact, because most of us take driving five minutes to the grocery store for granted, myself included. This challenge would've been ten times more difficult if I had no access to fresh food, or even healthy foods. Another reason is lack of education. Not only have I done lots of self-educating about nutrition, but I am a nutrition major in college, so I have a basic understanding about healthy eating and nutrient intake. But most people don't have that kind of understanding about nutrition. This makes it difficult to shop healthily and buy healthy foods on such a small budget. Health is not the number one priority to a lot of people on SNAP, they just need food, and to stay under budget. 

If you are at all interested in food insecurity, or food deserts, check out the documentary A Place At The Table (on Netflix). This documentary makes you see first had what millions of people who are food insecure go through every single day. It definitely makes you rethink a lot of what we take for granted. It also shows that this is happening in OUR country, in OUR backyards. This should NOT be happening in America, the country that is known as being the richest country in the world. The sad part of all of this is how big the problem is, because money and politics exists, this problem unfortunately may never be solved.

Massaged Kale Salad

With kale being in season, I thought I would share with you all my simple, and easy kale salad recipe. This salad is great because it lasts in the refrigerator for almost an entire week, and is a great to pack for lunch or even a snack. It's very easy to make, with simple/inexpensive ingredients.

Massaging the kale allows all the nutrients to get released, and also takes a lot of the bitterness out of the green. I love massaging my hearty greens, like kale, because it gives it a great texture and flavor. The quinoa in this salad can be taken out, but I highly suggest using either quinoa or rice to help make this dish a full meal and more filling. Also, either rice or quinoa will add protein and some complex carbohydrates to the salad. 

Kale and Quinoa Salad

7-8 servings

Salad:

3 cups kale (roughly chopped)

1 Vidalia onion (diced)

1 English cucumber (diced)

2-4 medium sized carrots (diced)

½ cup cherry tomatoes (whole or cut in half)

½ cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

½ cup seeds or nuts (pumpkin, sunflower, almonds, pine nuts)

1 cup dry quinoa (optional)

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

4 Tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette

3 Tbsp. Raw apple cider vinegar

1 lemon (juiced)

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. black pepper

3 Tbsp. oil (optional)

Prepare quinoa in water or stock (chicken, vegetable, or mineral), let cool. Place rinsed and chopped kale in bowl, and gently massage with clean hands for 5 minutes or until the kale has become soft and a vibrant green. Combine the rest of the veggies, fruit, and nuts/seeds, as well as the cooled quinoa.

Wisk together the ingredients for the dressing and combine with salad.

Store in air-tight container for up to a week.

I also was able to create a Nutrition Facts label for this recipe with a food processing program that my school has. Each serving is about a cup of the salad. Check out that vitamin A and fiber content! 

My Thoughts on Dairy & Why I Went Dairy Free

We are conditioned our whole lives to believe that milk is good for us, and that it's essential to our diets. Between all the advertisements, promotions, and doctors, almost everyone is pushing milk as a healthy beverage vital for proper nutrition. We assume that all of this is true, and so most of us begin drinking cow's milk as soon as we are weaned from our mother's milk. Since becoming vegan and doing research on the meat and dairy industry, I've come to realize how wrong all of this is. Not only morally wrong, but chemically and biologically wrong.

Let's first think about how it is biologically wrong for us to be drinking milk from a cow. So we are born, and almost immediately begin drinking milk from our mother. This breastmilk is perfectly designed to have all the nutrients and calories to sustain life, and help us to develop. We drink our mother's milk, the person that gave us life. Cow's milk, on the other hand, is not from our mother; it's from a different mammal. In fact, it's milk that comes from a mammal that gives birth to a 825 lb. baby. A calf is typically weaned from its mother's milk between 7-8 months of age, as are humans. But we as humans continue to drink cow's milk. Humans are the only mammal that continues to drink milk after infancy, and we also are the only animal that consumes milk from another animal. We don't see dogs drinking milk from a cow, or cats drinking milk from a dog. It's not biologically normal.

When we are born we have an enzyme in our bodies called lactase. This enzyme is to help us digest the sugars in our mother's milk, lactose. As we age, our bodies no longer need this enzyme, due to us weaning off of breastmilk and consuming other foods. So chemically, our bodies are not made or fully capable of digesting milk our entire lives due to the decreased production of lactase. This is one of the reasons why lactose intolerance is so prevalent, people have lost the enzyme/ability to digest the sugars in milk.


"But milk is the only way you can get calcium." This is a common question that comes with an argument against drinking cow's milk. This is completely untrue; calcium can be found in hundreds of different plant-based foods. Not only that, but the calcium in milk (especially when pasteurized, which is required in many states) is barely absorbed in the body. Yes, there is nearly 300 mg of calcium in a cup of milk, but there are many studies that show that very little of it is absorbed. Aside from absorption, milk actually has been shown to cause us to LOSE bone mass. "Drink milk for strong bones" is a common phrase we all hear growing up, but because of the acidity in milk, calcium stores are depleted when we drink it.


Although dairy is an entire "food group" on the USDA MyPlate, that doesn't mean that it is good for us. The dairy industry pays big bucks for that spot on the updated Food Pyramid. The USDA includes dairy, and pushes it because they get paid by the dairy industry to do so. The government spends about $30 billion dollars in subsidies for animal products, encouraging meat and dairy farmers to produce as much as possible. Unfortunately, the government spends barely any money to subsidize farmers that grow fruits and vegetables. The government and the USDA are on board with promoting animal products because that's how they can make money; not because it's good for us.

It has become socially acceptable to drink cow's milk, and we have distanced ourselves so much from the actual process of drinking milk from a cow's nipple it almost makes me sick to think about it. We just see milk in a jug at the grocery store, we never think once about how we are drinking from a cow's udder, just like a baby calf. Cows produce milk for their babies, but in order for us to drink cow's milk it has to be taken from a baby calf, which is often killed, or pumped with hormones to "grow" big enough to then be slaughtered and used as meat.When we drink cow's milk, we are drinking milk that doesn't belong to us.


We don't think about this, because we don't have to see it, hear about it, or even process it. Really, whether you like animals or not, this is wrong on all levels. Most everyone doesn't want to look at photos of where their milk actually comes from, but at the end of the day it comes from a tortured, hormone-pumped, sick, depressed, unhappy animal. It took some research and a little common sense to make me realize how wrong I was for not only drinking cow's milk, but for financially contributing to the dairy industry. Whether or not you believe in drinking cow's milk, the way it is generally obtained is enough reason to stop buying and drinking it. I can get protein, calcium, and nutrients from other sources; there is no need for me to be drinking cow's milk and contributing to that type of cruel, money-obsessed industry.

Maybe all of this is a little graphic, or a little disturbing to think about, but it's all true. Often times vegans get a bad reputation for forcing our opinions on others, or being hateful, or judgmental, but most of us just want to inform people about why we are vegan. Sometimes it takes some daunting photos, or images to make us really think about things, and open our eyes to the truth. Being educated and informed on what we're putting into our bodies is something we should all be concerned with.

Dairy is something I cut out of my diet nearly a year ago, and I am so happy that I did. I feel so much better, both physically and mentally, because I'm not putting something into my body that I'm not supposed to. Giving up dairy is easy, and definitely worth it! Do your body a favor and go dairy free!

For more information about the dairy industry, check out this link!
For some dairy substitutes check out these websites: http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/techniquessubstitutions/tp/Cooking-Substitutions.htm
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/080112p38.shtml
http://www.eatingwithfoodallergies.com/dairysubstitutes.html

What I've Been Loving Lately

Banana Ice Cream
Winter always seems to be a sad time for fruit. But bananas always are plentiful, and cheap! I've been loving freezing bananas in tupperware and keeping a ton in the freezer. When I want a sweet treat, I just throw a few in my blender with a tiny bit of water or almond milk and blend it up. It creates a sweet, creamy ice cream (without the dairy/fat!). I love topping my banana ice cream with some caco nibs or some peanut butter.

For the delicious bowl down below I took two bananas, a teaspoon of cocoa powder, and a splash of almond milk, blended it up and topped with caco nibs. Yum!





Brown RiceI've always loved rice, but recently rice has been a part of my daily food intake. Not only is it cheap and easy to make, but it's a great source of energy and whole grains. I usually either top a bowl of rice with a stew or chill, or some beans and guacamole.


Greens
Sometimes greens get forgotten about in my diet. It's not so much that I don't like them, I just always tend to forget about them or am just too lazy to deal with them. Recently, I've been making green smoothies, which have really helped me to up my green intake. Also, kale is abundant right now so it's hard to pass up a big bunch of kale!


Echinacea
With it being flu season, and cold outside I wanted to start taking some immune booster supplements. Although I'm not a big fan of supplementation, I do like to take herbal supplements that I can't get as easily from food. I love echinacea because it is fairly inexpensive and I really can feel a difference when I take it. I like to buy the Nature Made brand and take one in the morning with my breakfast.

Breaking Bad
I have been wanting to watch Breaking Bad for almost a year now, but because I can easily become addicted to shows and binge watch them, I knew I had to wait for a school break to start watching this one. I'm so glad I waited until Christmas break to watch it because I finished the entire series in about three weeks. It was an incredibly well made show and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I love and appreciate chemistry, so I loved all the chemical symbols in the credits, the lab experiments, and all the chemistry related solutions to problems that arose in the show.

What I Ate in A Day (Youtube videos)
Youtube is one place that I can easily spend hours watching different types of videos on. Lately, I've been watching "What I Ate in a Day" videos, where people document the food they ate throughout the day. It sounds boring, but for a foodie like me, it's my favorite way to conclude my day. I love to see what people eat, and how they prepare it, especially all the vegans on youtube that make these videos. I get so much inspiration by watching what other vegans eat.

here are some of my favorites!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdAa3mSRIyE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwWdPtzy058
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPQd6BxuTC4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz2VdaJvkVI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RodkyIpOT4


Vitamix
I could probably make an entire blog post dedicated to my beautiful vitamix. For the past three years I've wanted a vitamix, but have just never put a huge effort in getting one. After using one over the summer during Natural Chef school, I knew that a vitamix would be one of my most used cooking tools for a long long time. My amazing grandparents gave me a Certified Reconditioned Standard Vitamix in black...it was love at first sight. For the past month or so I've probably used it at least once a day, if not more. From smoothies, to banana ice cream, to hummus, to soup the vitamix does it all. This blender is by far the best one I've ever used, I definitely recommend this to anyone looking to invest in a practical and effective kitchen tool.

Elevate
Elevate is an app that I got about three weeks ago, and have been using almost everyday. It is designed to help "train" your mind, and help improve focus, speaking abilities, processing speed, memory, and math skills. Each day, you get three "games" that are quick and fun. The more you play, the more it adapts to your skill level. I know that I need to be keeping my mind sharp, and this app has definitely made it a lot easier to do that.

Flossing/Baking Soda
One of my goals for this year is to floss more, and keep better care of my teeth. Although I brush my teeth twice a day, I always feel like there is more I should be doing. Usually I forget to floss, but I'm making a conscious effort to floss every night after I brush my teeth. It makes me feel like I'm doing something to help keep me from going toothless in about 70 years! I've also been brushing with baking soda after my toothpaste. I really feel like this helps to whiten my teeth without putting a ton of chemicals on them. I simply rinse after brushing my teeth with toothpaste, then dip my toothbrush in baking soda and lightly brush with the baking soda for about a minute and then rinse again. It's a super cheap, and easy way I like to brighten up my teeth.

Go Green!

Green smoothies can be really intimidating to some people but I have a really simple recipe that I wanted to share. Getting in greens can be really difficult, especially if you don't have a lot of time to sit and eat them all. Putting them in a smoothie can hide the taste, and make it a lot more enjoyable.

There are three things I've learned throughout my green smoothie trials/errors over the years that's made making smoothies a lot easier.

1. Don't overthink / overcomplicate things.
    When I first started making smoothies, I would try to cram as much stuff in the blender as possible, not thinking about the actual taste of it. I've learned to not add a bunch of random ingredients, and keep it as simple as possible.

2. Fruit is the key

    Fruit should be the main ingredient in your smoothies, not only for taste, but also for calories and carbohydrates. Using at least 3/4 fruit, and 1/4 vegetables you're guaranteed to have a sweet and refreshing smoothie.

3. Choose your vegetables wisely
    Choosing the best vegetables to put in a smoothie is also important. If you're unsure about adding in vegetables, don't be. You can barely taste them! Sticking with high water content vegetables is best because they have lots of nutrients, but lack in strong flavors. My favorite vegetables to add to smoothies are spinach, kale, celery, celery leaves, cucumber, avocado, and peppers. Not all of them should go into one smoothie, but a choose just a few to put in one.

Now, it's time for the recipe! I absolutely love this green smoothie recipe because it's super sweet, inexpensive, easy to make, and it keeps me full for so long.


Ingredients:

2-3 frozen bananas (make sure they are frozen, this really helps to make the smoothie smooth and creamy. also use bananas when they are spotty, that's when they are ripe)
1 cup frozen mango (you could also use frozen or fresh pineapple instead)
2 cups spinach or kale
4 stalks of celery (include the leaves, they are packed full of nutrition!)
1/3 of a medium sized cucumber (leave the peeling on, it also has lots of nutrients and fiber)
1/4 lemon with the seeds removed
3/4 cup orange juice (I like to buy it with high pulp, to include more fiber)
1 cup water
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger (optional)

Put all ingredients into your blender, and blend! If you like it thicker, add some ice. If you like it a little thinner add some more juice or water. You can keep this smoothie in a jar in the refrigerator for up to two days (although it may separate, just shake it up and enjoy!).

I put all the ingredient's into an online food processor to calculate the nutrition facts. If you're interested in checking them out, you can here!

10 Foods to ADD to Your Grocery List in 2015

With the new year finally here, lots of people are beginning diets and making decisions to remove things from their diets. Taking foods away can be beneficial to your health, but it can also be disappointing and feel a lot more like a loss/failure if those foods make it back onto your plate. Removing things can feel negative and overwhelming. So instead, try adding things to your diet/life and slowly you will find that you don't crave the "bad" foods as much! I love the concept of adding foods, rather than removing because adding is much more positive and you'll be getting those nutrients from the good foods you add regardless of the other foods you're eating. So here are 10 foods I think you should add to your grocery list and incorporate into your menus in the new year.

1. Avocado

Avocado is one thing I can't go a day without. It is creamy, delicious, and so satisfying. Not only does avocado have an amazing taste but it's very versatile and has tons of good fats. I love making guacamole with a mashed avocado, salt,
pepper, and a little lime juice. This is a perfect dip for fresh veggies or to even put onto salads, a stirfry, chili, soup, or a piece of toast. Also, throwing a few slices into a green smoothie is excellent as well!

2. Almond Milk

Almond milk is another essential item for me. I use it in smoothies, oatmeal, sometimes in coffee, and even just warmed up with some cinnamon is a great nighttime drink. The Silk brand of almond milk is my favorite because the ingredients are simple and it doesn't have a lot of preservatives (like carrageenan, which can cause digestion problems). Silk's Unsweetened Vanilla is my favorite. In just one cup of almond milk you're getting almost 50% of your daily value of calcium, which is awesome! Dairy milk can often cause digestion problems, as well as draw out calcium in your bones because of the acidity, but almond milk doesn't cause a pH imbalance like dairy milk does. I definitely recommend trying out almond milk. Sometimes, I even make my own. Check out my recipe for homemade almond milk here !

3. Oats

Lots of people forget about oats and how great they are! They are a staple in my diet, and they should definitely make their way into yours as well. Oats are packed full of fiber, and are so filling and satisfying for breakfast. Oats also help to lower cholesterol, so not only are they delicious but definitely nutritious. They can be used for so many different things; not just oatmeal. By blending some oats in a blender you have a quick and simple flour to use in baking recipes. Throwing some oats into a smoothie adds whole grains and fiber. Oats are very inexpensive as well, so there is really no reason not to add them to your grocery list!

4. Flaxseed

I discovered flaxseed about three years ago, and am so glad that I did. Milled flaxseeds are very inexpensive and filled with nutrients including fiber, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids. So throw out your fish oil supplements and instead, EAT your omega-3s with flaxseeds. Milled flaxseeds don't have a very strong flavor, so they can be put in almost anything. My favorite ways to use flaxseed are to add a Tbsp. into oatmeal, smoothies, on top of salads, and incorporate them into baked goods. Also, they make a great egg replacer for all my fellow vegans out there! Just one Tbsp. flaxseed combined with 3 Tbsp. of water can be used to replace an egg in almost any baking recipe!



5. Apple Cider Vinegar (raw)

If you don't have raw apple cider vinegar in your refrigerator right now, go add it to your shopping list . . . right now, go do it. Apple cider vinegar is one of the best "foods" you could possibly have on hand. ACV can be used for tons of different things, from cleaning to drinking. Check out some ways to use it here. It's fairly inexpensive and seems to last forever! ACV is the best vinegar to use because it is the only non-acidic vinegar, so it is gentle on your stomach's pH levels. ACV actually alkalizes your stomach rather then causing it to become acidic like white, red, or balsamic vinegars.

6. Sweet Potatoes

Not sure if you're getting enough vitamin A? Well just eat a sweet potato a day and you'll never have to worry about vitamin A again. Just one sweet potato has well over the recommended daily value of vitamin A, along with lots of other vitamins and minerals. Sweet potatoes are inexpensive and super easy/versatile to incorporate into your diet. Roasted, mashed, steamed, pureed, curried, spiced, sweetened -- the possibilities are endless!


7. Quinoa

Although quinoa tends to be a little more expensive than some other grains, it's definitely well worth it. Quinoa truly is a superfood, packed with lots of nutrients and is so delicious. It's probably my favorite grain, because it makes such a great base for tons of flavors and dishes. It's a great plant based protein and is so easy to prepare to have on hand all week long. Quinoa can be a great base for a stir fry, a yummy addition to a salad, the main part of a soup, stew or chili, and can also just be eaten on it's own with different spices and/or dressings. Check out my Asian-inspired quinoa and kale recipe here!



8. Greens

Eating fresh greens can be a challenge for me because I always seem to forget about them, and eat other foods instead. This year I'm really going to try to make an effort to always have fresh greens on hand, and eat them everyday. My favorite way to eat my greens is in a smoothie, because it's so easy to prepare and doesn't take much thought. I just blend up some frozen fruit with a few handfuls of greens (kale and spinach are my favorites) and some cold water or almond milk. Incorporating greens into a stir fry is another way I try to get in my daily greens because wilted greens are much easier for me to eat. My number one tip for buying greens is to remember that "the darker the green, the better." By buying darker greens, you're guaranteed for more nutrients as well as phytochemicals. Kale, spinach, and romaine lettuce are my three favorite greens.


9. Dates/dried fruit

Dried fruit is probably one of the best snacks to have on hand. It's perfect for anyone who is on the go, or is a snacker like me. Dates, dried figs, and raisins are my three favorite dried fruits to keep in my pantry because they are all three super sweet and satisfying. Dried fruit is a great source of energy and is so portable as well as affordable. If you've never tried a date before, do it today! Medjool dates are my favorite and are basically equivalent to eating candy. Yum! You can usually find dates in the produce section of grocery stores and they are often sold in bulk as well.



10. Green Tea

Green tea isn't necessarily a food, but I wanted to include this in my list because it is something I think everyone should be incorporating into their diet. A few years ago, I made a conscious effort to start drinking a cup every day. Although it doesn't happen every single day, I try to at least have a box of green tea in my tea "collection" so it's easier for me to remember and actually drink it. Drinking a warm mug of green tea is not just good for your body, but I think it is so good for your soul. There is something about the process of making a cup of tea, drinking it, and feeling so great afterwards. My all-time favorite green tea is Bigelow's Green Tea with lemon or peach -- definitely the best in my opinion. There are so many health benefits that come with drinking green tea, so there is really no reason not to add it to your grocery list!