While everyone has their favorite chips and cookies that they like to get at the grocery store, there are a few things you need to put on your shopping list. These foods are “add-ins” that can supplement almost anything. With each, I will give a recipe to get started! I am always very interested in reading about foods and their benefits. I have compiled this grocery list based on my favorite things that are very easy to build recipes around.
1. AVOCADOS
Avocado is all the rage right now, for a reason. I am sure you have seen the drawing of one avocado telling another discouraged avocado, “I said you are the good kind of fat!” Avocados are one of the fattiest plant foods, but this means that they are high in heart healthy fatty acid, like olive oil.
Avocados are also very nutrient-rich, and have more potassium than bananas. Another nutrient in avocados is fiber. Fiber can help with weight loss and metabolism.
Along with all of these benefits, avocados are delicious or at least I think so. My mom and I take a plain avocado, mush it together with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, and dip tortilla chips in it.
If a plain avocado with mayonnaise does not sound appetizing to you, I understand. Try a smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich instead. This is the same idea, but you smash chickpeas and avocado together and then add cilantro, green onion, and lime juice for taste. This is a perfect sandwich to make quickly and easily. You could also spread the smashed chick peas and avocado on a burger or veggie burger, or even add egg! Click on this recipe to get the full recipe:
http://bigflavorstinykitchen.com/2012/12/smashed-chickpea-avocado-salad-sandwich.html
2. EGGS
Eggs are my go to food. I love eggs, but there is just one thing: I can not eat them alone. Nope. I cannot just eat a plate of scrambled eggs or even an omelet. I am picky in that way. However, I love eggs when they are on sandwiches or bagels or croissants.
The reason eggs are my go-to is because they are a very good source of protein. I have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for three years and the amount of times I have been asked, “Where do you get your protein?” is a number too high to count. To clarify, a lacto-ovo vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat, but eats eggs and dairy. While there are several other ways to get protein, eggs are inexpensive and rich in protein. They also contain almost all of the nutrients we need.
There are so many things you can do with eggs. My favorite thing is an egg salad sandwich. It is one of the easiest sandwiches to make. All you do is boil eggs, add green onions for a crunch with salt and pepper, and a spoonful of mayonnaise, and you have got yourself an egg salad sandwich. An alternative to mayonnaise is avocado. You just add vinegar or lemon juice, and a little more salt. For the full recipe, click on this link:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/egg_salad_sandwich/
If you are interested in watching those really quick cooking videos on Facebook, here is the link for how to make eggs in five ways:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonroman/how-to-cook-eggs?bffbfood&utm_term=.oaz2yy58p#.lmRLJJRjb
3. TOMATOES
I have a love/hate relationship with tomatoes. It depends on the day. Regardless of how I feel about them, they are perfect to add to literally anything. You can cut them up and put them in a salad or an omelet. To spice up your boring grilled cheese, you can add a slice of tomato. Ever heard of a BLT? The tomato makes it so good. Tomatoes are a very good source of vitamin C, K, and E. They are also rich in dietary fiber.
A really easy tomato recipe is caprese stacks. Basically all it is, is tomato with mozzarella and basil stacked on top drizzled with olive oil. What is not to like? Here is the link for the full recipe (this one comes with the nutrient facts too!):
http://www.health.com/health/recipe/0,,50400000130211,00.html
4. SPINACH
Today, I am here to tell you to stop eating icebox lettuce in your salad. Spinach is so much better for you and tastes better too. Lettuce practically does nothing for you. Spinach has twice as much potassium, protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A, B, and C than any other leaf you can eat in a salad. Once you start eating spinach in your salad, you will never go back.
If you are thinking that you could not get over the taste of spinach, this recipe will make you forget you are even eating spinach. It is a spinach salad with bacon and egg. The salad has spinach, bacon, egg, mushrooms, onion, and cherry tomatoes (3 out of 6 of these are on the grocery list!). You could also probably recreate this recipe at the dining halls! For the full recipe, click on this link:
http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a35487/spinach-salad-bacon-egg-recipe-rbk0413/
5. NUT BUTTER
I first had almond butter on an airplane. Very random, I know. Me and my mom had missed lunch trying to catch our connecting flight, and were very hungry on the airplane. We decided to try the ‘Tapas’ packaged snack box they sell on airplanes. It turned out to be so good, we would purposely skip lunch so we could eat this on the plane whenever we traveled! One of the things it included was almond butter to put on a wheat bagel.
There are all kinds of nut butters, like cashew, macadamia, walnut, and hazelnut! They have protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Beware though, many companies add unwanted ingredients, like sugar. What is the best way to avoid that? Make your own! Here is a wonderful website that gives you all details:
http://tasty-yummies.com/2014/03/18/how-to-make-homemade-nut-butters/
Bethany Dickerson is a freshman BIC student majoring in journalism.