Summertime is here! ☀️And the thing about me is I hate grocery shopping. It’s one of my least favorite things to do. As much as I’ve fallen in love with Trader Joe’s, I love summertime more. Meaning, I don’t want to be in & out of TJ’s as quickly as possible so I can soak up every ounce of summer. You can go to Trader Joe’s whenever, but you only get so many days of summertime.
Another thing about me is I’m very much a planner. I like to be pragmatic. Particularly when it comes to the grocery store. I like to go with a plan I find if I don’t go in with a plan I overspend and overstock my fridge and it pains me to throw out expired food. And also, I hate grocery shopping so I only go when I have a plan.
All this to say, if you’re anything like me or simply curious about my summer staples (& why they’re staples for me because I’ve added rationale that includes health benefits or hot tips for each item) for grocery shopping, let’s dive in.
Summer State of Mind
Okay, sorry one more thing before we dive in. I want to provide some context. I find that in the summer I don’t like hearty and heavy food. In the summer I want fresh, light, refreshing tastes. Bonus points if it’s quick to make because I don’t want to spend my time in the kitchen, I want to spend my time enjoying my food outside soaking up summer.
With that in mind, I still need to make sure I’m hitting my bases. The name of the game here is trying to make sure we’re getting enough fiber, protein, and healthy fats. So keep that in mind as you’re perusing. Some of the things are obvious, but some may surprise you, and some I have some supplemental information that might be of interest to you.
The Summer Staples
PRODUCE
avocado
★ Full of fiber and other key nutrients like healthy fats. Goes with everything it seems. This healthline article highlights even more of the incredible benefits avocados offer.
berries
★ I was astounded. Absolutely shocked at how high in fiber berries are! 1 cup of raspberries/blackberries is ~8 grams of fiber! That’s like a third of the way to a minimum daily fiber goal! And of course they’re loaded with antioxidants which we want to help with combating oxidative stress in the body. This healthline article sealed the deal for me on berries.
acai
★ I become obsessed with acai bowls whenever the weather is hot. As long as it’s not overloaded with sugar, you’ll get lots of vitamin C with the variety of fruits
★ honorable mention: fruit medleys (pineapple, apple, strawberry, melon, grapes) because fruit is just easier for me to eat in the summer when it’s hot. I’m always surprised at what an amazing source of fiber fruit is. And of course we love to get as much vitamin C and antioxidants as possible to help with healthy functioning and anti-aging.
broccoli
★ I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older that I love many variations of cooked broccoli. Steamed, roasted, sauteed… doesn’t matter how you cook this, but it does matter that you DO cook your broccoli! Broccoli is goitrogenic which disrupts our thyroid and thereby our hormones.
★ Besides broccoli’s incredible versatility, broccoli gets the job done with some impressive nutrition stats. This healthline article highlights more of broccoli’s benefits, but I want to highlight why broccoli is my favorite green vegetable: great source of protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium.
artichokes
★ These are a recent addition to my summer staples. For me, the key with artichokes are to get them pre-marinated and grilled so they’re simple additions to any meal. I’ve never prepared a raw artichoke myself, but I hear it’s a feat.
★ Mainly, besides being something I forget I like so much, I’m trying to incorporate more artichokes because they are a fiber powerhouse and even have some protein too. See this healthline article for more artichoke benefits.
beets
★ Another new addition to my summer staples. Before last year, I refused to eat beets. Then I tried a couple here and there…and they weren’t too shabby. Similar to artichokes though, I’ve added them to my summer staples because they are so important for our blood and cardiovascular health. They also are loaded with anti-cancer compounds. This healthline article is worth perusing to learn more.
brussel sprouts
★ To keep myself from burning out on broccoli I like to alternate occasionally with brussel sprouts. Similar to broccoli, you want to cook your brussel sprouts and the same ways you prepare your broccoli can often be applied to brussel sprouts.
★ I try to keep brussel sprouts recurring in my diet because they offer wonderful benefits like fiber, antioxidants, plus vitamin C and K. Here’s another healthline article to learn more.
MEAT & MISCELLANEOUS
salmon
★ I love seafood in the summer, but I just can never seem to get enough salmon. I got burnt out on smoked salmon, but have recently been reintroduced to smoked salmon (try the Trader Joe’s hot smoked salmon!) and it’s such a wonderfully easy addition to get protein and healthy fats with salads.
yogurt
★ My favorite yogurt is the Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla because it almost tastes like ice cream, offers probiotics, 15 g protein, and easily available at most grocery stores. (Unfortunately not Trader Joes).
★ A little pro tip/life hack I came up with when I first got introduced to acai bowls was to translate them into yogurt parfaits. It’s much cheaper than an acai bowl and can be just as enjoyable. I had never been a huge yogurt fan, until I started doctoring them up with parfait fixings. In the summers I enjoy yogurt parfaits most days and personally love to add berries (because we love a very berry summer) and other toppings like almond butter, honey, granola, etc.
★ Another pro tip/life hack I discovered this alternative on the Chick Fil A app: for their breakfast yogurt parfait option, you can do berries and cookies and cream instead of their fruit and granola option and it is the best morning treat. Literally like a cookies and cream + berries delight. Cannot recommend enough.
cold brew coffee
★ Nitro cold brew coffee is always a good time, but it is even more elevated in the summer. You may notice that cold brew coffee is less acidic thanks to the brewing process for cold brew coffee which is actually beneficial for us as well.
★ Pro tip: hot or cold, try & make sure your coffee is organic! Coffee beans are among the heaviest pesticide sprayed crops. We want to keep our chemical exposure as low as possible so if there’s one thing you switch to organic, please make it be your coffee.
Summertime Simplicity
Growing up in the Midwest I cultivated this compulsion to spend every possible moment soaking up every last ounce of summer because in the Midwest we only had so many warm days to enjoy. I call it my “Midwestern Guilt”.
As a result, in the summers I want to spend my time outside and make the most of enjoying every last bit of summer. I’m very much an “endless summer” personality and I can’t be bothered to be spending time inside at a grocery store or preparing food. To make my grocery trips and food prep as quick, easy, and mindless as possible I have my 10 summer staples that I mix & match with intentional health benefits.
Even if you’d prefer to spend your summers in the AC of a grocery store or in your home, hopefully you can at least takeaway some new knowledge of health benefits and make sure you’re getting high protein, fiber, and antioxidant options into your diet this summer. 😎