Shopping PaleoPlus - Getting Ready to eat Clean, Lean and Mean for 15 Days!

Even before you hit the grocery - you should do a little bit of housecleaning in your kitchen pantry, cupboards and fridge.  Grab a big plastic tub with a lid and clear out the temptation before you start your CleanLeanMean 15.  Pull out the rice, the pretzels, the pasta, the pasta sauce that's full of sugar and sweeteners, the sugar-laden dressings and sauces, the jellies, the brand-name peanut butter and put it in the tub.

Put anything in that tub that you know isn't "clean" or compliant - so anything with sugar, artificial sweeteners, grains, gluten, dairy, soy and legumes (READ your LABELS!) - and move it to a high, almost unreachable shelf or the back of a closet or the garage until you finish your CLM15.

Now, it's time to hit the grocery or groceries or farmer's markets so you can get prepped and ready for your first week!

 You know how much you normally eat and how many people you'll be cooking for - so you decide how much of each item you need to buy.  If your participating in CLM15, I've sent a Week 1 menu and shopping list.  If you're going solo, write down your meals for the week...3 meals and a snack for each day, then break it down by Produce, Proteins, Pantry Items and Frozen.

The longer you eat clean and follow a PaleoPlus diet - you'll figure out your favorites, what stores have the best deals and who carries what specialty items.  You'll also discover that you are shopping the perimeter of your local market - hitting the produce section, swinging through meats and eggs, maybe the spice aisle, a little bit of frozen and a quick trip into the specialty/organic/international food section.

Don't get discouraged or overwhelmed!  You'll figure it out.

And don't be worried about eating a limited number of foods if that's what you can afford or manage.  Eat what you love until you are ready to add something new.  Try one or two new ingredients or recipes each week.  I have discovered that I LOVE Kabocha squash and Turmeric...and I had never purchased either one until 6 months ago!

Happy Pantry Purging and Shopping!