My 7 Top Convenience Foods

You guys know that I’m all about consistency over perfection, and sometimes that means WE NEED SHORTCUTS. The hard way isn’t always the better way! Even though I like cooking, I’m not too proud to admit that sometimes life just gets too busy to do it all from scratch. I’m not about to reveal a secret list you’ve never heard of before; these are practical, simple ways to get your P’s and N’s: protein, produce and nutrient dense foods, with minimal effort and fuss. Here are the top convenience items that make it into my grocery cart every single week.

Whole Rotisserie Chicken: Actually, we’ve graduated to 1.5 rotisserie chickens because my crew eats like they’ve never seen food before! On the day I buy it, I steam or roast some broccoli and sweet potato and done. I use the leftovers as a no-effort protein on top of my salad for lunch the next day.

Pre-washed Bagged Lettuce and Spinach:

Every week I buy one huge container of Spinach, one huge container of mixed greens and a bag or two of pre-made kale salad greens. By Thursday it’s completely gone. I use the spinach in my smoothies daily and I eat salad + protein most days for lunch. I know that if I had to wash and chop this stuff I just wouldn’t eat it.

Greek Yogurt: I know I’m about to sound insane, but Greek Yogurt has changed my life, because I struggle to get enough protein per day (1-1.5g/kg of body weight per day). Greek yogurt is such an easy and convenient source with 18g of protein in ¾ cup. I buy a huge tub of plain 0% and I buy little convenience packages of Vanilla 2% Greek yoghurt every week. I use it for smoothies and for snacks with some fresh berries.

Protein Bars + Powder: Again, the protein intake is a challenge for me (and most of my clients). I like to get some no brainer sources. I put a plain, unflavoured whey protein (and/or Greek yogurt) into my smoothie every morning. I’ve tried lots of brands and flavours, and truthfully I settled on the one that has the most protein with the least flavour and sweetness. One scoop of good quality whey protein has 24g of protein and requires minimal preparation. 

I also stock protein bars. I don’t eat them daily for snacks, but I like to have them around. Again, I would much prefer to eat half a protein bar and some veggies as a snack than mindlessly eat crackers, cookies or chips (devoid of P’s and N’s). For bars I personally like Quest and Simply. I consider Quest to be a bit more artificial tasting, than Simply bars. Simply, while a bit ‘cleaner’ is less dense and a bit less filling. Both are convenience at their finest.

Frozen Fruit: Smoothies are our morning go-to, and who has time to stand around chopping fruit at 6:30 in the morning? ‘Aint no one got time for that!

Pre-cut Veggies: You might actually laugh if you saw my shopping cart some weeks: broccoli slaw, coleslaw, pre-cut stirfy veggies, baby carrots. I’m really revealing my true laziness here! It’s just so easy to say ‘I don’t have time to chop veggies’…so this helps me remove potential excuses and barriers to eating all of my veggies.

Mozzarella Cheese Strings: I know, I know it’s kind of juvenile, but I’m telling you in a pinch it’s way better than grabbing a handful of crackers or Goldfish. I pair a cheese string with either raw veggies or an apple for an on-the-go snack.

If you have some other super-nutritious go-to convenience items that are a part of your repertoire I’d love know what they are. Send me a quick email to tell me what they are! As always, I want to hear from you guys: please share your number one struggle related to exercise, diet and mindset.