By filling your cart with basic staples, you’ll be ahead of the curve in making nutritionally balanced meals that are satisfying and taste great. But if you don’t consider food shopping a hobby (like I do), wandering the aisles of your supermarket can feel overwhelming.

That’s why I’m sharing some of my top dietitian-approved grocery store staples and what to do with them. Add these items to your shopping list (and cart) to boost your nutrition and even save money at the store.

1. Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash has a long season (fall through spring), so be sure to check the produce section for this cold weather staple. It’s a great low-carb pasta alternative, so you can enjoy your favorite comfort food flavors without feeling weighed down after dinner. Spaghetti squash has just 40 calories per cup (versus over 200 in traditional pasta).

Spaghetti squash is also incredibly easy to make. If you’ve never cooked it before, read this tutorial first. Then try my Veggie Fajita Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry or Spaghetti Squash Primavera with Baked Goat Cheese.

2. Rotisserie Chicken

If the thought of cooking overwhelms you, you can still build a healthy meal around a grocery store staple: rotisserie chicken! I like to take the meat off the bones early in the week and shred it so I can use it for lunches like collard wraps and salads (like this Asian-Inspired Chicken Cobb Salad), tacos at dinner and even a quick snack in between meals.

3. Canned Beans

You’re often told to “shop the perimeter” of the grocery store, but if you exclusively follow this advice, you’re missing out on many nutritious, convenient, versatile and affordable staples in the middle aisles, like canned beans. Canned beans can be easier to digest because they soak for longer than dried beans. Plus, they’re an easy plant-based protein to add to any quick meal, like a salad, vegetarian chili, stir-fry or even (gasp!) dessert.

Try these Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers for a meat-free burger night, or satisfy your sweet tooth with this healthy cookie dough.

4. Nut and Seed Butters

Whether you prefer peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower seed butter (my personal favorite), having a form of healthy fats in your pantry is always a good idea for quick meals. Check the ingredients list to ensure your favorite nut or seed butter is made with ingredients you can recognize and without added sugar.

I especially love to use nut or seed butter at breakfast and in snacks, but even some dinner recipes shine with this added ingredient. Aside from spreading nut or seed butter on toast or pairing it with a piece of fruit at snack time, you can make a delicious salad dressing, snack bites, sauce for veggies or dipping sauce.

5. Frozen Vegetables

Take a stroll down your frozen food aisle and stock up—but not on TV dinners. Add a variety of frozen vegetables to your cart so you can fill half of your plate with veggies every night.

Frozen vegetables are picked at their peak ripeness and frozen immediately to lock in their nutrients, so they’re just as nutritious as fresh vegetables. Check the ingredients list to make sure there are no added sauces or sugar.

Frozen produce is getting more exciting thanks to fun shapes and twists on traditional cut-up vegetables. Look out for riced cauliflower, carrot spirals and even sweet potato toast! When you’re ready to cook dinner, you can sauté your veggies straight from frozen, like in this Easy Stir Fry, or roast them straight from frozen.

6. Eggs

Have you ever heard the phrase “throw an egg on it”? Eggs are a convenient, affordable and versatile source of protein, and they’re easy to cook and add to nearly any dish. From breakfast to lunch to snacks to dinner, eggs can find a place in any part of your day. Nutritionally speaking, 1 large egg contains 6 grams of complete protein and just 70 calories.

Here’s how you can include eggs in your diet from sunup to sundown:

• – Breakfast: High Protein Breakfast Muffins
• – Lunch: Salmon Nicoise Salad
• – Dinner: Quinoa and Lentil Power Bowl

7. A Variety of Spices

Every time I’m at the grocery store, I pick up a new spice. Spices are a shelf-stable way to add tons of flavor to your meals, without adding calories or fat. If you’re unsure of what spices to use with certain foods, just start experimenting!

I always make sure to have these spices on hand for taco night: cumin, chili powder, oregano and smoked paprika.

Try these taco recipes:

• – Simple Fish Tacos
• – 6-Ingredient Lentil Tacos
• – Easy Mushroom Tacos
• – Shrimp Tacos

8. Chia Seeds

Superfoods get a lot of hype, but they don’t all live up to their name. Chia seeds wear the superfood title loud and proud, and they have earned their place in this coveted group of foods.

With a combination of plant-based protein, healthy fats (including omega-3 fatty acids) and fiber, these tiny poppy seed lookalikes deserve a place in your shopping cart.

Chia seeds can be used as an egg substitute in some recipes, to make a breakfast or dessert pudding or even as a way to make low-sugar jam.

9. Bean- or Lentil-Based Pasta

The pasta-bilities these days are endless, which makes walking down the pasta aisle downright overwhelming. My go-to choice and recommendation for clients is bean- or lentil-based pasta.

These pasta varieties pack a much larger protein punch than traditional wheat pasta and will keep you full for longer. Just add veggies and your favorite sauce for a complete meal in minutes, or try this Vegan Pumpkin Mac n Cheese if you want to get more creative!

10. Chocolate

There’s no reason to deprive your sweet tooth when adopting healthy habits. In fact, research shows that if you overly restrict your sugar intake, it will likely backfire and you’ll then over-indulge in the sweet stuff.

I suggest stocking up on your favorite chocolate—milk or dark. Dark chocolate contains more antioxidants, but if it doesn’t satisfy your chocolate cravings the same way a piece of milk chocolate does, it’s not worth it!

In addition to a chocolate bar or chocolate chips, I suggest keeping unsweetened cocoa powder on hand to add chocolaty flavor to brownie oatmeal bowls, smoothies and more.

Of course, you can experiment with other shopping cart staples listed above to create some treats that are healthier sweets. Try these recipes:

• – Decadent Superfood Truffles (made with beans, but you’d never taste it!)
• – Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles (made with chia seeds and seed butter)
• – No Churn Salted Chocolate Chip Banana “Ice Cream”

These are just 10 items that frequently fill my shopping cart.  For even more pantry staples, be sure to sign up to receive your FREE Pantry Staples Shopping Guide.

1. Episode #18: Does Organic Really Matter and How to Start Juicing (with Kat Eckles)

On this top nutrition podcast episode of Coffee & Kettlebells, Kat Eckles, the co-founder of Clean Juice and a certified health coach, discusses why you should be eating organic foods and buying organic household and beauty products. You’ll learn the main contaminants in conventional foods and how they affect your health, plus the top contaminated foods (also known as the “Dirty Dozen”) that you should always buy organic. You’ll also learn the benefits of juicing and green smoothies and which juices are best for your different health needs.

2. Episode #45: Actual Ways to Stop Craving Junk Food (with Samantha Eaton)

Certified nutritional health coach and eating psychology coach Samantha Eaton joins me on this top nutrition episode of Coffee & Kettlebells to chat about why developing more willpower, discipline and motivation won’t prevent your cravings and what you can do that actually helps overcome them. Samantha also shares how to have less self-judgment and more self-compassion when you do succumb to eating junk food, how to deal with stress eating and how to say “no” to the junk food your significant other or children keep in the house.

3. Episode #38: Intuitive Eating: How to Build a Healthier Relationship with Food

(with Chelsey Amer)

In this top nutrition podcast episode of Coffee & Kettlebells, registered dietitian, nutritionist and wellness coach Chelsey Amer shares how you can reset your relationship with food through eating intuitively. You’ll learn signs your diet isn’t working for you, how to begin eating right for your body and how to stop overindulging and binge eating. Plus, you’ll learn the dangers of calorie restriction, why having cheat meals might not be helping you and how to make “all foods fit” into your diet.

4. Episode #24: How to Stay on Track Over the Weekend

If the weekends are your weakness, then this top nutrition podcast episode is for you! In this episode of Coffee & Kettlebells, I address common obstacles that stop you from staying on track over the weekend and share my best tips for enjoying a healthy yet balanced weekend without overindulging or feeling deprived.

5. Episode #13: The Truth About Cheat Days, Exercising When Sick, Post-Exercise Hunger & Pregnancy Cravings

This top nutrition podcast episode is a Q&A edition where I answer your pressing health and fitness questions! I dive into why you shouldn’t work out when you’re sick, how to overcome excess hunger when training intensely, helpful tricks for battling unhealthy food cravings during pregnancy (or just in life!) and why cheat days may not always be the best idea for your health and fitness goals.

6. Episode #28: How to Create a Healthy Meal for Weight Loss

With so many fad diets, it can be extremely confusing and overwhelming to figure out what you should be eating and in what amounts in order to successfully lose weight. In this top nutrition podcast episode of Coffee & Kettlebells, I teach you how to let go of the fad diets and create a healthy meal to boost weight loss. You’ll learn how to stop overthinking and over-complicating your meal choices with my extremely simple tricks for creating healthy and balanced meals every day.

7. Episode #25: Is Your Gut Healthy? Why It Matters and How to Fix It (with Dr. Jennifer Noonan)

This top nutrition podcast episode is extremely beneficial for determining if your gut is out of balance. Dr. Jennifer Noonan joins me to discuss the hot topic of gut health, what it means to have an unhealthy gut and why it is so important to heal it. You’ll learn which foods and daily exposures throw your gut out of balance, signs and side effects of bad gut health, the effects bad gut health has on your children, the top foods to eat and to avoid for better gut health and a detailed plan to reset your gut now.

8. Episode #30: Why Am I So Bloated?

Bloating is not a glamorous topic to discuss, but it’s a common struggle. If you experience bloating regularly, stop living in discomfort because, believe it or not, it can be avoided! In this top nutrition podcast episode of Coffee & Kettlebells, I discuss what foods in your diet might be causing you to bloat and my favorite tips to make it disappear.

9. Episode #19: Your Nutrition Questions Answered: Keto, Macros, Carb Cycling, Sugar and Detoxing

In this top nutrition podcast episode of Coffee & Kettlebells, I answer your burning nutrition questions! You’ll learn my thoughts on the keto diet, what it means to carb cycle and how to do it, and what macros are and how to count them. I’ll also discuss where sugar is hiding in your diet, why you shouldn’t avoid sugar from fruit, the best carbs and the best time to eat them, and the top foods for detoxing your system.

10. Episode #22: Why Your “Ideal” Body Weight Doesn’t Make You Healthy and Happy (with Samantha Eaton)

This top nutrition podcast episode of Coffee & Kettlebells is both informative and extremely empowering. Samantha Eaton, a certified nutritional health coach and eating psychology coach,  shares her story about reaching her “ideal” body weight and what she learned. Samantha discusses why compromising your health and happiness for a pant size isn’t worth it, the negative health effects of over-exercising and calorie restriction, and a healthier and more balanced approach to diet and nutrition.