Peek into my grocery cart while I shop for my weekly staples. Of course, my groceries vary week to week depending on what I’m cooking, but I have staples that I get every week. Those are what I want to share with you because they’re typically the items that I’ve found to be most versatile.
I also am including some things that are healthier, pre-packaged items I purchase at the grocery store on occasion. For example, I love making homemade sweet potato fries, but I also stock up on my favorite store-bought brand for days when I’m short on time. Those are always the items I love seeing others post about so I thought you may enjoy that too!
In an ideal world, all my meals would be 100% home cooked (and if we are really in an ideal world, I would have a natural food chef who would prepare them haha). I love this approach because not only can I control everything I put into the meals but also I can tweak it to my taste preference. However, I am a total realist. I know that I’m going to get lazy and run short on time, which is when I look for pre-prepared and packaged items to help me out. If I stock up on healthy packaged items (like waffles and sweet potato fries), I’m less likely to run through the fast food drive through or snack on a bag of potato chips. I am all about a successful Plan B!
PRODUCE:- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Bell Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Brussel Sprouts
- Lemons
Produce Notes: my produce staples are fruits and vegetables that can easily fit into multiple meals. Bananas and berries are always great for smoothies, yogurt parfaits and on their own. I munch on bell peppers with hummus A LOT for my M3 and can create 15 different meals to make with them like fajitas and stuffed peppers. The other veggies all go great with any protein option and rice or pasta as well as in egg scrambles.
- Thin Chicken Breasts
- Ground Turkey or Lean Ground Beef
- Fresh Fish (typically whatever is on sale that week)
- Natural Deli Meat
Meat Notes: if you read yesterday’s post, I discussed how I eat for my goals, which almost always are getting fit while staying lean. That means that protein plays a huge role in that; bonus points that protein is the macronutrient most responsible for promoting satiety aka the full feeling. These are the 4 protein options I get almost every week and I make sure I’m stocked up on protein powder.
- Greek Yogurt
- Eggs
- Unsweetened Almond Milk
Dairy/Dairy Alternative Notes: there’s not much to say here other than these are 3 items you won’t see me leave the grocery store without (unless my fridge is already stocked with them!) Greek yogurt and eggs are two of my favorite protein options as they’re quick to prepare and delicious to eat.
- Brown Rice Pasta
- Cereal (commonly granola, Annies Oat Flakes or Honey Rice Puffins)
- Rice
- Oats
- Crackers (Marys Gone Crackers is my favorite brand!)
- Natural Peanut Butter
- Red Sauce
Aisle Shopping Notes: this list is is pretty long; I don’t get all these items each trip but they’re staples in that I either am stocking up or am already stocked in the pantry. I look for carbohydrate options that are healthy yet versatile, which all of the above are, especially items like rice and pasta. Plus, they’re inexpensive! I do tend to splurge a bit on the packaged carbs like healthy crackers and cereal. Also noteworthy is that I always make sure to have a red sauce… so many meal options if that’s in my pantry.
- Ezekiel Bread
- Vans Gluten Free Original Waffles
- Amy’s Brown Rice Lasagna
- Alexia Sweet Potato Fries
Frozen Notes: when I first began eating healthier, I couldn’t find all the items I heard people talking about in my local grocery store. Then, I found the little “healthy food” section in one of the frozen aisles. I guess a lack of preservatives means they need to be frozen to stay fresh, so if you can’t find something in your store, look there (especially the bread!). These are brands I really like for packaged food items in general.
- Hummus
- Salsa
MISC. Notes: Hummus on sandwiches. Hummus on bell peppers. Hummus ob crackers (or tortilla chips!). I love hummus because I’ve always been a chips and dip kind of girl so I get that same effect lol. I use salsa like a sauce. You know that especially if you’re a meal plan member. I just made the spicy + cheesy chicken stuffed pepper recipe tonight from the Weekly Meal Menus and giggled while pouring in the salsa like it’s a sauce, but that’s exactly how I use it! Easy and tasty!
I thought you may also like this…
I recently posted about how I grocery shop. You know I love a system for everything, so yes my grocery shopping has a system too). It saves me time and money, so I stick with it. I also shared Grocery Shopping List Printables that I created and use along with this system. I linked that below in case you’re interested and want to download the free printables.
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