(Reader Request) Grocery Haul #1

Good afternoon and Happy Saturday! I normally don’t check in on the weekends, but since Scott headed out to the office to catch up on some work he missed while we were in Chicago, I thought I should too!

One request I have received more than a handful of times from readers is to show what a week’s worth of groceries looks like in our household. Just like other food recaps I post on the blog, this is something that changes by the week and is never exactly the same from trip to trip.

I would prefer to do my produce and grocery shopping at health food stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Nino Salvaggio, but out of pure location and cost-saving convenience, I choose to load my cart at Kroger or Meijer most of the time. Both retailers have an impressive organic selection and offer competitive prices with tons of coupons. I generally end up going into one of these stores when I want to stick to a budget.

Below you will see my latest grocery haul to Meijer last night. That’s right, I went grocery shopping by myself on a Friday night. Be jealous.

Please note: I did not plan to do this recap until I was already on my way home with the groceries. What you see below is true to what any given grocery shop trip looks like, and I have included other items we already had at home under each category. Also, I am not a registered dietitian or health professional. What I choose to eat comes from personal experience and knowledge, and I always recommend checking with a health care professional before making any changes to your diet.

Now let’s roll!

Grocery Haul #1 – Under $130

What a typical trip to the grocery store looks like…

• fruits

I always start in the produce section. I take a quick scan to see what’s on sale and what fruits and veggies look good for the price attached. I try to buy organic as much as I can, but that also depends on what I just stated above. This week the organic blackberries were on sale, so I went with those. I also like to buy strawberries and blueberries, but I didn’t this go around. I prefer to buy organic bananas and apples, but they didn’t look as fresh, so I compromised. I also couldn’t turn down the 5 lb. bag of clementines for $2.99!

In my cart:

honeycrisp & golden delicious apples, clementines, blackberries, bananas

Already at home:

grapes, red delicious apples, blueberries

• vegetables

After I am content with my fruit selection, I mosey over to the vegetable shelves to see what’s on sale and what I need. I always make sure to have spinach, spring mix or romaine lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers in my refrigerator to make salads. Then I think of what I want to eat as sides to compliment my meals throughout the week, which is where the artichokes (one of my favs!), zucchini, and yellow squash came in.

In my cart:

organic spinach, grape tomatoes, salad cucumbers, a red, yellow, and green bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash, artichokes

Already at home:

romaine lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes on the vine, onions, carrots, celery

• proteins

I’m not big on buying or cooking with red meat, but I do enjoy lighter meats like turkey, chicken, and seafood. I usually have a bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ground turkey meat, turkey meatballs, and deli turkey or chicken in the refrigerator and ready in the freezer to unthaw. Occasionally I will buy ham, turkey bacon, or turkey/chicken sausage to put with my eggs in the morning, as well as a rotisserie chicken out of convenience for lunch and dinner. I always have either eggs or cartons of egg whites/eggbeaters on hand too!

In my cart:

rotisserie chicken, carton of organic eggs (not sure which ones to buy? Check out Caitlin’s post for tips!), chicken sausage links

Already at home:

ground turkey, turkey meatballs, peeled & de-vained frozen cooked shrimp, veggie burgers, deli turkey

• freezer section

Coming from someone who has always turned to the freezer to create meals in a few minutes time, it’s important to stock up in brands and items that aren’t loaded with the bad stuff, and especially the bad masked and labeled as “healthier” stuff. Scott has turned to microwave meals for years, and I have finally gotten him on board with versions that don’t have all the preservatives, chemicals, and high sodium content. This is one section I always go organic and stick to non-GMO brands as much as possible. Amy’s and Evol foods are two I trust!

I am obsessed with these burritos (gluten-free for me, regular for Scott), and I buy meals and sides that help dinners come together quickly. You will also find a collection of waffles in my freezer at all times. I was already well stocked on Van’s, so I skipped right over them this trip!

In my cart:

Amy’s burritos, bowls and sides, sides of frozen vegetables and starches

Already at home:

waffles (gluten-free for me, regular for Scott), quinoa burgers, quinoa, more frozen vegetables, sweet potato fries, frozen spinach

• milks/almond milks

I am kind of a weirdo when it comes to milk. I love drinking it, but will only do so if it’s organic skim or almond. Scott likes organic skim milk after I switched over two years ago (it tastes better and lasts longer!) and I like to rotate between organic skim and a version of almond milk depending on the time of day or my mood. I always have a tall glass of dark chocolate or unsweetened almond milk before bed, and I am excited to try out this new almond coconut blend!

In my cart:

organic skim milk, unsweetened almond and coconut blend milk, and dark chocolate almond milk

• yogurts and cheese

I guess I should have labeled this one yogurts and cheese. I was good on my cheese at home, so it didn’t cross my mind until now. Yogurt is a big staple in our grab-and-go type of eating and cooking lifestyle. I like to buy Greek yogurt (organic when possible) and always mix it up with new flavors to try. This time I couldn’t pass up the seasonal flavors because… well, that involved pumpkin. Obviously.

In my cart:

plain organic Greek yogurt, pumpkin & apple cinnamon Greek yogurt

Already at home:

shredded cheddar cheese, havarti dill slices (the best for deli sandwiches!), and feta cheese

• snacks

It’s no secret that I am a snack fiend. In fact, there have been days where I got full snacking all day long without having a substantial meal, and didn’t realize it until the day was almost over. Whoops. I don’t recommend doing that, however, I do like to have a good set of snacks available when I am craving them. I would love to buy all organic and gluten-free snacks, but buying several can get pretty expensive. Plus, I tend to go through those bags faster. It’s a problem. Compromising in the middle (and making my husband happy at the same time) I always make sure to have the items you see below.

In my cart:

blue corn tortilla chips (my fav!), pretzels, sweet potato brown rice triscuits (a new cracker obsession), hummus, and all the pickles

Already at home:

cottage cheese, salsa, SmartPop popcorn, almonds, dried fruit, homemade almond and trail mixes

• extras

This category is for anything random I don’t always buy. This week we were out of parmesan cheese for pastas, soups (once again, Amy’s is my favorite here), flavored salsa (Scott and I are both chips and salsa fanatics), wine, whole wheat bread, and ice cream. Scott prefers the “real stuff”, and I will occasionally eat that with him, but more times than not you will see me eating frozen yogurt or dairy-free desserts instead. I have learned that they are better on my stomach, and can’t complain about the dip in calories while I’m at it.

In my cart:

whole wheat bread, So Delicious coconut milk ice cream (the Mint Chip flavor is delish!), a bottle of merlot, Amy’s soups, black bean and corn salsa, and parmesan cheese

Already at home:

noodles (gluten-free and whole wheat for me, regular for Scott), veggie noodles, a variety of marinara sauces, brown rice, quinoa, corn tortillas, whole wheat tortilla wraps, a ton of canned olives, beans, and vegetables, maple syrup, peanut butter (regular for Scott, almond and seed butter for me), raw rolled oats, chia seeds, sherbert

***

Like I mentioned above, documenting this trip to the grocery store was very spontaneous. I thought it would be better that way (so you know I didn’t buy anything differently just because I knew I was going to share it ahead of time) and got the idea to do so on my way home.

Filling my grocery cart with things like the items I mentioned above helps me put quick and almost effortless meals together for both Scott and I during the weekdays. We usually go out to dinner on our own or with friends on the weekends, but eat at home more than most people might think.

If this is a post you would like to see revisited again in the future, please let me know! I’d love to keep sharing my grocery hauls with you.

>> If you’d like to see more unplanned meal documenting, check out my latest What I Ate Wednesday posts.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!