Hello! I hope your Tuesday is going well for you so far.
I thought it would be fun to revisit a series all about grocery shopping I started a couple of months ago. A lot of you seemed to like my first Grocery Haul, so I finally remembered to document another quick trip to the store a couple of weeks ago.
To be honest, I didn’t think I should post this grocery haul. There’s really nothing that interesting about it to me… but, I guess it’s good to show the “nothing special” grocery trips just as much as the ones I where I include specific meal planning. So, I caved, and here we are.
Below you will see a recent grocery shopping trip I made to Meijer. If budget wasn’t an issue, I would love to strictly do my grocery shopping at farmer’s markets and specialty health food stores like Whole Foods, Papa Joe’s, and Trader Joe’s. I still frequent those stores, but more for ingredients I might need for a special recipe or fun dessert I want to make.
I like to use coupons and check out the sales just as much as most of you do. This trip is one I put absoluely zero thought into, but I figured it was worth sharing since Scott and I lived a week off of it for under $100!
Grocery Haul #2 – Under $100
Please note: I do not plan my grocery haul posts. What you see included is true to what any given grocery trip looks like. Also, please understand that 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.
• fruits
I used to go crazy with buying fruit. I would put everything I wanted in my cart and leave the store with over a $200 bill. Every time. These days, I keep my fruit selection modest. I’ll often purchase different types of fruits from week to week. I always grab bananas (they’re so cheap!) and apples, but I generally rotate my other purchases between berries, grapes, oranges, kiwis, melons, and new or exotic fruit that I’m dying to try.
In my cart:
super green bananas (if I have a choice between green or spotted, I always choose green), organic green grapes, organic blackberries
Already at home:
apples, cuties, blueberries
• vegetables
I could spend thirty minutes in the produce section. Okay, fine… I’ll admit that it’s happened before. I’m always intrigued by the exotic looking fruits and vegetables. If I am looking for new recipe inspiration, sometimes I find it here with the fresh herbs, spice leaves, and seasonal produce! I kept it simple this time around and went with the staples I always buy for making salads.
In my cart:
baby Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, tomatoes on the vine, a red, yellow, and green bell pepper, and an English cucumber
Already at home:
carrots, onions, mushrooms
• proteins
My choice in proteins always vary. As much as I would love to make a trip to the freshly caught or sliced meat section of the grocery store every day, that’s just not realistic. So, I do what a lot of you do and turn to the healthiest packaged proteins I can find. I always make sure I have some kind of protein to throw in my pasta sauce, on top of my salads, and on my dinner plates.
In my cart:
frozen (already cooked) baby shrimp, Italian seasoned ground turkey (so good!), gluten-free chicken breast tenders, turkey bacon
Already at home:
a variety of almonds, eggs, egg whites, chicken breasts, ground turkey
• deli
Scott loves sandwiches. I go through phases of craving them too, so I try to make sure I have our favorite ingredients on hand. I mix it up by trying the flavored deli meat like Cajun or cracked pepper turkey. I’m always down to try a new cheese as well, and my go-to favorite for making sandwiches is Havarti Dill.
In my cart:
a loaf of whole wheat bread, cracked pepper deli turkey, jalapeño pepper jack cheese (yum!), and sandwich stacker pickles (can you tell we have a thing for pickles?)
Already at home:
corn tortillas, shredded cheese, Parmesan cheese, feta cheese
• freezer section
Clearly, I am obsessed with these burritos.
(Gluten-free for me, regular for Scott.)
We were already pretty stocked on everything else, so I kept my focus there this go around. Usually, I buy meals and sides that help dinners come together quickly. I try my absolute best to stick to non GMO brands. You will find a collection of frozen vegetables, waffles, healthier-for-you desserts, smoothie ingredients – fruit and spinach, and organic sides like quinoa in our freezer at all times.
In my cart:
all the Amy’s burritos. Whoops.
Already at home:
everything you read above!
• snacks & extras
This category is the definition of random. I already had most of the dairy I needed, so I skipped over that category and included the milk in this one.
In my cart:
blue corn tortilla chips (my fav!), veggie penne, organic skim milk, pickles (yes more), olives, hummus, and salsa (gotta love BOGO deals!)
Already at home:
soups, marinara sauces, cereals, oils & vinegars, pretzels, almond butter, jams, canned beans, crackers, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, SmartPop popcorn, almonds, dried fruit, homemade almond and trail mixes
***
Like I mentioned at the top of this post, this trip was definitely made with a budget in mind. I didn’t want to go over $100, but I wanted to have enough options to make dinners and meals at home for the week.
Filling my grocery cart with things like the items I mentioned above (both in my cart and already at home) helps me put quick and almost effortless meals together with both Scott and I’s preferences in mind. I haven’t done much food or meal prep on the weekends in what seems like forever, so I would like to re-visit that more in the next couple of weeks!
>> If you would like to see more unplanned meal documenting, check out my latest What I Ate Wednesday posts.
All right. I need to get my notes together and go over the exercises I will be teaching tonight at the gym for a strength training and then circuit class. It’s my very first time on the floor teaching classes, so wish me luck!
Have a great rest of your Tuesday!
Questions of the Afternoon
• Do you plan meals before you go grocery shopping?
• What are a handful of items you bring home every single grocery trip?

Yes! I find I save more money by planning it out and that way I don’t have to stress every night about what I am going to eat! 🙂
I know it would help so much! Hopefully I can get back in the habit soon!
You did really well for $100! I used to go crazy with fruit too. Now I stick more to what’s in season and usually throw in a bag of frozen too. I always buy spinach and almond milk. Good luck at your classes tonight! I am sure you will rock it. 🙂
Thanks Lauren! Spinach and almond milk is a must for me too. If you saw my last one, you already know i rotate two with regular skim at all times, ha! 😉
I still haven’t tried those Amy’s burritos! I even showed them to Dave in the grocery store the other day to see if he’d want one, but he didn’t jump on it. It’s so nice to have something in the freezer you can heat up when you want a fast hearty meal like those. I really need to give them a try. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Oh my goodness, they are so good. Scott was skeptical at first too. I usually heat his up, then add salsa and shredded cheese on top and heat for another 20 seconds or so. He loves them that way!
Ooh what a great idea for a blog post! I may steal this 🙂
A lot of people like to see what’s in each other’s grocery carts. Steal away 🙂
I actually find trader joes has really good prices on produce and certain other items so I buy most produce there then go to the grocery for whatever else I didn’t manage to get..
Thanks for the tip!
I am literally obsessed with Meijer. They treat their employees decently and I love their prices!! My meijer has the ezekial bread in the freezer aisle or else I get it cheaply at Costco. Looks like a fun week! Add a 30 rack of Miller Lite and we have similar lists!!
Ha, depends on the week I guess 😉