I’m sharing another food related post this week – this time all the grocery staples we buy at Whole Foods. You know I’m all about that good food! I’m a bit of a quality snob when it comes to my groceries. I prefer to buy the best quality I can get, and for us, that means shopping at Whole Foods. I know some of you may roll your eyes at that – it can be expensive. We are on a budget, too! However, ever since I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, I’ve been shopping at Whole Foods. When I was first diagnosed and changing my diet, it was the only place that carried some of the speciality ingredients I was looking for in my quest to heal my gut. Once I discovered the quality of the products (especially the meat and produce), I was hooked. I still stop in to some of the other grocery stores in our area, like Sprouts and HyVee, but for my weekly shop, I usually always go to Whole Foods.
Tips for Saving Money At Whole Foods
That being said, I do have some tips for shopping at Whole Foods on a budget.
- Always go with a list or shop online for pickup or delivery. This store has SO many speciality items that look so tempting, but that can really add up quick. You’ll see that all these grocery staples are not that fun or exciting.
- Always check the sales online before going to the store. I always plan my meals based on what protein or other ingredients are on sale that week. Definitely sign up for a Prime membership if you shop at Whole Foods regularly.
- Buy the store brand label when you can. The 365 Brand is actually not THAT expensive relative to other grocery stores. If you stick to the store label, then you’ll definitely save some money.
Below I’m sharing some of our weekly staples we buy at Whole Foods. I’ve mentioned this before, but I love trying new recipes so the ingredients we purchase for dinner change all the time with the recipes I’m planning. We do stick to the same items for breakfasts and lunches though. I included some items I buy for the kids and some for myself.
Grocery Staple We Buy Every Week
Frozen Cauliflower Rice
I have a bowl of some kind almost everyday for lunch, and I like to up the vegetable content of those using cauliflower rice. To add some carbs, I almost always mix it with brown or white rice. I buy the frozen kind as it lasts longer than the fresh.
Sandwich Bread
My kids are big fans of peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese for lunch. We stick to two main brands for our sandwich bread – Dave’s Killer Bread (the Thin Sliced Good Seed variety is our favorite!) or if you’re local – Farm to Market (we are obsessed with their sourdough).
Greek Yogurt
We love the Fage brand greek yogurt. It is the thickest and creamiest on the market (in my opinion!). We usually buy a large container of the 2% variety and add a little local honey to sweeten it.
Ozery Bakery Morning Rounds
My kids love these for their breakfasts (Danny, too!). We like all the varieties, but mostly the Cranberry Orange. I toast them up and add a little butter. I’ve also made a french toast out of them by dipping them in an egg and milk mixture. Yum! Here are other breakfasts ideas for kids if you’re interested.
Organic Bagged Spinach
I always buy bagged spinach to add to my morning smoothies. I find the bagged varieties are a little cheaper than the spinach in the clamshells. I’ll go through a couple bags a week.
Chocolate Chips
Every night after the kids go to bed, I have my nightly dessert of chocolate chips. Sometimes I buy the Lily’s Chocolate Chips that are sweetened with stevia and sometimes I buy the 365 Semisweet Chocolate Chips.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
My kids are big fans of grilled cheese and quesadillas for lunches so we always buy a block of sharp cheddar to shred. The will also have what we call ‘snack lunches’ where I slice up some cheese and serve with crackers, fruit and some type of vegetable.
Lemons
I mentioned in this post that every morning, I have a mug of warm lemon water. I usually always buy a big bag of organic lemons for squeezing. We also squeeze them on to asparagus or green beans for a side at dinner.
Rao’s Homemade Marinara
I will usually buy these at Costco, but if I run out or if they are on sale I grab a few jars. We LOVE this marinara sauce and never buy any other kind. Pasta with meat sauce is a big favorite around here so we have it a few times a month.
Chicken or Turkey
I always like to have a protein option prepped for my lunches so I always buy an extra container of chicken breasts or ground turkey to cook up. Usually, I’ll cook a big batch on Sunday or Monday and have the leftovers for the rest of the week.
All The Fruit
My kids eat tons of fruit. Every week, I have to pick up a bunch of fruit to satisfy those hungry little fruit monsters. We try to buy seasonal when we can, but we almost always get bananas, apples, pears, grapes, and some kind of berries.
Those are the grocery staples we buy at Whole Foods every week! Like I said, I love trying new dinner recipes so those items are always changing, but usually they include some lean proteins and tons of vegetables. And we also buy frozen pizzas too sometimes, just like any other family. I’m hoping to share some our grocery staples from other stores like Costco. Look for those posts coming soon!
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