Ever since I lived in a dorm, grocery shopping as been one of my favorite things. I loved looking through all the foods and splurging on all the newest health trends.
However, now that I live in an apartment and pay for my own groceries…that quickly had to change.
Currently, I spend about $50-60 a week on groceries, a little more at the beginning of the month since I usually have to buy more bulk items by then. It’s a bit more expensive than most grocery budgets, but I do prefer to buy organic and I do stick to brands I trust for the most part. I’m able to afford this amount, and I’m grateful for that. I am trying to spend a little less, because a lot of times I go shopping without a list and end up leaving with everything I don’t need and only a few things I do need.
So I made a list. I did this first to help me meal prep because when I pack lunches for work, I find that it’s not always balanced well enough. I categorized the staples of what I eat, that way I can easily mix and match a well-balanced meal. It also helped me when I planned my grocery lists, so I tweaked it a bit and I’m sharing to helpfully give you guys some inspiration and overall insight into my diet.
Like I said, I aim for well-balanced meals. I often like to repeat the same meals over and over again, but I like laying out all my favorites in each category to get me to try some new meal every once in a while. I kept the actual list pretty simple, but I’ll delve into detail here:
Protein: I prefer plant-based sources, however I don’t follow any diet, so I do still enjoy meat/dairy sources too. My favorites right now are eggs/egg whites, skyr, and chicken. However, I do keep canned beans and frozen chicken stocked for when I want to switch it up. I prefer to buy organic, and my eggs/chicken are usually free-range. I usually rebuy eggs and skyr/yogurt once every two weeks, and everything else lasts me about 3-4 weeks.
Carbs: Whole-grain/wheat is my jam. I love my carbs as much as the next girl, I often mix it up with these. I love Dave’s Killer Bread for bagels. I prefer Ezekiel sprouted bread and Barilla for whole-grain pasta options. I rebuy bread once every 2 weeks, and pasta is good for a few months since I rarely crave it. My favorite frozen waffles/pancakes are Van’s Foods and Kodiak Cakes, but these can be pricey so I only like buying these when they’re on sale. I buy organic sweet potatoes and either roast them in the oven, or simply microwave them, 2-3 potatoes last me either a week or two. Oats and pancakes are a staple for breakfast or just a quick meal. I like old fashioned oats and Birch Benders. Annie’s Homegrown, or Kodiak Cakes for a healthy pancake mix option if I’m not making them from scratch. Oats last me about 3 weeks and pancake mix is about a week (it’s my newest obsession!)
Fats: I used to avoid these like the plague, but now they’re a huge staple for me. Nut butters are my favorite, and I love cooking with coconut oil for sweet recipes, and olive oil for savory ones. I go through a jar of peanut butter in about a week. Oils last me a few months. I used chia seeds for chia pudding as a quick snack, and I add ground flaxseeds (easier for your body to digest) to my oats. These last me a month or two. The yolk in whole eggs are another great source of fats, I usually have one egg a day.
Produce: I love fresh fruit, and have a banana and a handful of strawberries every single day. I just started to buy fruit organically, but since strawberries are out of season right now and I buy them once a week, I usually can’t afford to buy those organic. I do try to buy spinach, apples, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots organic, which last me about 1-2 weeks. I snack on baby carrots throughout the day, as well as have an apple with nut butter in between meals.
Snacks: I haven’t been a huge snacker recently, but at work, I always need to bring one or two. I love turkey sticks because they’re full of protein, Nicks Sticks are my favorite. Angies, Late July or Simple Truth make great popcorn options. Simple Mills is my favorite for snack crackers, they have savory or cheesy options. Rice cakes are easy when you want something light. I love so many snack bars, but my favorites are Perfect Bars, Go Macro, or Square Organics, because the amount of protein and fat is perfect to sustain me for an hour or two. Salsa and tortilla chips can already be a healthy snack, just make sure to read your labels. Easy bagged chips like Way Better or Food Should Taste Good make great yummy options.
Sweets: I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth, especially for cookies. I usually try to meal prep a sweet each week, but sometimes I forgot or its just not enough! Simple Mills and Enjoy Life Foods make delicious packaged cookies. Four Sigmatic Hot Cacao with Reishi is a great alternative to hot chocolate, it’s still as sweet and calming! Halotop makes delicious low sugar ice cream, and there’s SO many other brands making their own versions. Justin’s nut butter cups are great for the Reese’s lover (me.) Smart Sweets makes delicious gummies, they have sweet or sour and plant-based options too! Dark chocolate chips are essential for my daily chocolate chip pancakes, I always for for a high cacao content, Enjoy Life Foods and Lily’s Chocolate make my favorite. I usually don’t keep too many sweets in the apartment, but I’ll buy these whenever I’m craving it.
Drinks: I’m always sipping on something at all times. I love making my own cold-brew coffee, it just saves me so much money and it has a smoother taste. I started adding creamer to my coffee, and Nutpods French Vanilla is still my favorite, but Milkadamia and Califia Farms make good options too. Spindrift is my favorite for sparkling water, they only use fruit and water. If you like the taste, Kombucha is a good option, there’s so many brands and flavors available. I love chicory root or dandelion tea from Teecino and Jade Leaf, Terrasoul, Vital Proteins and Four Sigmatic make my favorite matchas. Aside from coffee creamer which is about 2-3 weeks, drinks last me up to a month, so this is when I prefer a quality option from a trustworthy brand.
Supplements/Speciality/Additional Items: I consider this the “fun” category, because this is where all the health trends seem to lie. I’ve try a lot, but I’ve narrowed it down to a few I can actually afford to have everyday. Collagen is one of them, I actually noticed a huge difference in my nails and hair, Vital Proteins, Further Food, and Natural Force are my go-to. Protein powders is what I reach for when I know I’m going to have a long busy day. There’s so many good brands out there, and a lot of bad (I’ve tried SO many so take my word for it,) but ultimately, I prefer a plant-based protein. Sprout Living, Liv Well Nutrition, Rootz Nutrition and Nuzest are my favorites. For a clean whey protein, Natural Force is my go-to. I love making adaptogen drinks, so cacao, maca, and ashwagandha powders are staples for me. Reishi is another good one thats full of antioxidants. Baking ingredients depend on what I’m making, but I keep a lot of different ingredients like coconut/almond flour, whole wheat flour, coconut oil, baking soda/powder, just a good variety. For natural sweeteners, I love D’vash Date Nectar or pure maple syrup, but I keep honey too for whenever I get a sore throat. Seasonings is another good splurge, I love cinnamon, nutritional yeast, parsley, and garlic powder, but I always keep a good assortment just in case. These last me a long time, so I buy these about once a month or once every 2-3 months.
So now that I know what my favorites are in each category, I’ll plan out what I’m making (or thinking about making) during the week and go from there! I like having this plus the weekly ads of my favorite stores (Kroger, Target, and Fresh Thyme) and just making sure I get what I need and stay within my goal budget. I’ll make some adjustments, but I always grab at least 2-3 in each category per week. The supplement category is when I tend to bulk buy, so that happens about once a month, but again it depends.
Like I said, this is specifically catered towards MY diet, there’s SO many other foods that work for any category! These are just the foods that I like currently, I’m sharing this mainly to give you an idea of how to organize your groceries in a way that assures you get a well-balanced meal. I hope this is helpful to all of you! Never hesitate to reach out with questions.
Learning From Balance 