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I’ve been wanting to do a “grocery haul” video for a while now, but it seems every time I get home from the store, there’s never enough time (or energy) to film. Well, that all changed today!
It’s a new year and we’ve been really focused when it comes to sticking with our whole food, plant-based diet for the past month. We haven’t been on a proper shopping trip for a few weeks, so I made my usual rounds to Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods to stock up. I know these kinds of videos are always helpful for me, so hopefully you’ll get a few ideas from watching.
As you may know from the Meal Prep Calendar / Grocery List video we made a while back, my shopping trips always start with a printed out list. I have a “master list” saved to my computer which includes most of the items we buy on a regular basis. When I’m getting ready to go to the store, I open up the file and save a copy of it. Then I go through and delete items that I don’t need to buy and add any extras I might need for specific recipes we are making that week. This week we are making the Fiesta Corn Stew from The Healthspan Solution and the Cheesy Broccoli & Rice Casserole from Jill & Jeffrey Dalton’s new book Plant-Based Cooking Made Easy.
Here’s a look at my grocery list from today:
Download PDF
After my list is ready, I usually start with Aldi first since they have the best prices on most things. Next, I head to Trader Joe’s and finally to Whole Foods. I also frequent Dierbergs and Schnucks, which are both based in St. Louis, but this week I was able to get everything I needed on my first three stops. You can watch the video to see me unpack all of the groceries, and check out the lists below to see what I bought at each place.
Aldi (Total Spent = $59.58 w/ tax)
Sweet Butter Lettuce – $1.99 (x5)
Old Fashioned Oats – $2.39 (x2)
Cumin – $0.95
Garlic Powder – $0.95 (x2)
Onion Powder – $0.95 (x2)
Parsley – $0.95
Green Peppers (Pack of 3) – $1.89
Multi-Colored Peppers (Pack of 3) – $2.89
Bag of Red Onions – $1.69
Bag of White Onions – $1.69
Bag of “Sunion” Sweet Yellow Onions – $1.99
French Green Beans – $2.99
Steamable Frozen California Veggie Medley – $0.79 (x2)
Frozen Blueberries – $1.79 (x2)
Frozen Corn – $0.75 (x2)
Zucchini – 1.76lb x $1.29/lb = $2.27
Bananas – 6.58lb x $0.37/lb = $2.43
Butternut Squash – 3.70lb x $0.99/lb = $3.66
Whole Carrots – $1.29
Baby Bella Mushrooms – $1.89 (x2)
Fresh Blackberries – $1.79
Garlic – $0.99
Trader Joe’s (Total Spent = $56.85 w/ tax)
Frozen Broccoli Florets – $1.69 (x3)
Frozen Fancy Berry Medley – $2.99
Bagged “Champs-Élysées” Salad Mix – $1.99 (x4)
Pomegranate – $2.49
Almond Milk – $1.79 (x2)
Cosmic Crisp Apples – $1.69 (x3)
Pink Lady Apples – $0.69 (x6)
Strawberries – $3.99
Picked Jalapeños – $1.69
Raw Cashews – $7.99 (x2)
Whole Foods (Total Spent = $31.70 w/ tax)
Vegan Mushoom Gravy – $2.79 (x3)
Kale Greens – $1.49 (x2)
Garbanzo Beans – $0.79 (x8)
Pinto Beans – $0.79 (x4)
Kidney Beans – $0.79 (x5)
Black Beans – $0.79 (x6)
How Much Do We Spend On Groceries?
We get a lot of questions about how much we spend on groceries each week, month, etc. It is hard to really tell since I am always thinking ahead and stocking up on things I know we will need in the future. Generally whenever we run out of a non-perishable ingredient that we use regularly, I will replace it right away whether or not we plan to use it in the immediate future. This helps make sure Brian can experiment with recipes whenever they pop into his head. Also, during the days of COVID, I like to make sure my grocery store trips are as infrequent as possible, so oftentimes I’ll stock up for the next couple of weeks.
This haul in particular cost $148.13 total and will probably last for at least a week and a half or two weeks, with one extra trip to stock up on fresh veggies once we run out.
Check Out Our Top Ten Lists
Although we haven’t done a full grocery haul video before, we have done “Top Ten” lists for our favorite stores! Check them out below:
More Information On A WFPB Diet
Check out these links for more information on a whole food plant based diet:
15 Minute Recap: Exactly How We Lost 335+ Pounds On A Plant-Based Diet
Back To Basics: Weight Loss 101
How We Lost 270 Pounds: Our Whole Food Plant Based Weight Loss Journey
Q&A Session: Our 290 Pound Weight Loss Journey
Q&A: Weight Loss Update, Loose Skin, Advice on Going Plant-Based + More!
Top Ten Tips For Switching To A Whole Food, Plant-Based Vegan Diet
Q&A with The Krocks: “Cheat” Foods, Fasting, Stress Eating, Going Organic, Children + More!
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Really non of my business, but I’m curious why you buy mushroom gravy rather than make it yourself? It’s so easy and good with fresh mushrooms.
Why no potatoes or sweet potatoes? Also do you ever. use vegan Yogurt? Make or.buy?
We actually don’t eat a ton of potatoes in our regular diet. We do like Kite Hill’s plain almond milk yogurt to use in recipes!
Wonderful blog post. Buying groceries is relative to what you are eating that week and whats on special. I love that you got a few things that were on super special and are able to store away. Im slightly envious of how cheap you can buy things but then again I can get fresh vege from the markets, pick berries etc and of course I have a pretty good garden.
Id just like to say how much thinner you both look x
Wow! Grocery prices in the midwest are so much cheaper than in NYC. Good work!
Why do you buy whole cashews rather than pieces or chopped?
questions above rather than comments
We shop at lots of stores. We live on the Oregon Coast and shop locally at Fred Meyer and Safeway. But about once a month we drive into the city for stuff the local stores lack. We shop Costco, Whole Foods Market, and Trader Joe’s. We shop TJ’s for their low sodium veggie broth at $1.99 a quart. Today and usually we pick up 2 cases at a time. Today we bought cashews pieces for $6.99-save $1 over whole) and organic sprouted tofu for $1.99 that looks like Wildwood for more $, so I think it’s made by Wildwood for TJ’s. We didn’t go to Costco today but our favorite things to buy there are frozen organic small peas and frozen organic corn. We always have fresh blueberries, and Costco’s organic are pretty good, but we didn’t go there today.
I haven’t had a good chance to look over your site/blog yet, since I’m on break at work. I have glanced over it some and I’m saving it to my homepage. I look forward to watching your videos and doing some studying on the wfpb diet. I’m just changing from carnivore/junk diet.