Since I spend the majority of my free time food shopping… I wanted to share my grocery guides, and any tips I have!

Shopping Tips & Ways to Save:

• Utilize your farmers markets! This will save you lots of money, plus it’s local and fresh. If you have access to a farmers market, do the bulk of your shopping there. Whatever you don’t find at the farmers market, then buy in store
• Buy in bulk! Buying in bulk is always cheaper. If you don’t believe me, look at the price per lb/oz on bulk items compared to packaged. Buying in bulk also allows you to utilize produce bags and prevent the waste of plastic! These are the produce bags I use and love (you can throw them in the wash too!)
• Buy pantry staples/bulk items online. I use websites like Thrive Market and where you save major bucks! You can find the items I typically purchase from there below
• When you’re shopping at the grocery store — shop the perimeter! This is where you’ll find fresh produce (and dairy/meat if that’s your thing). The aisles of the store are filled with items that have preservatives and fillers making them shelf stable. Of course, there are exceptions, but most items you would purchase in the aisles can be found online for a much cheaper price
• Never go to the grocery store hungry! You will be more likely to buy junk food/items you don’t truly want/need
• Fresh is always best, but if it’s not possible, buy frozen! Frozen produce is always cheaper than the fresh options. This is a great way to save on foods that are highly sprayed with pesticides, and also highly expensive, like berries.
• Buy in bulk when there are sales! You can always freeze leftovers

Pesticides… & when to shop Organic vs Conventional

Before giving you my grocery list, lets talk about pesticides. First of all, what are pesticides? Pesticides are poisons sprayed onto crops to prevent pests, mold growth, and bacteria. They are extremely toxic, and unfortunately harm a lot more than just the pests they repel. They’ve been associated with a number of serious health effects ranging from asthma to cancer, and have proven to be extremely harmful to the environment as well.

I am very grateful that I have the ability to shop organic, but I realize that might not be realistic for everyone. There is the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15“. Produce on the dirty dozen means these foods are highest in pesticides. If it’s part of the dirty dozen… buy organic if possible!! Foods listed under the Clean 15 mean they have the least exposure to pesticides. These foods are ok to shop conventional! This is one of the reasons to shop at farmers markets whenever possible; you will (most likely) get pesticide free produce, for a much more reasonable price.

I realize there are only 27 produce items listed, and many more available to choose from! So what about the rest? That’s where I recommend using your best judgement. As you can see, for the most part, all foods on the clean 15 have a “shell” protecting them from direct exposure to pesticides. All foods listed on the dirty dozen having no protective layer, and will have direct exposure to pesticide sprays. When you’re buying produce that didn’t make the list, I recommend keeping this in mind when deciding to shop Organic vs Conventional. For example, I always buy any greens organic, but any foods with that protective outer layer and not on the Dirty Dozen are ok conventional.

Ok so its on the Clean 15…. but is it GMO free??

GMO’s are another important thing we need to factor in when grocery shopping. So just what are GMOs? GMO stands for Genetically Modified  Organisms.

According to the Non-gmo project, “GMOs are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. Most GMOs have been engineered to withstand the direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. However, new technologies are now being used to artificially develop other traits in plants, such as a resistance to browning in apples, and to create new organisms using synthetic biology”

If you know me, you know I loooove papaya. For papaya in particular, the one I buy is Conventional but non GMO; I buy it from Trader Joe’s. The variation to stay away from is Hawaiian papaya – they are highly genetically modified.

To avoid GMOs, either buy organic, or look for the non GMO verified label. 

Shopping Guides

Now that we’ve covered how to shop for your produce, let’s talk about online shopping! If you’re not utilizing the online grocery sites, you’re definitely spending way more money than you have to. I buy a big order every couple months (2-4 months) and order all supplements online. For supplements especially, the price is usually double in stores.

THRIVE MARKET

My favorite website is Thrive Market. They have thousands of healthy brands, at a fraction of the cost. Seriously, I find everything on there. If you’ve never used Thrive before, you can get 25% off your first order!

Thrive Market Grocery Guide

FOOD:

   Cooking & Baking

• Coconut Flour
• Almond Flour
• Organic Maple Syrup
• Organic Coconut Nectar
• Simple Mills baking mixes (cake, pancakes, pizza)
• Wedderspoon Manuka Honey
• Nutiva or Artisana Organics Coconut Butter
• Eat Banza Pasta
• Nut butters (cashew, almond, coconut)

Snacks

• Simple Mills Crackers
• Rhythm Superfood Naked Chips (beet, carrot)
• Organic Brown Rice Cakes (I like the Lundberg Farms thin stackers)
• Living Intentions activated nuts
• Organic Seedless Raisins
• Go Raw assorted snacks
• Hu Kitchen Chocolate
• Eating Evolved coconut butter cups
• Purely Elizabeth Granola
• Navitas Mulberries
• Goji Berries

Oils/Vinegars/Condiments /Spices

• Coconut Aminos
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil
• Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray
• Simply Organic Turmeric
• Simply Organic Ginger
• Simply Organic Cinnamon
• Simply Organic Black Pepper
• Dulse Powder

Superfoods

• Lucuma Powder
• Maca Powder
• Cacao Powder

 Nuts & Seeds

• Chia Seeds
• Hemp Seeds
• Cacao Nibs
• Flax Seeds
• Organic Raw Nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts)

Tea

• Licorice Root Tea
• Roasted Dandelion Root Tea
• Raspberry Leaf Tea

SUPPLEMENTS:

• Jarrows L Glutamine
• Hawaiian Spirulina
• Sun Potions products (top 4 favorites: Tocos, Chaga, Ashwaganda, Reishi)
• Four Sigmatic elixirs
• Probiotics (Garden of Life Ultimate Care)
• Natural Calm Magnesium + Calcium

HOME:

• Parchment paper
• Detergent
• Stasher Bags

BEAUTY:

• Cocokind (My Matcha/Maca Beet/Turmeric Sticks; Chlorophyll Mask; Chia Seed Face Oil)
• Thayers Witch Hazel
• Acure Organics Shampoo & Conditioner
• Seed Phytonutrients Shampoo & Conditioner
• Castor Oil

WHOLE FOODS GROCERY GUIDE

Fruit

• Organic Pink Lady Apples
• Organic Bananas
• Avocado
• Organic Cherries
• Organic Figs
• Navel Oranges
• Organic Lemons/Limes

Veggies

• 50/50 Blend Lettuce (I always buy the big container; cheaper)
• Spinach (bulk container)
• Sprouts
• Organic Sweet potatoes (Japanese, purple & regular)
• Bulk Bag organic baby carrots
• Organic Loose carrots
• Organic Loose beets
• Organic Ginger
• Cauliflower
• Organic Broccoli
• Organic Kale
• Celery

Bulk

• Medjool Dates
• Organic ground nut butters
• Any nuts/seeds if ran out
• Dried Beans for sprouting
• Organic Rolled Oats (if run out of sprouted)

Fridge/Freezer

• Coconut Water (Taste Nirvana or Harmless Harvest)
• COYO Coconut Yogurt
• Malk Nut Milks
• Frozen Pitaya
• Frozen Berries

Herbs / Misc.

• Cilaantro
• Parsley
• Basil
• Aloe Vera Leaf
• Liquid Chlorophyll

TRADER JOES SHOPPING LIST

Fruit

• Pineapple
• Papaya
• Honey Mango
• Organic Grapes
• Melons – watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew
• Medjool Dates
• Frozen Wild Blueberries
• Frozen Pineapple Tidbits
• Organic Unsweetened Acai

Veggies

• Mini Cucumber
• Baby Carrots
• Globe Artichokes
• Asparagus

Baking

• Organic Apple Sauce
• Organic Canned Coconut Milk
• Cacao Powder (if run out from Thrive)
• Maca Powder (if run out from Thrive)

Cooking

• Sprouted Quinoa
• Sprouted Rice
• Plant Based Pastas

 Snacks

• Just Beet Chips
• Dried Fruit (sulfur/sugar free; mango is my go-to)

Oils & Vinegars

• Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
• Organic Tahini

 Condiments Spices & Sauces

• Everything but the bagel seasoning
• Green Goddess Dressing
• Carrot Ginger Miso Dressing
• Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing