Healthy eating- grocery staples on a budget (for both $ & time)

Hello all, happy Friday again!

This morning I got all the food in the picture above for $75 ( @ my favorite store, Aldi). Yes, only $75 for all of that food!!! I probably won’t go food shopping for at least another week. If you do the math that’s ~ $11 per day for ALL MEALS. Where do you ever eat out that’s less than $10 PER MEAL… and healthy at the same time?! LMK please.

You can definitely spend even less if you plan your meals for the week. This week I kinda just got a little bit of everything. My focus was on getting a variety of WHOLE FOODS i.e. veggies, fruits, lean protein.

I could go off listing everything in that picture but I’m sure you guys don’t want to hear that and can zoom in if you really want. So I’m just going to list some staples that are easy to work with and make meals out of (some of which I bought today, some of which you buy once and have in your cabinets for a while).

Breakfast staples: eggs, egg whites, sprouted grain bread, veggies (spinach, mushrooms, peppers, onions, Kale, etc.), Joseph’s Lavash Bread (huge wraps found near cold cuts @ Stop and Shop- can be used for breakfast burritos, anytime burritos, pizza, tortilla chips, the possibilities are endless), oats.

Lunch & dinner staples: lean protein (chicken, lean ground turkey/beef, salmon, shrimp, etc), veggies (frozen, steamable bags are quick and easy if you’re short on time), rice, quinoa, potatoes, beans, salad stuffs, pasta (I’ve really been digging Explore Cuisine’s Organic Mung bean & edamame fettuccine- 21g carbs, 22g protein, plant based #winning). If you’re not into that and still want to enjoy pasta, I just suggest measuring out 1 (or however many people you’re cooking for) serving(s) before making it- just an easy way to not cave to all the carbsssss.

Snacks: carrots, celery, fruit (fresh is good, frozen is also good for smoothies or a cold sweet treat), cottage cheese, rice cakes, nut butters, nuts, pickles, single serving tReAts (i.e. Ice cream bars or Halo Top vs a gallon for me), plant based protein powder.

Sauces, spices, misc.: SALSA, Garlic, Sriracha, Frank’s hot sauce, Walden Farms dressings and syrups (ordered in Vitacost.com), avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, cayenne pepper, turmeric, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, coriander, basil, paprika, parsley, cumin.

These are my staples, and we’re all at a different point of our journey here. I eat healthy and prepare most of my meals myself, that way when I do eat out I can enjoy whatever I want (I also feel 937383 better when I prepare my own healthy meals and know what’s going into my food).

Start with where you are and get a little bit better each time you go food shopping. You don’t have to eliminate the things you enjoy even if they may not be the best for you, just focus on adding in more of what’s good for you over time and you’ll naturally eat less of the other stuff (still enjoy yourself here and there). If you can’t enjoy the process, what’s the point?

Have a good weekend ya’ll, Sydney (Yes, I'm from Long Island. Yes, I said y'all)