how I grocery shop

A reader left a comment on one of my ‘lattes with lauren’ q&a series asking about how I grocery shop, and Martha and I thought that was a really fun idea for a blog post! Before I share how I grocery shop with y’all though, a little disclaimer: I am by no means an expert in this area! Also, Michael and I (obviously) don’t have kids, so I’m sure when you’re shopping for more than 2 people, things get much more complicated. My grocery shopping method is pretty simple, but figured I’d share it in case it’s helpful to any of you!

First thing I do before grocery shopping is look at our schedule for the week. Do we have dinner plans or any events at night this week? Honestly between Michael being in school (he goes to class at night), and then events we go to for the blog, or our small group at church, we don’t have alot of week nights where we cook at home in this season (unfortunately!). But, if I look at our schedule and see “we will be home Monday night and Thursday night”…then that means I need to find one recipe to make for dinner that week. When I make one recipe, Michael and I can usually make (at least) two dinners out of it.

Once I know how many dinners I need to make that week (usually around two), I’ll go to some of my favorite healthy recipe websites to find a new recipe to make. (I do have a few favorite go-to recipes, but usually try and branch out, in hopes of finding more faves to add to my repertoire!). Some of my go-to sites for healthy recipes are skinnytaste.com, skinny mom, and the defined dish. (Also, pinterest, obviously. Make sure to follow me on pinterest to see some of my go-to healthy recipes).

Once I find my one or two recipes for that week, I add the things we need to a grocery list (I either put it in a Note on my phone, or use Evernote, also on my phone).

So, once I’m at the grocery store, I get the things I need for dinner that week, and then I also replenish things we always have in the house. Below I’ve listed items I always grab at the grocery store, either because it’s what I eat for breakfast everyday, or they are great snacks to have on hand, or healthy things to add to smoothies!

fruit – I buy tons of fruit because I snack on it ALL the time and always put it in my shakes. apples, bananas, grapes, blueberries, strawberries are my go-tos!
veggies – in addition to the veggies I need for the dinner recipes, I like to have alot of other vegetables on hand for other meals + snacks. I always buy spinach (I put it in my eggs every morning and almost always make a salad for lunch), carrots and celery (yummy snack with hummus), edamame (such a healthy snack, not to mention delicious – great source of fiber and protein), green bell pepper (also put this in my egg scrambles every morning), cherry tomatoes and cucumber for salads, avocado (put this on everything lol) etc
almond butter (or I also love this peanut butter with flax and chia seeds from TJ’s!)
ezekiel bread
light string cheese – love this as a snack bc i’m a cheese lover and it’s a little extra protein in your day
eggs (and egg whites)
turkey bacon
greek yogurt (great with fruit and granola, or a good way to get more protein in your day by adding it to a smoothie)
chia seeds – incredible super food and easy to get in, if you add it to smoothies
dried fruit – obsessed with dried mango right now!
frozen shrimp and canned tuna – I make a shrimp salad or tuna salad almost every single day!
nut mix (anything with almonds, cashews, pistachios, dried fruit, etc!)
PIN IT

PIN IT

These are my go-to’s that we always have in the house – because you can make so many different meals or snacks out of them. I also have to include things like mac & cheese and cheez-its on this list for Michael of course haha.

On a COMPLETELY unrelated note…I cannot accurately put into words HOW amazing this long sleeve top is! I ordered it online and the second I tried it on, I went to my computer to order it in black and pink! It’s insanely soft, looks adorable with jeans or with shorts, and is the perfect top for layering as well!

What are some things you always have in the house for healthy meals and snacking?! Or do you have any other favorite healthy recipe blogs you go to for inspo? I’d love to hear about both of those things in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

xo Lauren