BUDGET-FRIENDLY HEALTHY GROCERY LIST w/ free printable

This healthy grocery list is a great way to save time and money while grocery shopping. Don’t forget to grab your free downloadable list at the bottom!

Grocery shopping is not an easy task, especially if you are trying to make healthy and budget-friendly decisions.

I have a VERY unique philosophy on grocery shopping and you can learn more about it here.

Normally, I go grocery shopping 1 or 2 times a month.

That pretty much sums it up.

It saves tons of time, stress, and of course money. I am working on creating a course to teach you how to do it too if you are interested.

TIPS FOR EATING HEALTHY

Now that you have a basic understanding of my grocery shopping philosophy, let’s go over a few tips for eating healthy.

1. HAVE SELF CONTROL

A huge tip in saving money when your grocery shopping, is TELL YOURSELF NO.

Trust me, it is significantly easier to say no one time at the grocery store while you’re passing that delicious looking chocolate cake than the 50 times you will see it sitting on your counter. Tell yourself you don’t need it at the grocery store, and move on.

2. MEAL PLAN

I highly recommend meal planning, and especially backwards meal planning. This can definitely help save you tons of time and money, as you are eliminating all your extra trips to the grocery store.

3. HAVE A STOCKPILE

Since I only go shopping a few times a month, I build up a small stockpile of ingredients that I can use to still make healthy meals. Don’t go a freak out when you hear stockpile. I do not hoard food or have an underground shelter stocked with food. My pantry is small, but full of things our family uses frequently.

4. KEEP A RUNNING LIST

Keep a list on your fridge and tell everybody in the family how to use it. When you are using an item and you notice it is almost gone, add it to your list. Some of these items you might have in your stockpile, so just double check.

5. MEAL PREP

It doesn’t have to be fancy, just meal prep a few ingredients, breakfasts, suppers, etc. so you have some healthy options ready to grab quickly!

Check out my whole post on grocery shopping rules here.

Since I do keep a good stockpile at my house and use backwards meal planning, creating a shopping list takes me less than 5 minutes.

PANTRY ITEMS

I like to focus on the three main areas of the kitchen. The first is the pantry.

Don’t forget to look at your running grocery list for items that you are getting low on. Glance through your pantry and jot down any additional items you need to re-stock.

• Rice– Wild rice and brown rice are healthy choices
• Pasta– We only eat pasta occasionally, like 1-2 times a month. Choose whole wheat or legume noodles for the healthiest options.
• Canned goods– Black beans, pinto beans, etc.
• Tomato products– Tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomatoes with green chiles, pasta sauce.
• Toddler food– cereal, snacks, crackers
• Nuts– pecans, almonds, peanuts, cashews
• Nut butter– almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter
• Seeds -sunflower seeds, pepitas, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seed 
• Oats– quick and old fashioned
• Vegetables– Onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, potatoes, ginger
• Dried fruits -cranberries, dates, figs
• Unsweetened coconut
• Natural sweeteners– Honey, maple syrup, dates
• Baking ingredients– flour, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar

FRIDGE ITEMS

The next area I focus on is the fridge. I never write these things on my grocery list because I know I always need to re-stock. 

• eggs
• butter
• milk– almond milk is a great choice too
• dairy products– plain yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese
• hummus– a great dip with veggies
• deli meat– it is best to buy it at the deli counter and not pre-packaged
• cheese– blocks of cheese have the most flavor and less preservatives added
• condiments– you can always keep a spare in the pantry too!)
• fresh fruit– grapes, berries, apples, oranges
• fresh vegetables– carrots, celery, Brussel sprouts, green beans, cabbage
• fresh herbs– cilantro and parsley are my favorites

FREEZER ITEMS

Lastly, are the freezer items. Again my philosophy is having good stockpile, that you will be able to use for weeks without going to the store.

I always have frozen meat like tilapia, ground beef, pork loins, chicken breast, and bacon in the freezer.

And it’s also a good idea to keep frozen fruits and vegetables in a freezer. Some of our favorites are peas cauliflower, cauliflower rice, broccoli, carrots, chopped onions, chopped peppers, spinach, mangoes, frozen blueberries, and bananas.

FREE Healthy Grocery List

I’m so excited for you to use this healthy grocery shopping list to eliminate spending extra time writing grocery lists.

OTHER POSTS I THINK YOU MIGHT ENJOY

Simple Meal Planning Guide

Beginners Guide to Meal Prep

21 Day Fix meal plan

2B Mindset meal plan

I hope you found value here and will continue to come back for more!