Proven Healthy Food Choices- Our Grocery Shopping Haul

I appreciate each and every share. Thank you!

While food may not be a part of your fashion choices, I’m a firm believer that our food choices affect more than just our waistline. It’s the backbone of feeling good and thus looking good.
Sharing our grocery shopping haul was due to a suggestion by Eileen, who asked, “Have you thought of doing one on what I eat in a day or a grocery shopping haul?…I think it would be beneficial and interesting to see how a healthy and fit person manages all the food noise.“

Quote of the day: “Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.” Bethenny Frankel

I loved how Eileen talked about the food noise. I haven’t heard that term often, but it makes sense. I’m always happy to share any and all of our life (or so it seems, right?), and this idea reminded me of the Simple Swaps I shared in my January emails.

Even though eating healthy can seem hard and overwhelming at times, it’s no different than how we learn to create wonderful outfits. Practice, practice, and keep learning more and more.

Today, I’m inviting you into our kitchen for a peek at our grocery shopping haul from Aldi. Yes, it’s not a fancy health food store, but that’s what makes it even better. You don’t need to shop exclusively at upscale markets to eat well or take care of your health. We stick to a philosophy of whole, real foods with a few strategic convenience items tossed in (because let’s be real—easy is always good).

You can see what we usually purchase from Sam’s Warehouse and Fry’s (a Kroger brand), too.

Insider tip: We also use 2 apps to try to help us with our food decisions. One is Yuka, and the other is Bobby Approved. I don’t get a commission from these apps, but they can be a great resource for you.

This isn’t the first time I’ve discussed our eating philosophy, as well as sharing how I conquered my sugar addiction.
I am passionate about biology, health, and wellness, and love to share all sorts of articles and content that relate to this subject in my emails.

You should definitely sign up for the emails below. Besides the free eBook, my email family gets personal tidbits of what’s going on in my life, along with other happenings, sales, information, giveaways, extra photos, and interesting articles.

Health tip: Food ruts can happen. Analyzing them can make a difference-just like working on getting out of our style ruts.

Where We Shop

Aldi’s is not the only place we shop for food. We have gotten to a point where we have found certain things we like (and that don’t have extra added ingredients) from a variety of stores, including Aldis, Trader Joe’s, Sam’s, Kroger’s, and Sprouts.

Budget is always a concern for us, so one reason we love Kroger’s is the coupons they send out monthly that are for the items we always buy (meaning produce).
But far and away, Trader Joe’s and Aldis have some of the best everyday prices for our area and for what we eat.

Insider tip: We also use a subscription service for grass-fed/organic meats. Right now, it is Wild Pastures, but we have also tried Butcher Box and Good Chops.
I share many of our healthy food choices in a tab on my site.

We are not vegetarians for the big reason that Rob has a swallowing sensitivity to legumes. I’m sure it’s in part due to his gut health, which we have been working on with a functional nutritionist so that we can hopefully include legumes back into his diet.
Dairy (in small quantities) is also a part of our eating plan.

I am not here to say that our way of eating is right for you. I believe that just like how our clothing style is personal, so are our food choices. Yet I also believe that most diseases could be helped, if not reversed, with our food choices.

Tip: Think about how often you shop for groceries. If it’s few and far between, you might be consuming too many processed foods with preservatives in them.

A couple of my favorite books on the subject are:
-Glucose Revolution–this was the basis for me to be able to give up sugar.
-Ultra Processed People–the 1st half is fabulous. It gets a bit redundant after that.
-Eat to Beat Disease–Truly powerful. Our bodies and the thought of what we put in them count.

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Produce is the Star of the Show

When you look at our grocery shopping haul, the first thing you’ll notice is that produce dominates. We often say that when you shop the perimeter of the store, you’ll find the healthiest options.

Insider tip: The drawback of Aldi and Trader Joe’s stores is that not all products are always available every time you shop there (they switch things up). The produce usually is the same, but sometimes even that changes.
However, when there is “new” seasonal produce available, we always pick those up. Even if the foods aren’t our usual.
If you don’t know how to prepare a food item, Google or YouTube is your best friend.

Here’s what came home with us this time:

• Organic spinach, celery, and asparagus: We almost always have some sort of spinach, cabbage, or healthy lettuce, and then we grab other greens also.
• Avocados: Healthy fats are non-negotiable, and I always have several in different ripening levels at home.
• Bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow): Not only are they sweet and crunchy, but they also add color and texture to everything from frittatas to stir-fries.
• Broccoli: Rob loves putting this in our eggs some mornings, or it is perfect for salads.
• Carrots: We snack on them raw, roast them with spices, or use them in soups.
• Bananas (always…Rob is bananas about bananas), berries, and apples: These fruits are easy to grab and go, but also perfect for breakfast.

Insider tip: I love this produce “basket” on my countertops, so I can see what I have easily.

I truly believe that having your fridge stocked with colorful fruits and veggies makes healthy eating easier.
The advantage nowadays is that many stores have produce already cut and ready to eat. That’s convenience and healthy all in one.

Maybe you’ve heard that a good goal is to eat 30+ different items of produce a week? That’s why I believe it’s important to try new things and switch it up.

Health tip: Most drawbacks to eating healthy are the convenience. That’s one reason I love some of the produce options at TJs. For example, they have butternut squash already cut up and packaged. I realize this means more people handled it and there is more waste product of plastic, but it makes it convenient to eat/prepare AND it’s healthy.

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Real Food First, Always

One of the guiding principles I try to live by is: Eat food that looks like it came from nature. That might sound overly simple, but it really helps when navigating all the food noise at the store.

So, in addition to the fresh produce, here are some “real food” essentials we grabbed at Aldi:

• Cage-free eggs: A powerhouse of protein and perfect for quick meals.
• Almond milk (unsweetened): We don’t drink it by itself but use it in chia pudding, Rob’s bread recipe, and other recipes.
• Nuts and seeds (like cashews and chia seeds): Healthy fats, protein, and fiber. We toss them into salads or eat a handful as a snack. Chia pudding is one of our favorite breakfast foods, especially in the summer.

It’s always worth reading labels—even on “healthy” foods—because food noise often hides in unexpected places. Sugar, preservatives, and additives sneak into items that look healthy on the surface. That’s why I like shopping for ingredients rather than pre-made meals.

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A Few Processed & Convenience Items

Now let’s be honest—I’m not someone who shuns every processed item. We live in the real world, and sometimes convenience is a blessing. But I’m selective.
I believe there is a HUGE difference between processed food and ultra-processed food. That is the reason we read the labels to try to make sure it is as clean as possible.

Here’s what made it into our cart this time:

• Tortilla chips
• Crackers
• Maple Syrup

The key here is to think of these items as supplements to a real food foundation. They’re not the star of the show, but they can help you stay on track when time or energy is low.

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A Peek at Our Meal Planning Strategy

Now that you’ve seen the grocery shopping haul, let’s talk about how we turn this into meals.

Rather than mapping out every single meal, I think in categories:

• Big salad lunches with some kind of protein (canned tuna or leftover protein from the night before). This is especially beneficial in the summer when it’s too hot to cook.
• Charcuterie boards are an easy way to fix dinner when it’s hot. We make guacamole, and instead of being heavy on meats and cheeses, we include all sorts of relishes along with canned olives and artichokes.
• Easy dinners with air-fried cauliflower along with sautéed salmon.
• Chia pudding with fruit and yogurt is made once a week to use in the mornings. I also add protein powder to increase my protein uptake.
• Snacks include an apple with almond butter or coconut butter (it’s like almond butter but from coconut-only found at Sprouts in our area) with nuts and chocolate chips.

Sometimes there is no plan. We call it a kitchen sink night, where we just use what we have and make a stir fry. The key is that when your fridge is full of real food, you (hopefully) use what you have.

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Final Thoughts: It’s Not About Perfection

Let me be clear—this isn’t about eating “perfectly.” I don’t count macros. We have an occasional “dessert” of a handful of chocolate chips. And I certainly don’t believe in food guilt.

Instead, I try to focus on giving my body the nutrients it needs. I aim to eat in a way that fuels my body, supports my energy, and still lets me enjoy the pleasures of food. For me, that means choosing foods with intention and shopping with purpose.

Health tip: The truth of the matter is that the food you eat has a reaction in your body. It’s there to either FIGHT or FEED disease. The choice is yours.

If there’s one takeaway I hope you get from this post, it’s that healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Produce and “healthy” food may seem more expensive, but where you shop makes a difference, as well as thinking about it from an investment perspective.

The money I invest in my health with real food saves me on medication and doctor’s visits in the future.

So tell me—do you like seeing grocery shopping hauls like this? Would it be helpful if I shared more of our pantry staples, weekly meal prep, or healthy snack ideas?