Grocery Shopping with Plant-Based Bre

As a foodie, I spend a lot of time in grocery stores.

Some weeks I approach grocery shopping as a methodical practice, while other weeks, I go into the grocery store with no plan and see what I'm inspired by. Before you read this entire post, I want you to know that there isn't a "proper" way to go grocery shopping. This is simply me sharing how I approach grocery shopping while highlighting some of my favorite products.

Many people ask me to share what I buy on a week-to-week basis from the grocery store and to be 100% honest, I think that focusing on what items are in my grocery cart may not be helpful. Instead, this blog post will cover how I navigate grocery stores, namely Whole Foods, because that's where I do most of my grocery shopping.

If you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you've seen me speak about my appreciation for shopping at Whole Foods for most of my produce. Believe it or not, I have found that Whole Foods tends to carry fruits and veggies that are more economical than other local competing grocery stores such as Stop and Shop or Safeway.

On a recent trip to Stop and Shop, I was blown away by the cost of conventional produce. Most of the conventional produce at Stop and Shop was the same price as the organic produce at Whole Foods. I say that to say don't let a store's overpriced reputation stop you from giving them a try.

How I approach grocery shopping

When I enter a store, the first place I hit is the produce section. I like to grab whatever greens I want for the week (i.e., cabbage, bok choy, chard, etc.) and then move to other produce such as peppers and mushrooms, carrots, avocado, plantains, etc.

When shopping at higher quality grocery stores, I've noticed that the produce lasts longer, allowing me to buy more in one visit. I wouldn't suggest getting a lot of produce in one trip unless you know that you're able to cook or freeze everything before it begins to die in the fridge ☹️

After grabbing produce, I tend to look for salad mixes or packaged/pre-washed lettuce for low prep work when needing to which up a salad. For added life in the fridge, I place a few sheets of paper towels in the packaging after I open the containers.

Once all of my produce and salad mixes, I go directly to the freezer aisle and stock up on frozen items that I'm low on. I always have a bag of frozen kale, frozen spinach, and frozen fire-roasted corn in my freezer. I'll also see if there are any brands of ice cream or veggie burgers on sale that I would like to give a try. If not, I reach for my go-to Hilary's veggie burger.

When I'm finished in the freezer section, I typically move towards the plant milk and dairy alternatives. My favorite oat milk brand is Planet Oat. Still, I usually reach for whatever dairy alternatives catch my eye at the moment. Violife and Miyoko cheeses are my favorites.

The outside or permitter of the store is where I spend most of my time shopping. I do go down the spice aisle and flour else to grab sauces or baking products that I need to finish off my meals. I am also a huge fan of tonics and kombuchas, so I stop at the cold beverage section before I decide to walk to the register.

I hope the photos of my cart are helpful in some way. I have a tendency to reach for similar items on a week-to-week basis so what you see is what I use to create a lot of the meals I share on my Instagram. I'm happy to do a follow post answering any questions you may have. Leave them in the comments or reach out to me via email/DM.

With love -

Breanna