One in a series of posts about how I stay on a budget while getting my fill of healthy, vegan foods from higher-end stores.
As it is the week before Thanksgiving break (hollllllla!) I was in a bit of a pickle. I was running out of some things I need weekly (almond butter, kale, nuts, olives, almond milk) but I didn’t want to make a big stock-up trip and end up wasting money on things I won’t be able to use up in a week or be able to keep around until after break. I knew I couldn’t really live on what was left in my fridge unless I wanted to be totally restrictive and veggie-less for the week so I made the trip to Whole Foods…twice! Yeah, crazy, I know, but one of those times I went with my mom when she came up with the rest of my family for the weekend and the other time was a semi-emergency trip.
All this stuff should last me through this Thursday, and some of it I should be able to take home with me over Thanksgiving or just leave here without risking food poisoning. And I didn’t spend too much, which is a total win!
*=organic
New find, just in time for the holidays! And it’s fair trade!
Whole Foods (trip 1)
What I Got: dark chocolate covered raisins* (a fear food of mine I wanted to challenge–they had pretty clean ingredients so I went for it), Justin’s vanilla almond butter squeeze pack (ran out of AB, needed a quick fix for a couple of days), Garden of Life RAW vanilla chai protein powder (OMG, so good, look for a review of it soon), Theo peppermint dark chocolate bar (splurge, but it’s worth it for good chocolate)
What It Cost Me: $32.15 (I had a $5 off coupon for the protein powder, score!)
Verdict: I could have maybe skipped the chocolate and the raisins, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could go outside my comfort zone and buy a couple items I’ve been wanting for awhile but haven’t been brave enough to try. The protein powder was a total leap of faith (I’ve had the brand before, but a different flavor) but it was worth the money–great taste, good nutritional profile, awesome ingredients.
My bigger Whole Foods haul, with plenty of produce and staples.
Whole Foods (trip 2)
What I Got: Pacific Naturals vanilla unsweetened almond milk*, Rising Moon garlic merlot pasta sauce (my favorite brand for sauce)*, Made in Nature dried pineapple and apple* (on sale!), Truvia, Farmer’s Market boxed pumpkin*, Maranatha maple almond butter (new favorite AB), maple covered almonds, Nada Moo! mint chocolate coconut milk ice cream, Celestial Seasonings vanilla red rooibos tea, green kale* (also on sale), 2 small bananas, green figs*, bulk olives
What It Cost Me: $47.23 (not bad!)
Verdict: I am so happy I stayed just under $80 for this week’s groceries (this is a new goal of mine for every week) and I got a lot of good stuff I was out of so this was a much-needed trip. Even better, we went at night so the store was not crowded at all!
Like I said above, I want to try to stick to a budget of $80 a week on groceries (I think I can do it!) and this week showed that I can do it, even buying more expensive items like the protein powder and vegan ice cream. I know there are certain things I don’t want to give up, because the higher price is worth the health benefits and taste, but I also know there are ways I can keep whittling down my budget to consistently stay around the $80 mark each week.
If you use protein powder, do you buy it online or from a store? What are some things you can’t live without every week?
Nice job on pushing your comfort zone, they all sound delicious. especially that ice cream!
Thanks! The ice cream is my favorite brand and flavor, so good.
I’ve heard some good things about that protein powder, so it’s great to hear that you enjoyed it 🙂 And even better to hear that you went outside your comfort zone and treated yourself! Some things I always have to have in my kitchen are: Greek yogurt, bananas, almond butter, cereal, baby carrots, spelt wraps, chicken, and chocolate. I’m sure there’s more, but I could get by on those for quite some time 😉
Those are some great staples–I’m sure you could come up with lots of creative ways to combine them if that was all you had on hand!
That chocolate looks delicious!!
It’s so good! It’s a little bit darker than the chocolate I usually get but it’s delicious.
My meals are going to be SO random this week because, like you, I am heading home for thanksgiving and don’t want to stalk up on staples. Maranartha’s Maple Almond Butter is her best yet!
Yay for random combinations…and Thanksgiving break 😀
Thanksgiving is so close….I can practically taste it 😛
Me too, and it tastes good 😉
Can’t live without peanut butter and jelly and you know what? You NEEDED those raisins. #getitgirl
I did need those raisins, not just because they tasted good but because they helped me realize I don’t need to be so restrictive with what I choose to eat!