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The Ultimate Guide to Unprocessed Grocery Shopping for Beginners

Updated: Jan 8

(Updated 1/8/24) The grocery store doesn't have to be overwhelming if you're changing your eating habits. In today's post, I share how I determine meals for the week and create my weekly shopping list, making trips to the store more enjoyable.


1. Start with Your Base (Veggies, Meat, Meat Substitutes, etc.)

fresh vegetables on countertop

I participate in a seasonal community-supported agriculture (CSA) program and base most of our meals on the vegetables we receive. This week's real-life example, our bounty consists of carrots, radishes, spinach, swiss chard, parsley and bok choy.


I recommend sourcing from your local farmer's market if you eat meat. Most have a cattle ranch vendor, and you'll be pleased with the quality of the product.


Visit www.localharvest.org/csa to find a CSA near you! Spring seasons typically open for registration in March - April.

If your local market does not have a meat vendor, I suggest considering a pastured-meat delivery service. I recently signed up for Wild Pastures that delivers meat from regenerative, American family farms.


2. Determine Recipes that Utilize your Base Ingredients


Now that I know what I'm working with, I can decide what to make with them. I'll recall any go-to recipes or take to the internet for new ideas. In my meat delivery from Wild Pastures, I received a whole chicken. I'm feeling a warm, comforting meal this week so I'm going to roast that bad boy based on a recipe from the one an only Ina Garten. I've got carrots and radishes from the CSA that I can roast in the same pan. Done and done.


I repeat this until I have three to four dinners queued up. That's about as much as I'm willing to cook in a given week. By Thursday/Friday, I'm tired, and it's likely a DoorDash night.


In a recipe rut? Try cookbook exploration as a way to add new ideas to your weeknight meals.


3. Check Your Staples

canned goods

As much as I try to plan, some weeks, it just doesn't happen. That's when staples come in handy. Here are the items I have on hand and can make a minimally processed, quick, and easy meal:

Staple

What I Make with It

​Dried Beans (black, kidney, garbanzo)

Rice and beans, hummus, vegetarian chili, salad topping

Tomato Sauce

Pasta and sauce, pizza

Pasta

Pasta and sauce, butternut squash pasta, super garlicky pasta

Tuna

Tuna sandwiches

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato hash, baked sweet potatoes

Rice

Rice and beans, etc.

Tomatoes

Salads, kid snack

Parmesan Cheese

Baked spaghetti squash, pizza, salad topping

Tahini

Canned Coconut milk

Creamy tomato sauce, soups, and more

Vinegars (white, apple cider, rice, balsamic)

Salad dressings, pickled vegetables

All Purpose (AP) Flour

Bread, tortillas, muffins and more! Click here to learn more about flour.

4. Make Your List

Compile your list of ingredients for the recipes you selected. Don't forget to add what you need for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Here is what is my standard weekly list:

Eggs

Broccoli

Bakery bread (with as few ingredients as possible

Cauliflower

OJ

Organic Valley Half & Half

Pizza Dough

Microwave popcorn

Fruit (bananas, apples, strawberries, tangerines)

Natural peanut butter

Strawberry jam (with naturally low sugar)

Kind bars

Cheddar cheese blocks

Tomatoes


5. Share Your List

woman texting

Relationship pro-tip: create a shared shopping list in iPhone Notes and send it to your partner. I update that list weekly, and when my hubs offers to go shopping, he has what we need.


It took some time for us to get used to this process, but it hummed once it stuck.



6. Go Shopping/Place Your Online Order

woman grocery shopping

You'll notice with the recipes you select that your grocery list will keep you on the store's perimeter, and your trip will likely be shorter. Do your best to stay focused!


In recent months, what helps me stay most focused at the store is online grocery shopping. It saves me time and energy and I'm so glad I live in a world where this exists.



7. Write It Down

person writing grocery list

Getting your money's worth with this post, huh? Writing my meal plan for the week keeps me accountable. I also have a short memory. Find a scrap piece of paper, write down what you will make, and put it on the fridge. No more wondering what's for dinner because you've thought about it and have what you need to make it.




8. Practice Makes Progress

Over time, you'll hone how you source your food, determine your meals and get better at cooking the meals you select. Give it time and take notice in a few months of how far you've come!


One of my favorite insights from this process is that I rarely throw away food anymore. Without highly-processed items to distract us, we eat almost all the food in our house each week. Less food waste and less money wasted. I'm here for it!


Each person and family has different needs, and while this list might not be a perfect fit for you, I hope you can find a few ideas to help you on your unprocessed eating journey!




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2 Comments


tombe
Jan 06, 2023

The iPhone note for list-making is good, but using Alexa is even better! We use Alexa’s ”Shopping List” to organize our meal plan and our shopping lists (we have lists for Target and Lowes too). Anyone in the family can add items through their phone app or by requesting it aloud (we have Alexa on our Sonos in the kitchen and Echo Dots in the bedrooms). We add a line or multiple lines for our meal plan dinners, too. Anyone (we have children old enough to drive and plan their own schedules) can check the list when they are out and about to see what’s for dinner as well as anything they could pick up while they are out, eliminatin…

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Julie Drinkhahn
Julie Drinkhahn
Jan 06, 2023
Replying to

katie b - I LOVE THIS!! I will definitely give this a try - thank you for sharing!

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