Lately I’ve gotten a lot of questions from new Plant-Based Eaters (and some who are only plant curious) about where I buy food. Since I live in Arizona the resources I have will likely be different from what you have available. Maybe if we all share our wisdom in the comments we can all find new ideas and help a newbie navigate the terrain. The things I share will be what works for my family, based on food budget, dietary needs and restrictions, family size and where I live.
Weekly Shopping
Every weekend we load up as a family and go to Sprouts. I love this store. If I really wanted to be frugal I’d go on Wednesday because that is double ad day but weekend shopping works best for our schedule.
Sprouts Farmers Market is an independent natural foods grocery store chain that focuses on “healthy living for less.” We sell farm-fresh produce and thousands of natural, organic and great-tasting mainstream foods at remarkably low prices, in a non-traditional farmers market-type setting.
Sprouts only has stores in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas; sorry friends if you don’t live in one of these states. Sprouts has the best produce, it stays fresh for a reasonable amount of time and is well priced. I would pay much more if I bought the same produce at a regular grocery store. Additionally there are other “farmers markets” that are really more like a produce market (no farmers in sight) that have produce even less expensive but it is only good for a few days. At those places I can get a much better deal but since the produce only last a day or two I’d have to go often and it is not near by. I’ll occasionally shop there if I’m having a big party and need a lot of produce for one day. I prefer to shop at Sprouts. If I buy something that I don’t like I can take it back for a full refund.
What do I buy at Sprout:
- produce
- gluten-free items
- Ezekiel Bread
- dairy-free coffee creamers
- bulk grains
- nuts
- turbinado sugar
- nutritional yeast
- Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
Sprout’s also carries conventional and organic meat and dairy, health care items, vitamins, supplements, beauty and toiletries items and even Blue Bell Ice cream. If I could only shop one store it would be Sprout’s!
I am also a fan of Fresh and Easy. Of course this is less than a mile from my house and the first store you come to when leaving my neighbor hood, yes I’m one lucky girl. I was resistant to F&E at first, I had heard that it was expensive and didn’t have a good selection. Once my first son was born I tried it (because I got tired of being stuck in a big store for over an hour and a ton of creepy strangers trying to touch my newborn). I loved it. I could get anything I needed and be in and out quickly. Some things are more expensive but not everything. They have a lot of ready-made food but it almost always has meat, cheese or oil so I don’t buy those. I LOVE their fresh salsa’s, hummus, and they have a great clearance section. Most of all I REALLY LOVE their almond milk. I prefer the F&E brand of almond milk to all others! It is priced great too!
What do I buy at Fresh and Easy:
- almond milk
- coconut milk (occasionally)
- hummus
- salsa
- cereal
- banana’s (they are not cheap but convenient)
- gluten-free items
- organic tortilla chips
- some produce
- items from the clearance section
- nutritional yeast
They also have a good selection of grains, pasta, and normal grocery store fare, it is just a little pricier than I get other places. If I need to run to the store for a quick ingredient F&E is my pick.
Every So Often
There are other places I shop occasionally.
What I buy at Costco (once a month or longer):
- agave nectar
- beans
- Naked Juice
- quinoa
- spices
- hummus (occasionally)
- organic tortilla chips
- baby wipes
What I buy at Target:
- diapers
- toiletries
- baby items
- clothes
- last-minute food items I forgot to get elsewhere
What I buy at Walmart (I only go a few times a year):
- beans
- brown rice
- canned goods
- toiletries
As you can see most of my shopping is done at Sprouts and Fresh and Easy. If I lived in rural Oklahoma near my mom I’d have to shop at small local grocery stores, Walmart, and use the internet. I’ve thought about buying more grocery items online but haven’t yet. In fact I may check into getting an Amazon Prime account to see if that would be helpful.
Where do you shop? Is there a store you use that you couldn’t live without? Share with the peanut gallery so we can all benefit!