I constantly get questions like “What foods do you buy for a vegetarian family? Where do you grocery shop? How much waste do you have after the week? So I thought I’d dedicate this post to answer those questions and share some of my fav items to buy weekly. First off, where do I go?

My top stores include:

• H Mart (or your local Asian market)
• Aldi
• Trader Joes
• Sprouts (similar to Whole Foods)
• Local Internationals markets (Spanish, Indian or Middle Eastern)

I always start with the produce section. This is where I buy the majority of my items. I would recommend you alternate items weekly so you don’t get tired of the same things and meals. This is a major key in succeeding with this lifestyle. It’s easy to make the same easy recipes over and over until you see someone eating fried chicken and you question your whole life (been there) so keep it exciting, switch it up and you wont feel like your missing out on anything.

Vegetables:

• Lettuce ( romaine, spinach, spring mix, kale, etc.) – I alternate these a lot.
• Cabbage (green, red)
• Carrots (shredded are my fav, or baby ones for dipping)
• Mushrooms (portabella and shiitake) 
• Broccoli 
• Corn
• Cauliflower
• Bean Sprouts
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cilantro / Parsley / Thai Basil
• Onions / Green Onions
• Celery / Leeks
• Asparagus
• Bok Choy
• Egg Plants
• Plantain
• Yuca /  other roots 
• Potato / Sweet Potato
• Zucchini / Squash
• Cucumbers
• Multi- Colored Peppers
• Jalapeños / Poblanos

I understand these are seasonal so I recommend getting what’s in season that way you get the freshest fruits. 

Fruits:

• Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries

Avocado

Bananas

Apples (Fuji, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith are my faves)

Citrus (lemons, limes, oranges, blood oranges, bitter oranges, clementine, tangerines, tangelos, and pomelos)

Coconut

Pomegranate

Melons (Water, Cantaloupe, Honeydew)

Pineapples 

Papaya (great for smoothies)

Mangos

Guava 

Kiwis

Asian Fruits: These are my absolute favorite types, they are so sweet and delicious. They are usually more expensive and harder to find, but totally worth it.

• Jackfruit – tastes like candy raw or is great for meat substitutes
• Durian 
• Dragon Fruit – White Flesh, Pink Flesh and Yellow Skin (give them all a try)
• Lychee / Rambutan / Longan 
• Passionfruit – bursts of sweet goodness
• Mangosteen (expensive and rare  but so good)
• Star Fruit
• Kumquat
• Tamarind (which is actually very popular in Hispanic Countries as well)

Now to address how much waste we have, it really depends on the week. If we stuck to our goal that week and didn’t eat out, then we generally have minimal waste. Some weeks we just like everyone, either get lazy and don’t want to cook (i.e.; cereal for dinner )or end up eating out. Those weeks we tend to have more waste, but with either week I don’t think the waste is enough to break the bank. I honestly think having the good food in your house makes you want to do good. Just knowing you have the options available at home, makes it easy to want to cook them and lets be honest save some money.

Well that is all y’all! I hope you found this post helpful and I that you saved my list for the next time you go shopping. Let me know if you’ve tried any of items, which ones are your favorites, or if I missed anything you like. I love trying new things and will always give my feedback. Thanks for reading, until next time!

Aida

xoxo