Awhile back, I had a conversation with a fellow food blogger (hi, Mindful Dish!) on how healthy eating is marketed to equate to having to shop at expensive specialty health food stores, and only eating products found exclusively at those stores. As a food blogger that lives and has lived in major metropolitan areas, I’ve always been accustomed to having those grocery stores at the tip of my fingers. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I really realized not everyone has the luxury (or even the budget) to shop at a Whole Foods or that Trader Joe’s is within a reasonable driving distance.
As I continue to share my experience, I also want to better everyone else’s experience when it comes to health. Living and leading a healthy lifestyle should be a right, not a privilege. Luckily, as the food industry slowly makes a shift to promoting eating more whole foods and less processed and sugary foods, it is causing a high demand for these products. So stores like Target and Walmart are starting to carry healthier options for their shoppers. Just recently, RxBar was launched in Target while already carrying products that I buy whether I’m doing a Whole30 or not.
When I was thinking of what I wanted to share on this blog, I knew that I wanted to share things like my grocery list and products that I truly love and enjoy using. Over on my Instagram, I use to share my top 9 favorite products that helped me with a Whole30 and wanted to continue doing it on a bigger scale. This is when “Shop with Me” developed. In this series, not only will I share my favorite products I buy at places I shop at, but I also want to show you that you can eat healthy on a budget, and that the things you consume don’t have to be the trendy new Paleo snack or the latest Whole30 approved item that you can only find at one store.
As the series continues, I will be going to different stores to check out their inventory and share with you what I find. Since I’ve been traveling so much, this is giving me the perfect opportunity to go to stores that aren’t in Los Angeles. Plus, I love going to new grocery stores I’ve never been to before!
This week’s Target haul will have all Whole30 approved products I found at my local Target. Each Target location is different so your Target may or may not carry some of the products I found. I also think all Targets now carry fresh produce and perishable items –which is so convenient because it can be a one stop shop for you.
I’ve divided the list into categories: refrigerated items and pantry items.
Refrigerated:
Pantry:
A few notes about some of the the products listed:
1. Meats/poultry: Target carries organic hormone free meats and poultry; however, I understand that sometimes it doesn’t fit into your budget. My rule of thumb is to at least get meats that don’t have any hormones added. Let good enough be good enough.
2. Spices: definitely check the labels when you get spices. Some have weirdo additives that are unnecessary. I like the Archer Farms brand at Target.
3. Kombucha: make sure there are no added sugars when you buy kombucha. I like that GTS brand, but there are others out there.
4. Frozen/canned vegetables: these typically get a bad rep, but I personally love buying frozen vegetables in particular. It’s convenient and they’re usually frozen/canned when they are at their best. With canned vegetables, just be sure to read your labels. The only ingredients should be water and salt at most. Also, if you see the ingredient “citric acid,” it’s 100% compliant.
5. There are other products carried at Target such as coconut milk and curry paste. My Target was sold out at the time.
6. My only complaint about Target is the lack of protein options for emergency on-the-go foods. Let’s hope products like Epic Bar make their way to stores like Target!
I hope this list was helpful, and if you have any suggestions or things you’d like to see in this series, please let me know!
Pin this list for later!
