10 Things On My Grocery List Every Week

Looking to add more plants to your plate? Jumping in to plant-forward eating for health or your budget? Maybe making meatless Mondays a thing? You have come to the right place! This week I am sharing 10 things on my grocery list every week! This staple grocery list shows you what we add to our basket each week to create nutritious, vegetarian meals here in the MVF kitchen.

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

10 Things On My Grocery List Every Week

My main goal when starting this blog was to help others see how easy it is to be vegetarian! Each Tuesday I share with you the things I have learned eating vegetarian meals, cooking vegetarian meals, and feeding my family.  Look at us! Healthy + productive, happily logging in lots and lots of plant-powered miles each week.  We are not hungry or protein deficient or bored of our meatless meals! Grocery shopping (especially for new vegetarians) can be so overwhelming. So today let’s go behind the scenes and get the shopping hacks that I use to make eating + living vegetarian so easy!

These are the 10 things that you will find in my grocery cart every week that I have found keep us healthy and fit into our budget.  I can always find different ways to use these 10 things combined with other pantry + freezer staples to keep our meals nutritious + delicious + fun!

Broccoli

• Fresh or frozen (often times both), this is the one vegetable you will always find in my grocery cart. Easy to cook or eat raw, full of fiber + vitamins.  Above all, SO easy to pair with other staples to make a meal!
• My favorite ways to use broccoli: in a salad, in my air fryer, in a stir-fry, or dunked in my favorite dressing. Broccoli Sprout Pesto, Garlic Broccoli Stir-Fry, Vegan Broccoli Salad (No Mayo!), Easiest Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Air Fryer Broccoli.

Avocado

• If you aren’t on the avocado train, I’m not sure where you have been. I’m on it and you should be to. Full of healthy fats, and perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So good for you and can turn any boring meal into something fun + yummy. Not sure about avocados? Check this out: Ten Reasons You Should Eat Avocado. You better believe one of the 10 things on my grocery list every week is an avocado or 2 or 3 or 4!
• My favorite ways to use avocado: on a bagel, spread on my toast + sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning, chopped in my salad or on my taco, whirled into a dressing or guacamole.  Avocado Corn Salad (Oil-Free!), Creamy Spinach Avocado Sauce, Creamy Vegan Avocado Dressing (No Oil!), The Only Guacamole Recipe You Will Ever Need.

Tofu

• My go-to for plant-based protein. Organic silken or extra firm will always be one of the 10 things on my grocery list. If you have been on this website before, you have heard me sing the praises of tofu.  If you are a skeptic and are vegetarian, well … please stop that + read these: The Vegetarian’s Guide to Silken Tofu, Learn To Love Tofu. 
• My favorite ways to use tofu: chopped up and air fried is hands down my favorite way for the extra firm, whirled into a healthy salad dressing is my favorite way for silken tofu. Dairy-Free Silken Tofu Ricotta Recipe, Silken Tofu Vegan Ranch (nut-free!), Crispy No Oil Air Fryer Tofu, Quinoa Sushi Bowls with Tofu.

Apples

• Primarily organic honey crisp apples but that does change now and then. One apple for every day of the week for everyone in my home. Yes, that’s a lot of apples (depending on how many MVF teenagers are home from college at the time). Why are apples make it to on my top 10 list of things on my grocery list? Fiber + vitamins + they are (in my opinion) one of the best low-calorie-density foods on the planet. Curious about calorie density? Check this out: Calorie Density 101: How to Lose Weight Eating More Food.
• My favorite ways to use apples: eat them as is or dice them up in your breakfast bowl or salad! Fennel Apple Salad with (No) Honey Mustard Dressing, Apple Cinnamon Granola Recipe.

Tempeh

• My second go-to plant-based protein. Same deal as with tofu.  If you are not going to eat meat, let me introduce you to my 2 best friends: tempeh and tofu. Pick one + make a meal out of it.  New to tempeh? Start here: Reasons to Eat Tempeh.
• My favorite ways to use tempeh: always boil tempeh first, then air fry it or bake it or sauté it making it a perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Tempeh Sweet Potato Tacos, Tempeh BLT, Tempeh Taco Meat, Air Fryer Tempeh Croutons. 

Chickpeas

• Not a single week goes by without a can or box or bag of garbanzo beans finding its way into my cart. Protein, fiber, carbs all packed into one little bean. Most importantly, these guys make the perfect meal or snack.  I’m not talking any old boring meal or snack.  Don’t leave the store without chickpeas.
• My favorite ways to use chickpeas: air fried, mixed with Indian spices, whirled into hummus, or shaped into a falafel ball, so many ways! Oil-Free Everything Bagel Hummus, Cake Batter Dessert Hummus, BBQ Chickpea Veggie Burgers, Healthy Homemade Falafel (Baked not Fried!), Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala). 

Nut Butter

• Peanut butter, almond butter, tahini, maybe an occasional mixed nut butter. I eat nut butter every single day. Whether it is on toast, in oatmeal, whirled into hummus or a salad dressing, it is on the MVF menu daily and therefore, we don’t leave the store without it.
• My favorite ways to use nut butters: spread on my toast or bagel, tahini for hummus, almond butter in my breakfast bowl, in a dressing, peanut sauce for tofu, so so so so many ways! Air Fryer Tofu with Peanut Sauce, Healthy Peanut Butter Chickpea Muffins, Easy Peanut Butter Granola, Oil-Free Chipotle Hummus. 

Potatoes

• Sweet potatoes or white potatoes. Both incredibly good for you and incredibly delicious.  As athletes, potatoes give us the fuel we need for running.  As humans, potatoes are just an awesome food.  Bake them, stuff them, air fry, mash.  How do I love potatoes, let me count the ways 🤣. The Vegetarian’s Guide to Sweet Potatoes, The Vegetarian’s Guide To Potatoes.
• My favorite ways to use potatoes: Easy Batata Poha, Taco Bell Nacho Fries Copycat, Sweet Potato Mac N Cheese (dairy free), Mexican Mashed Potatoes.

Onions

• Confession: we go through a lot of onions. Sliced in a salad, air fried with veggies, diced up for chili or guacamole or sliced in a Thai curry.  I don’t leave the store without a few white (or yellow) onions and a few red onions and you shouldn’t either.
• My favorite ways to use onions: well in just about anything especially salsas, Thai curries, guac, and my salad.  Easy Vegan Tofu Fajitas, Vegan Panang Curry with Tofu, Easy Vegetarian Tempeh Chili, Chuy’s Salsa Copycat Recipe.

Oat Milk

• Every kitchen needs a ‘milk’ product.  We choose to exclusively use plant-based milks.  My top choice is Oat Milk (we use Oatly).  Every single week you will find this in my cart.  Be careful when choosing a dairy-free alternative milk.  Lots of them are loaded with oils and fillers. Check this out: How To Choose A Dairy-Free Milk Alternative.
• My favorite ways to use Oat Milk: for cereal, to bake with, to drink, in my coffee, to make homemade icing.

Don’t Forget!

I use these 10 fresh things on my grocery list every week in conjunction with the pantry staples I keep stocked up on such as rice, pastas, condiments, and dry beans.  I also use frozen fruits + vegetables to combine with these 10 items to make complete meals. Check out these guides to see how: What’s In My Pantry, Guide To Cooking Recipe-Free Meatless Meals, Guide To Frozen Vegetables (Myths + Methods!).

I hope this helps you on your plant-based journey! Stay healthy, fam!

All the best,

Tara 💚

⭐Do you have any other favorites to add to the 10 things on my grocery list? Leave a comment below!

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