We love working our magic to make the best healthy meals on a budget. You might usually avoid high-end stores like Whole Foods, but we’ve come up with a plan to keep you full at a lower cost. This is a great option for some cleanse-friendly meals or just to accompany your Daily Shake. You won’t miss out on diversity or flavor with this plan.
Whole Foods Brand
We love the experience of being at Whole Foods. It’s spacious, has endless variety, and the employees really know the ingredients inside and out. Their website lists weekly deals and checking before you shop can cut costs even more. By sticking to fresh produce, taking advantage of the 365 Whole Foods products, and choosing different varieties of meat, we’ve managed to feed two people for under $100, Monday through Friday.
While we didn’t buy from the bulk section for this grocery haul, we love the option to buy in bulk. It’s useful when you only need a small amount of a product for a single recipe or when you need to stock up with a large amount of an ingredient. You can save even more (and do the environment a favor) when you bring your own containers.
The 365 Whole Foods products are a must when shopping packaged foods like frozen fruit, sauces, and canned goods. Sometimes this version can cut your cost in half! Always read for sales, especially on packaged foods. As we perused the grain section, organic quinoa ranged from 4.99 to 14.99!
Whole Foods is a location you need to spend time looking at prices, rather than grabbing the prettiest packaging. We also recommend using plant-based protein instead of always relying on animal products. We included a “Meatless Monday” to show you how it’s done. Here is how we shopped:
Meat
Chicken Sausages (4) 5.99
Chicken Thighs (1.3 lbs) 7.92
Frozen Turkey Burgers (4) 5.99
Canned, Packaged, and Frozen
Organic Garbanzo Beans x3 2.97
Amy’s Organic Black Bean Chili 7.38
365 Pesto 3.99
365 Sliced Peaches x 4 10.47
365 Wild Blueberries
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk 3.69
Vegetable Broth 2.49
Produce
Organic Shaved Brussels Sprouts 3.49
Organic Carrot Bunch 2.99
Organic Yams 2.81
Organic Lemons 4.99
Organic Baby Spinach 3.99
Organic Red Cabbage 3.84
Organic Broccoli Florets 3.35
Organic Butter Lettuce 2.99
Organic Red Onion .94
Hass Avocados 5.97
Limes .66
Grains
Quinoa Penne Pasta 3.49
Organic Quinoa 3.99
Total: 98.39*
*We have included our Vanilla Daily Shake for breakfast, as well as olive oil and spices not shopped above.
Breakfast, Monday – Friday
We chose to make the same smoothie each morning for simplicity and because frozen peaches were on sale! Of course we have more smoothie recipes to change it up. Here’s the recipe you’ll use Monday through Friday (the recipe serves 2):
3/4 Bag Frozen Peaches
1/5 Bag Wild Blueberries
2 cups Almond Milk
4 scoops Vanilla Daily Shake
2 cups ice
Optional: large handful spinach
Optional: 2 tablespoons chia seeds
Blend everything until smooth and creamy! You can make a few days at a time and store in the fridge in individual mason jars for an easy grab and go option.
Meatless Monday – Day 1
Lunch – We suggest making four of these mason jar salads at once for today and Friday’s lunches.
Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas
4 cups spinach
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cabbage, sliced
Carrot bunch, sliced
2 lemons, cut in half
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Layer ingredients equally in four mason jars. Serve with lemon and olive oil for dressing.
Dinner – You’ll make four servings of tonight’s dinner. Two for dinner, and two for lunch tomorrow.
Ingredients:
2 avocados, pit and skin removed
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
cayenne pepper to taste
1 can chickpeas
olive oil
Heat oven to 400. Rinse and thoroughly dry chickpeas. Spread onto a baking sheet, toss with olive oil and desired seasonings. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until brown and crispy, tossing ever 10 minutes. While chickpeas roast, blend all other ingredients until creamy and smooth. You can heat the soup or serve cold. Seperate soup into four bowls and top equally with roasted chickpeas.
Tuesday – Day 2:
Lunch – avocado soup from last night.
Dinner – You’ll make four servings of tonight’s dinner. Two for dinner, and two for lunch tomorrow.
Ingredients:
4 chicken sausages
4 servings quinoa pasta
1 bag shaved brussels sprouts
4 servings pesto sauce
olive oil
salt and pepper
Cook pasta according to package, rinse with cold water and set aside. Slice sausages into bite sized pieces. Brown with a teaspoon of olive oil over medium, in a non-stick pan. Remove sausage, and add brussels sprouts to hot pan. cook for 5-6 minutes until crispy and cooked through. Add cooked pasta, sausages, and pesto (if sauce is too thick add a drizzle of olive oil). Toss and serve immediately (save two bowls for tomorrow).
Wednesday – Day 3
Lunch – leftover pasta from last night.
Dinner – You’ll make four servings of tonight’s dinner. Two for dinner, and two for lunch tomorrow.
4 turkey burger patties
4-8 large butter lettuce leaves
1/2 purple onion, sliced
1 avocado
4 servings of pesto
2 sweet potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400. Cut sweet potatoes into fry shapes and spread onto a baking sheet. Toss lightly with olive oil and desired seasonings. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until crispy and cooked through (toss half way through). While fries bake, cook turkey burgers according to the package. Serve with lettuce wraps, sliced avocado, and pesto. Save two servings of burgers and fries for lunch tomorrow.
Thursday – Day 4
Lunch – leftover turkey burgers.
Dinner – You’ll save 1/2 of tonight’s chicken for tomorrow’s dinner.
1-1.5 lb chicken thighs
1 sweet potato
1/2 cabbage
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375. Rinse and dry chicken. Season as desired. Over medium, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add chicken thighs and brown each side (3-4 minute per side). Stick the entire pan in the oven and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes. While chicken bakes, steam sweet potato until cooked through. Saute cabbage with oil, salt, and pepper until wilted. Serve immediately, saving 1/2 of the chicken for tomorrow.
Friday – Day 5
Lunch – Mason Jar Salad from Monday.
Dinner
2 cans Amy’s black bean chili
6-8 ounces cooked chicken from last night
1/4 red onion, minced
1/2 avocado
sprinkle of cayenne
Heat soup over the stove top. Separate soup into two bowls and top with chopped chicken, sliced avocado, red onion, and cayenne if desired.
Recipe and photography by Kaitlyn Noble
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