Fit with Finesse Grocery Challenge: Whole Foods
Whole Foods has a special place in our friendship. After a good Wednesday workout, we would often meet at Whole Foods for an easy, healthy dinner and girl chat. For years, Whole Foods had a reputation of being a nice store you went to for a quick meal, but not necessarily for grocery shopping. When Amazon acquired the grocery chain in 2017, for many the store felt more accessible.
You know we are always up for a good challenge and set Whole Foods as our next shopping on a budget challenge. You can check out our Trader Joe's challenge here. For a store also known as “Whole Paycheck,” we wanted to see if we could meal prep at Whole Foods for an entire week on a $75 budget.
Here's how we did:
Tips on Saving at Whole Foods
Download your Amazon or Whole Foods App
You can find a lot of sales to help you plan out your grocery list. Don’t forget to scan your prime app at the cashier. As a prime member, you can get additional savings! Follow the blue signs.
Bring Your Own Bags
Did you know Whole Foods offers a discount when you use your own bag and save the plastic or paper?
DON’T SHY AWAY FROM GENERIC BRANDS
Whole Food's generic brand is 365, and we promise you can hardly tell the difference between those and the originals. We find a lot of savings buying generic brands, especially in the frozen and canned good sections.
CaCera’s Meal Plan
Challenge: $75.00 Total Spent: $50.65
Meals Planned
Breakfast: Quaker Cranberry Almond Protein Oatmeal
Lunch: Baked salmon, Rice and Fresh Spinach
Dinner: Vegetable Soup
Morning Snack: Apple and Roasted Teriyaki Seaweed Snacks
Afternoon Snack: Crab meat, Hummus, Avocado and Pretzel “Bento” Box
Grocery List
Fruits and Vegetables
2 Packages of 365 Frozen Mixed Vegetables - 3.00
2 Packages of Cut Okra - 3.00
4 Organic Pink Lady Apples - 3.24
Organic Large Haas Avocado - 2.49
Baby Spinach - 3.49
Packaged and Canned Goods
Whole Foods Lemon Hummus - 2.49
Organic Vegetable Broth - 2.49
Organic Tomato Paste - 1.19
Thin Pretzel Crisps - 3.49
MSC Surimi (Crab) Flakes - 3.99
ITEMS OWNED PRE-SHOPPING
Quaker Cranberry Almond Protein Oatmeal Packets
Roasted Teriyaki Seaweed Snacks
Protein:
4 Portion-Cut Salmon Filets - 15.78
Carbohydrates
2 Packs, Seeds of Change Organic Brown Rice Quinoa - 6.00
Shawnie’s Meal Plan
Challenge: $75.00 Total Spent: $56.74
Meals Planned
Quinoa Salad w/ Lemon Shrimp and Arugula
Scrambled Eggs with Spinach
Berry Vanilla Protein Shake
Shrimp & Broccoli Pasta Alfredo
Quaker Cranberry Almond Protein Oatmeal
Grocery List
Fruits and Vegetables
365 Organic Frozen Mixed Berries - $3.49
Cherry Tomatoes - $2.99
365 bag of organic arugula - $1.99
365 bag of organic spinach - $1.99
Garlic Clove - $0.48
Lemons (3) - $0.79
Green Pepper - $1.15
365 Frozen Broccoli Florets - $1.99
Items Owned Pre-Shopping
Protein Powder
Olive Oil
Quaker Cranberry Almond Protein Oatmeal
Protein
Shrimp (1 lb) - $9.99
365 Brown Eggs - $2.99
Carbohydrates
1/2 pound Organic Quinoa (Bulk) - $2.79
Jovial Brown Rice Pasta - $3.41
Packaged and Canned Goods
365 Organic Dijon Mustard - $1.99
Califia Farms Unsweetened Almond Milk - $4.49
365 Canned Garbanzo Beans - $0.99
Whole Foods Pesto Alfredo Sauce - $4.69
Whole Foods Meatball Italian Wedding Ball Soup (24 oz) - $8.99