Keto Grocery Shopping

The first thing we did last February when we decided to go Keto or Low Carb was to clean out the pantry. I buy groceries ahead when they are on sale so I had a lot of food to get rid of. I gave food to our son and daughter-in-law, I donated food, and yes I even took unopened food back to Trader Joe's and to Kroger. We got rid of all the beans, soup, white flour, wheat flour, white sugar, brown sugar, rice, pasta, crackers, popcorn, boxed mac and cheese, Hansen's root beer, taco shells, tortilla chips, kettle chips, red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes, honey, and even the oatmeal. Then I went to the freezer and got rid of frozen corn, lima beans, french fries, sweet potato fries, garlic bread, oatmeal bread, and wheat bread. It all had to go! The garlic bread was the hardest thing to give up. We then cleaned out the refrigerator. It was hard getting rid of the pure maple syrup. We started reading the labels and we were shocked at how many carbs we were eating.

Once we cleaned everything out, it was time to go grocery shopping. I'm now a label reader when I shop. I find my reading glasses and I read how many carbs are in everything. My favorite grocery stores are Sams Club, Trader Joe's, Aldi's, and EarthFare. I also shop for food items online including several things I find on Amazon.

The #1 thing you must buy, you cannot do without, you will use it all the time, is Almond Flour. I was so excited this week when Sam's Club had a 3 lb. bag on sale for $10. Almond flour is not cheap and I found myself using the small bags like crazy. You bet I bought 4 bags at Sam's Club while it's on sale.

The #2 item you will buy a lot, you cannot do without, are eggs. Again Sam's Club came to my rescue when they started carrying Organic Range Free Eggs. When I go to Sams, I load up on the eggs. $6.98 for 24 pack. I normally leave with three 24 packs.

Here are a few other items I buy in bulk at Sam's Club.

• Nuts (unsalted, plain walnuts, pecans, and almonds found in the baking section not the snack food section)
• Produce including cauliflower, broccoli, and avocados. Also kale salad that comes with a poppy seed dressing (a little high on carbs but I love it), 
• Cream Cheese (8-pack blocks)
• Whipping Cream, Half and Half
• Olive Oil and/or Avocado Oil
• Frozen Green Beans and Broccoli (Organic)
• Bai drinks 
• Cheese - parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, etc. 
• Bacon
• Minced (organic, comes in a jar) garlic and garlic powder, other spices as needed
• Pork Rinds (unless I make it to the flea market) The ones I buy at Sam's I crush up and use in recipes. 
• Almond Butter (with no added sugar)
• Dill Pickle Spears
• They also have parmesan cheese crackers that are low carb but at $10/bag, I've not tried them yet. 

Other grocery items we buy a lot include --

• Coconut Flour (organic from Walmart)
• Tomatoes and Dill Pickles for Mike
• Cottage Cheese for Mike. I hate cottage cheese!
• Butter (grass fed KerryGold from Walmart or Aldi's)
• Spaghetti Squash (cheap at Aldi's)
• Frozen Cauliflower Rice (organic at Trader Joe's) They just started selling this at Sams but its not organic. I buy both. 
• Low Carb Tortilla Shells (we found the ones we like the best at Kroger near the fresh baked bread)

Sweeteners - We did a lot of research on artificial sweeteners and I'm still not happy with what we use. I can't use honey or maple syrup which is what I used prior to going low carb. We now use Stevia, Swerve, and Monk Fruit. The latter two can be difficult to find and rather expensive. I use both to cook with and I order from Amazon. I've also ordered Monk Fruit and Sugar Free Maple Syrup directly from Lankanto. They had a great sale right before Christmas so I stocked up. I feel better about using Monk Fruit than I do Swerve but I use both. I buy powder, confectioners, and also golden. You can find Swerve at Ingles and EarthFare. (I just got an email that Lankanto is having a 40% off sale.)

Meat - I try to stick to grass fed beef as much as possible. We eat a lot of chicken and we have steaks about every weekend. I like to buy from Four Corners Ranch or I buy meat at EarthFare. I watch for sales and stock up when I can. They had grass fed filets this week at EarthFare and I bought several to put in the freezer. Ribeyes were also on sale. Mike likes a good ribeye and I like a good filet. When chicken breasts are on sale, I'm the one who calls EarthFare and says can you package 20 single breasts and I'll be there to pick them up. They do appreciate that I call ahead. 

I hope this post is helpful. This is just a few shopping tips that work for this picky eater and savvy shopper. I'll share some meal plans and favorite recipes in upcoming posts.

"Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything." ~Gen. 9:3