A Whole(30) Lotta Grocery Shopping

Because the Whole30 blocks us from using many common ingredients (cooking oil, flour, sugar, cheese, butter, alcohol .... etc.) you have to get creative to find non-processed, non-sweetened ingredients. Olive oil, coconut oil, coconut milk, tons of spices and a variety of vinegars are common ingredients.

And vegetables. Lots and lots of vegetables.

If you think I just coconut oil or almond flour laying around my house, you're wrong. And since all of our meals (that's three meals a day plus a bonus meal if you workout) are to include protein, veggies, fruit and fat, shopping was in order.

Oh the shopping.

I started the process by doing some comparison shopping. Since Clarksville has no health food store (because that would be WAY too easy) my options are WalMart, Kroger, Publix, the commissary and a produce stand.

I managed to find almost everything at the commissary -- and for decentish prices, too, according to my comparison shopping -- and the rest at Publix.

But still I managed to spend $200ish on groceries getting ready for this thing.

You read that right. $200.

Now, a pretty good amount of those - spices, oils, organic butter (which we can "clarify" and use) and the pound of light roast coffee I need now that my soy lattes are a no-no -- will last us awhile. And I still have two key ingredients -- avocado oil and coconut aminos -- to track down online since no one here has them. I'd say, though, that about $150 of it was groceries for just this week.

Just this week!

Holy grocery bill, Batman!

But you should see my refrigerator. It is jam-packed with awesome looking fresh produce and meat. Lots and lots of meat. Once we get over the diet coke cravings (and by "we" I entirely mean "me"), this is going to be delicious.