As someone who shops regularly and saves money at Whole Foods Market, I feel continually frustrated when people complain about organic food prices and tell me it’s hard to save on healthy foods. It’s like a walled fortress of misconceptions that I’m constantly trying to tear down and show people that yes, you can save money and prepare healthy, wholesome foods for your family – even at Whole Foods Market!

I was on a mission: With using some great coupons and shopping the sales, was it possible to create a meal plan at Whole Foods for a family of four for $100? The lovely people at Whole Foods gave me a value tour (anyone can have one – just ask about it at your store), and gave me a free gift card to see if I could plan a week’s worth of meals for a family of four for around $100.  Watch my video below to see what happened:

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Whole Foods Market One Week Meal Plan

Breakfast:

• Organic Yogurt and Apples/Pears
• Organic Oatmeal (bought a previous week*)
• Organic Toast with Jelly (bought a previous week*)
• Organic Cereal with Almond Milk
• Smoothies

Lunches:

• Organic Apple and Arugula Salad
• Organic Tofu and Chia Seed Spinach Salad
• Organic Scrambled Eggs and Spinach With Toast
• Leftovers
• Corn and Fish Soup in the Crock Pot

Dinners:

• Organic Spinach Ravioli and Salad
• Organic Spaghetti and Mixed Veggies
• Annie’s Organic Frozen Pizza and Salad
• Healthy Homemade Chili with Beans and Tofu
• Organic Spaghetti Squash Primavera
• Organic Spinach and Feta Chicken Sausage with Couscous and Veggies (recipe below – keep scrolling down)
• Whole Foods Value Meal (Chicken, veggies and salad)

Results:

Most all items that I bought were organic. My total for a week’s worth of food from Whole Foods Market came to $111.35 total after tax.

By the end of the week we had so many leftovers and I didn’t even get to make some of the meals, either because we had so much food!

Quick Tips & Savings Methods I Use for Organic Shopping at Whole Foods Market

1. Avoid the convenience foods as much as possible. These are the most expensive items in pretty much any store you shop at. Some convenience is still okay (ie. I still got a pizza and the value meal), but just know that these can tend to eat up your budget.

2. Shop the bulk section at the store. Grains, Beans, Fruits and Veggies are cheaper in the bulk section vs. buying them in the pre-packaged forms.

3. Use coupons whenever possible. The coupon booklet at the front of the store is always available, and you can print coupons online. Check my weekly Whole Foods Deals and Coupon Match-Ups to help you save time hunting the bargains.

4. Get the case discounts. You automatically get a 10% discount when you buy a case of anything in the store! Case sizes vary – ie. buying six bottles of any wine is automatically considered a case and gets you a 10% discount. Case sizes are found on the price labels. The nice thing about the case discounts is that you can combine them with coupons and sales!

5. Bring your reusable bags. Each bag gets you 10 cents off your order, so 10 bags means a $1 off! Don’t be like me and forget to bring your bags with you…. :/

Easy Organic Chicken and Veggie Couscous Recipe

This is one of my go-to meals when I need something really quick to prepare that is inexpensive, and my kids will actually eat it!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups couscous
• 1 quart of vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 stick of butter or  1/2 cup of coconut oil
• 1 pack of steamed mixed veggies
• 2 pieces of cut up and sautéed chicken sausage

Directions:

1. Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan and add couscous.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes or until the couscous has absorbed all the broth.

3. Add in your butter, mixed veggies, and cooked sausage.

And voila! It’s a simple, yet healthy recipe that is a snap to make on the fly! 

So are you ready to shop at save while getting healthier foods for your family? You can find my weekly list of Whole Foods Market coupon match-ups and sales here. What would be some of your questions you would have for me or someone from Whole Foods Market?