Living alone comes with plenty of advantages, such as independence, freedom, privacy, etc.

However, it comes with some disadvantages as well, including looking after your own shopping and coming up with a shopping list on your own.

It can feel overwhelming to eat, cook, and shop healthy when you’re living alone, since you have to do all of it on your own, and it can be a lot.

Having a shopping list can help you stick to your healthy eating plans – cook healthy meals, eat nutritious foods, stick to your meal plan.

It can also help you get in and out of the store as quickly as possible.

Cooking healthy meals doesn’t have to be hard, and having a healthy grocery list will help you stay on track.

Besides helping you eat healthy foods, sticking to your healthy grocery shopping list can also help you avoid unnecessary expenses by buying only what you need.

Healthy Grocery Shopping List For One

Vegetables

• Leafy greens

• Spinach

• Kale

• Broccoli

• Cauliflower

• Bell peppers

• Corn 

• Tomatoes

• Cucumbers

• Potato

• Sweet potato

• Cabbage

• Eggplants

• Zucchini

• Onion

• Garlic

• Mushrooms

• Carrots

• Swiss chard

• Bok choy

• Brussels sprouts

• Asparagus 

• Green beans

• Artichokes

Here’s a recipe idea that has different veggies in it, which you can include in your healthy meal plan.

Asian Inspired Green Veggie Stir Fry

434 calories

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Broccoli – 15.5 calories

• ½ cup Green beans – 19.5 calories

• ½ Zucchini, medium – 16.5 calories

• 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories

• 2 Tbsp Soy sauce (Tbsp) – 0 calories

• ¼ cup Peanuts (cups) – 192 calories

• 1 tsp Red pepper flakes, dash – 0 calories

Instructions:

1. Cube chicken. Chop veggies into small pieces. Put peanuts in a plastic bag, and crush with a hard object, e.g. an ice cream scoop.

2. Spray a pan with an oil spray.

3. Cook chicken for ~5 minutes, stirring frequently, on medium heat.

4. Add in the green beans, broccoli, and zucchini for another ~5 minutes.

5. Add in soy sauce and red pepper flakes.

6. Top with peanuts at the very end (they taste better crispy, not cooked!).

7. No chicken? Use fish, tofu, or beans.

Fruit

• Apples

• Oranges

• Bananas

• Cherries

• Strawberries

• Blueberries

• Raspberries

• Blackberries

• Mango

• Kiwi

• Watermelon

• Grapefruit

• Pomegranate

• Peaches

• Melons

• Pears

• Pineapple

• Dried fruit

Here’s a smoothie recipe with fruit and vegetables you can include in your meal plan.

Green Smoothie with Banana

252 calories

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Almond milk – 30 calories

• ½ Banana – 52.5 calories

• ½ cup Pineapple, frozen chunks, unsweetened – 46.5 calories

• 1 Tbsp Almond butter – 101 calories

• 1 cup Leafy greens, kale, raw – 15 calories

• 1 cup Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 7 calories

Instructions:

1. Add in all ingredients and 3-4 ice cubes to a blender

2. Blend

Grains

• White rice

• Brown rice

• Whole-grain rice

• Whole-grain bread

• Whole-grain pasta

• Oats

• Quinoa

• Couscous

• Farro

• Bulgur

• Wheat

• Barley

Here’s an amazing healthy quinoa recipe that also features tons of veggies. This meal is perfect for healthy eating, and includes ingredients we have listed here, which you’ll add to your healthy grocery shopping list.

Savory Quinoa

296 calories

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Quinoa, cooked – 111 calories

• ½ Zucchini, medium – 16.5 calories

• ½ cup Tomatoes, grape – 16 calories

• ½ cup Carrots, baby – 22.5 calories

• 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced (Tbsp) – 0 calories

• 1 Salt, dash – 0 calories

• 1 Pepper, dash – 0 calories

• 1 Tbsp Soy sauce (Tbsp) – 0 calories

• ½ cup Edamame, shelled – 130 calories

Instructions:

1. Cook quinoa as instructed on package.

2. Boil edamame if cooking from frozen.

3. Chop vegetables into small pieces.

4. Spray a pan with an oil spray.

5. Add in all ingredients, stir fry on low heat for 7-8 minutes.

Healthy Fats

• Olive oil

• Avocado oil

• Avocado

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Nut butters

Protein

• Chicken

• Turkey

• Beef

• Pork

• Salmon

• Shrimp

• Cod

• Eggs

• Tofu 

Here’s a chicken salad that’s great for healthy eating. It has lean protein (chicken), more protein (eggs), and tons of veggies!

Chopped Chicken Salad

443 calories

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Leafy greens, lettuce, raw – 10 calories

• ½ Tomato, medium – 11 calories

• ¼ Onion, red – 13.75 calories

• 6 oz Chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories

• 1 Egg, large – 72 calories

• ¼ cup Cheese, shredded, cheddar – 114 calories

• 1½ slice Artichokes, canned (pieces) – 15 calories

• 1 Tbsp Vinaigrette, light (less than 50 calories per 2 Tbsp) – 17.5 calories

• 1 Salt, dash – 0 calories

• 1 Pepper, dash – 0 calories

Instructions:

1. Hard boil egg by placing it in a small pot with water (have water level 1 inch above egg), turning the heat to medium, bringing the pot’s contents to a boil, and boiling for 9 minutes.

2. Slice egg into 4 pieces when cooked through.

3. Cut chicken, onion, and tomato into small pieces.

4. Spray pan with an oil spray. Cook chicken for 8-10 minutes on medium heat, until cooked through.

5. Combine all ingredients.

6. Top with dressing, salt, and pepper.

7. No chicken? Use tofu, fish, or beans. No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese, avocado, or an oil-based dressing.

Dairy Products & Dairy Replacements

• Milk

• Yogurt

• Greek yogurt

• Cheese

• Dairy-free milk

Dried Beans, Canned Beans & Legumes

• Black beans

• Kidney beans

• White beans

• Chickpeas

• Lentils

A great recipe including beans is this fajita bowl that has all of the needed food groups, and features items from your new healthy shopping list. It has ground beef for the protein source + beans for the protein source as well, bell peppers, mixed greens, and corn as veggie sources, and avocado as a healthy fat!

Fajita Bowl with Corn & Beans

449 calories

Ingredients:

• 4 oz Ground beef, 90% lean, raw – 185 calories

• ¼ Avocado, small – 58.25 calories

• ½ Bell pepper, orange – 12 calories

• ½ Bell pepper, red – 18.5 calories

• ¼ cup Salsa – 16 calories

• 4 cups Mixed greens – 40 calories

• ½ cup Corn, canned – 62.5 calories

• ¼ cup Beans & legumes, black beans, cooked – 57 calories

• 1 tsp Garlic salt – 0 calories

• 1 tsp Red pepper flakes – 0 calories

Instructions:

1. Slice bell peppers into thin strips.

2. Spray a pan with an oil spray. Cook ground beef and peppers on low-medium heat for ~15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef has cooked through.

3. Drain corn and beans from cans (if using from canned, which is totally fine!).

4. Mash avocado with a fork, or slice into small pieces.

5. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, top with garlic salt and red pepper flakes.

6. No beef? Use ground turkey, tofu, or more beans.

Sauces & Condiments

• Tomato sauce

• Salsa

• Soy sauce

• Mustard

• Tomato paste

• Marinara sauce

• Hot sauce

Healthy Grocery Shopping Checklist For One

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