what is in my grocery cart (october 2025 edition)

   Happy Thursday friends! Today I am excited to talk all about what is in my grocery cart! I always think it is fun to read about what others are picking up at the grocery store and so share some thoughts and ideas in the comments below of things you have purchased recently!
If you have been around the blog for a tiny bit of time, then I don't think that it is any secret around here that in the fight for my health food became something that was a key part of my treatment and continues to be something that I am very careful with to this day. Because I truly believe that food is medicine , I approach eating and food items that I purchase in this way. I have written extensively on the blog here all about the different health benefits of different foods (click  HERE  to find lots and lots of posts from over a decade of writing)! So here we go!  One note that I should mention- I think that delivery services and grocery store pick ups are wonderful if that works for you and your lifestyle. There are all different seasons in life and during a particular caregiving season for me, these things were hugely helpful. At the same time though I love being able to go in and really pick out my own fruits and veggies and items - it is truly a gift after so many years being sick and not able to do that. So for me right now, I don't use those items, but I want to encourage you that if it will help you eat better and healthier- utilize those services. They can be a huge help! (And can  be a great gift  if you are looking for practical things to do for those who are dealing with a chronic illness or who are a caregiver of someone with a chronic illness.) I also want to make the disclaimer that I think for me, living in a climate that has all four seasons things can change a bit depending on the season. In our area during the summer and early fall we still have a lot of farmers markets and don't find that as much during the winter and early spring (obviously!). *smiles* So during those late spring, summer and early fall months we don't shop as much at the grocery store because we are shopping locally at our favorite farms. The picture above was from our drive out to one of our favorite Amish farms that has provided so much amazing food over the last few months... it hard to say goodbye to such amazing fresh and affordable foods! I also want to say that to save a lot of money for the late fall-early spring months because we do not have this opportunity to buy so many fresh vegetables, we spend a lot of time making a lot of side veggies and soups that we freeze then to enjoy in the future. 
Additionally, we use everything that we purchase from the store in all different ways. For example anytime we cook veggies we save all of that vegetable water to use as stock for veggie soups we make. This way we never need to purchase broth. All of the nutrients are amazing from this also! Then every few months we make a huge batch of soup that will cover multiple meals. For example a couple of weekends ago, we made a delicious yummy veggie soup that created 21 dinners for only $8.50!! This means that each of those dinners is less than 40 cents !  So my number one encouragement is to use everything you purchase and think of ways that you can use an item before it goes bad or if it will go bad. One final example of that is because of traveling for the blog sometimes we will be gone for a few days and we might not get to finishing the spinach we purchased. Instead of letting it go bad, we simply chop it up and freeze it and then put it in a future soup. It saves us money and we truly then are getting use out of every single thing we purchase!  Here is my shopping list from this past week:  (As you can see most of our items are fresh produce - if you would like to read about the health benefits of some of the foods that I pick up weekly - simply click on the food name/link)1. Spinach2. Different greens/Microgreens ( Kale ,  Arugula , etc.)3. Scallions4. Onions (Both  Red Onions  and Different Yellow/Sweet Onions)5. Shallots6. Garlic7. Tomatoes8. Peppers (Hot Peppers, Bell Peppers, etc.)9. Carrots 10. Celery11. Potatoes12.  Basil , Parsley, etc. 13. Blueberries14.  Black Raspberries  (during the summer - we freeze them and enjoy all year)15. Blackberries16.  Raspberries 17.  Strawberries 18. Lemons and Limes19.  Apples 20. Kiwi21.  Ginger 22. Squash23. Avocados (Tips for use of avocados can be found  HERE !)24. Turnips25. Rutabegas26. Corn (Fresh during the Summer/Frozen During the Year)27. Peas (Fresh During the Summer/Frozen During the Year)28. Bananas29. Gluten Free Pretzels30. Pumpkins  31. Turkey 32. Goat Cheese33.  Apple Cider Vinegar 34. Gluten Free Flour35. Cranberry Juice36. Almond Butter37. Nut Mixture (Almonds, Walnuts, etc.)38. Corn Tortillas39.  Dark Chocolate 40.  SmartWater 41. Fish
If you are looking for foods that can boost your immune system, check out my post,  17 Foods that Boost Your Immune System  ( HERE )!
What about you? What is in your grocery carts?