Master Healthy Grocery List for Families

If you’re looking to include a variety of healthy foods into your family’s diet and want some help at the store, this toddler-friendly healthy Grocery List should make things easier for you!

Healthy Grocery List

I share quite a bit of behind the scenes of how I feed my family over on Instagram and I decided to put together a version of my shopping list since I had a few requests. This free download is the way that I organize my food planning.

Now, clearly, there are hundreds of apps that do this sort of thing, but for me, I actually don’t like to walk around a store looking at my phone. But I do love crossing things off of lists and being able to organize my shopping at a quick glance. I realize that I might be behind the times on this one, but if you prefer a good old pen and piece of paper and you are set in your ways on this topic like I am, this might help.

Get access to my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY here, which includes my printable Healthy Grocery List.

Basic Grocery List

Here are the basics:

• Things are organized by category so you can both get ideas for how to vary your diet—and that of your kiddo—but also so you can remember what you need to buy. This also syncs with how most stores are organized!
• There is extra space to add special ingredients or other things you might need at the store.
• I’ve included some foods that are helpful to have in the house when feeding toddlers including snacks, sauces, and all kinds of grains and pasta.
• The download is printable, so you can simply highlight or circle what you need and take the list to the store with you.

Healthy Grocery List: Fruits

Fresh fruits should make up the majority of your fruit purchases, but you can also stock up on frozen fruit, dehydrated fruit, canned fruit in water or 100% fruit juice, or dried fruit. Here are some staples:

• apples
• apricots
• bananas
• blueberries
• cherries
• clementines
• grapes
• kiwi
• mango
• pineapple
• oranges
• raspberries
• strawberries

Basic Grocery List: Vegetables

Fresh vegetables should be plentiful in your cart, though frozen vegetables are a wonderful option and are often much easier to cook since the prep work is done for you! And there’s no pressure about them going to waste.

• carrots
• cauliflower
• beets
• broccoli
• edamame
• tomatoes
• peas (frozen)
• potatoes
• snap peas
• spinach
• squash
• sweet potato
• zucchini

Healthy Grocery List: Whole Grains

Keeping an assortment of whole grains in your pantry can ensure that healthy meals are accessible and easy to prepare. I like to make a double batch of whole grains (such as rice or quinoa) and store half in the freeze for a future week.

• bagels, whole grain
• bread, whole grain
• bulgur
• brown rice
• cereal, whole grain
• couscous
• crackers, whole grain
• millet
• oats
• pasta, bean flours
• pasta, whole wheat
• pita bread
• pizza dough
• rice noodles
• tortillas, corn
• tortillas, whole grain
• quinoa

Master Grocery List: Nuts, Seeds, Dried Fruit

Whether to top toast, as snacks, or to take on the go, here are some nuts, seeds and dried fruits to stock up on at the store. Remember to avoid giving little kids whole nuts since they can be a choking hazard.

• almonds, sliced
• almond butter
• cashews, pieces
• chia seeds
• dried apricots
• dried cranberries
• flaxseed, ground
• fruit leather
• hemp seeds
• peanuts, chopped
• peanut butter
• raisins
• Sunbutter

Master Grocery List: Meat & Fish

The kind of proteins you shop for will depend on your preferences, but here’s a broad look at the options you might want to keep on hand.

• beef, ground
• beef, steak/roast
• chicken tenders
• chicken breast
• chicken nuggets
• chicken thighs
• chicken, ground
• fish sticks
• turkey breast
• turkey, ground
• salami
• salmon (fresh or canned)
• sausage
• shrimp
• tuna (we like Safecatch canned tuna which is lower in mercury than most brands)
• white fish

Basic Grocery List: Dairy

If your family eats dairy, here are some of the options you might want to buy. I try to keep at least one probiotic-rich dairy on hand each week, such as yogurt or kefir. Look for the terms “live active cultures” to ensure you’re getting the good stuff to help with gut and immune health. I prefer plain, unsweetened dairy—and you can always flavor the yogurt yourself.

• cheese
• cream cheese
• eggs
• goat cheese
• kefir
• milk (dairy and nondairy)
• Parmesan cheese
• ricotta cheese
• yogurt

Healthy Grocery List: Beans and Legumes

Filled with both fiber and protein, beans and legumes are a great way to add nutrition to family meals. And they’re super cheap to buy. Look for canned beans in cans free from BPA if possible and rinse and drain any canned beans to remove excess salt.

• black beans
• garbanzo beans
• edamame beans
• kidney beans
• lentils (red, brown, green)
• pinto beans
• split peas
• white beans

Master Grocery List: Sauces/Dips

While you may want to make some homemade sauces and dips, here are a few store-bought ones that can quickly make food more appealing to kids.

• honey
• hummus
• ketchup
• pizza sauce
• pesto
• salsa
• soy sauce, low sodium
• ranch
• yogurt

Healthy Grocery List: Snacks

Stock up on healthy snacks to ensure that the kids are meeting their nutritional needs and to make it easy to feed them foods you want them to eat. (Because buying the food you want your family to eat is the best way to get them to eat the good stuff!)

• applesauce, unsweetened
• crackers, whole grain
• fruit leather
• dry cereal, with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving (and 0 grams for toddlers under 2 if possible)
• pretzels
• puffs
• rice cakes
• snack bars
• snap pea crisps/Veggie Straws

Related Recipes

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Nutrition

Sample Daily Toddler Meal Plan (And Feeding Schedules)

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You may also like my tips on How to Save Money on Groceries and my Happy Family Meals meal planning system.