Want to feed your family healthy food but feel stumped as to where to shop for real food groceries? Hopefully this post will take away uncertainties and ease your mind!
The Best Places to Shop for Real Food Groceries
I have good news for you! Shopping for real food for your family is not as difficult as you might think. You don’t have to live in a big city. You don’t have to have access to fancy stores like Whole Foods. You can buy and eat real food no matter where you live! I live in a small town in the middle of Nebraska. If I can do it, you can do it. :)
1. Your Local Grocery Store
Yep. While it might seem that your regular local grocery store doesn’t have much to offer, I’m here to tell you that it is still full of real food. Vegetables, fruit, rice, beans, meat, eggs, nuts, oats, and the list goes on. Even the smallest of grocery stores have these basics! They might not be of the highest quality, they might not have a wide variety of options, but these are still real foods and can allow you to eat wholesome meals without falling back on highly processed foods.
Admittedly, smaller grocery stores tend to need to charge more for their food. Sometimes the produce selection is not as good as what you’ll find in a larger store. But you can still eat well enough. And sometimes, a local shop owner is willing and able to order groceries per your request. It never hurts to ask!
Become familiar with your local store(s) so you can learn your favorite sources, find the best prices, and become assured that no matter what your other options, you can still find good food right up the road.
2. Azure Standard
This food co-op has been a main food source for our family for years! They are based in Oregon, but ship to hundreds of drop points every month. If you aren’t already a member of Azure Standard, I highly recommend giving it a try if a drop point is available in your area. (If there isn’t one currently, you can look into starting one. That’s what I did many years ago, and now they deliver right to our town!)
Azure Standard carries just about every food item you need, from meat to fresh produce to dairy to frozen food and everything in between. They also have paper goods, diapers – everything a large grocery store has. They allow you to buy individual items or a full case of that item for a discount. I consider Azure Standard to be like a Whole Foods grocery store that is less expensive and delivered directly to me! I love it!
How Azure Standard works:
- Become a member. (It is completely free.)
- Join a local drop point (or start one).
- Order online each month according to your needs. (There is no obligation to order if you don’t need or want anything. Just shop as needed.)
- The drop coordinator for your group will be informed of the truck delivery time each month. He/she will send information to let you know when/where to meet.
- Meet at the designated pick-up time and location to help unload the truck and take home your order! This unload and sorting process usually only takes 15 minutes. Easy peasy!
3. Bountiful Baskets
I’ve been able to enjoy this fun real food groceries delivery option for the past two years and while I don’t order every time it is available, I sure do love it on the weeks they offer great cases of produce at great prices! This is what a typical basket can hold:
Check here to see if there is a Bountiful Basket location near you. If there is, you can order as often as every two weeks. They supply you with a wonderful basket full of fresh fruits and vegetables for just $18. They also offer “Add-Ons” if you’d like to purchase cases of fresh produce to your order at a discount. Some locations also offer bread, and sometimes there are special offers like coconut oil or apple cider vinegar.
Bountiful Baskets is a lot of fun and gives us some great options for having plenty of fresh fruits and veggies on hand!
Like I always say: When life gives you Bountiful Baskets, make Stir-Fry.
4. Amazon
It’s amazing all the real food you can find at Amazon.
I often buy food by the case, and it is delivered for free right to my porch! I wrote a post here detailing real food I often buy at Amazon. Also, I’ve learned to make the most of Subscribe and Save to save me money on real food groceries from Amazon.
5. Zaycon Fresh
This one is new to me, but definitely worth sharing when it comes to a great source for real food. Zaycon Fresh can save a lot of money and get you stocked up on good meat for your family!
- Sign up for a Zaycon account here.
- Click on See Locations and select the best option for you.
- Order meat as needed, picking up at the designated time and location.
What are your favorite sources for real food?
Rebecca says
You left off the most important one (in my opinion) – your local farmers’ market. Real food, local, more delicious, and supporting the farmers more directly! Win-win-win!
Many local farmers also offer the Community Supported Agriculture boxes which sometimes can be a challenge if you get tons of greens, but others let you select which produce you want each week.
I can’t wait until our market opens back up (in Maryland) next month!
Laura says
Yes! That is such a great option! I forgot to add it because where I live, the farmers’ market isn’t available for long, nor does it offer much. I’ve seen some amazing farmers’ markets though in other places, so if that is an option where you live, I’d say that’s the very best option!
Jill says
I came here to cheer for local farmer’s markets too, especially if you live in an urban area. I love not having to “settle” for the same old produce varieties of my grocery store. Prices are quite reasonable, and many will give discounts at the end of the day so they don’t have to take unsold items home. Also, for readers who depend on government food stamp programs, ask if your local farmer’s market participates. I live in Milwaukee, and our farmer’s market vendors accept food stamps, which is a great way for folks who live in “food deserts” without easy access to transportation to still have access to fresh produce.
Kristin says
Ohh, I’ve been to your indoor winter market at the Mitchell Park Domes and I’m jealous. Madison has a stellar market downtown in summer/fall, but by March pickings are a bit sparse. Regardsless, I still go for eggs and meat. Last time I picked up some honey, cheese and potatoes as well.
You can also visit orchards to pick your favorite fruit like apples, strawberries, raspberries or cherries or find local farms that sell meat, eggs, sweet corn and other produce. My girls love going to the farm for fresh picked corn, followed by feeding the goats, swinging on the tire swing and saying hi to the chickens. I like them seeing where their food comes from and knowing that we are supporting local farmers.
I would also advocate starting a simple garden. There is nothing faster then walking out to my raised bed and picking a sun ripened organic tomato. Not to mention the taste and cost savings. The kids love to help with gardening as well.
Busy Mom in Alabama says
We make our own natural peanut butter weekly. I buy my peanuts from a website called http://www.gumballs.com. I get the Natural Peanut Butter stock which is 30 pounds of peanuts for about $59. I usually buy two boxes at a time to save on shipping. It is the cheapest price on good peanuts that I have found! Makes great peanut butter!
Also our local Walmart has 20lbs of pinto beans for around $13. I cook A large batch and my electric pressure cooker and then make refried beans for the freezer. We have taco salad with ground beef and refried beans every Sunday after church. I put my ground beef and beans in the slow cooker and have all of the trimmings ready to go. Makes Sunday so easy!