the twin cities macro tracker's grocery list.
short answer: the lean macro-tracker's grocery list in minneapolis, by store: cub or kowalski's for chicken thighs + lean ground beef + salmon, trader joe's for greek yogurt + cottage cheese + frozen berries, costco if you have a membership for bulk frozen salmon + chicken breasts + eggs, seward co-op for organic produce if it matters to you. total weekly cost for 1 person eating 5 dinners + 5 lunches from scratch: $48-62. exact items + counts + the cook math below.
the canonical weekly list (1 person, 10 meals)
proteins (6-8 lbs total, ~$28-36):
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts) — $9-12 • 1.5 lbs lean ground beef (90/10) — $8-11 • 1 lb salmon fillet — $10-14 • 1 dozen eggs — $4-5 • 1 lb extra-firm tofu (optional for variety) — $3-4
dairy + dairy-adjacent (~$10-14):
• 32 oz plain greek yogurt (chobani, fage, or store-brand 0% or 2%) — $4-6 • 16 oz low-fat cottage cheese — $3-4 • 8 oz block of cheddar or parmesan — $3-4
vegetables (~$8-12):
• 1 bag frozen broccoli florets — $2-3 • 1 bag baby spinach — $3 • 1 yellow onion — $1 • 1 lb fresh carrots — $1-2 • 1 small head of cauliflower or 1 zucchini — $2-3
carbs + pantry (~$5-8):
• 1 lb dry brown rice (or 1-2 lb pre-cooked microwave rice for convenience) — $2-4 • 1 can black beans — $1 • 1 lemon — $0.50 • olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cumin (you should have these)
fruit (~$5-8):
• 1 bag frozen mixed berries — $4-5 • 2 bananas — $1 • 1 apple — $1
total: $48-62 per week for 1 person eating 10 meals.
minneapolis stores ranked
1. cub foods (multiple locations). best price-per-protein on chicken thighs, ground beef, eggs, and dairy. not pretty but the math wins. shop the perimeter — meat, dairy, produce.
2. trader joe's (st louis park, dinkytown). best price on greek yogurt, cottage cheese, frozen berries, and salmon fillets. trader joe's salmon is consistently $4-5/lb cheaper than other stores. their frozen seafood is excellent.
3. costco (multiple). if you have a membership, the bulk frozen chicken breasts + frozen salmon + costco eggs are minneapolis's best protein-per-dollar. but only if you can store + use the volumes. 1 person buying in 5-lb chicken bags is great. couples is even better.
4. kowalski's (multiple). slightly higher prices but better-quality meat + produce. worth it for the salmon and ground beef specifically. their hot bar lunches are also a high-protein quick option.
5. seward co-op + linden hills co-op. co-ops for organic produce + ethically sourced animal protein. premium pricing but the quality is real. budget premium for these only — don't try to do your whole list here.
6. lunds & byerlys. good but pricey. shop here only for what you can't find elsewhere, or if convenience matters more than price.
7. aldi. cheapest produce in minneapolis but limited protein selection. add it as a stop if you're shopping multiple stores.
the 4-meal cooking template (one cook session, 4 meals)
for the days you cook instead of order from tandoco:
1 hour, sunday or wednesday evening:
• protein 1 — sheet pan chicken thighs. 2 lbs thighs, salt + pepper + paprika + garlic powder. 425°F oven for 25 minutes. yields 4 meals worth of protein. • protein 2 — ground beef. 1.5 lbs in a skillet with onion + garlic + cumin + paprika. 15 minutes. yields 4 meals worth. • protein 3 — salmon (do this fresh the night you eat it). 1 lb fillet, salt + lemon, 12 min at 400°F. portion for 1 meal. • protein 4 — eggs (cook fresh each morning, or hard-boil 6 at once on sunday).
sides:
• rice cooker on while everything else cooks. dump 1 cup rice + 2 cups water in, push button. 25 minutes. • frozen broccoli into a pan with olive oil. 8 minutes. • spinach goes raw under everything.
portioning:
• 4 chicken meals + 4 beef meals = 8 meals. + 1 salmon + 1 egg-based = 10 meals total. • 4 oz protein + 1/2 cup rice + 1 cup veggies = one meal, ~40g protein, ~500 cal.
total active cook time: 60-75 minutes. total prep + cook + cleanup: 90-110 minutes weekly.
or: order from tandoco and skip all of this. that's the trade-off.
what about tandoco's days off?
tandoco produces meals every weekend, delivers/picks up sunday. so the "down" days are usually:
• occasionally a saturday when you didn't order. see this grocery list. • friday lunch if you finished your meals earlier than planned. see this list, or grab a high-protein restaurant meal — see our minneapolis high-protein restaurants guide. • holidays when tandoco is closed for the week. rare — usually 1-2 weeks per year. plan ahead.
the long-game move most of my customers run: weeks 1-3 of the month they order full tandoco menu, week 4 they cook one of their own from this grocery list. variety + skill maintenance without burning out on tandoco.
for the days you cook: bookmark this post. send it to anyone learning to grocery shop for protein.
FAQ
where do you grocery shop in minneapolis for high-protein eating?
cub for chicken / beef / eggs (best price-per-protein), trader joe's for greek yogurt + cottage cheese + frozen salmon (consistently cheaper there), costco for bulk if you have a membership, kowalski's for premium meat + produce, seward co-op for organic when it matters.
how much do high-protein groceries cost per week in minneapolis?
$48-62 per week per person for 10 meals (5 lunches + 5 dinners) with chicken, beef, salmon, eggs, dairy, vegetables, rice. add 15-25% for waste, so the effective cost is closer to $58-74.
can i meal prep without cooking?
yes — that's literally tandoco. order 5-10 chef-prepared entrées by thursday, pick up sunday or get it delivered (delivery from $4, free over $65), eat through the week with zero cooking. or you can blend: 5 tandoco meals + 4 cooked from this grocery list = a sustainable weekly rotation.
what proteins are best for macro tracking?
in order of protein-per-dollar in minneapolis: chicken thighs (best), eggs (close second), ground beef 90/10, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, salmon (more expensive but worth it for omega-3s). avoid "high-protein" packaged snack bars — bad protein-per-calorie ratio.
do i need a costco membership to eat high-protein affordably?
no, but it helps. cub + trader joe's covers 95% of what you need at competitive prices. costco wins on bulk chicken breasts and frozen salmon by $1-3/lb but only if you can actually use the volume in 2-3 weeks (or freeze it).