If that sounds like the inner monologue running through your brain every Sunday night, you’re not alone. The mental load of feeding a family (or honestly, just yourself) can feel never-ending; part logistics, part nutritionist, part magician. And yet, we’re expected to just know how to do it. That’s exactly why Nabula El Mourid, the powerhouse behind Supermarket Swap, created The Weekly Grocery Shop – a book designed to take the stress out of what can feel like a full-time job: feeding yourself and your family, well.
Out now, this is not just another recipe book – it’s your new best friend in the grocery aisle, and the calm voice in your head reminding you that you’ve got this. Because while the recipes are fab (we’re talking 70+ simple and seriously yum options across dinners, brekkies, snacks and desserts), this book goes beyond what ends up on your plate. It’s about everything that happens before you even turn on the oven…the planning, the budgeting, the decoding of ingredient labels that sound more like science experiments than food. Sound familiar?
The food mental load is real
“For so many of us, the hardest part of feeding our families isn’t actually the cooking,” says Nabula. “It’s everything else – the invisible work of deciding what to cook, how to make it nutritious, how to stick to a budget, and how to do it all without losing your mind or spending your entire weekend in the kitchen.” And she would know. After starting Supermarket Swap as an Instagram account to help Aussies make better choices at the supermarket, with simple swaps for overly processed foods, Nabula quickly tapped into something deeper. Behind every barcode was a parent trying to do their best, a shopper just trying to decode labels, a tired human wondering if the food system had to feel this hard. The Weekly Grocery Shop is her answer.
A workhorse with heart
What sets this book apart is how practical it is. This isn’t glossy gourmet glamour shots or complicated meal plans that require a trip to six specialty grocers. It’s the kind of book you’ll dog-ear, scribble in, and spill sauce on, because it’s meant to be used.
You’ll find:
- 70+ no-fuss recipes that the kids will actually eat (we see you, beige food lovers)
- 6 weeks of meal plans and shopping lists that remove the dreaded “what’s for dinner?” panic
- Batch cook and power prep guides for busy weeks
- Money-saving strategies to help stretch that weekly spend
- A genius additives cheat sheet (so you’re not Googling numbers in the cereal aisle)
- Label reading hacks and tips on navigating the sneaky world of ultra-processed foods It’s like your grocery game just got a smart, supportive co-pilot.
No perfection, just better choices
One of the most refreshing things about this book, and the Supermarket Swap ethos in general, is that it’s not about perfection. It’s not trying to shame your freezer nuggets or judge your emergency dinner of toast and fruit. Instead, it’s about feeling in control. Making informed choices. Reducing that endless brain spiral around food and replacing it with simple systems that work for your family, whatever that looks like Because let’s be honest: the parenting world doesn’t need more pressure. It needs more practical help. And if that help can also save you money, time and your last nerve? Even better.
Available now, The Weekly Grocery Shop officially landed in stores August 26 (just in time for spring
lunchbox season and post-winter meal fatigue) and is available from Big W, Amazon and Booktopia.
Whether you’re a food nerd, a budgeting queen, or just someone who wants fewer mid-week meltdowns and more mental space, this book has your back. Feeding a family is hard enough, but doing it with a plan, some tasty recipes, and a little expert backup? That’s the kind of adulting we can get behind.
Hardie Grant
Books
RRP $39.99
Want to make smarter swaps at the supermarket and feel more confident in the food choices you make? Learn more about Supermarket Swap and the book at supermarketswap.com.au and @supermarket.swap
