Last week I did something I was proud of. The main struggle I've dealt with along this new path is eating out or eating when someone else prepares the food. I'm good at sticking to my resolve when I'm cooking for myself and my family, but when I'm not putting the food on the table, it's pretty much a fail.
I changed that for myself one day last week. I was down in Olympia, working for the state superintendent's office. Each day, lunch was catered. It was delicious, but not always what I would choose for myself. After reading the chapter in Food, Inc. about the treatment of animals at the large factory farms, I was feeling disturbed about my choices with eating meat in my life. Not that I didn't know terrible things were happening to animals in our country, but I just shoved it to the back of my mind. I still do that to some extent even now, but less and less so.
Of course, after reading that, the next day there was flank steak available for lunch. I stood there and stared at it for probably 30 seconds before I chose not to eat it. Without knowing where it came from, I just couldn't do it. Now, that's just one time that I made that choice, but it's a start, right?
Also, the last two times I've bought eggs, I bought those that were organic and cage-free. Terrible things happen to chickens in large farm settings: beaks snipped off so they can't peck each other, living in tiny cages, standing in their own feces... chickens may not be the smartest creatures, but they deserve better than that. From now on, I will be making better choices when I buy eggs and chicken meat. I feel like it's one of those changes that are rather easy to do and is totally the right thing to do. Doing better for the Earth and its creatures (including my family and myself) is what this is all about after all.
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Cause and effect? Or just correlation?
One of the things that stuck out to me in Food, Inc. was the statement that poverty is the greatest predictor of obesity. They really didn't go into the causes of that, but the film seemed to imply that it's due at least in part to the government's subsidies of corn and other crops. After I posted that in my notes on the movie, I had an interesting discussion with a friend about the potential causes of this correlation. Suffice it to say that there seem to be many forces at work.
In that same vein, today I read this article about pricey grocery stores and obesity. Basically, a survey was done of different grocery stores and their patrons' BMI. Whole Foods, one of the pricier stores, was found to only have 4% obese customers (BMI over 30). In contrast, Albertson's, the lower-cost chain, was found to have 40% obese customers. The article then gives the basic idea that people that shop at the pricier stores are more willing to buy more expensive, whole foods and are therefore thinner.
Because I am a masochist, I read many of the comments on the story. In the spirit of finger-pointing that is so prevalent in our society in this day and age, the commenters bounce back and forth between "It's their own fault they're fat!" and "The government/big business is making us fat!" without offering up any real insights or solutions. Not that I expected any treatises on maximizing health on a budget; I guess the average MSN reader isn't thinking about it on that large of a scale (no pun intended.)
As I said above, I think there are many forces at work here. Larger, cheaper chains like Albertson's do make shopping on a limited budget much easier. They have larger sales and lower prices in general. I can see that someone trying to feed a family on a small budget would do well to shop there. If poverty is a high indicator of obesity, then it stands to reason that a store with lower prices will see more people that are obese.
That said, people that are shopping at PCC or Whole Foods aren't necessarily willing to spend more money for the same exact product. What they're buying at PCC is usually organic and sometimes local. Plus, PCC has a larger selection of fruits and veggies than does Albertson's. So, the argument that it's just rich people spending more money on a bunch of conventionally-farmed celery doesn't hold water. Not entirely, anyway.
I do think processed food does have a lot to do with it. Processed foods are not necessarily cheaper than say some brown rice and broccoli, but it gives you the idea that you're getting a meal in a box and I can see how that would be appealing. Albertson's is rife with those products and all of the additives and fattening ingredients that go with them. On the other hand, PCC has less processed food, and that that it has tends to be better for you, with whole grains and less sugar. So, people buying there would be consuming fewer calories and fat grams, theoretically.
I also have to admit there's probably a status thing about shopping at PCC too. I honestly like being able to say that the potluck dish I bring is from there. It would make sense that people that seek out such status in their shopping would also want to have status in the way they look. Not that people that shop at Albertson's don't care about how they look, of course, but I've met a few people that shop at PCC and carry out their little reusable bag like it's a Coach purse. No one I know, of course. Just sayin'.
Anyway, it's interesting that they're looking at this. It seems like every day there are more and more such articles in the news. Obesity and the way we eat are always in the news, and I think that's a good thing.
In that same vein, today I read this article about pricey grocery stores and obesity. Basically, a survey was done of different grocery stores and their patrons' BMI. Whole Foods, one of the pricier stores, was found to only have 4% obese customers (BMI over 30). In contrast, Albertson's, the lower-cost chain, was found to have 40% obese customers. The article then gives the basic idea that people that shop at the pricier stores are more willing to buy more expensive, whole foods and are therefore thinner.
Because I am a masochist, I read many of the comments on the story. In the spirit of finger-pointing that is so prevalent in our society in this day and age, the commenters bounce back and forth between "It's their own fault they're fat!" and "The government/big business is making us fat!" without offering up any real insights or solutions. Not that I expected any treatises on maximizing health on a budget; I guess the average MSN reader isn't thinking about it on that large of a scale (no pun intended.)
As I said above, I think there are many forces at work here. Larger, cheaper chains like Albertson's do make shopping on a limited budget much easier. They have larger sales and lower prices in general. I can see that someone trying to feed a family on a small budget would do well to shop there. If poverty is a high indicator of obesity, then it stands to reason that a store with lower prices will see more people that are obese.
That said, people that are shopping at PCC or Whole Foods aren't necessarily willing to spend more money for the same exact product. What they're buying at PCC is usually organic and sometimes local. Plus, PCC has a larger selection of fruits and veggies than does Albertson's. So, the argument that it's just rich people spending more money on a bunch of conventionally-farmed celery doesn't hold water. Not entirely, anyway.
I do think processed food does have a lot to do with it. Processed foods are not necessarily cheaper than say some brown rice and broccoli, but it gives you the idea that you're getting a meal in a box and I can see how that would be appealing. Albertson's is rife with those products and all of the additives and fattening ingredients that go with them. On the other hand, PCC has less processed food, and that that it has tends to be better for you, with whole grains and less sugar. So, people buying there would be consuming fewer calories and fat grams, theoretically.
I also have to admit there's probably a status thing about shopping at PCC too. I honestly like being able to say that the potluck dish I bring is from there. It would make sense that people that seek out such status in their shopping would also want to have status in the way they look. Not that people that shop at Albertson's don't care about how they look, of course, but I've met a few people that shop at PCC and carry out their little reusable bag like it's a Coach purse. No one I know, of course. Just sayin'.
Anyway, it's interesting that they're looking at this. It seems like every day there are more and more such articles in the news. Obesity and the way we eat are always in the news, and I think that's a good thing.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Box Came!
With more excitement than I have ever had about a box of vegetables, Lauren and I went to our local pick-up spot to get our Full Circle Farm box. We got it home and she pulled her chair up to the counter to stand on so we could open it together. We got strawberries, purple top turnips, red bell pepper, the most delicious-smelling basil, grapefruit and oranges, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, zucchini... the list just goes on. I did order a few extra things just to make sure I could make certain recipes, but it was all reasonably priced. Now I have a jam-packed crisper and there are mounds of potatoes and onions on the counter. Love it!
I also made a solo venture to Trader Joe's today and browsed around, looking at their organic selection and their various other products. I was surprised at the range of organic fruits and vegetables they had; I'll be able to supplement what I'm getting in my box quite easily. They also have great breads, canned beans and tomatoes, and other sorts of things that aren't heavily processed. With some careful planning, I'll be able to stick to whole foods and mostly organics pretty easily. My most exciting find of the day was some gummy vitamins for Lauren that don't use artificial colors and flavors. I'd been worried about finding such a thing, but TJ's had them!
Tonight's dinner was a wonderful Milanese Tomato Soup (dead easy to make, from the Detox Diet) and a warm kale and potato salad (ditto). Here's a not-very-good photo of the lovely ladies:
For dessert, I made a kefir/peach/mango not-very-smoothie. Delicious!
I also made a solo venture to Trader Joe's today and browsed around, looking at their organic selection and their various other products. I was surprised at the range of organic fruits and vegetables they had; I'll be able to supplement what I'm getting in my box quite easily. They also have great breads, canned beans and tomatoes, and other sorts of things that aren't heavily processed. With some careful planning, I'll be able to stick to whole foods and mostly organics pretty easily. My most exciting find of the day was some gummy vitamins for Lauren that don't use artificial colors and flavors. I'd been worried about finding such a thing, but TJ's had them!
Tonight's dinner was a wonderful Milanese Tomato Soup (dead easy to make, from the Detox Diet) and a warm kale and potato salad (ditto). Here's a not-very-good photo of the lovely ladies:
 |
| From Drop Box |
For dessert, I made a kefir/peach/mango not-very-smoothie. Delicious!
Monday, April 12, 2010
I'm Pleasantly Surprised
I went to Costco today to stock up on a few things and thought I would take a spin around the store to see if there's anything that I could find that would fit in with this whole whole foods thing. Not likely, right?
Actually, I was wrong. There are a few things at Costco that I could buy, mostly in the fruits and veggies section. They have organic carrots, spinach, salad mix, and apples, which are all staples that I buy reasonably often. I did find a great whole wheat bread there without any nasty stuff that was considerably cheaper as a two pack than buying a single loaves at the store. I was disappointed that none of their frozen fruits and veggies were organic because I know I've seen them there before. We have two Costcos near us, one for businesses, and perhaps that one doesn't carry the organic brand. I'll have to make a trek to big Costco and see. I'll let you know how that comes out.
I've learned some interesting facts lately that have really backed up all of the changes I've been making and are encouraging me to learn more:
-Every pound of waste diverted from a landfill saves 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide. After reading this I immediately started composting all of my kitchen waste, since luckily we can just put it in our yard waste bin.
-1 pound of beef generates the equivalent of 36 pounds of carbon dioxide. First, I'm glad we get all our beef from a family friend in Idaho. I know it doesn't fix things, but it helps. I'm also glad that we're trying to cut back pretty drastically on our meat consumption. I'm thinking red meat once a week is more than enough. And, surprisingly enough, Jeremy seems to be going along with this!
- We lose 2 acres of farmland to development every minute. Reading this hit me like a ton of bricks. As I said before, I'm from a long, long line of farmers and the tie to the land is still in there somewhere deep. We have to support our local farmers and keep small farms running in the United States. I'm so excited to get my box from Full Circle Farm on Wednesday and hope that it helps in some little way.
-Organic farming uses 30%-50% less fossil fuels. Now, I'm a big ol' hypocrite with my medium-sized SUV out in the driveway, but this is important to me. Things like this do add up. Ever since I had a child, I'm understanding this more and more.
Add to that that eating organic keeps pesticides out of your body and out of our water supply, and you have more than enough good reasons to buy organic. I'm going to be reading a book about organic farming by Maria Rodale as soon as it comes from the library, so I know I'll have more information to inundate you with.
Dinner tonight isn't really worth writing about. We just had a turkey enchilada casserole from the Weight Watchers cookbook. It's good, but it's nothing new to us and therefore not that thrilling. I also made great smoothie out of kefir, a banana, some frozen strawberries, and some ice cubes. Well, I thought it was great. Lauren declared it "yucky" and decided to put all of her veggies in it before dumping it out on her plate. Not thrilled with that one, but I'm going to continue to expose her to new things.
Listen up, ladies! Women who eat white bread, rice, pizza and other high-carbohydrate foods are more than twice as likely to suffer heart problems than women that eat fewer of these foods, according to a study recently released. Nothing surprising there, but it helps to see it in print. Also, notice the foods that are listed at the bottom as being good for you: all whole foods, unsurprisingly!
Actually, I was wrong. There are a few things at Costco that I could buy, mostly in the fruits and veggies section. They have organic carrots, spinach, salad mix, and apples, which are all staples that I buy reasonably often. I did find a great whole wheat bread there without any nasty stuff that was considerably cheaper as a two pack than buying a single loaves at the store. I was disappointed that none of their frozen fruits and veggies were organic because I know I've seen them there before. We have two Costcos near us, one for businesses, and perhaps that one doesn't carry the organic brand. I'll have to make a trek to big Costco and see. I'll let you know how that comes out.
I've learned some interesting facts lately that have really backed up all of the changes I've been making and are encouraging me to learn more:
-Every pound of waste diverted from a landfill saves 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide. After reading this I immediately started composting all of my kitchen waste, since luckily we can just put it in our yard waste bin.
-1 pound of beef generates the equivalent of 36 pounds of carbon dioxide. First, I'm glad we get all our beef from a family friend in Idaho. I know it doesn't fix things, but it helps. I'm also glad that we're trying to cut back pretty drastically on our meat consumption. I'm thinking red meat once a week is more than enough. And, surprisingly enough, Jeremy seems to be going along with this!
- We lose 2 acres of farmland to development every minute. Reading this hit me like a ton of bricks. As I said before, I'm from a long, long line of farmers and the tie to the land is still in there somewhere deep. We have to support our local farmers and keep small farms running in the United States. I'm so excited to get my box from Full Circle Farm on Wednesday and hope that it helps in some little way.
-Organic farming uses 30%-50% less fossil fuels. Now, I'm a big ol' hypocrite with my medium-sized SUV out in the driveway, but this is important to me. Things like this do add up. Ever since I had a child, I'm understanding this more and more.
Add to that that eating organic keeps pesticides out of your body and out of our water supply, and you have more than enough good reasons to buy organic. I'm going to be reading a book about organic farming by Maria Rodale as soon as it comes from the library, so I know I'll have more information to inundate you with.
Dinner tonight isn't really worth writing about. We just had a turkey enchilada casserole from the Weight Watchers cookbook. It's good, but it's nothing new to us and therefore not that thrilling. I also made great smoothie out of kefir, a banana, some frozen strawberries, and some ice cubes. Well, I thought it was great. Lauren declared it "yucky" and decided to put all of her veggies in it before dumping it out on her plate. Not thrilled with that one, but I'm going to continue to expose her to new things.
Listen up, ladies! Women who eat white bread, rice, pizza and other high-carbohydrate foods are more than twice as likely to suffer heart problems than women that eat fewer of these foods, according to a study recently released. Nothing surprising there, but it helps to see it in print. Also, notice the foods that are listed at the bottom as being good for you: all whole foods, unsurprisingly!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Another Test Passed
Today was my fifth day without refined sugars; still going strong on that. Today's test was that I was going out to lunch with some coworkers and didn't have a choice of restaurant. I was pretty nervous about being able to find whole foods and to avoid sugars. Luckily, they chose a Mexican restaurant, so it was pretty simple. I had a fish burrito that had chunks of fish mixed in with beans, rice, lettuce, and tomato. They even had a salsa bar where I go pico de gallo, making sure to only get the good bits and not the watery parts, which I was afraid had sugar in it. I really do see my mindset changing and I'm thrilled! Now, if I can make it through the baby shower I have tonight and the bridal shower tomorrow, I'll be golden!
I also ordered my first box of food from Full Circle Farm and I'm psyched! After placing my order today (which I'll get next Wednesday) I was able to review my box contents and make substitutions from a short list. I also was able to look in their "Green Grocer" section and add a few more things to my cart. We're getting turnips, green onions, strawberries, broccoli, and carrots, amongst other things. I'm really excited! I will still have to make a trip to the market to fill out the order, but it's all for non-organic things which is fine. I can see this working pretty well!
I've found myself talking more and more about this to others and am finding that I'm really passionate about it. Now I just have to avoid being Militant Food Mommy. :)
I also ordered my first box of food from Full Circle Farm and I'm psyched! After placing my order today (which I'll get next Wednesday) I was able to review my box contents and make substitutions from a short list. I also was able to look in their "Green Grocer" section and add a few more things to my cart. We're getting turnips, green onions, strawberries, broccoli, and carrots, amongst other things. I'm really excited! I will still have to make a trip to the market to fill out the order, but it's all for non-organic things which is fine. I can see this working pretty well!
I've found myself talking more and more about this to others and am finding that I'm really passionate about it. Now I just have to avoid being Militant Food Mommy. :)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
I've Bought the Farm
Okay, not the whole farm, but a share of it. A tiny, tiny share, but it makes a big difference to my family! More about that in a minute.
Day 4 of no refined sugar, and I'm doing really well. I've had temptations all around and have avoided them all. I was out at a school and was offered cookies that I didn't take. I had sushi for lunch and decided not to eat the spicy tuna after seeing HFCS in the spicy sauce (!). I love spicy tuna, so that's huge. At a late meeting, I was offered cookies and other sweets for snacks, and I didn't eat them. I'm figuratively keeping my hands in my pockets, and I'm proud of myself. I've been feeling really good, too. No mid-afternoon sleepies. Now I just have to keep going.
In addition to kicking the sugar and drinking much more water(much, much water), we've been eating all whole foods for the last week. That's going really well. It's all been easy: buying the food and fixing the recipes really hasn't taken me more time. Plus, given that it's all so filling, I'm finding that I'm eating a little less. Tonight I made a gorgeous Corn and Kidney Bean Chili with a Lemon Chickpea salad (both from The Great American Detox Diet) and could barely eat half. It's so good, too!
Back to the farm thing, I've decided to try buying a box of fresh produce from a local farm every two weeks. I was able to get all the produce I needed from our local PCC market, but for quite a high price. Plus, not much of the food was local. Organic is my priority, but I'd like to do what I can to support our local farmers too. After a chat with a friend, I've narrowed it down to two: Full Circle Farm and Klesick Family Farm. Spud.com is an online service from which you can order organic produce as well as other groceries, but not enough of it was local for my taste. I might come back to that, though. I think of my two final choices, I'm going with Full Circle because they actually grow most of their own produce on site and I really like that. I'm going to order my first box this weekend, so we'll see how it goes! I don't get to choose the mix, but can tailor what we eat each week based on what's in the box. Also, because the market is so close, I can also supplement. Another piece is clicking into place!
Jamie Oliver's third "Food Revolution" is available now. He gets the high schoolers involved and it's just heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. A must watch! Just be prepared to cry.
Day 4 of no refined sugar, and I'm doing really well. I've had temptations all around and have avoided them all. I was out at a school and was offered cookies that I didn't take. I had sushi for lunch and decided not to eat the spicy tuna after seeing HFCS in the spicy sauce (!). I love spicy tuna, so that's huge. At a late meeting, I was offered cookies and other sweets for snacks, and I didn't eat them. I'm figuratively keeping my hands in my pockets, and I'm proud of myself. I've been feeling really good, too. No mid-afternoon sleepies. Now I just have to keep going.
In addition to kicking the sugar and drinking much more water(much, much water), we've been eating all whole foods for the last week. That's going really well. It's all been easy: buying the food and fixing the recipes really hasn't taken me more time. Plus, given that it's all so filling, I'm finding that I'm eating a little less. Tonight I made a gorgeous Corn and Kidney Bean Chili with a Lemon Chickpea salad (both from The Great American Detox Diet) and could barely eat half. It's so good, too!
Back to the farm thing, I've decided to try buying a box of fresh produce from a local farm every two weeks. I was able to get all the produce I needed from our local PCC market, but for quite a high price. Plus, not much of the food was local. Organic is my priority, but I'd like to do what I can to support our local farmers too. After a chat with a friend, I've narrowed it down to two: Full Circle Farm and Klesick Family Farm. Spud.com is an online service from which you can order organic produce as well as other groceries, but not enough of it was local for my taste. I might come back to that, though. I think of my two final choices, I'm going with Full Circle because they actually grow most of their own produce on site and I really like that. I'm going to order my first box this weekend, so we'll see how it goes! I don't get to choose the mix, but can tailor what we eat each week based on what's in the box. Also, because the market is so close, I can also supplement. Another piece is clicking into place!
Jamie Oliver's third "Food Revolution" is available now. He gets the high schoolers involved and it's just heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. A must watch! Just be prepared to cry.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Adventures in Shopping
I feel kind of guilty posting this while my head is feeling all buzzy from the sugary Easter candy I just ate, but it's that time of year, right? Yum, Blue #5! It's funny how I immediately feel different after eating even just a small amount. I think the detox diet's week of weaning off sugar can't come soon enough!
I did do something right today: we had a great dinner. We ate halibut baked with just a little dill and lemon with asparagus and some whole wheat pasta with vegetables that were left over from a previous meal. It was delicious, especially the asparagus. I need to run to the store and get some more! Between that and the leftover chili I had for lunch, it was a good eating day. Minus the Easter candy, of course.
As I said yesterday, I did my first shopping trip with this new mindset and it was quite the experience. I ended up going to three stores and I had Lauren with me. While she was very patient with the whole process, it was difficult to juggle her and the amount of thinking I was having to do. I'm discovering this isn't easy!
Yesterday morning I sat down and planned my meals for about the next 10 days and made a grocery list. Most of the meals come from The Great American Detox Diet and a couple from Weight Watchers. We're eating ground beef twice and chicken and fish once each. Otherwise, we're going pretty veggie! We'll see how it goes, especially for my husband. (I'm putting all of those meals and my shopping lists on the page with that title. Just look at the top of this page.)
So, with the list in hand and toddler "driving" the plastic car attached to my cart, I started my first PCC adventure. I also had my list of foods that I need to find substitutes for (e.g. ketchup) and the list of additives to stay away from. I was juggling quite a bit!
I started in the fruit and vegetables section and immediately got nervous. Everything there is organic, so I didn't have choice in that way. I know there are things that you don't need to buy organic, so I immediately began to worry that I was buying too much organic. But, I also didn't want to go anywhere else, so there wasn't a choice. Add to that that I couldn't find parsnips and I was a bit stymied. I finally got out of that section, though, with everything I needed (except the parsnips) and just a little sticker shock.
I then began to look at cheeses. The prices there were nuts! I could buy regular Tillamook for quite a chunk of change or go fully organic for even more. I reluctantly grabbed the Tillamook, but ended up putting it back later and deciding to buy it at another store.
I went on the frozen fruit section to see what was there. It was all on sale so I bought mangoes and cherries. I already have strawberries and raspberries in the freezer, and the blueberries were just too expensive.
After that, it kind of became a blur. I put in my cart and then ended up deciding to buy enchilada sauce somewhere else, as well as the canned tomatoes. Those just seemed overly pricey and I want to do a little more research before I buy those things organic or otherwise. I did end up buying quinoa (once I found it), chickpeas, cupcakes for Lauren's class, and numerous other things that I thought were a good price. I even found cage-free eggs for a great price and yogurt for a decent price that I'm putting on my list for next time.
Beans, canned tomatoes, cheese, flaxseed oil, whole flaxseeds, the missing parsnips, some delicious peanut butter, ketchup, and organic frozen blueberries ended up coming from either Trader Joe's or Albertson's. I'm hoping to not have to go to three stores next time!
Overall, it turned out well. I bought lots of gorgeous produce and have great meals planned. I ended up spending more than I normally would, but that's to be expected. I'm still learning and will do more research on cheaper ways of buying these things. I'm looking at buying online and having it delivered on a weekly or biweekly basis, so if anyone has ideas, let me know!
Now I'm going to go have even more water to dilute this sugary sludge in my blood.
I did do something right today: we had a great dinner. We ate halibut baked with just a little dill and lemon with asparagus and some whole wheat pasta with vegetables that were left over from a previous meal. It was delicious, especially the asparagus. I need to run to the store and get some more! Between that and the leftover chili I had for lunch, it was a good eating day. Minus the Easter candy, of course.
As I said yesterday, I did my first shopping trip with this new mindset and it was quite the experience. I ended up going to three stores and I had Lauren with me. While she was very patient with the whole process, it was difficult to juggle her and the amount of thinking I was having to do. I'm discovering this isn't easy!
Yesterday morning I sat down and planned my meals for about the next 10 days and made a grocery list. Most of the meals come from The Great American Detox Diet and a couple from Weight Watchers. We're eating ground beef twice and chicken and fish once each. Otherwise, we're going pretty veggie! We'll see how it goes, especially for my husband. (I'm putting all of those meals and my shopping lists on the page with that title. Just look at the top of this page.)
So, with the list in hand and toddler "driving" the plastic car attached to my cart, I started my first PCC adventure. I also had my list of foods that I need to find substitutes for (e.g. ketchup) and the list of additives to stay away from. I was juggling quite a bit!
I started in the fruit and vegetables section and immediately got nervous. Everything there is organic, so I didn't have choice in that way. I know there are things that you don't need to buy organic, so I immediately began to worry that I was buying too much organic. But, I also didn't want to go anywhere else, so there wasn't a choice. Add to that that I couldn't find parsnips and I was a bit stymied. I finally got out of that section, though, with everything I needed (except the parsnips) and just a little sticker shock.
I then began to look at cheeses. The prices there were nuts! I could buy regular Tillamook for quite a chunk of change or go fully organic for even more. I reluctantly grabbed the Tillamook, but ended up putting it back later and deciding to buy it at another store.
I went on the frozen fruit section to see what was there. It was all on sale so I bought mangoes and cherries. I already have strawberries and raspberries in the freezer, and the blueberries were just too expensive.
After that, it kind of became a blur. I put in my cart and then ended up deciding to buy enchilada sauce somewhere else, as well as the canned tomatoes. Those just seemed overly pricey and I want to do a little more research before I buy those things organic or otherwise. I did end up buying quinoa (once I found it), chickpeas, cupcakes for Lauren's class, and numerous other things that I thought were a good price. I even found cage-free eggs for a great price and yogurt for a decent price that I'm putting on my list for next time.
Beans, canned tomatoes, cheese, flaxseed oil, whole flaxseeds, the missing parsnips, some delicious peanut butter, ketchup, and organic frozen blueberries ended up coming from either Trader Joe's or Albertson's. I'm hoping to not have to go to three stores next time!
Overall, it turned out well. I bought lots of gorgeous produce and have great meals planned. I ended up spending more than I normally would, but that's to be expected. I'm still learning and will do more research on cheaper ways of buying these things. I'm looking at buying online and having it delivered on a weekly or biweekly basis, so if anyone has ideas, let me know!
Now I'm going to go have even more water to dilute this sugary sludge in my blood.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)