Yesterday I really outdid myself. Lazy Sunday? Hmpf! After working out, I decided to detail both of our cars inside and out, including hand waxing our "nicer car" until I was about to pass out from the Texas heat. I don't know where all of this energy was coming from, but figured I'd continue the trend and brave a trip to Costco. A trip to Costco on the weekend is about equivalent to visiting WalMart during back-to-school shopping, except the people in there aren't beating their children or wearing pajamas out in public. Plus, despite the long lines at Costco, I always leave happy. They have so many amazing natural and organic foods for cheap!
Since my ACN recommended that hubby and I start eating organic red meat at least 2-3 servings per week, I was thrilled to find it at Costco much cheaper than anywhere else. I also stock up on organic salad greens, organic berries, frozen organic veggies, frozen seafood and healthy snacks. Really impressed with their selection, so thanks Costco for providing the hook up!
Unfortunately, they don't have everything I need though, so my grocery shopping actually spans a total of 3 grocery stores. I then have to hit Sprouts Farmer's Market and H-E-B (this is our large chain store in TX) to get it all done. Every once in a while, I'll hit up Whole Paycheck....I mean Whole Foods! Did I say that?? I rarely walk out of there with more than a handheld basket worth of food. Maybe someday I will win the lottery and can just shop there for the rest of my life. Until then, I will spend a ridiculous amount of time driving from one store to the next, and getting really creative with insulated bags and coolers with ice packs.
I really think I should have gone on that old gameshow Supermarket Sweep. Anyone remember that one? It's really quite funny how much strategy goes into getting good quality food into this house at the best prices possible. Whatever. I like a challenge, and least I'm not one of those crazy people on Extreme Couponing that holds up the line so they can get 50 bottles of Excedrin for $1. Nobody has that many headaches people! Get a grip!
I have even made friends with the produce guys at these stores. Being friendly pays off though. If I don't like what I see and give them that look of "Really, this is all you got dude?" a couple of them have offered to run to the back to grab fresher stuff. It's always good to ask the produce guys when they get their shipments too. I found out a while back that Sprouts gets brand new produce on the shelves every Monday, so now I always try to go on that day.
One of my favorite memories as a child was going to the farmer's market with my mom. It was the one place where I could grab stuff off the shelves and not get smacked. I think taking your child to the farmer's market when they are little is one of the best things you can ever do, and I can't wait until the day when I get to take my little one there with me and teach them all about healthy foods and let them pick out which fruits and vegetables they want. It made a huge impact on me as a kid, and it's probably why walking into a store and SEEING THIS EXCITES ME SO MUCH...
I swear, it's like I can hear angels singing to me!!! The best part about the farmer's market is that most of their organic fruits and veggies are the same exact price, and sometimes even cheaper than conventional pesticide laden produce at the regular grocery store. Who wouldn't make an extra trip for that?
As you can see, this is an indoor farmer's market, and it's pretty expansive outside of what's shown in this pic. They also carry tons of natural beauty products and household goods. Coming here encourages me to continue phasing in all natural products in our house too. I will admit, doing that has been a much longer process than just starting to buy all organic and natural foods. Baby steps! It's a work in progress, but one I'm enjoying. I'll post more on some great natural beauty products I've found later.
So, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm just not that fashion savvy modern woman you see in magazines, nor will I ever be I guess. I really could care less about Manolo Blahniks. I'd rather walk around in flip-flops and use our money for organic food and other things that will actually help keep us healthy and improve our chances of having a healthy happy baby someday. How about you...
How important do you think eating natural foods is for you and your family?
What has been the most difficult aspect of changing your way of eating?
Have you noticed any differences in your health, fertility related or otherwise, since eating differently?
It's funny, I actually enjoy clothing shopping more now than I used to. However, I do enjoy grocery shopping when I'm in the mood for it. Once a week we hit the Farmer's Market near the house and I'm all dorky excited because I found a dairy farm not far from the house and I'm surprising DH by going there on Friday (he's play hooky from work) and he can get fresh from the cow milk and they even have meat there, that's totally organic and grain fed and not factory farmed. So, I'm really excited.
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to do the multiple grocery store thing, but we really just mostly hit the Farmer's Market and HEB. Do you have a separate freezer for stuff or do you just go every week to all the diff stores? Eating healthy is very important to me, but it's just hard to have the time to go to all the different stores so trying to get an idea of how other people do it. Now for your questions:
1. Eating natural food is huge for me and my husband. I have noticed way too many women are infertile, too many kids have autism and other disorders, I actually believe almost all of this is due to food. Food is not made of real living stuff anymore and it's messing up our insides.
2. The most difficult aspect has been trying to learn new recipes. Again, it's a time thing, so to change the way I eat, for real, means coming up with lots of new recipes for these foods so it's not the same thing every time. I think just getting started it challenging, but once the ball is rolling it's not so bad.
3. I've noticed a huge difference in my health. I think it's helped with my cycles and stuff, but mostly I get so many compliments on my appearance lately. Usually it's "you look like you've lost weight", but I haven't. I just know my hair, skin, my general appearance is better due to improved health.
I don't have a separate freezer, and in fact mine is fairly small. It's a counter depth side-by-side fridge and freezer. It's like Tetris in there!
DeleteEven though I shop at 3 different stores, I don't spend that much time shopping for the big stuff. I buy a lot of things in bulk, and I find ways to change up meals with many of the same ingredients. I generally only have to shop twice per month, and Costco only happens once per month...not too bad.
I will have to start posting a couple recipes here. Making gluten-free spaghetti pie tomorrow night, so might start there.
So awesome you are getting compliments! It really does shine through when you put good things in your body!
As I try to eat more organic food, I was excited to find out my sister-in-law has a Costco membership and invited me to go with her. I told her I read a blog (yours) that said Costco was a good place for good prices on organic food. So thanks for the tip! Hopefully I'll be checking it out soon and getting my own membership.
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