I Love-Hate Our Local Organic Market

I have been ruined by Whole Foods.  I really wish that I was one of those people that preferred to shop at a small, local grocer.  But, I'm not. I love that there are many different kinds of organic choices at Whole Foods.  Don't like these pickles?  Well, here are some other pickles.  Don't like this cut of meat?  Well, here are 17 other cuts of meat you might like, half of them grass-fed, of course.  Anything you fancy, you can buy a healthier version of it at Whole Foods.  Yet, even when we're eating very basic foods, we struggle to find the healthiest foods at this local organic market.  We still have to travel to Whole Foods to buy a bunch of stuff anyway.

When we moved into this house, a Whole Foods was supposed to be going in down the street.  That is, until one of the local municipalities decided to unnecessarily stall the process.  Good news yesterday that there was a ruling in the most recent set back. 

Why our local organic market drives me nuts:

1. The meat section smells a little rotten.  We've bought meat there that has gone bad within 12 hours before.  They don't carry whole chickens or organ meat, so we can't buy the healthiest foods there.  The meat selection is very poor. 
2. They only have one organic "no sulfite added" white wine, and it's one I don't like.  They don't carry chardonnay, and the pinot grigio they do have is green or pale yellow.  They have one bottle of golden yellow pinot grigio, which is one of the only bottles of wine in the place that doesn't make me sick. 
3. They were out of diapers sizes 3-5 for more than a month. That's basically a year range of diaper-aged kids for which they didn't have diapers.
4. I didn't even know they carried diapers for four months, because they were behind a pillar in between the bottled water and paper products.
5. They don't have any grass fed filets.  Most of their grass fed meat is from Australia, which has most likely been frozen.  I don't like my food to have been frozen.  And, I wan to eat local cows, preferably, but I'd even settle for cows that didn't have to cross an ocean.
6. ALL of their baked goods are vegan (save the breads).  As in, soy products are used and they are milk/butter/dairy free.  I don't eat vegan stuff.  I want real food!  I want cupcakes, cakes, and cookies made with real butter and real milk.
7. They don't stock up on the popular items.  If you're not in there on delivery day, you're not getting it for two weeks to a month.
8. They didn't have organic blueberries, so I was going to just suck up and buy the conventional.  But, there was a sign in front of the blueberries stating why you should only by organic blueberries.  There weren't signs in front of the other fruits.  Just the blueberries telling you that conventional blueberries had 50 different chemicals on them.  Yet, the store didn't have any organic blueberries nor did it appear there was an empty space for any on the shelf.
9. They stopped giving a military discount.  Let me tell you, 10% off of a bagillion is a lot of money.  Like a trillion dollars we were saving.  
10. People say Whole Foods is more expensive, but that's not true.  It's more expensive to shop at this organic market.  You have to do the math when it comes to how much you're getting for what you pay.  Sure, the organic meat costs the same, but I'm getting 1.3 lbs at Whole Foods for the same price.
11.  This is where I bought that horrible face wash that had parabens in it.  I complained to the manager, but it's still on the shelf!!!!
12. They routinely put out avocados and sometimes bananas that take more than a week to ripen.  I mean, if I wanted to wait until next week to eat my banana, I will buy it next week.  
13. I saw an employee take lettuce out of a retail plastic container and fill the bulk salad container.  If you're selling me bulk salad, I expect that you didn't get it out of a box. Some folks stay away from the pre-washed boxes and bags of salad because of bacteria.  It isn't clear that salad is not washed and prepared at the store.

Why I love our local organic market

1. The staff is awesome.
2. It's hardly ever packed.
3. They have raw cheese.
4. They have low-temp pasteurized, grass-fed, organic milk in glass containers. 
5. They give credit when you bring back the glass milk containers.
6. They have grass-fed ice cream!
7. They have hot, organic coffee.
8. They carry Bandit wine, which I like a lot! And my favorite champagne, though that now makes me sick.
9. They have these awesome gluten-free frozen pizzas.
10. They have many items from local farms.
11. They sell organic broccoli heads; at WF I usually have to buy the whole stalk and it's by the pound.
12. They carry organic peanut butter cups.
13. Thank goodness they carry beer and wine.  The Giant down the street doesn't have it!
14. The manager responded to my crazy email with some feedback.  And, they still haven't chased me out of the store, which I have been waiting for.
15. They remind me to bring my reusable bags, which I rarely remember to do.  I need to remember to do that.  Note to self.

Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins

So, I found a new snack.  Some of my recent pre-work trips to Whole Foods have included a fresh-baked, whole grain blueberry muffin.  Food can almost always be made healthier at home, so my mom and I trolled the internet for a simple recipe.  And, we picked this one to try first.

Topping

2 tablespoons packed organic, unrefined, fair trade brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon organic ground cinnamon

Muffins

3/4 cup organic, grass-fed, whole milk

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/4 cup organic honey

1 organic, free-range, vegetarian-fed egg

2 cups organic, stone-ground, whole wheat flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups LOTS! of organic frozen organic blueberries (do not thaw)

Bacon and Cheese Quiche

Meats, cheeses, eggs, and whole grains are foods that are good for pregnant ladies.  So, for a weekend potluck for said pregnant ladies, I googled a bacon and cheese quiche recipe, and Mom and I whipped us up a couple.  Whole Foods has some organic, whole grain pie crusts in the freezer section, but if you want to make your own crust, the recipe I chose includes directions.

• 1 whole grain, organic pie crust
• 8 strips lean nitrate-free bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 large organic, pasture-raised eggs
• 1 1/2 cups grass-fed, organic whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded, organic sharp cheddar cheese

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and pepper. Pour into the prepared pie crust. Crumble bacon over the top with the shredded cheese. Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes, or until quiche filling is set and top is lightly browned. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

It was a hit! And, the dads liked it, too.

Protein, Greens, and Orange

Kali, the good friend with whom I am living, has adopted me like her own child and treats the coming of Lily as the coming of one of her own grandchildren.  I am blessed to have such wonderful support so close to home.  When we are both going to be home for dinner, we make a point to create something yummy that is full of protein, fat, and veggies.  It's my job to buy the groceries and Kali's job to whip up something yummy.  Kali is trying to give me simple cooking ideas, so that when I move out, I can make more than just eggs and turkey sandwiches.

This plate is last night's creation: baked chicken, glazed carrots, and spring mix.  Kali humored the crunchy pregnant lady by picking up an organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed, antibiotic-free chicken.  Seasoning it with salt and pepper (still all I can handle as far as seasoning) and rubbing it with olive oil, she stuck two pats of organic, pastured butter under the skin.  Kali was telling me that the butter under the skin makes the meat moist, and that it did.  She sliced and sauteed carrots in butter and the organic, fair trade brown sugar that she picked up (to humor me).  And, then we piled a bunch of salad on our plates.  It was all so very yummy!  We're building us a baby!

Bradley Birth Class #2 - Nutrition

My doula and birth coach, Cortney, and I went to our second Bradley birth class.  Today's topics included nutrition and breastfeeding.  The Bradley method focuses Dr. Brewer's recommendations for a healthy pregnancy.  This includes milk products, eggs, protein, greens, whole grains, citrus, fats and oils, yellow and orange fruits and veggies, salt to taste, and lots of water.  Some items reinforced about nutrition:

• Good nutrition can almost eliminate risk of pre-eclampsia. 
• Pre-eclampsia is signified by high blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy.  The only way to stop pre-eclampsia is to deliver the baby, no matter when the condition sets on.  The choice is to deliver the baby or the mother will die, even at 20 weeks, 28 weeks, 37 weeks...whenever.
• Make sure to take in 80 to 100 grams of protein per day.  One doctor (I forget his name) did a few studies and women to hit this number were sure not to have pre-eclampsia.
• Getting enough fat in your diet will make your skin stretchy.  This lessons stretch marks and makes the body more able to stretch for delivery.  Even a little fat goes a long way.  And, there are many fat-soluable vitamins that we absorb better when paired with fat.
• Pay attention to nutrient pairings for best absorption.  Calcium is best absorbed with fat.  So, even if drinking skim milk, that needs to be consumed with maybe some buttered toast to best absorb the calcium in the milk.  Either that or switch to a fattier milk.
• Our Bradley instructor emphasized the importance of buying some foods organic, such as the "dirty dozen" and the "clean 15."

Baby Lily's Homemade Mac'N'Cheese

Food.  It's been a major issue during my pregnancy. From trying to find a few things my stomach would let me eat and trying not to use the microwave at work, to having little back up at home in regards to making sure that I got food I could eat, the times when Baby Daddy ate the food I had specially prepared for me, and then moving mid-pregnancy to a non-organic household, it has been a little bit of a struggle.  There were weeks in there that I was pounding down grass-fed cheeseburgers and milkshakes just trying to get down something I could eat that resembled proper nutrition for pregnant ladies.  That would be lots of protein, fat, calcium, and many other nutrients to build a healthy baby.  So, that is why macaroni and cheese is a good addition to any meal.

I'm living with good friend, Kali, and we decided to google how to make mac and cheese while at the store one day.  We found this recipe and adjusted it to suit our needs.  My needs include organic, grass-fed, whole wheat ingredients.  Kali's needs are lots of yummy cheeses that make her swoon.  The calories, fat, and protein this this sidedish are enough to make any growing baby happy.  Last night, we paired it with grass-fed rib eye steaks and salad.


1 pound whole grain, organic elbow pasta
1/2 cup pasture raised, organic butter
1/2 cup whole wheat, organic flour
4 cups grass-fed, organic, whole milk
8 ounces organic sharp cheddar
8 ounces gouda
8 ounces gruyere
1/2 t. sea salt (to taste)
Whole wheat breadcrumbs

The finished product is so good, one of Kali's coworker commented, "That's not just mac and cheese.  You have to give it its own name."  So, Kali donned it Baby Lily's Homemade Mac'N'Cheese.  It's is certainly Baby Approved.