My groceries
Not to brag too much, but I’m proud of my groceries. I feel like I’m doing my part to support sustainable agriculture and keep money away from Bush and the Republicans. (Let me know if you find any errors.) I’m voting with my dollars, which is probably more powerful than voting in November. Here’s what I bought today. It was expensive, $121.90, but I think it was worth it:
12 quarts Soy Dream organic soy milk, Original and Chocolate
6 quarts Rice Dream Carob rice milk
3 Cascadian Farm organic Wheat Crunch, Multigrain Squares, and Purely O’s cereals
3 R.W. Knudsen Just Concord organic 100% grape juice
1 Cascadian Farm Concord Grape organic fruit spread
1 box Gardenburgers
2 Amy’s Pesto organic pizzas
2 Garden of Eatin’ organic pico de gallo corn chips
1 Seeds of Change organic garlic and cilantro spicy salsa
I also bought some things that weren’t in the natural foods aisle:
5 Roundy’s canned pineapple slices
1 Spring Tree 100% pure maple syrup
Would you believe that I also bought parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme?
posted by Tom Cleland @ 9/29/2005 05:18:00 PM
17 comments
17 Comments:
Yeah, but it's organic! We need to do what we can to help out companies that aren't using weed-killers, bug-killers, and chemical fertilizers. It's going to take more sales for them to get their costs down.
I like the asian foods, but it's a long drive into Minneapolis. I did go to a farmer's market this summer, but I usually don't plan that far ahead.
It's true I don't have a week's worth of dinner foods, but I have more than a week's worth of soy milk! It's got vitamin B12 in it so I don't even need dairy if I drink it. Sometimes when I'm on the go I just grab a quart of the chocolate and drink it while I work.
You must consume a ton of sugar. I'm feeling my glucose go up just reading all these sweet things.
Well, I should have bought bread. Got whole-wheat spaghetti noodles a different time, and organic sauce. Still have some soy and wheat flour, raw almonds, frozen soybeans, Arrowhead Mills no-preservative peanut butter, Smart Dogs, Smart Ground, and Tofutti cream cheese. And olive oil, which I use for my fat intake. I get a fair amount of vegetables at home, plus I sometimes get Subway at lunch, usually veggie delight. If I don’t get enough fiber then I chug a glass of Yerba Prima Psyllium Husks Powder and water.
Ted, I’m curious what you get for $145. Maybe there’s something eco-friendly in there that I can fill up on and cut costs.
No wonder you look so young for a 44 year old in your pictures, but golly Miss Molly that sounds sterilized!!! Where's the hedonism?
Assuming you’re not talking to Ted--he looks young too, you know! Truth be told, those pictures were taken when I was 39 and 40. I should probably get a new one as I may have aged a little.
This afternoon’s meal was kind of hedonistic. Wine, cheese, olive oil, bread, and for dessert, Kahlua in Carob rice milk. Got wasted and slept from 4 to 8 pm! Last night I read about and listened to the song “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme” as I ate spaghetti topped with, you guessed it, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. To me, that was even more hedonistic. I woke up at 4 am this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, maybe because of all the spices.
Ted, is there a type of rice to look for? What about fiber? Is it imported? I wonder if corporate agriculture is as widespread in Asia as it is here. Given China’s big presence in manufacturing these days, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Happy Birthday Ted! (Monday.) Today’s Mom’s birthday. We watched the movie classic “Born Yesterday,” about a million dollar tycoon who hires a tutor to teach his lover proper etiquette.
Tom,
By the "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme" song, I gather you means Scarborough Fair? Or is there another one I don't know about? My mom's birthday was the September 29th, so we celebrated the same day you did.
Ted,
So you are from China? For some reason I got the impression that you and Tom grew up together in Minnesota or something. (Not sure how or why I got that idea.)
Whereabouts in China? I had a wonderful friend from Gansu who I have unfortunately lost contact with (she doesn't enjoy correspondance.) And a less close friend from Beijing another from Hong Kong.
When I have some money some day that's where I want to travel next.
Interesting—I didn’t know you could use human waste as fertilizer—maybe if there’s not as much meat in the diet? I don’t know. I found some articles, one saying they did it in Washington State, others advising against it.
It’s also interesting how rice complements Asian cooking. I suppose you get enough fiber and nutrition from the vegetables. I’ve read that a legume and a grain together form a complete protein, as good as meat, provided they are eaten in the same meal. Probably still need B12, though.
Sheryl, you’re right, I always get the song title wrong. Ted and I grew up here in MN. He now lives in Ohio. He traveled to China. Ted; correct me if I got anything wrong.
Oh, OK. Now it all is consistent with what I remembered. My sister-in-law taught english in China for a while.
Oh, and BTW, Happy Birthday, Ted. I got so intrigued by the other parts of the conversation, I didn't think to chime in on that part.
Oh, and Tom, if you are trying to do the legume/grain protein chains, you should check out the USDA nutrient database because it tells you about the amino acids in various foods.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
I still have not figured out what proportions of amino acids you need for an ideal protein combination though.
Did you know that aspartame was an amino acid, and some people think Nutrasweet should be illegal because it can cause seizures and stuff.
The moral to the story is that all things are bad in unnatural quantities. I guess aspartame is like kudzu. It's great when balanced in its natural environment, but without the opposing amino acids to keep it in check....blah, blah, blah...
Actually, come to think of it, it's aspartic acid that is an amino acid. I think aspartame might just be a byproduct of aspartic acid (but don't quote me.)
Bookmarked the USDA page. See also this post on Nutrasweet.
Oh yeah, I forgot we had talked about that!!! My memory hasn't been like it used to be lately. Must be all these chemicals from not consuming organics for so long. Ouch!
Tom,
I have to sya that you are quite an inefficient grocer.
I feed a family of four for under 120 dollars a week and I feel as though I ethically shop, even though I do not belong to a coop and I am not a vegetarian any longer.
First, I write up a menu of six or seven healthy meals straight from a cookbook (I use vegetarian cookbooks even though we eat at least two meat meals a week).
Secondly, I go through every single recipe and write down the ingerdients that I need to purchase.
Third, I split my shopping between Whole Foods, in Minneapolis (near Lake Calhoun) and Rainbow Foods in Uptown. Never, ever buy your ethical foods from a Rainbow, Cub or Supervalue because they charge astronomical prices for organics (I have no idea why). I have seen prices double n certain items between Rainbow and Whole Foods. You can actually save money at Whole Foods. Whole Foods' generic items, called "365" are actually really tasty and ven better than brabd names in many cases.
Lastly, I take a trip to the Minnneapolis Farmers Market under I95 near the Basilica. I get a whole buch of basil, which makes a batch of pesto, for one buck. I get a bunch of spearmint, for real iced tea, for a buck. Exotic mushrooms...two bucks a bag, a bushel of cucumbers for picles, was 3 bucks, raspberries....3 bucks a quart, honey....two bucks a bear, zuccini....fifty cents a piece, and it goes on and on and on. Plus my kids love it! Don't even bother with the smalltown Farmers Markets like St. Louis Park and Hopkins, but instead go to the MPLS Market.
Remember that you have to want to cook your own meals and follow recipes. Always pick the simple recipes and get a veggie cookbook that gives you a list of tings to stock your pantry with.
I, a stay-at-home dad cook a full meal nearly everyday for my family and I loo forward to that time I have in the kitchen for my down time....I listen to music and talk radio and just hang out...I love it.
Thanks, I’m not sure I have what it takes in the cooking and driving departments, but maybe I can check out Whole Foods and the Farmer’s Market one of these days. Ted’s dad owns United Noodle, which is also in Minneapolis, and maybe I could get some rice there.
OK, I bought some Moon Rabbit sweet sticky rice and made it tonight, but it took a long time. I soaked the rice overnight last night, then put it in a sieve over a pot of boiling water under a cover. It took over an hour, maybe because I was making twice as much. I added bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil, onions, and tofu in olive oil. I should have left out the frozen peas and carrots. Added vinegar and garlic salt. Cleanup was time consuming—boiled out all the water at one point, and traces of rice stuck to the sieve. It was good, though, if I may say so myself. My total at United Noodle was $20, which included the veggies, 3 packs of konyaku and the 25-pound bag of rice. It might take me a while to work through the bag. That was a lot of work…
Tonight I boiled the rice. It was mushier but cooked in about 10 minutes.
My kids and wife love my stir fry, wich is really really americanized. I just buy two bags of stir fry mix or one bag stir fry mix and one bag broccoli cauliflower mix. I saute the veggies in a big skillet. In the meantime I boil the rice. When cooked, I lay the rice down on the plate and put the veggies on top, then pour some good quality Tamari soy sauce on to taste.
The family loves it, its cheap and quite healthy. The frozen stir fry with the soy beans at Whole Foods tastes the best....enjoy!
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