This month's challenge has not gone well. Limiting our produce selection was not actually as fruitful (pun intended) as I might have thought. It wasn't really a learning experience, I already know how food shipment and storage creates the illusion of availability year-round.
It's actually driven us to eating out and buying significantly more packaged food than usual. In fact, I actually gained a little over a pound this month. That's not exactly conducive to my goals.
So, I've decided to cut it short by a whole four days. I'm going grocery shopping today. Here's my list:
In the late summer months, I look forward to taking full advantage of the season's offerings. We don't buy things like plums, nectarines and peaches out of season at all. So, they are the special treat that seasonal fruit should be.
I'm making salad rolls to bring to Rob's tomorrow either tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned.
Great list. Mmm, reminds me that I need to buy peanut butter.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, on the one hand I want to buy local, but on the other I want to get enough veggies and fruits into my diet. Dominic and I were on the brink of scurvy because of my guilt from buying fruit from Mexico and Peru. Exaggeration? Obviously, but man is it nice to have lemons in my hot water in the morning. So soothing.
It's hard to eat local. And, maybe not that good an idea in the winter, anyway, since it really limits the fresh stuff in the northern latitudes.
ReplyDeleteRe your list, I was surprised to learn recently that mushrooms actually have quite a bit of protein. Too bad they're usually so expensive.
Also, I'm still convinced that sugar is the great satan, so I note that it's often hard to find peanut butter and apple sauce without added sugar. You can of course make your own with the right tools.
On the fruit front, there are still very good clementine mandarins of the "cuties" brand around here (norcal), and presumably up there. Not sure what is going on with the navels at the moment.
BTW, we've totally given up on pears. They always rot before they ripen because they are picked too green. There was a tree down the street I used to pick them off, but the idiot who bought that house destroyed the tree.
Great list and very healthy. You will be able to make your own peanut butter as soon as I get the "Ninja" to you. I to believe sugar to be the evil one, but I have no problem finding peanut butter without it, in fact Bruce complains that it does not taste "right", he apparently was used to the sweetened kind. But he will get used to it. I am sure there are some applesauce out there with out the sugar added as well. You guys are so lucky with the variety of stores in your area. I love Pacific market. Happy shopping!
ReplyDeleteHey, I think peanut butter tastes BETTER with more sugar! But that's just the Devil at work. For that matter, tahini is wonderful with sugar -- halvah.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I recommend Mott's unsweetened apple sauce. But, there are probably local brands up there given all the apple growing going on.
Hmm, as for produce from Mexico, I have a revulsion to that. I definitely avoid any where you don't cook it and eat any outside part (like say green onions, lettuce, spinach, peaches). I don't trust their sanitation one bit. Nor the pesticides they use. Unfortunately, it's often hard to get broccoli other than from Mexico, but at least it gets good and cooked.
I buy the unsweetened Tree Top. The organic one is almost always on sale, so that's nice. Also, we're all about Adam's peanut butter. No sugar there.
ReplyDeleteThis season in this region is a tough one. We had roasted sweet potatoes with our onigiri for dinner tonight and it was fabulous.