Pick of the week...

Since we've had our own little food revolution, I am going to try to pick out one new find every week.  I have to say that buying food is kinda fun now, since there are so many new options and treasures that you can't find at regular grocery stores.

This week's pick is Amy's Pizza.  While I still prefer making my own pizza as opposed to buying frozen, I have to say that these pizza's are fantastic!  It's great how even after cooked from frozen,  the vegetables and other toppings taste fresh.  They are a good dinner for two, though I would suggest a salad or some other side, so that the meal is satisfying and you are not hungry right after.  So far we have tried the Mushroom and Olive, and the Pesto pizzas and both were great.  The price is in the $8 - $9 range.  Also, unlike most of the food you buy elsewhere, it does actually look like the picture on the box when ready, which is a nice change.

I scream....

So, we are about 3 weeks into our transition from regular grocery store eating to all natural, no preservative, organic eating. I have to be honest that when we decided to try it, I thought it would be very difficult, very expensive, and would ultimately be short lived. I was wrong. First, the food is maybe 10% more expensive than regular grocery store food, but since we’ve been figuring out before hand what we need for our meals, and not buying piles of extra snacks, our weekly shopping bill has been less. We’ve pretty much stuck to shopping at Whole Foods, and we may never switch back to regular grocery stores. They have everything you could want, and you can trust it. Lastly, and most importantly, the taste is amazing. Most of the fruits and vegetables are local and bursting with flavor. The meats are cooked in house, and are fresh. Everything just tastes better – more flavor and better flavor.

This week, I wanted to get some ice cream. I usually get Breyer’s but they didn’t have any good flavors, so I tried a new brand that I had never seen before: Alden Farms. This is THE BEST ice cream I have ever tasted. I tried Chocolate-Chocolate-Chip. I usually don’t like chocolate ice cream because it always tastes too artificial to me. This ice cream is creamy, and the chocolate chips are flakey and melt right in your mouth. If you haven’t ever tried it, look for it. If you can’t find it, ask your grocer to get it!   I can't wait to try their other flavors.  Here in California, it is $5.99 for a 1.5 pint size, which is a little bit more than the standard, but well worth it. Check out their website.

Food Inc.: A Review

So, we watched Food Inc. the other night. Going in, I had a feeling that it would somewhat change my view of how and what I eat, but I was not prepared for the frustrating and reprehensible situation that we have let ourselves get into in this country. The reason I don't blame the corporations depicted in this documentary (ok, maybe you can blame them a little) is because they are giving us exactly what we want. We've never asked how they make it. We've never even asked what they put in it. All we've asked is that they make more of it than we could ever need, and make it as cheap as possible. And they have delivered in more creative ways than we ever could have imagined.


It is encouraging to see that the knowledge is starting to spread, and that people are starting to realize quality in the food they eat is infinitely more important than the car they drive, the clothes they wear, etc, etc. This country is in the midst of a healthcare war, and the only way it is ever going to be settled is for us, the consumers, to demand better quality in the food we eat. Almost 1 in 12 Americans have been diagnosed with Diabetes, and in 2007 the cost to the US healthcare system for this growing epidemic was $218 billion. That's roughly $700 per year per US citizen. That's not including the costs for heart disease, cancer, and numerous other diseases that can be directly linked to what we choose to put in our bodies.


In my house, we have decided to make food a priority. We've decided that it is necessary to pay more money for, and more attention to, the food choices we make and where that food comes from. Fortunately here in California, we have some good healthy food options as well as a lot of local growers and food suppliers. We shopped at Whole Foods this week, and found that our weekly groceries were not significantly more than the regular chain grocery stores. Not only that, but the taste was amazing…both with the meats, and with the fruits and vegetables.


I really believe that by actually caring about what we eat, and making healthy choices, we can reverse some of the alarming trends we are seeing today... but we really need to make it a priority. I highly recommend to everyone to see Food Inc. You owe it to yourself and to your children to at least have this information, so that you can make informed choices. If enough people demand better quality, the corporations will provide it. Continued apathy will only make the problems worse.