Pick of the week -- Alexia French Fries

No pick last week... We bought tons of food for our son's first birthday extravaganza and had enough left over to skip grocery shopping.  Now we're back at it with this week's pick:  Alexia French Fries.

Here is a fantasic option if you want to eat healthier, but don't want to give up the fries.  Alexia makes a wide variety of organic appetizers, breads and potato products.  These fries taste incredible.  The olive oil lets them keep all of the flavor without being greasy.  They cook up nice and golden brown with a hot soft center.  I prefer to leave them in a little longer because they will get crispy without burning (just keep an eye on them).  They taste fresh, as opposed to other frozen french fries and the sea salt is a nice touch.  They sell a wide variety of french fries including sweet potato fries and a new Spicy Chipolte Sweet Potato flavor.  They sell for around $3.99 and are available at many large retail chains (we have seen them at Whole Foods, Costco and Target).   See nutritional information here.

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.