Food basket

Isn’t it a food basket that the economists measure to determine if we have inflation? I think that’s the term. I’ve been pondering food lately.

This weekend I went to Aldi’s, Giant Eagle, and Heinens to buy food for the house. If you don’t know, Aldi’s is a German-owned discount grocery chain, Giant Eagle is a Pittsburgh-based grocery store chain, and Heinen’s is a high-end small local grocery store chain in the Cleveland area.

Aldi’s has lots of canned goods and some produce that I bought. Then I trotted off to Giant Eagle.

Giant Eagle has just about everything that I didn’t get at Aldi’s but didn’t have coconut creamer or Good bars (problem with a Pittsburgh-based store in Ohio: doesn’t sell Ohio based snack bars) so I had to go to Heinen’s.

Heinen’s has beautiful produce and I always end up buying some vegetable or fruit there. I also bought the coconut creamer for my coffee and the Good bars, which my friend Karen got me hooked on.

Here’s the thing. I don’t shop much anymore in grocery stores and when I do, I tend to buy produce, dog food, beer and wine, and household items like detergent. There’s very little in the stores that I eat.

When did eating become so difficult? I want to buy meat but I want the grass-fed kind. Aldi’s has some but I looked at it and it comes from three different countries and then is combined in the US. That creeped me out so I passed on that. Then I looked at Giant Eagle’s meat. The chicken lists all of the things not used (antibiotics and cages mainly) but it says the chickens were on a vegetarian diet. Well, chickens aren’t vegetarians so I stood there debating what to do. Finally I reluctantly picked out a package.

At Heinen’s, I always wait until some meat is on sale before I buy anything but I checked the bison and the grass fed beef just to be safe. No sale this week.

I buy my eggs at the Trapp Family Farm and I often buy meat at Brunty’s Farm and I buy produce at the Hudson Farmer’s Market during the summer. Winter time, I’m back to the grocery store.

I felt very out of place in Giant Eagle because I eat so little of what’s there. There is a new Giant Eagle in a neighboring town that is going after the Whole Foods market. I like shopping there because they have really good seafood.

I’m not sure what my point is but since I only have to shop for me, I can have these quirky eating habits. If I had to cook for someone else, I bet I’d revert to a more traditional shopping and eating pattern. In case you’re wondering, I’ve quit eating most prepared foods, most grain-based foods (like bread), food with added sugar, and most dairy products. They occasionally make their way into my food basket but not often.

 

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No food in the house!

At some point I decided I had to start eating in a more healthy fashion. I also began to go to the Trim Life program at the Cleveland Clinic. So, I’m supposed to be eating an anti-inflammatory diet. That means lots of vegetables, some fruit, nuts, beans, and some fish. I’m actually doing pretty well with this but as soon as someone comes to my house, I realize I have very little normal food for them. I have to go to the grocery store and buy some things.

When my son came home from college for Christmas break, I had to go out and buy some food for him. He can eat what I eat but since he was home all day while I was at work, he needed more food. And since he’s still a teen, he requires some junk food.

blackberries

 

The Kale Pays Off!

Kale Leaves

Kale Leaves

I know I was posting earlier about this excessive exercising and healthy eating I was doing and suggesting that there was something wrong with that. Well, I had my lipid profile done recently and received the results this week. Hooray! All of my numbers were excellent and much better than they were this time last year. I’m actually happy to be taking care of myself.

Based on this, I will continue with my healthy diet and exercise routine. This was a good motivator.

I still say the Swiss Chard was much better when I cooked it in wine and put parmesan cheese all over it.