For most people going to the grocery store is a weekly event. It's the same for me, but my path is very different from most individuals. I avoid the majority of the aisles in the grocery store and make my choices very carefully. Like most people I use to roam the grocery aimlessly going up and down all of the aisles with my list, but adding anything that looked tasty to the cart. The cookie aisle and the bakery was my nemesis. I couldn't pass up the Oreos or the cupcakes. Now I avoid those aisles all together, along with the pasta aisle. The majority of my time is spent at the produce, the meat case, and the frozen fruits and veggies section, with an occasional trip to pick-up some almonds.
The difference in the grocery bill now is not much, however, the amount of food I bring home is a lot less than before paleo. This makes me think of why our country is so overweight. To eat crappy processed carbs instead of good carbs and meats is cheaper and simpler. These items are always staring you in the face at the store while you have to seek out the healthy alternatives. For example, I like to make paleo cookies when I want something sweet and to do so I have to have almond flour. To find almond flour at my Kroger you have to know where to go. You have to go to the health food section and look carefully for it and then you'll find it for $9.99 per bag (not cheap). Some ingredients I have been unable to find locally that paleo recipes sometimes call for include arrowroot powder and coconut oil. I really wish that my area had a health foods grocer that carried healthy alternatives to common ingredients and had a wide selection of fruits and veggies. While I dream of such a place I'll just continue to look for and buy these products on the internet. Stay healthy everyone.
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c almond flour/almond meal
1/4 c chocolate chips
1/4 c honey or agave (you can use sugar if you like, I prefer agave)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all of the dry ingredients in the bowl then add all other ingredients and mix well. Use a tsp to scoop out small balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes. The cookies will not look done but will feel hard to the touch when they are finished baking. Let them cool and enjoy:)
Oh Whitney!!! I totally agree on the whole overweight thing. It is so much cheaper to buy things that are already made for you, but not healthier! We have NO health food stores near our house either! And no nature walks or anything. I am, needless to say, counting down the days until I can move somewhere that has those things! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteWhitney, Drug Emporium has a healthy foods market, where it (may?) be cheaper - out by the mall. Gina (cant do my name below!)
ReplyDelete@Kristen: I know exactly how you feel about the stores. I would have thought you would have more options living near the base and all.
ReplyDelete@Gina: The healthy life market is inside drug emporium by the mall, but it doesn't carry fresh ingredients. I would love to have a store that carried a wide variety of produce and grass fed meets, along with all the other stuff.
My dream:)