I apologize for not blogging for two weeks. I have an exam tomorrow and my grandpa had a heart attack and is in the hospital in critical condition. He is slowly, but steadily, improving and it would be rad if you guys could all keep him in your hearts, if only for a minute.
As far as food… so much to catch up on! First off:
Grocery shopping! These are last week’s groceries, that’s how behind I am. I bought beans, asparagus, bell peppers, onions, bananas, hummus, avocadoes, cumin, ezekial bread, kale, broccoli, half a baby coconut, a larabar, a vegan cookie, vegan coconut ice cream, and a raw vegan white chocolate bar! I used up pretty much all my fresh stuff today so there will be another grocery trip tomorrow.
That huge case of strawberries in the middle? $7.99. Awwwwwesome! I’ll put them in my freezer and use them for smoothies.
Strawberries!!
Other than buying super discounted items in bulk, here are the ways I save money on groceries:
1. Shop locally. I shop at a local grocer called Ward’s where everything is cheaper than the grocery chains here and they have 3 times more organic selection. If you don’t have a local grocer check out co-ops and farmer’s markets. Research and contact local farmers and ask them if you can buy straight from the source.
2. Second guess EVERY purchase. If I don’t do this I often go home with lots of things that I don’t use or have trouble finding ways to use because I love spontaneous purchases and buying things like freshly ground raw cashew butter (yes, Ward’s has this, how cool is that??) that I won’t use enough of.
3. Know how much you eat. I am a college student so I eat out a few times a week for convenience. This is slightly more expensive but it saves time I need to study. Occasionally I’ll buy too much at the grocery store or eat out too much and waste food I have at home. Knowing how much you eat in general, and how much you eat out, will help you save yourself from wasteful spending.
4. Only buy on sale. I’ve gone into the grocery store and decided I would only buy what was on sale. Of course, this limits me to non-organic produce, but it saved money. At the end of my trip, there would be a few things I still didn’t have that I needed and I would go back for those things, even though they weren’t on sale. This is my quick and dirty way of by-passing all of the things I don’t absolutely need.
Things that I needlessly spend on are dessert items. But dessert is a definite need for me! đŸ˜‰
Every once in a while I buy different flavors of this brand of ice cream. I’ve tried chocolate, pineapple, peanut butter chocolate, and turtle trails. I’ve liked all of them but the pineapple because it still had the strands from the actual pineapple and I’m a huge texture freak. In the turtle trails, there are delicious chocolate covered pecans that becomes a bit like uncovering buried treasure while you’re eating it. =)
These are probably my favorite brand of cookies, EVER. They are so soft and delicious. I’ve tried pumpkin pie, mac the chip, chocolate chip, double fudge, espresso chip, and oatmeal. I didn’t dig the oatmeal so much, even though SAD oatmeal cookies were some of my favs. Double fudge was AMAZING but I bought that on a trip to the local rock climbing gym and Ward’s doesn’t carry that flavor. =( My second fav is mac the chip, as shown above.
I have been searching for a white chocolate vegan bar for quite a while and to find one that’s raw?? I gasped the kind of gasp that you don’t gasp unless something bad is about to happen, out loud in the middle of the busy grocery store, haha. The front of the wrapper says rich in Vitamin C, rich in macronutrients, rich in antioxidants, NO refined sugar, NO dairy, NO gluten, NO soy. It was made primarily from coconut, and I do not recall if there were nuts in it or not. It was delicious, although not near the flavor of SAD white chocolate. It was very smooth with a caramel hint underneath.
Speaking of dessert, I occasioned a vegan ice cream/coffee shop that’s 2 blocks from my apartment quite a bit this week. I did not capture any pictures of the ice cream because I was too busy devouring it. Next time though, I will grab a quick pic.
My bes' fraind Sabrina at Karma Cream studying with me
Other eats this week:
Chipotle Imitation Bowl
Tofu Teriyaki at a sushi restaurant downtown
Pita bread and Hummus
This pita and hummus was from a local salad place called Designer Greens where I also had a huge salad… no picture of the huge salad because I ate it before it occurred to me to take a picture, haha. … I need to remember to do that more often….
Navy bean and potato soup
This was some of the best vegan comfort food I’ve ever had, thanks to my boyfraind’s mom. They mashed up navy beans and mixed with water, salt, and herbs for the thick stew-like broth and just threw in potatos and more navy beans. I will never ever give up beans, no matter how raw I get. They are just too damn good.
Green smoothie
This was the green smoothie I had this morning with one frozen banana, a handful of strawberries, coconut water, maca, kale, and 4 tablespoons of the coconut pineapple ice cream I don’t enjoy on its own. The ice cream actually made the smoothie. I found a use for it!
Count on a blog post within the next few days.
Who would be interest in a post on all the great places to get vegan food in Gainesville, Florida? Anyone?
What’s your favorite vegan comfort food?
How do you save money on groceries?
Rip It Raw 