Oh my my my….where to start??
I’m honored that you are all flying to Colorado with spoons in hand ready to dip in the the jar of Cocao-Coco-Pnat Butter!! I will have it ready + waiting, along with a huge pot of Scottish oats, and maple cinnamon almond butter. I promise!
Speaking of oats + nut butters, I present you with breakfast.
Slightly different from photo 1. I couldn’t decide!
I could swim in this.
In today’s mix:
- 1/4c [rounded] Scottish Oats – I’m almost out…eeek!!
- 1 1/4c water
- 1/4c coconut kefir [makes them suuuper creamy]
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2t banana
Topped with:
- Raspberry Galaxy Granola
- maple cinnamon almond butter [~1/2T]
- cocoa-coco-pnat butter [~1-2t melted]
A reader made my day today!!! I received a package from a loyal reader, Bowyn. She has a blog called Teenage Health Freak. It’s impressive to me when teens are so proactive about eating healthy. Bowyn has obviously put in a lot of time + research to be the healthy foodie that she is and has even gotten her mom in on it too! I love her blog slogan, “Skinny by genes. Healthy by Choice.”
She sent me FRESH pecans from her pecan tree!!! I rarely use or talk about pecans but honestly they are one of my favorite nuts. SO buttery + delicious. They are perfect for desserts or eating by the handful. Bowyn sent these because of my latest obsession with making nut butters.
Thanks Bowyn!!!!
You can tell that these are extremely fresh. They are a bit softer and earthier tasting than pecans bought from the store. I have a feeling these are going to butterize really easily. Abby actually made pecan butter tonight aaand an amazing cookie using avocado instead of butter.
I loved this line on her blog…
Pecans + food processor = pecan butter. I will never buy nut butter again.
Really, if you own a food processor and eat a lot of nut butters there is NO reason to ever buy nut butter again 
Ahhh, what to do with these…
Off for a workout at the gym because it SNOWED yesterday and was way too cold + wet to bike outside.
Dakota says woof. 50mm self portraits are not easy!
I’ve been walking a LOT in my Vibrams. My feet feel 100% better but I haven’t tried to run in over 2 months, so hopefully they are really back to normal. I cannot wait for the barefoot running clinic in a few weeks!!
This is the happiest dog I have ever seen. Her tail never stops. She doesn’t understand anger. Ohhhhhhhh Kenna.
She’s almost 1.5 now…we can barely use the “puppy” excuse anymore.
I biked on the stationary bike at the gym which was snoooooooooze, boring. Oh my gosh. I haven’t biked for a few weeks at the gym now, but it was painfully boring. I even read the entire time, but time crept by. It’s amazing how time FLIES when swimming + when biking outside. Oh well, still a good workout. I had the resistance up higher from the last time I was there which was cool. Obviously the outdoor biking is really strengthening my legs!
I came home craving a smoothie, even though I was COLD from the walk. I have been thinking about Jessica’s Vanilla Lime Smoothie ever since she posted it.
Here is my go at it!!!
Ooops. It’s pink…not white with green. Well, I had no lime, which brought me to making just a plain vanilla smoothie. I luuurve plain vanilla! However, I couldn’t help but add 1/2 banana + ~10 frozen org. cherries.
Vanilla LimeLESS Cherry Smoothie
- 1/2c plain greek yogurt
- 1/2c milk of choice
- handful of ice
- ~10 cherries
- 1/4c Living Harvest Vanilla Spice hemp protein
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2 seeded vanilla bean
I spilled on my new favorite tea towel. Crap.
Can we talk about something?
Strawberries!!! Yes, let’s talk about this gorgeous + delicious fruit.
If you could only buy 1 organic food, I would probably tell you to make sure and get organic strawberries. Although, peppers come in a close 2nd. Yes, they are expensive at nearly $5/container. So why am I telling you to spend more money on food? Well that’s a loaded question…but when it comes to strawberries here are the reasons:
- “Strawberries are the single most pesticide-contaminated fruit or vegetable in the United States. Strawberries receive up to 500 pounds of pesticides per acre. 36 types of pesticides can be found on 90% of tested conventional strawberries.” [source]
- “And in Sacramento, a pesticide so cancer-causing that it’s often used specifically to create cancer in rats for medical experiments was just proposed for approval for use on the state’s strawberry crop.” [source]
There is an article from the site Sustainable Food titled, What You Don’t Know About Strawberries Might Kill You. This article is quick + to the point and explains it the best. Please please please read it. I try not to harp on my political food views too often, but this is just plain disturbing.
My Strawberry Rules:
- When shopping at the store: Buy organic strawberries + organic only.
- Do not buy non-organic, unless at a local/street market where you can talk to the actual farmers about how the strawberries are grown + maintained.
- Keep up on sales at your local health food stores.
- People think Whole Foods is ridiculously expensive, however, if you are a careful shopper I beg to differ I watch their bi-weekly sales for things I need to stock my pantry with and try to stick to the fresh veggies that are on sale during that time. They also have a GREAT bi-monthly flyer filled with tons of coupons that are actually useful and each time you go you can get more of them! I usually save at least $5 in coupons. You can also check for organic/natural food coupons at Natural Food List [the company I wrote a few articles for].
Okay…back to my point!
How do I afford organic strawberries?
- Instead of buying 1 container of strawberries each week, now I only buy them once every 2 weeks, or I wait until they go on sale [like right now at WF] and buy 2 containers.
- I try my hardest to not munch through a whole container in 1 sitting.
- I buy frozen strawberries for smoothies or chopping up and adding to plain Greek yogurt. You’ll get more bang for your buck with frozen strawberries but obviously fresh are sometimes irresistible.
Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits. Definitely in the top 3. These were deelicious. They had a nice crunch and were completely sweet and full of flavor.
I don’t even give non-organic a 2nd though. 2 for $5 non-organic –> fo’getaboutit!!!!
MUNCH!
Delicious afternoon snack.
- 2 GIgantic strawberries [plus another + another]
- organic grape tomaters
- organic carrots
Even with our tight budget right now, organic food is top on our list of things to spend our money on. I eat about 85-90% organic, if not more.
Thanks for listening
Recently I received a fabulous envelope of coupons from the wonderful people at GT’s Kombucha! I picked up 5 flavors I’ve never tried before.
I’ve been eyeing up the scary green kombucha but couldn’t spend $3 on it without knowing if it was worth it.
This one sounded awesome!!
I’m starting to like ginger more + more lately.
Purdy colors.
Here we go. Ready?
Ingredients: 100% raw organic kombucha + wild blue green algae + Hawaiin spirulina, chorella
Thoughts? The first sip tasted GREAT. And then the aftertaste set in. I still thought it was okay though. I went for the 2nd sip and almost spit up. This is the most fowl thing I have ever tasted in my life. So far I have loved every other flavor and you all know I LOVE earthy/grassy products. However, I am not a fan of things that taste like sea-life. OMG, it tasted like a cross between seaweed + a fish and even my vegan chocolate avocado cake couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth.
gag.me.with.a.spoon.
But! I know some people like seaweed veggies + such, so maybe this is the flavor for you?
Goooooodnight!!!
[buyorganicstrawberries.buyorganicstrawberries.buyorganicstrawberries.]
<3 Ashley <3
Are you following me on Twitter? Are you a facebook fan?
Thanks for listening? THANKS for sharing! I will never buy a non-organic strawb again : )
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Yeah! I’ve definitely heard that all berries, in general, are totally pesticide ridden. Have you always eaten almost all organic food/how did you first get into it? Unfortunately at school there are almost zero organic produce/fruit options..luckily I’m almost graduated! What would be your advice for people that don’t have those organic options at their grocery stores?? Sorry for all the Q’s today!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Nope, I started my healthy journey about 3.5 years ago and over that time have transformed my eating to almost all organic. I would say I’ve been eating 50% organic for at leat 2+ years and 90% organic for the last year. What a great question…I’ll answer that in a post! Don’t apologize!!
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I will avoid non-organic strawberries like the plague now
Kombucha – I’m seeing that stuff ALL OVER the blog world, but not in England yet; is there something particuarly special about it?
I can’t wait to see what you think of pecan butter
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Magical powers!! Hahah just kidding…there are a slew of health benefits that it claims to have. They’re not really proven but I definitely feel better after drinking them…they curb the appetite a bit, give me a great natural energy and super refreshing.
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I still choose local over organic at EarthFare and can’t talk to the farmer
But you do have a good argument! I wish pesticides looked like dirt. Then we’d all think more. In fact, that would make a cool project – to coat the dirty dozen with their respective residues in dirt or muck of some sort!
That green kombucha is my FAVORITE!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
I know what you mean about local over organic. Maybe you could do some research into the local farm you’re buying from? I cannot believe you like the Green Kombucha….it tastes like fish
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I don’t think I ever realized that pecans grew on trees. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever really thought about where nuts came from. Huh, that is incredible, her own pecan tree!
I am loving the taste/price of strawberries right now. Organic is definitely preferred but many times, my local store does not carry the organic berries. Shame!
Have a lovely day hun.
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
I know..weird to think nuts grow on trees!
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I agree organic strawberries are better than non! And your limeless smoothie looks tasty.
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Thanks for the inside scoop on the green Kombucha! I’ve been dying to try it, but after hearing your review… I think I’ll wait a little longer
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Yeah…not so sure about it
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Lime-less or not, that smoothie looks amazing!
I LOVE organic strawberries- nonorganic are NOT the same!!
xo
K
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
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Hooray!! I’m supperly excited to see that the pecans made it! Enjoy!
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Gorgeous photos of the strawberries! The organic variety available here in the northeast are still rather watery, and I’m counting down the weeks until it’s strawberry season.
Your pups are adorable as always – how dull life would be without canine companions!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
It’s so hard to wait for fruit season!!
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so wait, should we buy organic strawberries?
just kidding…i LOVE your pictures of them AND the great advice!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
You funny lady!
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I’ve NEVER had kombucha and they totally freak me out. Totally and completely.
I almost always buy organic strawberries, or like you, when i know the farm/farmer. The frozen organic ones from TJs are amazing
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
I miss TJ’s!!
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Oh gosh… So many good points in this post.
Firstly – Ahh! I thought I was the only one who used Gag Me With A Spoon!
LOL…
Secondly – OMG Scottish Oats. What kind do you use? I saw your picture and wanted to dive right in!
Thirdly – Thank you for posting that info on strawberries. I had no clue that these issues existed…
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
1 – haha, nope I saw it too!!
2 – Bob’s Red Mill! 3 – You’re so welcome!
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YAY for nut butter!!!!! Seriously. Once these jars of nut butter are gone. NO MORE!
And Kenna not only looks like Dexter, but I think they are dog-anality twins too! Dexter is only ever happy! It’s so cute.
I’ve been walking a lot in my Vibrams, too! I’m excited to start little runs in them, but I’m nervous at the same time!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I know, so easy! Yes they are look alikes. How big is dexter? Kenna is TALL and weights just under 70lbs. Eeek! Yaaaay Vibrams!
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I don’t feel so bad knowing I’m not the only one paying $5 / carton for organic strawberries at the coop! I remember two weeks ago I bought a carton of them and when I went to the normal grocery store to get some other things they had TONS of strawberries on sale – 2/$3 and I was like… wow, just wow.
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Yes, wow!
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Okay, I just gagged out loud reading your description of the Kombucha. Blech. I’m so glad I know that before I tried it. Thanks for the strawberry articles- I too have a REALLY tight budget but buy almost everything organic (unless it has a really thick skin I don’t eat pretty much). I think it’s doable if you cut back on meat, processed boxed items, and make stuff yourself!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Bahahaha
You are welcome and I love that you are in the same boat w/the tight budget but still buy as much organic as possible. It can be done!
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Strawberries are on sale at WF you say? I, too, only eat organic ones. And YAY for thinking WF is not too expensive! I think it would be cool to do a post on how to shop at WF w/o breaking your budget. I actually spent more at the regular grocery store (King Soopers) than WF and got almost all my produce at WF!
Beautiful pics, btw.
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
YES! $1 off…better than nothing! That is a good post idea…maybe you could do a guest post!
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Emily Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Hmm…maybe so!
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So many great things in this post! Because of you I made my own almond butter over the weekend! Although I didn’t roast the almonds beforehand (oops) so I need to make it again. It was a tad too sweet for my liking. And I completely agree with you on the organic strawberries. I received a pint of fresh strawberries in my produce delivery earlier this week. I did a comparison against store bought strawberries a few days ago and the difference is pretty amazing.
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Use the maple syrup + cinnamon and definitely roast them!!
Ooooh produce delivery..fun!
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Wow… I was just complaining about the price or organic strawberries at the store the other day and wondering why in the world does the store in my tiny little town carry organic strawberries that are 4 times the price of regular ones. Now I get it. Honestly, I’m glad I didn’t buy either. I’ll wait till local strawberries are ready. Thank you for sharing
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Thanks for sharing this little story
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I lovvee Gt’s Kombucha and the green is my FAVORITE! Second favorite is the guava. I think I like the green so much because there are so many good things in it, either way it is a required taste. The boy loves kombucha too but he hates the green haha
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Wow, you are hardcore! I love grassy earthy things but not things that taste like sea life
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Your photos look especially beautiful today!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Thank you, so very much!
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Pecans are hands down my favorite nut. I’ve only made pecan butter using my Magic Bullet. We have an 80 year old food processor SOMEWHERE in this house but after countless hours of searching I don’t think it’s in here.
I’ve tried Kombucha once. I made some funky faces. I need to give it another try one of these days.
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
LOL about the 80yr old processor. I HATED Kombucha at first…didn’t get it at all, but love them now!
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wow. You just made me want to go home and trash the strawberries I bought for 2 for $5!! I LOVE strawberries. I wish organic foods were the norm and not expensive. *tears*
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
As we start to buy them more and buy conventional less, the price will come down!
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sigh, ok. i shall not buy anymore non-organic strawberries.
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
hehehehe
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Lurve the public service announcement for Strawberries! Coventional are so cheap right now because of the over production, it is scary. PYO starts this weekend in my area and I am super excited for red berry fingers!
p.s. your pictures amaze me every day
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Thank you SO much. And yes, it is scary.
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Your food looks super delish – as always!
I try to buy local and/or organic as often as possible. And I’ve been working on my own garden (including a strawberry patch!!!) so I have even more control over what I eat.
I have the green Kombucha sitting in my fridge right now. I MIGHT be a little scared to drink it now. LOL
Love this post!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
That’s awesome girl! Next year we’re definitely doing a garden…although probably no strawberries. They don’t grow too well here! haha Oooooh let me know what you think of the GREEN!! scary!
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Haha – I love how you couldn’t decide between the first 2 pics – I do that all the time, even though other people may not even see the difference
As for the strawberries, even just based on taste alone organic strawberries are the only way to go!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
You are not alone girl
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I only like the plain original kombucha…all the flavored ones are too sweet! Thanks for all the awesome information on strawberries too!!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Wow, I’m pretty sensitive to sweetness but looove Kombucha..you must be really sensitive! They are still super low in sugar though, which I like. Not sure if I’ve ever had the original?
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thank you for that article, girl!
i love how manufacturers are like “hey. this KILLS stuff! let’s add it to our food!”
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Yeah….mmmmm
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Thanks for the news on strawberries – very good information to know!
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Strawberries are seriously the most photogenic of fruits.
I was wondering, do you think the Vibram 5 Fingers are worth the money involved? I’ve been curious about buying some for a while now, but I’m afraid I might mess up my feet since I am a pretty severe pronator (curse you, knock knees!). What benefits have you noticed since starting to wear them? Just curious.
They seem like so much fun!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Yessss, I think they are worth the money. Check out my Vibram page http://edibleperspective.com/?page_id=6199a>. I wrote 2 posts on my thoughts with them. I am not a severe pronator but definitely pronate. In my experience these shoes have helped tremendously, even though I did slightly injure my foot a few months ago. You definitely have to take it slow. I pushed a little too hard too fast and strained muscles in the top of my foot. However, benefits I noticed while running: no knee pain, shin splints vanished, faster, easier to breathe, legs feel weightless, easier to run. It’s honestly a HUGE difference. I can definitely pass on more information if you would like. Let me know!
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I TOTALLY agree with you about Whole Foods! It is not super expensive if you buy what is on sale and look out for coupons.
And, I 100% agree about strawberries!!!!!!!!!!
And, I am totally making that chocolate coconut peanut butter tonight. I made a huge jar of your maple cinnamon AB and could not get enough…I have been hesitant to make more because i could swim in it!
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Ashley Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Ahhh yes, totally doable to shop there on a budget! DEFinitely let me know what you think! It was my first go at it…I want to try a few other variations but I thought this was really good. It’s definitely pretty sweet so you just need a little! Seriously, I could swim in the AB too!
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Glad you linked to the strawberry article. So disturbing!
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oooh those strawberries are WONDERFUL! they are no longer in season here
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your pics are insane. I absolutely LOVE your blog!! seriously one of my favorites!
those oats…i think i would be happy swimming in them EVERYDAY as well!! i need to try scottish style, huh?
i totally agree with you about whole foods being expensive, or so they say, but if you pay attention to what is on sale and are a smart shopper then it relly is just like any other store! i think people THINK its expensive beceause they ALWAYS walk out with much more than they came in for! (or at least in my case thats what happens!)
love kombucha! cosmic cranberry is one of my favorites!
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Hey Ash…
RE: Keena and the “puppy” stage, hang on a few more months, the larger the breed / dog…the longer the puppy stage. My first dog “Baily”, a purebread chocolate lab, outgrew puppy stage @ about the 2 year mark..Yours are both precious & happy belated mothers day to you ~ you are a mommy to your doggies!
Happy to hear your comments@ Whole Foods!! I can not agree more, one just needs to be vigilant on the coupons / in store specias / etc… I also check out my local stores Facebook page for weekly & daily specials, etc. and the cost goes way down. Tonight being a perfect example Rotiserie, air chilled, organic whole chicken $5.99 (vs. $8.99 reg. price)
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such BEAUTIFUL photos!
those strawberries look outrageous,
they make me warm and summery inside.
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Never buying a non-organic strawberry, ever, again! Nope! Thank you for the heads up, maybe that’s why conventional strawberries sometimes taste so bad, too?? Or is that just me?
I love GT’s Kombucha…multigreen and guava are my favorites. I think the multigreen has a beer like taste, almost savory. Haha, I’m surprised you didn’t like it!
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PS I clicked your link from Twitter, and ended up here! Jennifer: 1 Technology: ZERO!
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I buy strawberries every week, but after reading this post I will never buy non-organic again! Organic were on sale at my grocery today for $3.60–not bad!
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Ashley Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Great price!
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I hope organic strawberries are on sale at my WF too! I recently bought some organic strawberries from a local farmer and may or may not have moaned everytime I ate one. SO SO good!!!
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Ashley Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
yes, strawberries = moan
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[...] Strawberries (see this great post) [...]
I only eat home grown strawberries. They are so easy to grow and after the caterpillars and bugs eat their share there are always plenty left for me.
http://jibberings-and-scribbles.blogspot.com/2009/12/garden-fresh.html
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Do you freeze your strawberries yourself? I’ve searched and never been able to find organic frozen strawberries in my grocery stores and markets. Packaged frozen would just have the same pesticides would they not?
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Ashley Reply:
May 24th, 2010 at 11:14 am
I get frozen organic at Whole Foods…I know Trader Joes has them too..not sure where you live but check your local health food store!
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