If you recall from my menu plan this week, we were pretty low on our supply of fruits and vegetables. Yesterday, Malachi and I had appointments in Lincoln. Therefore, we made our way to two fun stores that we don’t get to go to very often: Natural Grocers and Traders Joes.
Fact: I am so in love with food, it’s not even funny. (Don’t worry, Matt. I still love you most.) Grocery shopping makes me very happy. Spreading my purchases out and gazing at all the food once I get home offers me long moments of joy. (Don’t worry, kids. I do truly love your handsome faces more than I love staring at zucchini.)
I mean, we all knew this about me already, right? But really. Who else gets so excited when putting food into a grocery cart? How many people are energized just by looking at a package of mushrooms and a big bag of broccoli? What 39 year old lady jumps up and down in the produce department when she finds a four-pound carton of strawberries (while sending her 8 year old back to the other shelf to put away the measly 2-pound carton)? Why get 2 pounds when you can get 4 pounds!!?! After all, at my house, they’ll be gone in two days.
Confession: I didn’t really jump up and down…very high. Although I may have shrieked a little bit (and startled a baby in a cart by the kiwi).
Here’s what I was able to get:
Clementines (5 pounds), strawberries (4 pounds), pears (4 pounds), gold potatoes (4 pounds), sweet potatoes (6 pounds), cherry tomatoes (1 pound), kiwi (2 pounds), sweet peppers (3-pack), apples (3 pounds), avocados (4-pack), broccoli (three bunches), green leaf lettuce (2 heads), baby carrots (2 pounds), mushrooms (1 pound)…and three small zucchini
I just geeked out and did the math on that. I couldn’t resist. That’s around 35 pounds of fruits and vegetables. You know you were tempted to add it up too. Yeah, and some of you are looking at it right now, double-checking my math. Don’t think I can’t see you.
When I got home, after the boys unloaded the van and grocery bags, and exclaimed loudly over what I had brought home – I decided that “who cares what was originally on the menu plan for tonight – we are soooo having Stir-Fry.”
I cooked up some rice, then filled a cast iron skillet with carrots, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, and pineapple – along with olive oil, garlic, and sea salt. I would have thrown in some of the sweet peppers, but I was hoarding them for another meal. :)
Fess up: Does food make you yawn, or do you love food like I do? (My heart-felt apologies, once again, for startling the baby in the cart by the kiwi.)
I totally get excited about shopping at Trader Joe’s or any really good grocery store that offers the food I want to buy at prices I can afford. Unfortunately, we are 4 hours away from the nearest TJ’s which means when I get to go, I stock up!!! I plan our vacations around it. In June my husband’s college graduation is in Kansas City and I am planning my TJ’s trip already. :) Enjoy your produce!
oh I feel such freedom in reading your post. I have been a closet jumper for a few years now. As with so many things, I thought I was the only one. When I lovingly unpack the groceries that the kiddos bring in and find myself caressing the fresh fruit, I thought I was alone (you do caress the fresh fruit right?? If not, just know that Tammy Maddox is an alias my real name is Jane Dough (gluten free of course)) Im actually counting down the days to my monthly Trader Joe run. Thanks for giving me permission to hop out of the closet.
Your meal looks wonderful. I suppose I probably get excited about food in my cart. I think I get more excited about finding organic produce when I know the alternative isn’t so good for us. I was thrilled the other day to find organic strawberries.
I’m right there with you, Laura! My family and friends can’t believe I drive 45 minutes to grocery shop at the nearest Trader Joes. But, all that delicious (and pretty cheap…for organic) produce, and other items with no yucky preservatives… I get giddy every time I go! :)
So I don’t do “fungus” :D, but if I found 8# of organic strawberries here I’d probably shriek too b/c they are about as rare as a pink Whale here in the (awesome) boonies.
I’m researching CSAs for next year and I have a bunch of farms to choose from to buy piece meal F&Vs, which is wonderful :)
I am the same way about food shopping. I don’t enjoy shopping in general, but food shopping I love. When I travel the I don’t like to souvenir shop I food shop because I like checking out new markets.
We live a long ways from any natural food stores so the highlight of my food-getting week is our local farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. When I can get a bunch of kale the size of my torso for $1, THAT makes me excited. And boy do we enjoy eating it. Thanks for the fun post, I’ll be sharing it with my readers.
You just make me laugh when I read your posts. Thank you!
Laura,
There has to be more of us out there- I too thought I was the only one who got excited over food. I don’t shop, get my nails done, collect trinkets, have any real monetary habits my husband says, but for the exception of grocery shopping. Over the years he has said that if any extra money comes in he knows right where it is going to go – groceries! Too funny! My oldest daughter is now 22 with a family and she said that the one thing that makes her feel really RICH is when she returns home from the Farmers Market with God’s beautiful bounty and she has it laid out on her counters to see! BTW, just want to say “Praise God” for the blessings of fresh food that He gives to us – we are fortunate and blessed to be able to have it!
My FAVORITE thing to do is shop at a natural grocery store. I do dance a little jig the whole way through! :-)
Absolutely! And I sort by category: vegetables (the biggest pile), fruits, dairy, etc. Then I ask my family to come and look at it. My husband digs seeing my grocery success but my teen daughter is unimpressed. I guess she’s seen the big bags of green produce one too many times.
Your stir-fry looks lovely. It’s making me hungry. Question. Did you add any meat or other protein to it? I find that if I don’t, everyone is hungry about an hour after the meal is done. Just curious.
I love TJs, but It’s a long drive. I did find a great source of local organic veggies that delivers to a weekly pick-up point about 15 minutes for me. It’s great because I can pick which veggies & fruits I want, and choose my bag size each week.
I didn’t add any meat directly to the stir fry, but I had some Crunchy Ranch Chicken made and in the freezer, so I was able to quickly throw that into the oven while I made the stir fry. Those two dishes together are the BEST combination. (Crunchy Reanch Chicken recipe is in both my What to Do With the Chicken in Your Kitchen eBOok and my new book, Oh For Real)
You are so funny!!!
I would love to go shopping with you!! I too have been known to scare people when I get excited about a deal or find. It would be nice if the person I was shopping with didn’t look at me with the same horrified look that the strangers give me! ;-) I love produce, and we have been able to find a local farm where every two weeks we get 30 lbs. of whatever has come out of the ground that week. We absolutely love it!! That means soon here in Texas will be tomato season!! Eeeeeeek!!
Well, I love food, but I’m afraid grocery shopping is my least favorite thing to do. I cringe putting groceries in my cart because it always costs so much! I try to get the cheapest/healthiest balance I can, but it seems like often I end up wishing I could afford more. Don’t get me wrong…we don’t go hungry! But grocery shopping is definitely more stressful than fun for me! :(
Laura, your pictures are soo delicious! I’ll share a recipe with you that I really like. I noticed you like garlic.
~~Filet Fish~~
Mix flour and garlic powder or garlic salt together.
Dip filet fish in mixture.
Fry in olive oil until browned on each side.
(I can’t make enough for my family 8-) )
(Whoops on the oil, use butter….I am waaay past my bedtime.)
Love, love, love Trader Joe’s, I can’t really find any better deals for organic!