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Groceries I Order From Azure Standard

February 12, 2020 by Laura Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Curious about what groceries I regularly order from Azure Standard? Today I’ll share what’s often on my list!

Real Food Groceries I Buy From Azure Standard

First, let’s review.

Here’s a post to share what Azure Standard is and why I shop with them regularly. (Spoiler: They’re a food co-op that delivers even to small towns all over the U.S. Their prices on whole foods are fantastic!! More details here.)

Real Food Groceries I Buy from Azure Standard

  • 5-Pound Bags of Frozen Organic Peas, Green Beans, and Corn

We usually go through two bags each of frozen green beans and peas each month and one bag of corn. These are fabulous to have on hand!

  • 5-Pound Bag of Dry Roast, Unsalted Peanuts

I buy one of these each month to make several jars of Creamy Peanut Butter for my family.

  • 10-Inch Tortillas

Yes, I used to make them. But during this season in our lives, I am so grateful to have ready-made tortillas in our freezer! I buy them by the case and use them for Meat and Cheese Burritos, Breakfast Burritos, and Quesadillas. My favorite brand if tortillas from Azure is Stacey’s.

  • Hard and Soft White Wheat

I grind our wheat fresh in my Nutrimill, so I like to buy 25 pounds of hard white wheat and soft white wheat every month or two from Azure so I can always make whole wheat flour as needed. Read more about grinding wheat and which flour works best in various recipes here.

  • Oats

It’s so nice to buy a 25-pound bag of rolled oats to have for Homemade Instant Oatmeal, Breakfast Bars, Granola, and Cookies! I keep the oats in our extra freezers to pull out as needed. (Here’s a list of other great food I make with oats!)

  • Brown Rice

Just like oats and wheat, I like to buy 25-pound sacks of rice (if I still have room in my freezer!).

  • Active Dry Yeast

It’s awesome to buy a 5-pound bag of yeast to keep in the freezer and use it for baking as needed!

  • Fresh Produce

Some of their organic fresh produce is too pricey for my budget. But I find that most of the time their yellow potatoes, varieties of apples, peaches, and pears are usually super reasonably priced! And depending on the season, other produce options are a great price too!

  • Sale Items

Azure runs monthly discounts so I always scroll through them to see what is marked down 20% or or more and take advantage if I feel it will benefit my family!

I used to always buy butter and cheese from Azure Standard also, but the prices on those have gone up so now I just get those at a regular grocery store.

How Azure Standard works:

  1. Become a member. (It is completely free.)
  2. Join a local drop point (or start one).
  3. Order online each month according to your needs. (There is no obligation to order if you don’t need or want anything. Just shop any or all months of the year as needed.)
  4. The drop coordinator for your group will be informed of the truck delivery time each month. He/she will send information to let you know when/where to meet.
  5. Meet at the designated pick-up time and location to help unload the truck and take home your order! This unloading and sorting process usually only takes 15 minutes.

Are you a regular Azure Standard customer? What do you like to buy?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Why I Shop Azure Standard

January 5, 2020 by Laura Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about why I shop from Azure Standard. Maybe you were wondering if I still did? What is Azure Standard anyway?

Azure Standard is a food co-op that has been one of our main food sources for years! They are based in Oregon, but ship to hundreds of drop points all over the U.S. every month.

If you aren’t already a member of Azure Standard, I highly recommend giving it a try if a drop point is available in your area. (If there isn’t one currently, you can look into starting one. That’s what I did many years ago, and now they deliver right to our town!)

See, I don’t live near to a Whole Foods or any of the fun natural food markets. Nor do I live close to Costco or Aldi. But even if I did:

I would still shop Azure Standard.

Azure Standard prices are much, much lower than most grocery store prices. Yet they still carry almost everything a natural food store would carry. I love it and consider myself very blessed to have Azure deliver directly to our town once each month!

In addition:

  • Azure has great customer service.
  • Their truck drivers are always super nice and helpful.
  • Any time I call Azure for any reason, they work out my issues (which are rare and infrequent) without problem.
  • They carry a huge variety of groceries from fresh to frozen to boxed to canned.
  • The quality of their food is top notch!

How Azure Standard works:

  1. Become a member. (It is completely free.)
  2. Join a local drop point (or start one).
  3. Order online each month according to your needs. (There is no obligation to order if you don’t need or want anything. Just shop any or all months of the year as needed.)
  4. The drop coordinator for your group will be informed of the truck delivery time each month. He/she will send information to let you know when/where to meet.
  5. Meet at the designated pick-up time and location to help unload the truck and take home your order! This unloading and sorting process usually only takes 15 minutes. Easy peasy!

I’m working on a new post to share what items I frequently buy from Azure Standard. Be watching for that in the next few weeks!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Is it Worth the Money to Buy a Nutrimill?

August 15, 2019 by Laura 1 Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I’ve had my Nutrimill for 14 years now. Have I used it much during those 14 years? Saved any dough (ha, see what I did there)? Have I found that it is worth the money to buy a Nutrimill?

Is it Worth the Money to Buy a Nutrimill?

Nutrimills cost around $249 $219 right now. That’s the cost of around 73 loaves of high quality 100% Whole Grain Bread from the store. So is it worth the money to buy a Nutrimill so we can make our bread instead of buying it?

Well, considering that our family can go through at least all 73 of those loaves of bread in just a few months, I’d say yes. Especially when I consider these reasons:

  • My Homemade Whole Grain Bread only costs around $1.50/loaf.
  • There are only 5 simple ingredients in my homemade bread, and I have those ingredients on hand all the time for ease.
  • I can make this Homemade Bread recipe with about 5 minutes of time and effort.
  • Bread made from freshly ground flour is the most amazing bread on the planet.

So grinding fresh flour in a Nutrimill actually makes our bread healthier, more delicious, and half the price of store-bought.

Is a Nutrimill a Must-Have?

Could I live without my Nutrimill? I guess. Does it save me time in the kitchen? Not really. But do I love having such a great appliance to help me grind fresh grain for our baked goods? Oh my goodness, YES!

I frequently grind hard and soft white wheat in my Nutrimill, which turns out the most delicious flour, which then turns out the most delicious breads, muffins, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and waffles. Now that I’m so used to baking with freshly ground flour, I’d have a hard time turning back. We’re pretty spoiled! ;)

Want more details about using flour ground in a Nutrimill:

    • The Difference Between Red and White Wheats
    • How to Grind Flour in a Nutrimill
    • What Kind of Flour is Best if You Don’t Grind Your Own?
    • What is Pastry Flour, Where Do I Get it, How Do I Use It?
    • All of Our Bread and Muffin Recipes
    • Whole Grain Recipes

Where do I get grain for my Nutrimill?

I order all of mine in bulk from Azure Standard. I keep a supply of Hard White Wheat (for yeast bread) and a supply of Soft White Wheat (for muffins, cookies, and cakes) on hand at all times. Then I grind it ahead and store it in an ice cream bucket in the freezer to pull out and use as needed.

I highly recommend checking to see if Azure Standard is an option near you. I’ve ordered from them for years and would have a hard time getting by without their monthly deliveries!

So is it worth the money to buy a Nutrimill? I say yes! What do you think?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Real Food “Processed Food” I Buy Regularly (What Brand and Where I Get Them)

August 15, 2017 by Laura 13 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Remember when I used to make all my food from scratch? Those were the days I thought we ate a lot but we really didn’t (compared to now). Those were the days I thought we were busy but we really weren’t (except that we were). Those were the days I thought all processed food was evil (and some of it is). Those were the days.

family_7_sm

family1sm

Nowadays I’m doing everything I can to simplify so that I can enjoy every last minute with these kids while they are under my roof. Seeing as we’ll graduate Boy #2 this school year, it is becoming more and more apparent that these truly are our last minutes.

Senior pictures, here we come…

justus31

Every new recipe I come up with to share takes very little time to make. I want to nurture my family and build on my marriage – not stand at the kitchen counter rolling out tortillas.

I still make wonderful homemade food. But every meal I put on the table consists of something very basic that is quick to put together and offers a few simple fruits and veggies on the side. My menu plans are created to make great use of my minimal efforts in the kitchen while still putting real food on the table. (Thank you, God, for Simple Meals Plans that take away all the thinking and planning and hard work each day!)

simple meals feb3

My choice to slide back into purchasing more convenience foods hasn’t compromised our great food options. Our meals and snacks are still incredibly delicious! I am still spending our grocery budget wisely. I still use real butter, freshly ground flour, and whole milk. I still avoid high fructose corn syrup, margarine, and MSG.

Choosing to use some processed foods in my cooking doesn’t mean I’m back to buying cans cream-of-whatever-soup and boxes of poptarts. It means I’m buying canned beans instead of soaking and cooking them from dry. It means I’m buying jarred tomato sauce instead of spending hours and hours every fall canning my own. It means I’m buying pre-made pizza crust from Azure Standard so my kids can quickly throw together some pizzas for lunch or dinner (which is healthier and saves money compared to ordering pizza).

It means so many things. It means I can survive this busy season of raising teenagers and continue to be their biggest cheerleader and support in all their activities and preparation for adulthood.

It means love. This is how I’m loving my family now.

family-sillysm

I recently shared that I definitely have started buying processed food more than I used to. But I also shared that processed food is nothing to fear – so long as it’s real food and nourishing. I check ingredients, I find brands that I feel good about, and I save myself an amazing amount of time in the kitchen.

Many of you have asked about the specific brands of “processed foods” I buy and feel good about. I absolutely avoid many bottles and jars and cans that have junk in them that will hurt our insides. But there are brands I trust and feel good about – even if they aren’t organic, top-of-the-line options.

Real Food Processed Food I Buy - what brands and where I get them

Real Food “Processed Food” Brands I Buy and Where I Get Them

groceries feb 172

~ Canned Beans

The Simply Nature brand at Aldi is an awesome choice for canned black beans (at only $0.85/can!). I buy them by the case since I don’t live close to an Aldi or get to shop there often.

I will say that now that I’m a proud owner of an Instant Pot I may start making them again because of how easy it is. But in a pinch, I’ll get cans from Aldi to keep on hand for fast meals!

~ Canned Baked Beans

The Walnut Acre brand is a little more expensive compared to Bush’s or Van Camps, but I feel good about the ingredients, plus we like how they taste. (I can tell a big difference in quality, which is why I’m sticking with the Walnut Acre brand for now.) If I have Vitacost credit, I get a few cans of Walnut Acre, or sometimes I buy a case with subscribe and save at Amazon.

~ Beef Hotdogs

I buy a variety of brands of hotdogs depending on which store I’m able to go to and what is available at each store. Any brand that is 100% beef and free of nitrites I feel okay about. We use these for quick meals on the grill in the spring/summer and for Beanie Weanies all year long.

groceries-11-2

~ Turkey Sausage

I know, I know! Homemade Turkey Sausage was one of my first great recipes I shared here at Heavenly Homemakers. It’s awesome stuff…stuff that I don’t have time to make right now. So I buy cases of Diestel brand turkey sausage from Azure Standard to keep in my freezer whenever it goes on sale.

~ Tortillas

While I miss the taste of homemade tortillas, I love the convenience of these that I get at Azure Standard. The Stacey’s brand has ingredients I’m okay with (which is very difficult to find in a packaged tortilla!). Plus they freeze well and taste great, so I just pull them out to use for tacos, burritos, and quesadillas as needed. What a life saver!

~ Pizza Crust

I recently discovered Sprout California Frozen Pizza Bread at Azure Standard and buy a case every couple of months to help get my family through busy school days. They don’t beat this recipe for homemade pizza crust, but they sure are handy to have in the freezer!

~ Pizza Sauce

Lately I’ve been buying Muir Glen Pizza Sauce by the case with Subscribe and Save through Amazon. It’s tasty and reasonably priced! (I recently got it for $1.45/can.)

aldi1162

~ Salsa

Each time I go to Aldi, I buy a case or two of their Simply Organic Salsa. We love how it tastes, and it’s usually about $1.85/jar.

~ BBQ Sauce

I’ve had a more difficult time finding a quality BBQ Sauce. (Aldi used to carry a Simply Organic variety and now I can’t find it!!) I finally found Stubbs brand at Walmart, which has all real food ingredients. After we tried it and liked it, I bought a case from Amazon! :)

~ Ketchup

I’ve been buying cases of Muir Glen Ketchup through Amazon for several years and it is, hands down, our favorite brand. But I do always watch for it to go on sale because it’s pricey otherwise.

~ Cream Cheese

I’m all over the place with cream cheese. Every brand I have available to me has a few ingredients I don’t love, but it’s also not something I stress over. I don’t like the Walmart off-brand because it never softens nicely! The Aldi brand is great and inexpensive (when they actually have some in stock!). Whenever there’s a price-match for Philadelphia Cream Cheese, I stock up at Walmart.

groceries april 221

~ Mayo

The only mayonnaise I’ve found that I feel good about is Hain Safflower Mayo. It is absolutely not cheap, no matter where I find it. I usually buy it by the case from Azure Standard because expensive as it is, it is at least less expensive there.

~ Spaghetti Sauce

Once again, Aldi comes through with their Simple Nature brand. And once again, I buy the sauce by the case. Since I’ve been pleased with this brand and can afford it ($1.89/jar), I haven’t checked other non-organic brands to see if there are some that contain trustworthy ingredients.

groceries june 17

~ Frozen Hashbrowns

I recently discovered that the Mr. Dells brand of frozen hashbrowns contains only “potatoes” in their ingredient list. Score! I find these at Walmart.

What healthy brands of convenience foods have you found to work for your family? I’ll add to this list as I think of more foods that are worth buying “for the convenience!”

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

My Latest Grocery Purchases – and Check Out Azure Standard’s New Program!

November 11, 2016 by Laura 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

It’s been a while since I took pictures of my groceries to show you. You’ve missed it, I’m sure. You’ve most definitely been wondering, “How much butter has Laura been buying these days? Is Laura still eating plenty of greens? What is Laura’s current favorite vegetable?”

Right? You’ll all been asking yourselves these questions.

love and butter

Well, I didn’t get a picture of it, but I recently bought 20 pounds of butter. See, my local friends know me well enough to text me when they’re at the store and come across a good deal on butter. I got the text, I went to the store, and I got 20 pounds of butter. The check-out lady asked me what I was up to. I told her it was just another routine day in the life of me. No big deal.

My current favorite of all vegetables are the amazing miniature sweet peppers that typically come in a 1-pound package. Do you know the ones of which I speak? I like cutting them up and eating them in salads. I like eating them as if they were candy. They are my fav.

And yes. I’m still eating plenty of greens.

So now lets see some pictures, shall we? Lately I’ve had to drive to Lincoln weekly to visit my natural doctor. (Fun times. But we ARE getting to the bottom of these migraines.) The best perk to going weekly (besides knowing that I’m getting somewhere on my health journey) is that I get to go to Fresh Thyme Market while I’m in the city. I love that store so much! I walk the aisles and take advantages of the sales. Here’s what I got last week:

groceries-11-2

If you’d like to see some of the items I’m receiving this month in my Amazon Subscribe and Save order, take a peek here.

I kind of blew it on my recent Azure Standard order. How, you ask? Well, I ordered a few items and checked out with the intent to go back and order a few more of my Azure favorites before the cut-off date. Then I forgot. Oh well. At least I got the frozen veggies I always need, I got a very wonderful and large block of raw cheddar cheese, and I got my very fun Azure Advantage Discovery Box. Those boxes have been the coolest! This month it contained a lovely assortment of high quality dried fruit.

azure-nov16

Some quick notes about Azure Standard, in case you aren’t familiar:

Azure is a food co-op that has been fantastic to me during the past 10 years that I’ve taken advantage of what they offer. I order online, then once a month, a truck delivers my order along with everyone else’s from my area. We meet in a parking lot, grab our boxes, then take them home and gush over the goodness.

I heart Azure Standard.

This summer, they rolled out a new Azure Advantage program which does this:

  • Gives me deeper discounts on bulk items (yes, please!).
  • Sends me a Discover Box every other month, which more than makes up for the cost of my membership.

I signed up for it hesitantly, but now I’m very glad I did! The membership cost is worth it for me, and I love the freebie boxes! You can check out Azure Advantage here.

I’ll try to keep taking pictures of my grocery purchases to share with you, if nothing else to keep you informed about my current butter situation. #neverrunoutofbutter

And some fun news: I’m actually finding that following the Simple Meals plans are saving us more money than I anticipated since the meals are so basic and accompanied by simple fruit and veggie sides. This is making grocery shopping so much more fun and less spendy! #simplemealssavings #ilovesimplemeals

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Anyone ever tried that block of cheese from Azure? I’m excited to grate the entire thing in my food processor for cheesy convenience.

Some of the links in this post are my affiliate links.

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Does Azure Standard Deliver To You?

June 16, 2016 by Laura 22 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

As many of you know, I’ve been a member of the Azure Standard food co-op for many years. They played a huge part in gently transitioning our family from processed food to real food, and still play a big role in our daily life. Here’s why:

  • Their prices are very reasonable (much less than a typical “whole food” grocery store).
  • I can shop their online site and place my order easily.
  • Their delivery truck drives right to our town every month.
  • Their food is top quality.

See, I went from buying poptarts with coupons and doing everything I possibly could to get cheapo groceries to learning that we needed to revamp our entire diet. The financial burden of this felt enormous to me. Plus, I live in a small town where there are very few organic options. So when my friend told me about Azure Standard, I felt I’d been given a gift.

HH Ad 1 2016

Through the years, I’ve saved oodles of money and time by shopping Azure Standard. Their healthy options are abundant! Matt and I are even buddies with our truck driver. Ultimately, we feel that Azure is family. They are great in every way.

Where does Azure Standard deliver?

There are hundreds of routes all over the U.S. Check here to see if there is a route near you. More than that, I recommend you read over this page to learn all about how Azure Standard works. It’s the least complicated co-op I’ve been a part of, which is why I’ve stuck with it for so long!

azure_standard

Here’s a picture of one of my Azure orders from a few years ago.

Azure Standard keeps expanding!

I’ve loved watching Azure Standard grow through the years. They continue to add routes to reach more and more states and communities across the U.S. Just recently, they added routes to Florida – so if that’s where you’re from, check to see if there’s a drop point near you. If there’s not one, you can easily get one started. (There wasn’t one in my town until I called and set one up. Easy peasy!)

What’s more is that if you don’t see your state or area on the delivery route list, you can contact Azure Standard to let them know of your interest ([email protected]). They want to hear from you so they know how they can serve best. If there is enough interest in a particular area, they may try to add a route that comes to you!

Have questions?

Look over this page to learn the basics about what Azure offers and how it works. They’ve served our family well for many years. How great that they are continuing to provide great service and grocery options to many more families!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week and a LOT of Groceries

February 28, 2015 by Laura 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Goodness. Remind me not to grocery shop at the store until after I pick up my Bountiful Baskets order. Come to think of it – never mind. We’ll eat all of this, and maybe I won’t have to buy as much next week. Maybe.  It is a good thing we have a second refrigerator because we have a lot of food in our house right now. Here’s how this week’s grocery shopping went for me:

On Tuesday night, we picked up our Azure Standard co-op order. I got 5 pounds of carrots, 6 pounds of yams, 5 pounds of peanuts, 25 pounds of red beans, 6 pounds of chicken thighs (not pictured), and 50 pounds of yellow potatoes (not pictured).

groceries feb25

I use roasted, unsalted peanuts (like the ones pictured above) to make delicious homemade peanut butter. If your family wants to avoid hydrogenated oils, but you don’t like the taste of plain, natural peanut butter – try this recipe. It’s incredible!

On Friday, I filled my cart at the store – mostly with price-matching items. I scored some great deals! I got apples, pears, sweet peppers, grape tomatoes, bananas, grapes (two varieties), spinach, mixed greens, baby carrots, cucumbers, and a cantaloupe.

groceries feb 27

Then on Saturday, I picked up my Bountiful Baskets order. Mmmmm! Asparagus, celery, apples, oranges, bananas, lettuce, pineapple, carrots, broccoli, sweet peppers, cucumbers, and avocados came in the surprise basket this time. Plus, I had ordered 28 pounds of green beans. It was perfect timing for these to be offered since we are almost out of our garden-grown green beans from last summer.

groceries feb 28 (1)

I had also ordered heirloom tomatoes and strawberries. It feels like a little taste of summer with these goodies!

groceries feb 28 (2)

I’d say our family is pretty well set for at least one week – if not two. I am so thankful we have such great sources for such great food!

We are feeding a big group of high school kids from our youth group here on Sunday night, and I plan to put out a big plate of veggies and a big plate of fruit along with sliced ham, french bread, and Angeled Eggs. Maybe I’ll need to grocery shop next week after all. :)

Here’s what’s on our menu this week:

Breakfast

  • Crepes with strawberries and Cream Cheese Filling
  • Ham and Egg Breakfast Bowls
  • Green Machine Milkshakes with Honey Cinnamon Muffins
  • Peanut Butter Pancakes
  • Pumpkin Breakfast Cake

Lunch

  • Easy Noodle Stir Fry
  • Chicken Salad
  • Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad
  • Easy Cheesy Bean Dip
  • Pizza Soup

Dinner

  • Taco Potatoes
  • Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
  • Taco Salad
  • Tuna Casserole
  • Homemade Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese

Fruit and Veggie Side Dishes (I serve 1-4 with every meal)

  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Sweet Potato Fries
  • Asparagus
  • Mushrooms
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Clementines
  • Oranges
  • Apples
  • Applesauce
  • Tomatoes
  • Green Leaf Lettuce
  • Mixed Greens
  • Spinach
  • Green Beans
  • Peas
  • Strawberries
  • Bananas
  • Pineapple
  • Cantaloupe
  • Avocados
  • Grapes

We’ll be heading out of state for our end-of-season Homeschool Basketball Tournament on Thursday night. I’ll be saving many of the “packable” fruits and veggies to take along with us to munch on all weekend.

Because I’m sure you’re dying to know:  The toilet is still sitting right outside my kitchen – but looooook! There is tile on our new bathroom wall and floor…

bathroom 8

It looks so very pretty! My husband is a work horse right now. I am thanking him by loading his plate with heirloom tomatoes and fresh green beans.  I do what I can.  ;)

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

What Healthy Food Should I Have On Hand? Where Do I Buy Them? {31 Days of Real Food Reality ~ Day 11}

January 10, 2014 by Laura 7 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Not sure where to start when it comes to shopping for healthy, real food ingredients? No problem! I have an entire page on my site dedicated to sharing what foods I buy regularly and where I usually purchase them.

Real Food Ingredients Resource Page

Click the image above to head over to our
Real Food Ingredients Resource Page

Many people assume that you either have to live on a farm or live in a big city in order to find sources for healthy food. Not true at all! I live neither on a farm, nor in a big city. I live in a small town with two locally owned grocery stores and a Wal-mart. The nearest Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Natural Grocers stores are about an hour away – which means we are only privileged to shop in those stores a few times a year when we happen to be in the city for appointments or soccer games.

So what are my options? I buy from farms close-by, I buy from a food co-op, I buy online, and I buy the rest from our local grocery stores and Wal-mart. When I do happen to be in the city and can shop at a more specialized whole foods store, it’s a blast! But since those opportunities are rare, I sure do love having access to the internet and my food co-op!

What food do I often buy to have on hand to prepare healthy meals and snacks? You’ll find that detailed list here. Even better, I have a printable Real Food Grocery Check-List included in my Let’s Do This! eCourse, which is very helpful to have in your kitchen as you transition to real food cooking. (That eCourse is a part of our amazing Real Food Reality Resources Package. Did you get yours yet?!)

Let these detailed lists offer you guidance as you transform your kitchen. Anytime I find online sales on these whole food ingredients, I always share them with you within a post so that you can benefit too. The ability to order healthy food ingredients online is a wonderful blessing!

Head on over to our Real Food Ingredient Resource Page to learn more about how I shop.

What are your favorite places to shop for real food ingredients?

 

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

My Azure Standard Order (One Hundred Pounds of Potatoes? Really?!)

February 14, 2013 by Laura 89 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Since I took a picture last week of my grocery store trip and so many of you seemed to enjoy it, I decided to take a picture of this week’s Azure Standard order for you.

The stinky part about sharing this is that not all of you have the option of ordering from Azure Standard. :(  I feel very blessed that they deliver to Nebraska, especially since I have very few options in my small town for organic food. Plus, Azure’s prices are amazing! (Read this post to learn more about Azure Standard and to see if they deliver in your area.)

This month, I ordered loads of fresh produce, a case of white cheddar cheese, and five pound bags of frozen green beans and peas. We got a 20 pound box of organic braeburn apples, plus a 20 pound box of pink ladies. There will be no limits on apples eaten for snacks at our house!

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Asa makes a mean Homemade Guacamole, so the avocados I got will be handed to him in a few days to make us some dip. I got a lovely two pound bag of kiwi, some lettuce, leeks, and tomatoes. Aahhhh, so many delicious options for my family!

Now, let me explain my crazyness bulk potato purchase. You see, last month I ordered 50 pounds of potatoes but they didn’t come in. So what did I do this month? I ordered two different varieties of 50 pound potato options, hoping that this would ensure that we’d get at least one 50 pound box of potatoes. Both were good deals, both were organic.

And what do you think happened? Both varieties of potatoes arrived on the truck. I now have 100 pounds of potatoes in my kitchen. (50 russet and 50 yellow)

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What will I do with 100 pounds of potatoes? Well, feed them to my family, of course. I’ll make French fries and baked potatoes and mashed potatoes and hashbrowns for the freezer. In addition, I will likely bag some of them up, drive around town, and deliver them to some of my friends. Nothing says “I treasure our friendship” like the gift of a bag of potatoes, right?

Oh how my friends must roll their eyes at me.

We plan to get a good start on the potatoes tomorrow since it is Justus’ 13th birthday and he has ordered homemade fries to go with our lunch. I gasped when he first requested this, asking if he thought this was a wise choice, seeing as we only had 100 pounds of potatoes to get us through the month.

He smiled, because he’s sweet. But I’m pretty sure inside, he was rolling his eyes too. On second thought, he may have really been calculating how many potatoes we really could eat tomorrow since there was no need to hold back.

Think of me tomorrow. I may be slicing two hours worth of potatoes into French fries at lunchtime. ;)

Do you have the privilege of ordering from Azure Standard? Are you a part of a different food co-op? What would you do with one hundred pounds of potatoes? 

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Covenant Ranch Trucking – Delivering for Azure Standard. Can You Benefit From Their Services?

August 28, 2012 by Laura 17 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

You have hopefully noticed this nice ad over in my sidebar:

Proudly delivering for Azure Standard

If you’ve been reading here long, you know how much I love ordering groceries from the health food co-op, Azure Standard.

I just wanted to take the time to explain a little bit about what Covenant Ranch Trucking is to see if they are able to benefit you where you are.

Covenant Ranch Trucking is a family owned, family friendly business that delivers many Azure Standard routes such as:

  • To CO (on the 70 and south of the 70 coming down the 25 into NM).
  • To NM ( north of the 40 heading east into TX)
  • To IA (eastern IA is covered by us. The rest of IA is another family)
  • To TX, KS, MO, AR, OK, IL, IN, and TN
  • One drop in LA (Shreveport) and one drop in OH (Cincinnati)
  • If none of these locations matches where you live, you can read more on this post to see if Azure delivers to your area.

Here is what Mrs. Joseph Wood, who has been working with me on this to get the word out about her family business, has shared with me.

Let me share with you some of the ways we are hoping to be a blessing to others as well as grow the routes and spread Azure Standard.

We would like to give 5.00 GC to those that are willing to share five referrals with us. They can be friends that are interested in Azure, Health food stores, Chiropractors, Homeschool groups or anyone else they would like us to share with. We only ask that they first ask permission to share the persons information with us. We only want to share with those that are truly interested in hearing more. We will also give each of their five friends a GC for five dollars off. (Contact information:  mrsjosephwood at gmail.com)

Azure Standard is unable to compensate drop managers due to federal tax regulations. However, as a company, Covenant Ranch Trucking, we are offering all our drop managers free shipping for their order for each month they meet our average drop total of 3000.00 (that is the average drop on our routes). We will help advertise a drop on FB, on the blog, send catalogs, flyers or assist in any other way. We hope that it is  a blessing to those that volunteer their time to serve in their community. Also, if they refer someone who starts a drop that drops total goes toward their 3000.00 as well! It really is easy to do. Again this is coming from Covenant Ranch Trucking so it is only available on our routes.

We are also always looking for men with integrity who have their CDL to drive for us. We can’t expand without the drivers. We a family friendly company and give our drivers one week off every month to be at home with their families. We also pay extra on our insurance so children and spouses can come along on the routes.

Hopefully many of you will be benefited by their services. I’ve never once been disappointed with Azure Standard, and love that so many of you will have the delivery service of Covenant Ranch Trucking.

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!
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