Where I shop

Many people ask me in daily conversations where I do my shopping. Many said it would be helpful if I posted on my blog, so here it is:

Costco: 

Monthly shopping- 

• Frozen Organic Chicken Breasts
• Fresh Organic Chicken thighs and drumsticks
• Organic Ground Beef (Costco told me it was grass fed)
• Grass Fed Organic Steak
• Sometimes they will carry frozen ground turkey. I always checking to see if they have brought it back. If not then I buy ground turkey from Foster Farms.
• Organic brown eggs- 3 of there 18 count 
• Organic fruit (this is seasonal)
• Coconut sugar
• Coconut oil
• Avocado oil
• Chia seeds
• Annie's fruit snacks
• Fruit leathers
• Frozen fruit for smoothies
• Nitrate free salami
• Organic vegetables:  salad mix
• Nitrate free Hot dogs
• Dark Chocolate Chips
• Lara Bars
• Honeyville Almond Meal...They finally are selling it and I don't have to get online anymore
• Organic Olive Oil

Trader Joes:

Weekly Shopping Depending on my weekly menu-

• Nitrate free bacon- but mostly I get this at Target now
• Nitrate free Hot dogs if Costco is out
• Olive oil potato chips (treat for my kids on occasion)
• Coconut milk
• Almond Milk
• Coconut yogurt
• Raw organic nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, pecans, sunflower seeds)
• Organic Romaine
• Organic salad mixes (kale, spinach, leafy greens)
• Organic Carrots, Celery, Broccoli, Cauliflower,Sugar Snap Peas, Green Beans, Asparagus, Onions, Garlic, Avocado ,Tomatoes, Zucchini, Cucumber, Bell Peppers etc....
• Bananas
• Spaghetti Squash
• Artichokes
• Organic Fruit (Apples, Grapes, Pears, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, Strawberries, Black Berries,   Raspberries, Kiwi, Pineapple etc...)
• Chicken breakfast sausage
• Italian Sausage
• Organic Marinara
• Pasta noodles- gluten free treat for my kiddos
• Frozen Fruit
• Lara Bars
• Kind Bars
• Organic Ketchup
• Organic Mustard
• Artichoke Hearts in a jar
• Hummus
• Olive oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Grape Seed Oil
• TJ's barbecue sauce because it does not have corn in it
• Odds and ends depending on week like spices and such.

Target:

• Hormel Nitrate Free Turkey and Ham
• Applegate products: Bacon and Salami and Hot Dogs- its nitrate free and uncured
• Van's Gluten Free Waffles- in frozen section if we are having a cheat
• Fruit Leathers
• Kind and Luna Bars- in health food section near the protein powders

Almond Flour:

I order it in bulk for all my baking at Honeyville. The link is below

Honeyville http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/

Probiotics

Liam is currently on a probiotic called VSL#3. His GI doctor wrote a prescription for it and I have found that Costco is the cheapest so far. I pay $73.00 for a month supply. Seems like a lot, but I fell its worth it, if it keeps him off the nasty drugs like prednisone.  The VSL#3 comes sachet, which contains 450 billion live probiotic bacteria. Every morning I dump one sachet into a cup of fresh squeeze juice and Liam drinks it up. He loves the stuff and always asks "is it time to take my tummy medicine mama?" According to my doctor and the research on this product VSL#3 works by lining the GI tract with optimal quantities and types of probiotic bacteria. These bacteria adhere to the walls of the GI tract and form a barrier which protects the inner layer of the gut from bad bacteria and other toxic substances that can cause inflammation. In my sons case this helps when he has to take an antibiotic.  VSL#3 produces a variety of good bacteria, delivering relief from symptoms and enhancing the health of the GI tract. If your interested in VSL#3 check out their website here:http://www.vsl3.com/


Today I read an article by Dr. Mercola about probiotics and the reasons for taking them. Check out the link: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/11/probiotics-healing-power-impresses-researchers.aspx?np=true


I strongly believe in this product and recommend it for all people living with UC or any other stomach problems. 

Eliminating Diary

After Liam's first birthday I took him off cheese, ice cream, yogurt and milk. I replaced his milk with lactose free milk, thinking it would do the trick. I removed all cheese, ice cream and yogurt from his diet. I thought, well this is easy. As time went on his tummy was still hurting, so I stopped giving him Lactaid too.  Now I was on the hunt for alternative non-dairy items. First, we tried Almond milk. We did the unsweetened, then sweetened and then vanilla flavor. All of them did not go over  well. He just kept saying "icky mama". Then his GI specialist recommended Coconut Milk. I did not even know they made Coconut Milk, other than the can to cook with. I went to Safeway to buy it and to my surprise they did not carry it. I checked out three other major chain grocery stores and none of them carried it either. 

The next idea I had was our local mom and pop all natural store in town. To my excitement it carried it. To my shock it was $5.99 for a half gallon. I just about died seeing the price. They had three choices, sweetened, original and vanilla. I chose the unsweetened and prayed Liam would like it. I got home gave him a cup and to my surprise he did not say "icky". He was not thrilled about it, but did drink a few sips. Next I gave it to him with some dark chocolate syrup. He drank more this go around, so I was thrilled. Little by little I lessened the amount of chocolate syrup and he eventually was calling it "his milk". Many must be asking "does it taste like coconut?" Surprisingly it does not. I would say the flavor is fine, its just a little on the thick side. Sometimes I put some water in it, to thin it out. The next food to tackle was yogurt. Liam definitely missed his yogurts, so I researched non dairy yogurts and found that the same company made coconut yogurt and ice cream. The yogurt is really good. They have many flavors to choose from. Pina Colada is my favorite while Liam enjoys the chocolate, Savannah loves the raspberry and my husband prefers the vanilla.There ice cream has also become a family favorite, especially the mint. Check out the website http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/ .

Coconut milk has become a savior in our house hold. I use it in place of anything that calls for milk in a recipe. The only recommendation I have is it is thicker than milk, so add water to the recipe if the consistency does not look right. . For example in pancakes I will use the coconut milk exactly how it calls for. After mixing the mixture usually is a little thicker than I want it to be so I add a splash of water at a time until I get the right consistency I want.

Some of you may be thinking what about butter. I don't cook with butter either, since its considered dairy. To replace butter in a recipe I either will use grape seed oil or coconut oil.

I have not found a substitute for cheese for him. He seems to be doing just fine with out it, so I have not pursued it. 

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Where would I be without Trader Joe’s Almond Meal? A 16 oz. bag costs $3.99 and makes life so much easier for people who are on a gluten free diet. Other companies like Bobs Red Mill make almond flour, but its anywhere from 10.99-12.99 for a small bag in the stores. Something that works great is to put the almond Meal in the food processor at home for a smoother texture. Myself I prefer the original texture, but some people like it a little lighter. Almond Flour is great for muffins, cookies, cakes, breads, and a nutty crust on chicken or fish. I posted one recipe called Liam's cookies. Check it out. 

Trader Joe's Almond Meal