CHALLENGE: Clean eating from the corner market

Next week, I am challenging myself to shop only at one store--a little family-run place called Ken's Fruit Market, a mere half-mile from where we live.

Too often I hear or read of people who are hesitant to try clean eating because it requires "weird" ingredients, or things that can only be found at specialty grocery stores. My goal for the week, starting next Sunday the 16th, is to bust open that misconception by doing all of my clean-eating shopping at this no-frills corner market.

Ken's Fruit Market is not an organic grocer, a health food store, farmers' market, or co-op. It is, however, a local business run by, essentially, my neighbors. They stock quality produce, many canned foods and dry goods, and they have a fully operational meat counter with a delicious and not-always-mainstream selection.

For this week-long experiment, I will not rely on any health-food-store pantry acquisitions. I plan to create my week's worth of dinners using only what I buy at this local market, with the exception of my spice cabinet.

The recipes I will make all come from the January 2011 issue (Volume 4, Issue 1) of Clean Eating Magazine. The H will be out of town when I attempt this, giving me a chance to make things like curries and fish that he doesn't care for or cannot eat due to allergy. This will let me focus on my challenge of shopping at one store without altering the recipes to accommodate his needs.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a shopping list to make...

Meal plan SATURDAY

Look at me, all ahead of the game and stuff. :D We're home from ATL after a *perfect* travel day, and ready to stretch out in our own house (and kitchen!) for a while. I jetted to the grocery store after dinner--pizza at a local joint that offers gluten free crust--to stock the fridge.

As usual after a long trip, I went a little nutso in the produce department and came home with the following:

Avocados

Bananas

Bell peppers--orange and red

Blueberries

Celery

Peaches--the little guy has been asking for them since we experienced real, fresh Georgia peaches this week :)

Mangos

Mushrooms--white and portobello

Watermelon

Spinach--I have about 450 frozen banana halves waiting to be smoothied!

Sweet potatoes

Kale

Vidalia onions

Green onions

Cilantro

Parsley

Lemons

Chex for The H (gluten free!)

Kashi cereal for me

Cottage cheese

Organic half and half

Yogurt for the little guy

Earth Balance "butter"

Milk--skim for me and The H, 2% for the little guy

I'm quite sure I react to not cooking a lot by overestimating the fresh things we'll eat when we get back, BUT I made a meal plan first (built around meat that we had in the freezer) so I wasn't just buying random ingredients. I will make a trip to the farmer's market on Wednesday to get fresh eggs (we boiled the dozen left in the fridge today after checking their freshness) and whatever produce/herbs looks good. I would've loved to shop more locally for this trip, but I needed selection and convenience this time.

Our meals for the week, in no particular order are:

Fajitas--with flank steak from the co-op and portobello mushrooms with peppers and onions on corn tortillas... there will be plenty to share, anyone care to join??

Burgers--on the grill, served with a mango-melon fruit salad and parsnip/sweet potato fries

Kabobs--with locally-farmed chicken and loads of veggies, over brown rice

Pizza--our meatless meal for the week, gluten free and grilled if possible, using all sorts of veggies

Turkey Sausage Ragu--a good rainy day (there are some forecast...) meal from Clean Eating Magazine, with kale

And, if we don't end up going out, Turkey Chili with black beans (in the slow cooker)

Lunches for the week will be leftovers, clean-eating egg salad, and clean PBJs (natural peanut butter + fresh fruit on whole-grain bread).

Hello, Atlanta!

Did you see that? Atlanta. Yes indeed, the machines are on the move again. 12 days this time, like our trip to DC/Alexandria.

The area we're in is quite familiar to us; this is the third time the little guy and I have been to this hotel with The H. It is, like the one in Alexandria, a full-kitchen, extended-stay hotel. I didn't bring as much food with us this time--no protein powder or steel oats--because I didn't want to stress over how many portions to measure and all that. I just added those things to our "buy when we get there" shopping list.

This week we are fortunate enough to be near a Trader Joe's, which I adore. We decided to pick up our groceries there instead of Publix or another grocery store. Here's what we got, for just about $100 (12 days, 3 people).

Milk

Chocolate protein powder

Half and half

Yogurt cups

Cottage cheese

Chicken apple sausage

Roasted garlic chicken sausage

Marinara sauce

Brown rice pasta

Cabernet Sauvignon

Spinach

Spring mix

Frozen "Brittany Blend" veggies

Pear-Gorgonzola vinaigrette

Crunchy peanut butter

Sprouted grain bread

Wheat free waffles

Applesauce-carrot squeezies

One dozen jumbo eggs

Frozen edamame

1 lb fresh strawberries

Mild cheddar

Turkey lunchmeat

Steel cut oats

Chopped pecans

Goat cheese

Rice noodle bowls

Mac 'n' cheese--regular and rice pasta

Cheese sandwich crackers

What do I plan to make with all this? You'll just have to wait and see... I do have a mini meal plan in mind, and we'll supplement with eating out and the buffet that the hotel sets out Monday through Thursday evenings. And I've just learned that there's a Five Guys nearby, so rest assured that I will be keeping up with my running as well--The H is sure to request that diet-buster sometime in the next two weeks!

It's shopping day!

The ordering window for the co-op opened this morning and I wasted no time filling up my virtual basket. On the list this month:

Eggs - the brown ones pictured here

Carrots - the producer says they're incredibly sweet

Parsley - for quinoa tabbouleh

Frozen blueberries - for pancakes, yogurt, and oatmeal

Frozen raspberries - for yogurt and smoothies

Ground turkey - I have a honey-mustard meatloaf recipe to try!

Stew beef - for stew (duh) and curry

Chicken necks and backs - for making stock

Nitrite-free bacon - SO GOOD

Pancetta - a new item this month, just wanted to try it

Maybe towards the end of the week we'll see how our 4lbs of coffee from the last pick-up is holding out and add another bag if it looks like we'll run out before the end of the month. We are completely out of chicken breast, so I will plan a trip to one of the local meat markets this week and pick some up. It's a meat-heavy month, but the freezer is getting bare so it's time to stock up.

Crunchy munchy

The sun is shining here in west MI, the sky is a brilliant blue, and the little guy is at daycare... a perfect day to walk up to the health food store! So I pulled on some boots, grabbed a couple reusable grocery bags, and off I went on my lunch break. What a beautiful day! The walk alone was worth it, never mind all the goodies I found.

This is the view from my upstairs window. Look at that sky!

Ohh, the goodies... Guys, I love grocery shopping. Not just love, but obsess over. Daydream about. Make extensive plans for. It's probably a good thing I went by myself today. More than once I caught myself before actually saying, "I *love* this place!" out loud. Today I was armed with a list (my other love!) of specialty ingredients, largely from Clean Eating Magazine and some posts in my Google Reader. Sometimes I flip through my CE Magazine and think, "Really? Now where in the world am I supposed to find THAT?" Ask no more. It's all at this store. And I am lucky enough to have one within walking distance. I think that for those who don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's (my closest one is 2 hours away) this is the next best thing. Sometimes, I think it's better, especially in terms of service and price. A ton of things were on sale today!

Here's my haul spread out on the counter:

Today I went in search of sucanat (got it!), mesquite powder (yep!),

cacao nibs (you betcha!), almond butter, tofu (what else would a health food store carry?) and a few other things. In my browsing I also discovered dulse flakes and umeboshi, both of which had been used in CE Magazine recipes. I drooled over the organic dessert selections and had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I saw the extensive wheat- and gluten-free options in the freezer cases. Wheat-free pie crust. Who knew? The H might be disappointed that I chose not to get chocolate-covered wheat-free donuts, but he'll get over it, especially if I make another batch of almond butter cookies this weekend.

Here's what else I brought home: Food Should Taste Good brand buffalo tortilla chips, millet-flax lavash bread (safe enough for The H to try!), fruit leather, panko bread crumbs, agave bears (for my long run tomorrow),

arrowroot powder, French lentils, Nature's Path frozen flax waffles, and roasted edamame. I realized, as I checked out, that we spend a lot of money on food. This was my third food-related shopping trip in the past week, and not because I simply forgot to get a few things the first time. It's a hobby, a habit. Something I enjoy doing when I read a new recipe and realize I get to purchase new ingredients for it. Some people have shoes or handbags; I have cacao nibs and sucanat.

Nice ingredients, right? I hope they treat The H well. I had one with hummus and tabbouleh for lunch.

This is Samwise. He's pouting because I didn't take him with me:

I must say I felt a tad out of place as I walked the mile back home, reusable bags slung over my shoulders, munching on fruit leather and crunchy edamame. Seems like I'd fit in better in a place like Seattle or Ann Arbor, where perhaps I wouldn't get odd looks from folks in their cars or waiting for the bus. Then again, maybe my little corner of the world just needs more people like me. Grocery obsession and all.

It's co-op shopping day!

Today is the first day of shopping on my second-ever co-op cycle. Supposedly November is a big month for the co-op, as I imagine people are planning holiday meals, so I wanted to jump online and start ordering ASAP. Some things have already sold out! Good thing I didn't plan to make leek soup this month, and I snagged a bag of baby carrots before they were (virtually) gone.

I'm gradually working towards making one big co-op shopping order, one trip to Trader Joe's (Friday!), and a few small grocery-store stops for milk and non-local necessities every month. My grocery spending tends to get out of control and I am hoping that shopping with a purpose in mind helps reign that in.

Other things on our list this month include kale (ah, kale...), a couple kinds of squash, red and yellow onions, a few varieties of potatoes, a bag of hydroponic greens, apples, beef stew meat, frozen blueberries (for baking and chilly-day oatmeal breakfasts!), and eggs. I hope The H is available to assist with the heavy lifting.

Getting started

Kind of odd to have a "getting started" post a few weeks into this blog, but roll with it. I've recently been asked if eating clean requires more time, effort, or planning than my pre-clean-eating (PCE?) days and though it was time to address those (very valid) concerns.

Prior to eating clean, I perused the weekly grocery ads to see what was on sale. Creating a menu around the circular + what we had in the fridge, freezer, or pantry was how I operated. My plan usually included at least one new recipe, since I love new recipes so very much, and some variations on old favorites--burgers, salad, tacos, soup, and at least one slow-cooker meal. I tried to work two "eating out" nights into the mix so I wasn't in the kitchen all the time, and so we could have nights out with friends. My planning took no more than an hour on Sunday afternoons, plus another hour to shop. Each meal was ready in 30-60 minutes, give or take depending on the method.

So that was then. This is now: guess what? I do the same things, with very minor changes! When the Sunday paper arrives, I spend my usual time (actually, probably less...) with it, including clipping coupons. Not surprisingly, we use fewer coupons these days because we're buying fewer packaged and processed items, and I cannot tell you the last time I saw SmartSource offer 50 cents off a cantaloupe. I really spend the most time on the first two pages of the grocery circular, because that is where my store advertises the produce and meats. I skip the deli and bakery pages completely. We don't eat out as much because I have so many recipes to try; my weekly menu plan often fills up with more meals than I have days to cook them.

I've always been a stock-up kind of shopper (chicken breast on sale? buy three bags and freeze them!) and eating clean has not really changed that. If I see that our favorite natural peanut butter is on sale, I'll grab 3 or 4 jars because I don't want to run out before it's on sale again. The same goes for meats, canned beans (one day I will use dried, I promise), canned tomatoes, and some of our gluten-free favorites. Three has become my magic number. When I buy three of anything, I know I have at least one to use that night, one to put in the kitchen cupboard, and one to store in the basement pantry or chest freezer. Doing this assures me that I have a good basis for making just about anything at a moment's notice. It's good to have a stocked pantry.

When you get home from shopping, do a little prep work. Boil one of the two dozen eggs you just bought. Portion out your grapes into single-serving bags or containers. Strain one of the plain yogurts you bought into yogurt cheese. Measure out your raw almonds into 1-oz servings. Wash and dry your greens so a quick salad is that much easier to throw together. If it's dinner time, toss some extra chicken breasts onto the grill so you have them ready for lunches.

Whereas our meal-planning hasn't changed all that much, perhaps the preparation of those meals has. Our clean dinners have been taking me less time to prepare, if you can believe that. Grilled chicken (always, always make some extra!) and grilled veggies cook outside or on the Foreman grill while I slice tomatoes for a salad and dish up some fresh fruit. Sometimes I will make a large batch of a grain at the beginning of the week and simply reheat the appropriate amount for our dinner or my lunches. Brown rice and quinoa work especially well this way. This alone has bought me some time in the kitchen, since nuking a dish of cooked rice for 5 minutes sure beats waiting 45-60 minutes for it to cook through.

When I decided to start eating clean, I did not do a 100% overhaul right away. There are some 12-packs of Pepsi Throwback in my basement pantry. I still have white sugar, white flour, and some processed things like bottled salad dressings in the kitchen, but I cannot tell you the last time I used them. Clean eating has me gravitating towards recipes that either don't call for them or that can be reworked to use cleaner alternatives like honey, agave nectar, and whole-wheat or gluten-free flours. We actually eat fewer desserts than we did PCE, which is good for our teeth, waistlines, and overall time spent in the kitchen. When I do have something sweet after dinner, it's likely a piece of 72% cacao chocolate and/or some flavored decaf espresso with steamed milk. The H has become quite the barista lately! I'm not above indulging in a non-clean treat, of course; I've said that before. But I have to make sure I *really* want it, and if I'm counting calories that day, it fits into my allowance.

I've found that writing down potential meals and snacks for the week--based on things I bought during my weekly shopping trip--is a big help for my everyday eating. I keep this list posted on the refrigerator or next to my computer where I work. Do this before you're starving and standing in front of the open fridge or freezer full of uncombined ingredients or those year-old fudge pops you said you weren't going to touch anymore.

If you have been thinking about eating clean, just try it. (Good commercial, huh?) There are no gimmicky products to buy, no membership fees, no check-ins, no comparisons against other people on the same "diet," and it's probably no more time-consuming than your current lifestyle. You buy food, cook it, and eat it--things you do already. If you want more specific guidelines from a "pro" read the Eat-Clean Diet books by Tosca Reno. Borrow them from the library until you're sure you want them hanging around your house. Page through an issue of Clean Eating Magazine next time you're at the bookstore.

Get to know the clean-eating parameters, and your transition into a CE lifestyle will go much more smoothly. You'll eventually need to decide what to do in terms of eating away from home, and you may need to learn about new foods along the way, but don't let that prevent you from exploring eating clean if it's something you want to do. Take it one day (heck, one meal) at a time.