healthy-buying (lyn)

A first.  I leave Costco having paid only $102.  I would have spent more but the tin of Pepperidge Farms Pirouette Cookies with Chocolate Hazelnut that Alexander and I both love are no longer available.  “We no longer carry those cookies; they’re seasonal.”   Huh? These cookies are not decorated and do not say Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas or have packaging that in any way suggests a particular time of year.  Who decided these were seasonal, I want to ask but don’t.

I think Zelia has, without trying, influenced my purchase decisions.  With the exception of cookies, I now tend to buy healthy, non-processed foods.  My freezer no longer houses frozen pizza bagels and popcorn shrimp, but my refrigerator is very full. 

So here’s what $102 buys at Costco:

• Vegetables:  Mini yellow-red-and yellow peppers and a bag of brussel sprouts.

• Fruit and a gigantic vat of Fage Total 0%:  The blueberries and strawberries look as if they just arrived from some farm.  Bright red and blue and plump.  When I get home, I wash the fruit, cut up the strawberries, mix them in with the blueberries, and then put the whole thing in an airtight container.  My favorite new lunch is:  a little bit of yogurt mixed with strawberries and blueberries, a teaspoon of good honey, and a sprinkling of granola.  It’s filling and excellent. 

• Fiber One Bars (oats and chocolate):  Last week at Fairway I purchased a box of 8 and after trying one, encouraged Alexander to try one too.  When I went to have a second a few days later, they were all gone. Maybe this time I’ll get to have more than one.

• 2 big bags of the mini Babybel cheeses: These are another of the new healthy foods that I’ve introduced into the home that disappear before I have a chance to eat any.

• 4 boxes of Pacific Natural Foods Organic Chicken Broth:  Now that I make soups, these broths have become a staple.

• Shrimp Cocktail:  I always get this at Costco; it’s a great lo-cal appetizer and we both love it.

• Neutrogena Bath Gel:  This is a new item for me that is Zelia-endorsed.  Both Alexander and I have very dry skin, so I’ve decided to move away from soap, even the high-end heavy duty moisturizing ones.

• A big tin of Costco’s cookies:  Good to have on hand for movie night.