Whole Foods.

My sister and I have a difference of opinion when it comes to my favorite grocery store.

Last week we went on our annual shopping trip with our momaw and our cousin in-law.  Momaw has been taking us Christmas shopping and to lunch for over 20 years.  My cousins wife hasn’t been going with us all those years, because she is relatively new to the clan.

So, we are at the Panera Bread at the local mall scarfing up some good ole soup on a chilly December morning when my sister decides that she wants some Parkay for her bread.

Margarine.

EW.

I mentioned that butter is better for you because it may be a fat, but it is a natural fat.  She didn’t want to hear anything about it, she remembers when Margarine WAS the healthy alternative-but she doesn’t eat it at home, she eats Bummel and Brown*.   She did end up using a small pat of butter because she didn’t know Fleschman’s.  The conversation progressed on the topic of hydrognated oils and how I really never realized how it was in so many foods.

She thought that all trans fats had been made illegal.
God love her.
(and if she ever reads this, I am a dead woman)

I don’t mind spending money on good healthy food.  I am trying to eliminate high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils from my diet and the quickest, easiest and most cost effective for me is shopping at whole foods.  Because none of their food contains those two ingredients.

Sure I can pick up a few items at my local Kroger that are HFCS and/or Hyrdogenated free, but I have to read 20 labels to find them.  That takes me longer than driving the 20 minutes to the closets whole foods and just picking out what I need.  And, while they do have a pretty good natural market section, there are still items that they don’t carry.

I told her that is why I shop at Whole Foods.

“Whole Paycheck!” She exclaims.

“I don’t have as much wasted food, because if I pay that much for it, I am sure to eat it.”

“Whole Fat!” She giggles. “I picked up an item in there once and there was a TON of fat in it.  Just because it is Whole Foods, doesn’t make it Whole Healthy.”

“Nope, but it does make it better than the alternative, for me.”

Once we were done eating we got up to get a refill on our beverages and someone had dumped their tea glass with a nasty stained and squeezed lemon on the grill of the Soda machine.

I said “EW”.  Unfortunatley, it was the same time my sister was pushing the Diet Beverage button.  She assumed that I was “ew-ing” her choice of drink.

“Look sister, I am gonna knock you out if you don’t quit with this health business.”
I wasn’t about to say anything about her choice of drink other than it definately did NOT contain HFCS.  I just pointed to the lemon as I refilled my glass with unsweetned ice tea.

With out lemon, Thank you.

*I am so not telling her that even though it is made with yogurt, it still has hydrogenated oil in it.

oh, that may be a bit of a fib, because I am a full fledged magazine addict, however, this one IS one of my newest favorites; and when several of my other all time favorites are dropping like flies, I need some magazine love!

have you seen it?

Mary Jane’s Farm 

Every page is seriously drool worthy, even the ads.
Seriously.

Organic, Certified, Home-grown, Handmade….
It goes on and on.

For those of us who wanted to live in Walnut Grove growing up and be Laura or Mary’s best friend-you will LOVE this bi-monthly bundle of country love.

Now, excuse me while I check out the city-farm girl blog

This is the snack of choice for a 14 yr old?
Who has my son?
When do I get him back?

What is your kids favorite snack?

Finally!

I have been talking about my purse saga on twitter for weeks!  The purse came but it was shipped to my mom, who was in Florida and the USPS forwarded it to her…IN FLORIDA.

She got home last night and I got my purse while we were still at the airport.  She unzipped her bag right there in the parking lot and handed it over.

I have to say it is the perfect purse!  check it out!
(I know its a bad picture. sorry)

I can fit everything I need in this bad boy with room for more.  AND, it is made of hemp-organic and green and all that “nature mama” hippie crap I LOVE!

Did I mention that Rawganique has the best customer service ever?  They do.  I will be ordering more.

I can’t stop gushing over these people.  If you follow me on Twitter, you are probably already sick of my company love.  I can’t tell the story in 140 characters so here it is, in all my wordpress blogginess glory.

For Christmas my mom ordered me this awesome bag from Rawganique. The Hemp Everywhere Bag-It has the same presentation as the hiking satchel (see below) but is just enough bigger than I can put my day planner in as well.

I already have the sling backpack, which is awesome because there is a cell phone holder right there on the strap (sadly the blackberry doesn’t fit, but my camera does!)  I also have the Hiking Satchel which is the cutest little bag ever!  I can fit my phone, my camera, my large wallet AND a molekine AND still have room for my keys.  It is amazing the amount of room in this powerhouse.

So, Christmas comes and I open the package and it is NOT the right bag.  I tried to be gracious, because my mom tried really hard to get me exactly what I wanted but it was the wrong bag.  The bag they sent is on the same page as the one I wanted and I can totally see how the mix up happened.   And I told her that I think it will work for going on trips but it is just to big for what I needed.

When I got home, I realized that the way the “v” pack is made-I can never use it.  I am a lefty and my bag goes on my left shoulder.  The way the V pack is sewn, the fat part of the bag would be in front-how ugly for me-the last thing I need is more fat!  (and uncomfortable would that be).  Sadly, I have to return it.

Small problem.  My mom deleted her confirmation emails once the items came in and Rawganique being a green company doesn’t send anything with their items-because they send it via email.  So I got nuttin’.  I thought I would chance it and send them an email to see what my options were.

And this is where it gets REALLY good and why I am sending them blog love.  They not only gave me my order number and specific instructions on shipping the item back to Canada, they also said-but, it was our error so, keep the bag and we will send a replacement.

I can’t do that and I will be sending the bag back, but how nice of them to offer.  Especially since I didn’t know if my mom even ordered correctly or not.

So-if you have a need for beautiful hemp/organic items, check them out.  I can tell you I am the worlds roughest on my purses and the two I have now-I have worn half to death.  one has even been washed 3 times!  Once I get the Everywhere bag…I think my search for the perfect purse will be complete.  Between these three…I have everything I need.