A Shoppin'

We were updating our family budget and Ian asked me to write out what I have been purchasing over the last few months and from where.. I showed and friend and she said it was super helpful, so.. maybe it can help someone...

as a recovering processed food and taco bell addict... I know this can be overwhelming... but, take it little by little and it is doable!


BURBANK FARMERS MARKET - Saturday Mornings - 8am-12:30pm
I try as hard as I can to make it every week... sometimes I shop solo and sometimes we make it a family trip... but we try not to miss our market morning :)

-Pastured Cage Free Eggs from happy chickens - $6 for 20
-All produce (You are forced to buy and choose from what is in season)
 ... for instance, this week I bought... organic... berries (blueberries, red + yellow raspberries, strawberries), spinach, mixed greens, broccoli, kale, cilantro, onions, peaches, plums, pluots, nectarines, grapes, oranges, cantaloupe, zucchini, beets, tomatoes.
- Raw Local Honey

ORGANIC PASTURES DAIRY HUB -  Saturday Mornings - 10am-1pm . the farm comes down to sell only from 10am-1pm at a little parking lot in Los Angeles
Again, we try to make this every week because we get our meat and dairy from them!

- 1/2 Gallons of Raw Whole Milk
- 1 or 5 pounds of Raw Cheddar cheese
- Raw Butter or Raw Cream (To make butter!)
- 1 pound packs of Raw Almonds
- 1 pound packs of Grass Fed Beef

TRADER JOES
Why Trader Joe? They have a large selection of Organic Products and all TJ brand food is not made with any GMOs.

- Organic - Unpasteurized Orange Juice
- Organic Whole Milk Unsweetened Yogurt
- Raw Milk New York Sharp Cheddar or New Zealand Grass Fed Cheddar (If I run out of Organic Pastures)
- Bagged Organic Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts

- Organic Produce that I might have missed from Farmer's Market

- TJ Cranberry, walnut, gorgonzola dressing (though we are trying not to use it all the time... it does have canola oil in it...)
- Bagged Organic Lettuce (if I run out of my Farmers Market bounty)
- Pomegranate Seeds
- Organic Ketchup, Mayo, Mustard, and Dijon
- Boxed Cereal - Gorilla Munch (for me! hah!) + Barbara's Peanut Butter Puffins (for Ian :)
- Trader Joe Brand Nitrate Free Lunch Meats - Roasted Turkey + Ham
- Applegate Brand "The Great Organic Hot Dog" - Grass Fed Beef with No Nitrates or yucky stuff
- Corn Tortillas

- Ezekiel 4:9 Low Sodium Bread

- Honey Wheat Hot Dog Buns + Hamburger Buns

- KerryGold Unsalted Butter for cooking and baking
- Corn Bread Mix
- Organic Marinara Sauce
- Organic Brown Rice
- Organic Pastas - Whole Wheat or Rice Pasta
- Organic Quinoa
- Stevia Powder
- Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Freeze Dried Strawberries, Blue Berries + Raspberries
- TJ Brand Cereal Bars (handy to have for car rides and such...) though ideally making my own is preferred because even the TJ brand has some additives in it.

COSTCO
They have really expanded their range of organic options at really affordable prices.

- Organic Packaged Chicken Breasts ($5.99 per pound) -or-
- Organic Whole Chickens ($2.99 per pound)

- Organic Corn Tortilla Chips

- Frozen Fruit
   . Berries - organic Raspberries, BlackBerries, and Strawberries
   . Pineapple Chunks
   . Tropical Medley - Mango, Pineapple, Papaya, Strawberries
- Naked Juice - Green Health Monster (my kids love this stuff so its nice to have on hand)
- Organic Carrots (The huge pack of raw carrots - for snacks, side dishes and carrot juice)
- Organic Free Range Chicken Broth (Pack of 3)
- Organic Fruit Snacks - Pack of 24 Tutti Fruiti
- Organic Peanut Butter
- Organic Maple Syrup - when available
- Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Organic 100% Orange Juice
- Bananas
- Organic Multigrain Bread (The one with the sunflower seeds baked into the crust!)
- Organic Whole Wheat Pasta (Variety 3 Pack)

AMAZON.COM
The subscribe + save option is super handy. All delivered to my front porch.

- Coconut Oil
- Trace Minerals Kids Vitamins
- Bob's Red Mill Products

SPROUTS
Close to our house and coincidentally, the same super market my mom shopped at when I was little... it was formerly a Vons :) + they have "Car carts" and mini shopping carts that my kids just love. I would go here just for the fun they have with the carts.

- 1/2 Gallons of Raw Whole Milk (If I run out before Saturday morning)
- Organic Produce that I might have missed from Farmer's Market
- Popcorn Kernals (in the big bins)
- Dude Ranch Late July chips (for Ian's lunches)
- Quinoa Pasta - Linguini or noodles
- Baking Supplies
   . Aluminum Free Baking Powers
   . Baking Soda
   . Organic Vanilla
   . Bob's Red Mill Flours, Flax Seed Meal, and Wheat Germ
   . Organic Sugar + Brown Sugar (I still use this occasionally in baking)
- Beans  - I still used Organic Canned... working on the dry beans slowly...
- Organic Spices
- Organic Coleman's Chicken Nuggets (to have on hand in case my own run out...)
- Organic Sprouts Brand Mac + Cheese
- Organic Tomato Paste
- Organic Diced Tomatoes (to have on hand for last minute salsa concoctions)

MY PARENTS YARD :)
When their trees are a bloomin, its great! :)
- Avocados
- Lemons

TARGET
This haven has become an infrequent stop... and amazingly, we have saved so much money by staying away! No more $20 dollar section raids ! :) So, I greatly limit all purchases here. They don't offer many organic options and their produce has always gone bad so fast for me, but some of their baby and kid food options have helped me out.

- Organic Baby Food Pouches - My kids both still down these... and if they will eat straight up sweet potato puree... hey, I'll take it!
- Plum Organics Kid Snacks - to have on hand just in case I'm stuck in traffic or for long trips to disneyland where fresh food later in the day is hard to keep cool.
- Archer Farms Organic Fruit Leather - No added sugar

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Obviously, I don't buy every item each week... but this is just a sampling of goodies that regularly hang out in our pantry and fridge. Farmers + the Dairy Hub is a Saturday staple... and I usually alternate Sprouts and Trader Joes from week to week with Costco every 2 weeks or so... And... I'm sure I have missed a bunch of things... I'll update this list when I find new goodies or add things to our regular rotation... Crazy to write it all out in one place... It looks like we are piggys and eat a ton of food! :)

I'm so thankful for friends who have helped me in this journey in answering all of my crazy questions to help me actually feel comfortable shopping on my own... you know who you are ;)