Boldly Venturing Into the Unknown (or buying groceries, whatever)

This past Saturday I ventured into our "local" (I.E. a solid 20 minutes away) Whole Foods Market for the first time. It was quite the experience. In fact, I was completely nervous about it. Once I stepped inside, I was at once comforted and uncomfortable for the same reason: There was so much good stuff to see and try! On some aisles, it was almost like shopping in a foreign country. I'm always up for a good adventure--after all, what is the point of life if we're always to stay in our comfort zone?--so I heroically charged ahead and have some observations to share with you all.

A few things I learned:
1. Not everything in a Whole Foods store is organic OR good for you. I kind of knew this going in, but you really have still have to be careful about product labeling as well as calorie & fat content--particularly with vegetarian items. (Can anyone say Amy's Organic burritos? Oh, my: the fat!) Going to the WF store does not simultaneously grant a license to purchase everything you see. It was still my responsibility to be a good consumer.
2. Some things at the WF store are also available at your normal grocery store--for a much better price. I did a lot of scouting while I was there, making notes of their brands and prices to compare to what I might pay at Walmart.
3. Shopping at a WF showed me things I didn't know I needed. I kept seeing things that I didn't realize I'll need to start buying, like organic flour and sugar. (BTW, I read that wheat is among the foods ranked highest by the EPA for pollutant contamination. Can you believe that?) As I made these discoveries, I also made a note for myself to look for and price them at Walmart as well.
3. WF stores have a "store" brand as well...and it is generally much cheaper. My, I learned this lesson quickly!
4. The Whole Foods Store is for cooks. Yes, they have many quick and easy meals too, but probably the most unexpected and best surprise of all was my discovery that the WF store carries many ingredients for recipes that I have not yet found anywhere else, particularly in regards to Asian dishes and spices in general. I now proudly have fish sauce in my cabinet that I plan to use in a Pad Thai recipe I found this week.
5. I'm so excited to try new things! Since I went in with a grocery list (recommended!), I didn't grab very many new items to try, but I did come away with ideas for a few new dishes to add to our menu.

Unexpected perks:
1. Awesome paper bags. At first I felt guilty for using a store's bags (and I probably will go ahead and bring my big canvas tote next time), but these babies are 100% post-consumer recycled and were quite useful later in the week when I took a meal to some friends who have a new-addition (actually TWO new additions--twins!).
2. Whole Foods Market has a deli-style restaurant. This is probably common knowledge to all of you, but I'm REALLY excited to head back sometime for a bite to eat with my honey.
 

My loot, carted away via the tiny little double decker grocery cart (which I found VERY handy when navigating through the crowded aisles).

Best Finds:
1. Locally made honey
2. FISH SAUCE!
3. Baked snap peas - They are crispy like chips, and Laila loves them!
4. Organic yogurt - the only kind I can find at our Walmart is Greek style, which is good but not all the time.

Alas, Disappointment
1. I didn't find a lot of veggies we can eat out-of-hand for snacks. Fruit was abundant, but I wanted some fresh sugar snap peas. :(
2. Pricing. It's expensive. Though we've made the decision that it's worth it to invest in good quality food for our family, it's going to take me a bit to grow accustomed to the higher prices. At the same time, I will continue to look for good options in our local grocery stores, who continue to carry more and more organic items.

In other news, I made my first tofu dish. I used a Pad Thai boxed meal, and added my own tofu. We surprisingly really liked it! Though I do feel like I now have a strange marine animal living in my refrigerator. Did you know you have to cover leftover tofu with water and change it daily? What!! I'm learning so much.

A few recipe recommendations:

• Empanadas - I think these would be good with ANYTHING inside of them, but the key seemed to be using a good salsa. I used corn and black bean, which was delicious. Another idea would be to plan these for the day after a taco bar so you can use up your leftovers. The avacado salad they recommend in the recipe makes a good compliment...but so did fresh guacamole! Just use a pastry blender to mash up the avacadoes; add a splash of lime, a few teaspoons of finely chopped onion, some ground cumin and salt. Pretty tasty!
• Mom's Tuna Mac Casserole - Such a yummy comfort food for this time of year. I made this with organic ingredients (except for the mayo & cream of celery) and some sustainably caught tuna (which I found at Kroger). It was gone within 24 hours! You can add whatever veggies you'd like. We used a truckload of chopped broccoli and it turned out great (measurement approximate).
  INGREDIENTS:
  1 Box Mac & Cheese (Annie's is a good brand)
  1 can tuna
  1/3 cup milk
  1/4 cup mayo or salad dressing
  1 can cream of celery soup - updated 1/26/2011. I'm sorry I left this out initially!
  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  1 cup shredded cheese (we like cheddar)
  1 tablespoon butter
  1 teaspoon paprika
  2 slices bread, chopped
  DIRECTIONS:
  Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. Boil macaroni noodles until tender; drain. Mix together all but the last three ingredients (including the cheese packet for the macaroni) and put in prepared dish. In medium bowl, melt butter. Mix in paprika, then add bread and stir to coat. Top casserole with bread and bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Future blog topics that I'm milling about in my mind:

• A toddler (namely, mine) in the midst of a dietary transition
• Food-righteousness
• All Natural vs. Organic foods
• Seemingly unrelated, I've also been thinking a lot today about adoption, especially after I read another article in Christianity Today called "Abba Changes Everything" by Russell D. Moore. This is a topic that's been weighing on our minds for several months now. I hope to add my thoughts about it later.

You'll have to wait for those, though, as my aforementioned toddler is now rousing from her nap. :)

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, either by commenting here or just checking one of the boxes below.