Yesterday’s rain turned into sun this morning and now it’s raining again! It’s a cozy kind of rain though 
Late this morning I met up with Faith, who was here in Charlotte for the day. We had planned to meet for coffee and a walk, but since I’d just had a cup of coffee, I didn’t really need any. So we just walked. She was kind enough to bring me a baggie of chia seeds to try!! How should I use them?
After our walk I met Matt at Harris Teeter for a little grocery shopping. We came home with a bunch of produce and a half gallon of organic milk for only $22.59. I was pleased We’re using protein/meat sources from the freezer/fridge (salmon, eggs, beans) and picking up an organic whole chicken at Costco today. We’ll probably add another $20 to our weekly grocery expense at Costco for berries, the chicken, and grape tomatoes.
The secret was this cart of rejected produce. There was nothing wrong with any of it – most of it was just very ripe and/or had been previously bagged by customers. We got a TON of bananas for $1.47 and 4 huge bell peppers for $2!
Once home it was 12:30 and we were supposed to go to the gym next. I wasn’t terribly hungry, but I knew i would be soon so I had a little snack bowl of dried fruit and nuts as a snack –
I’m glad I had a snack because we didn’t eat lunch until 3:00!
It was worth the wait for a salad of bright new veggies –
Ingredients included romaine, carrot, peppers, beets from a jar that I forgot about, a scoop of Matt’s tuna salad (in the middle), goat cheese. Everything was tossed in fig balsamic vinegar and some Vega Omega Oil blend.
On the side I had one of our yummy peaches!
To Do:
- Costco
- Writing x2
- Write letter
What Are The Chances!?
Check out this celebrity sighting that almost occurred!!!! A reader was in Charlottesville this weekend and….
I hadn’t read your blog for several days because I was out of town this weekend…in Charlottesville…so I had no idea that you were there. Imagine my surprise, then, when I was checking out of our room yesterday at the hotel and saw you, Matt, and two other women come into the lobby after a run in the rain! I considered walking up to you to say hello, but I was with a big group of folks with lots of kids and we were all trying to get out the door to another destination, so I didn’t want to hold everyone up. I wanted to write to tell you about it, though, because it felt like such a strange and funny experience!
Parachutes + PE Class
My latest post on Gather about learning and then forgetting the tricks of the trade: The Parachute.
See y’all later!
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
I wish my store had “rejected” produce – I would be all over that!!!
I love rejected produce AND the meat that is almost out of date. As long as you can cook it the day you buy it (or even the next day), there is NOTHING wrong with it. I frequently get whole organic chickens for 50 – 80% off and make them for lunches to last an entire week or more!
I’m LOVING the colors in that salad! It looks so yummy!
Man, I wish our HT has a “rejected” produce bin.
SCORE on the produce! That is awesome
Nice. Our grocery doesn’t have a rejected item bin like that. Nice.
I love that letter from a blog reader. What are the odds? How strange!
I love the rejected bins like that. I’ve gotten really inexpensive organic yogurt that way – it was just the day before it’s sell-by date.
Man I wish they that those kind of bins around Baltimore!
I wish my grocery store had a bin like that. What a great shopping day — so much done! Take Care!
Oh man – we don’t have any rejected produce bin either. That would be awesome.
the rain finally cleared up here, but I think it’s headed back tomorrow
i wish we had bins of product like that! what great deals!
All that poor rejected produce! Ha! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a display like that at my store but I’ll hafta keep my eye out. I tend to eat stuff pretty quick after I buy it anyway so I think the over-ripe stuff wouldn’t be a problem!
I LOVE chia seeds. You should first grind them in a coffee grinder or food processor – otherwise, like flax seeds or hemp seeds, your body won’t be absorbing much of the nutrients.
This is what I do but definitely experiment:
Put a couple of tablespoons of it in a small bowl (it won’t make much but any more and you’re consuming a lot of fat). Add 1 cup of milk of your choice (I like hemp). Add sweetener of your choice and chopped fruits if you wish.
The way I make it the entire thing comes out to 160 calories. The result is like an extremely rich, decadent cream of wheat.
Enjoy and let us know what you end up doing with them!
Doh! And I forgot to add that I heat up the milk a little beforehand in the microwave. Then let it all sit for 5 – 10 minutes. It will thicken by itself. No cooking required (you’d kill all of the good enzymes anyway).
Wow – what a random encounter.. or I guess you’d call it an “encounter to be,” since you didn’t actually meet!
Nice finds. We don’t have too many rejected bins, but we have great markets and stores with hella cheap produce. Like bell peppers at 3 lbs/$1. Can’t beat that!
Wow, that’s an impressive grocery load!!! I can’t believe how much money you saved just by being a smart shopper… kudos to you!
Delicious salad. Now that’s how to refuel after a workout!
I’m just excited they said you were running with 2 other “women”…people usually think I’m a teenaged girl!!
wow thats a pile of produce for not too much money!
What a great deal on all the produce – I LOVE bell peppers!!
Aww to the near celebrity sighting! What a small world!!
Ha the rejected produce looks so sad in that cart! That peach look so pretty!
I LOVE coming across deals like that. It doesn’t happen very often – especially with produce. How lucky you were! Enjoy the bounty!
you’re practically a celebrity!
amazing deals on the rejected produce – wish i could find that somewhere!
whaou it’s very famous !!!
3 pm lunch!?! You so crazy. Looks like my house, and looks like dinner is going to be late
Have a good evening Kath!!!
Ahh, next you’re going to be on PerezHilton.com.
hahaha
great to see you again and actually be able to talk!
check out this site:
http://www.navitasnaturals.com/products/chia.html
you shouldn’t need to grind them, chia is actually an easily digestible protein! it also has some recipes there! have fun.
Killer deal on the produce!
Too funny about the C-ville sighting!
I love the reject produce!
I love the rejected produce bin. I also love the “manager’s special” meat. We freeze it and thaw it right before I use it.
I meant to comment to you once that I finally got to shop at a Harris Teeter after reading about it on your blog. My husband and I were in DC for the day and stopped in there to get some snacks and eat lunch at the salad bar. Such a fun experience.
Haha. That’s how I felt when I thought I saw you walking down the street lol…I didn’t want to run out of the door yelling “hey Kath!” and look like a crazy woman lol
Chia Seeds are awesome additions to smoothies! I let them soak in the liquid i’m using for about 15 to 20 minutes so they puff up. Then put it into the blender with the liquid to make a thick and creamy shake. Yum!
I’ve also grinded them before and used them as breading for fish which wasn’t half bad either =0P
I always get banana’s from the old produce shelf, they are usually just the way I like them, black and spotty on the outside! They make much better banana oats that way!
haha this post made me laugh about the reject bins…I just bought a HUGE bag of bananas for $2!!! I love it for my bakery…the riper the better!