I spend so much time working in my PJs and at the bakery sweating in shorts and t-shirts, that Tuesdays have now become a day to shower and put on something flowy! Since I have afternoon dance class, I shower early and the day feels much more legit : )
I got in Matt’s car (because we have a tandem driveway that drives me nuts and his car was on the outside) and headed out to Whole Foods!
I came home with tons of fruits!
I mean tons!!
Plus lots of veggies. We are out of garden greens 
I bought mixed greens for the first time since spring! OKRA is back! My corn, zuc, okra, beans and peppers were all local.
Dairy – including 2 yogurt snacks!
Two staples – beans + dates
And the splurges – because we still have $200 left in our July grocery budget! Coco water, smoked salt and GOAT FETA!
Grocery total = $74.29
[$8 of that being the incredible goat feta… 
]
With all of the above in my grocery cart, the hot bar was not even tempting. All I wanted was a Hugh Jass salad with that goat feta on top.
Eat the r a I n b o w.
And it was so good!!!!!
Greens with my new veggies, a leftover piece of salmon, honey roasted p-nuts and cherries!
Minty iced tea
Dance the night away…
{ 98 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmmm Coconut Water! So glad that more stores are selling it these days since WF will always cause me to find more (spendy) items that I want but do not need….heehee.
Your salad looks fabulous, so many colors! I love when there is a little extra money in a budget and you can splurge a bit at the grocery store!
Yey for buying better food than what they offer in the hot foods bar!
I always LOVE your deliciously wonderful and filling salads!
Taste Nirvana’s coconut water is the only one I really like, and I LOVE it. I’ve had Vita Coco & Zico and their just plain coconut water tastes so weird to me. Haven’t had Naked’s yet. Cherries on a salad are a *great* idea
I just learned last weekend that feta is SUPPOSED to be made with goat/sheep’s milk. We eff it up here in the states by making it out of cow’s milk (or at least the major domestic brands do). It’s milder and less flavorful when made with cow’s milk versus the traditional goat-sheep combo. Foreign feta for me!
That goat cheese is worth every penny!
How do you prepare your okra? I have yet to find a way I like it (read: take the slime out of it).
Mmmm, goat cheese feta and smoked salt! Excellent choices. I picked up a bottle of TJ’s smoked sea salt last week, and I’m obsessed with it. It’s a great addition to grilled veggies!
Your “goods” look so delicious as does your salad!! From what I can tell, you looked very nice today.
Your skirt looks really cute. I tried that exact coconut water, and sadly, I don’t think coconut water and I are meant to be friends. :-/ It’s odd to me because I love coconut. Oh well. Enjoy the rest of your day!!
Try vita coco or Zico! I love coconut water but Naked is one of my least favorites, though I would still happily drink one if it was handed to me
Oh okay, thank you!! I’m not one to give up too easily on a healthy food, so I probably will just try several until one finally hits the spot.
Kori – I’m with you. I’ve tried to like coconut water, and I just. Can’t. Do. It. And this is coming from someone who loves coconut, in all forms. I’ve tried Naked and Zico (Mango flavored) and couldn’t get either of them down. I still have yet to try Vita CoCo, though…
~
Vita is the only kind I’ve tried that I’ve liked. I was wary of trying it all because I didn’t like others but this one is good.
I think you crammed just about everything into that salad
I’ve been lusting after cherries lately, I just need to buy some already. I’ve never heard of smoked salt!
Goat feta?! Sounds amazing! I think it’s definitely worth the splurge!
Okay oh my gosh, Kath. that salad looks so refreshing, filling, delicious…i can’t even handle it right now. haha have fun at dance! your skirt is so cute!
$200 left over in your grocery budget with only a week left in July?! Impressive! I wish I could do that.
I have been eating my weight in cherries over the past few weeks. I just love them!
Salad sounds so good! Love honey roasted peanuts, haven’t had them in forever.
Cherries and goat cheese on a salad must be SO good!
Your salad looks amazing! Now I really want to try goat feta…I love cheese! What do you use smoked salt in? I am very intrigued
Everything! I put it on the salad
Sound like my salt intake might just have to sky rocket after my next trip to whole foods
I just love the color of produce!! Your salad looks so fresh and healthy.
Enjoy Dance!!!!
Needless to say, if it wasn’t apparent by my blog name, I am very thrilled with your purchases today. Nom nom…feta cheese!! If you ever see Valbreso feta cheese at Costco – it is my favorite. It is made from sheep’s milk and it is amazing. Plus its super cheap at Costco!
Ohhhh those cherries look amazing!!!!!!!!!
Goat cheese is worth it.
How much is your grocery budget by the way?
That salad looks amazing! I am craving vegetables!…I was searching online earlier for some help with my resume and an open sky ad came up with your picture! It was fun to see and surprising since I was on a career website, not related to health or anything!
Take care,
Theresa
Cherries & honey roasted peanuts together..that sounds soo yummy!!
Ooh and do say how the smoked salt is – I keep some in my local health food store, but I’m worried it’ll be one of those things that doesn’t taste any different to the normal version, so I don’t want to spend my dwindling ££ on it, unless it’s good.. :s
Enjoy dance! You should give a demo of whatyou know so far at the HLS :p
What a haul! Lunch looks delicious and I’m almost drooling looking at that watermelon – I think I’ve probably eaten my body weight 10x over so far this summer in melon!
I read your blog every day & I wish you lived closer because I have about 10 cucumbers, 8 zucchini, 1 squash & tons of kale & broccoli to share with you.
Finding out you have extra money for foodie splurges is so much fun! I usually end up wandering the aisles trying to find the perfect things to splurge on. And I’ve never had goat feta, but I love regular goat cheese so maybe it would get me to like feta.
Wow anything under $100 at Whole Foods is super impressive to me. I always get so wrapped up in my excitement that I go a little wild and then regret it. I’m dying over all your fruit – it looks so good (especially those cherries!!)
Lots of yummy produce! Looking good!
look at that watermelon! if you are wondering what to do with it, try these watermelon cheeseburgers, which i made the other night:
http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/watermelon-cheeseburgers/
and tell me if they smell like portobellos when you grill them too!!!
What a great haul from whole foods.
Cheese is almost always the thing I splurge on when I have extra cash in the food budget.
I am currently imagining myself floating through the screen and diving mouth first into your bowl of salad. Yummo! Goat feta rules!!!
Those veggies look good!!!!!! I’ve never tried feta goat cheese, I’ll have to give it a go.
I want a Wholefoods!
The closest one is London and that’s a 2 hour drive and probably 4 hours in London traffic.
I’ll stick to local
The salad looks fab!
i have to ask, what do you all budget for groceries?? We are trying to work on our budget for food, and have been wondering what is normal for a couple trying to eat healthy yet economical.
$300/mo. It used to be $200 when we lived in Charlotte and Matt was working at GH. We upped it to $300 when we moved to Cville when we were eating at home 3x a day, but now it should go back down to $150!
thanks for your quick reply! by the way, i know one of your good friends, Becca Y. she told me about your blog, and i’ve really enjoyed it! thanks for all your awesome posts!
Awww tell Becca I said hi!!
I love your eating the rainbow pics! I actually have a post called Eating the Rainbow where I showcased recipes from every color of the rainbow, all plant based, vegan and brightly colored rainbow foods
The skirt or bag or whatever it is that I can barely catch of a glimpse of in the 1st photo…black and white with splashes of teal are my go-to colors…my camera strap, my blog header, my daughter’s bedroom.. Love that print!
I sent the shoes! You should get them soon
I love that dates are a “staple” in your household, makes me want to consider making them one in mine too
Oooh! I can tell that’s a purty skirt Kath!
omgness haha, I do like going to WF once in a great while, but my wallet moans and groans after I pay haha. btw! This is random, but did you see Yahoo’s news about WF today? I don’t want to follow everything the media says, but it made me wonder….have a beautiful day girl!
Hi Kath –
Ever since you started blogging about Great Harvest, I’ve been dying to try some bread! Tomorrow, my family & I are traveling to northern Wisconsin and are going to stop by the Great Harvest in Eau Claire. (this is the closest one to my home – about 3.5 hours north!) I’m excited but I would be more excited if it was your store & I got to meet you!
I printed off their July specials. I think I’m going to get the Spinach Feta & the Almond Poppyseed. I’m going to make some french toast with the Almond Poppyseed!
Their Wednesday sweet specials sound great as well. So, I’m sure we will walk out of the store with a few of those as well!
Those both sound incredible!!
Wow….beautiful salad and it’s definitely a rainbow. Do you use any dressing on it or just eat it plain? I never have tried putting all of those veggies like green beans or fruits (cherries) in my salad but I bet it’s good.
I love coming home from the store with a bunch of goodies!
My driveway is the same and it is such a pain the the a**!!!!
Hello Kath:
I just received my Open Sky package and had to crack open the Cvill Cluster Granola pronto! OMG. The granola is amazing and I can’t wait to sprinkle my oats with it tomorrow. I look forward to blogging about it soon. Have a great day.
Wheeee!
You’ve gotta love all the summer time produce!:)
Oof, I’m gonna add some green beans to my salad
Want. That. Watermelon!
It all looks so refreshing! I’m finding trouble trying to make sure I have plenty of fresh veg to stay happy and healthy, but not so much that I have to throw any away… I’m erring on the not-having-enough side. I need it to taste more like summer! :p
That Hugh Jass salad looks so good!
yummy! All those fruits and veggies and veggies are making my mouth water!
Question: Had you tried that Siggi’s yogurt before? I got the ginger one to try, and I was dissapointed with how bitter it was…and I LOVE the tartness in greek yogurts, so what gives? did I just get a more bitter flavor? should i try the other flavors? Or is icelandic yogurt just more bitter in general?
Yeah, I usually don’t like orange flavored things, but I really like that one!
I think i’ll just try adding more berries to it next to time to up the sweetness factor…I did really like how thick it was even compared to greek yogurts…
Our greens are starting to taste a little bitter as well and have seeded, so it looks like we’re almost done as well. Do you think it’s possible to grow a second crop?
They say fall greens are totally doable
Oh, good! Maybe we’ll pull the rest of our onions and plant a new crop. I’m just not ready to buy greens again!
Or onions … or cucumbers … or tomatoes … or radishes … or peas … or beans … or potatoes. I love gardening!
Peanuts and cherries on the salad? Me likey.
I am so jealous of your grocery trip. Those veggies look so amazing!
Great fruit haul, I always go nuts in the Whole Foods produce department. Beautiful salad!
Way to eat that rainbow!!!
fresh vegs and fruit make my day all the time
have fun dancing the night away!
Yay for Whole Foods trips! Feta sounds soooo good right now. It’s been way to long since I’ve had it!
Enjoy your dance class! I always feel prettier when I’m clean. Your salad looks amazing, too!
I LOVE huge salads with great cheeses. YUMM.
I hate to think when the fruit will go away once winter comes. Viva la fruta!
THe 1st meal after a bulk grocery shop is always epic1
I just received my open sky items today~ beyond fabulous!! Thank you i can not stop eating the granola! Could you lead me to the post where you had the ingredients and nutrition stats mine have come off the package too.
Heather
Awesome!!
Fruits & veggies are my all-time favorite things to shop for!! I notoriously buy more than can physically be crammed in my fridge most of the time- can’t help myself with all the pretty colors, haha!
That’s my favorite coconut water! I like that it’s not crazy sweet.
Well done on the budgetting!! Splurges feel so much nicer when you can make them comfortably
Looks so colorful! Thanks for the ideas.
what a fun cheese! I haven’t seen that before!
That salad looks so beautiful and amazingly tempting. We’re in the middle of a move from Guam to Japan that will land us in a hotel for 6ish months. I’m already missing real food and tiring of living on slim fasts and apples!
OH yeah that salad looks amazing!!! goats fetta is the bomb. I spend $12.99 on jars here in aus, and always have it in the fridge for emergency impressive dinners
Heidi xo
Excellent Whole Foods haul! Your salad was worth waiting for, it looks delicious!!
I recently started working at an internship, and with work plus commuting I just want to eat something as soon as I get home and go to bed! Your simple approach to healthy living has been such an inspiration as I get used to my new schedule. That salad looks AMAZING. Can’t imagine how divine the goat cheese feta must have tasted
What do you dress your salads with?? My latest is pear/gorgonzola dressing from Trader Joes, but I’m looking for some more suggestions.
The honey roasted peanuts look so yummy on the salad! I usually use sunflower seeds b/c I can’t keep nuts (cashews, almonds, etc) in the house without totally snacking on them! For some reason I don’t snack on the sunflower seeds.
Almost always with honey + olive oil + salt. I really don’t like salad dressings. I think they are too strong and overpower, often with fake oniony flavors
Do you mix them together and pour on or just pour on separately?
Thanks
I just drizzle them on separately
I don’t even toss the lettuce in – that takes too much work. I just drizzle widely
That’s a lot of food for $74, good shopping!
That salad looks so delicious! Don’t you love the first meal you make after a grocery shop? There’s always so much selection in the fridge!
I love the cherries on tops (with stems, haha). Looks like a great salad!
Looks delicious. nom. nom. now.
How does the goat feta tastes? I am not a fan of goat cheese but I think goat feta would have a smaller “goat taste?”
It tastes like goat cheese, which is why I love it
Cheese deserves a bit of investment
Mmm Goat feta- totally worth it!!
Funny how “a ton” of fruit is much different for me now. At one point that would have been a ton for me too. Now, as a mom of 3 girls who eat fruit at least twice a day, that is no where near a ton.