The Organic & Thrifty Pantry and Shopping Guide

Posted on | January 6, 2010 | 9 Comments

sustainableshoppingFinally, I’ve done it. In an effort to simplify and streamline meal planning and spending in 2010, I’ve made a comprehensive list of all of the foods we buy and eat regularly and have organized them by store, where I find the best deals.  I am going to make this into a 1 page document with checkboxes  to help me stay focused on what we need week by week rather than whimsical wants.  Of course, sales and deals are always allowed, and can be great substitutes for other things on my list. And since I’m “living off the pantry” this month, I decided to really quantify what were the essentials.

Thankfully, I live in an area that is within close proximity to all of the stores I frequent.  And frequent stores I do; being a stay-at-home mom allows me the ability to really shop around for best deals. I realize that not everyone has this luxury, and in those cases I would think that one-stop shopping, though perhaps more expensive, would save time.  Online shopping and home delivery services are also available in many locations and should be explored if time is of the essence as well.

I would obviously adjust this if I lived in a rural area and further streamline where I buy my products.  So without further ado, here’s my comprehensive Organic and Thrifty Pantry and Shopping Guide:

Organic, Grass-fed Beef/Lamb/Poultry/Eggs/Dairy: Our family will absolutely not compromise on this one.  Grassfed beef is high in Omega 3’s, CLA, and is usually more lean than CAFO meats.  Commercially-raised meats, in my opinion, are unethical and unsustainable and I would prefer to eat less meat if it meant higher quality.

*Local, organic, grass-fed beef purchased in quarters through our local Weston A. Price Chapter.

*Local farmer for eggs and poultry (find through Eat Wild or Local Harvest).  We love Malinowski Farms and Deo Volente Farms, two local operations in the Portland area.

*US Wellness Meats is a full-scale, online store for all kinds of high quality, grass-fed meat.  You can see more info about them on my Resources Page.

*To find a source of raw, grass-fed, clean dairy products, check out the RealMilk.com farm finder. I use my raw dairy to make yogurt, kefir, and (when I’m ambitious) soft cheeses.

Produce: In order to simplify my life, I’ve decided to strive to eat seasonally or eat quality frozen organic produce saved from the summer or purchased locally.  Produce availability thus changes with the seasons. In order to keep me accountable, we have joined a summer CSA and a winter CSA as well, so we enjoy farm-fresh, seasonal, organic produce regularly.  I end up only having to supplement a small amount from the grocery store.

*Mustard Seed Farms CSA (Winter) or Sun Gold Farm CSA (Summer)

*My garden (during the spring, summer, and fall. I had hoped the winter garden would offer some additional produce, but the killing frost and my lack of cold frame put that idea on the back burner!)

*Farm stands around town (Uncle Paul’s Produce, Mark’s Seasonal Produce, Mike and Debbie’s, etc.)

*Co-ops and local health food stores (New Seasons, Food Front, etc.)

*Azure Standard for seasonal deals on bulk produce.

What else I buy: Because of our restricted diet, we eat mostly meat, dairy, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.  We strive for quality over quantity, and thus I believe that by NOT buying a lot of packaged foods, we actually save significant amounts of money while maximizing nutrition.  While I try to build most of our meals around meats, dairy, and produce (see above), there is always a need to fill in the gaps with other staples. Here’s my list of what I buy where:

New Seasons/Co-op/Health Food Store:

Trader Joe’s:

  • alcohol-free vanilla flavor
  • organic heavy cream
  • raw cheddar cheese
  • nitrate-free bacon (Niman Ranch raises their livestock in a humane way)
  • nitrate-free hot dogs
  • Kerry Gold Butter (the best, cheapest place to get grassfed butter!)
  • olive oil packed sardines
  • plantain chips
  • hand soap
  • natural kitchen cleaner
  • scallops, frozen

Costco (Every year I wonder if keeping my membership here is worth it, because there are only a handful of item I still buy at Costco.  But if only for the great deal and convenience of the photo developing and the amazing deal on onions and carrots, I think it just might be worth it!)

  • organic carrots
  • organic raisins
  • almond butter
  • organic, frozen green beans
  • baking soda (for baking as well as cleaning)
  • spices
  • onions ($0.32/lb)
  • organic cane sugar (for making kombucha)
  • pecans
  • walnuts
  • ziplock bags

WinCo (This is our local, bare-bones cheap, bag-your-own-groceries, no-frills grocery store.  While not exactly known for its quality produce, there are often times when you can find locally-grown produce (though not a lot of organics). I usually stick to some basics when I’m here:

  • Thai kitchen fish sauce
  • Thai kitchen curry paste (red and green)
  • Lipton Black Tea (for kombucha)
  • Herbal Teas
  • Parchment Paper
  • Muffin Liners
  • Foil, Saran Wrap, etc.
  • Borax (for making my own detergent for dishwasher and washing machine)
  • bulk spices
  • canning jars
  • unflavored gelatin
  • baking powder

Fred Meyer/Walgreens: (Conveniently located right up the street, we often dash up here for a few things)

  • diapers (we are close to potty training and are using disposables in the meantime; our dear boy is too big for his cloth dipes and we don’t want to invest in a whole new set….hmmm maybe we should fish around for freecyclers)
  • paper towels (I hate the fact that we waste trees with this, but alas DH likes to use them).
  • toilet paper
  • toothpaste
  • bandaids
  • other toiletries,etc.

Grocery Outlet:

  • organic tomato paste ($0.50 per can)
  • frozen wild salmon ($2.99 for a frozen filet)
  • frozen veggies (green beans, turnip greens, summer squash)
  • specialty organic cheeses (gouda, goat cheese, brie, etc.)
  • markdown produce (depending upon availability)
  • any other random item that we need that happens to be really cheap!

Azure Standard: Azure standard is bascially your natural version of Costco.  Through Azure, you can purchase bulk products, fresh produce, and meats. The best part is that they deliver it to you!

  • dried coconut (I’m going to try to start making my own coconut milk from dried coconut this year to further save on costs).
  • sunflower seeds
  • lemon juice by the case (although this is a bit expensive and I’m thinking of just getting lemons instead)
  • navy beans (dry)
  • lentils (dry)
  • raw honey
  • stevia extract
  • chia seeds
  • real salt
  • arrowroot powder in bulk
  • coconut flour
  • spices

Other Staples I purchase online:

Well, I’m sure I’ve left something out, but these are the really critical staples. I will continue to add to this post (or subtract) as I see fit!

What would you add? Feel free to leave a comment to let me know!

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday and Works For Me Wednesday.

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Comments

9 Responses to “The Organic & Thrifty Pantry and Shopping Guide”

  1. The Organic & Thrifty Pantry and Shopping Guide : Organic & Thrifty Eating
    January 6th, 2010 @ 6:09 am

    [...] more here: The Organic & Thrifty Pantry and Shopping Guide : Organic & Thrifty tags: food, from-the-summer, insist-on-organic, life, lohao, lohao-city, organic, [...]

  2. emily
    January 6th, 2010 @ 9:54 am

    the trader joes here doesn’t have organic heavy cream, and the cream they do have hasadded “stabilizers” including guar gum and carnageean, yuck! you are fortunate! i use about 3 pints of grassfed, local cream per week, bought in glass bottles at 3.60 each plus a 2$ bottle deposit. it adds up!

    i’m not sure what type of hfs or coop you have access to but the ones here in mpls,mn are huge and carry every dry good imaginable in bulk;ie. arrowroot powder, legumes, nuts ect. generally organic dry bulk beans are 1$ a lb or so. if you can find such things locally it might save $ on shipping w/ azure.

    what price do you pay for the coconut oil? ive searched high and low, online and irl andhave found the best deal is whole foods organic expeller pressed at 5.69 per lb or about 40$ per gallon.

  3. emily
    January 6th, 2010 @ 11:08 am

    also, fyi, costco photo developing is availabele regardless of membership and is still a good deal.

  4. Jill
    January 6th, 2010 @ 11:37 am

    Hi, Carrie!

    Thanks for posting this–I’ve always wondered how you do it! :) Just curious if you could share your “recipes” for dishwasher and laundry detergent. I use borax to “boost” my Ecos laundry detergent (available at Costco, by the way, for about $14 for a GIANT container), but I’d love to know how to use it in the dishwasher!

    Thanks!!
    Jill H.

  5. carrie
    January 6th, 2010 @ 7:01 pm

    Emily,

    Bummer! Our TJ’s has Organic Valley and their own brand as well. It’s just cream….I’m surprised the Trader Joe’s differ from region to region!

  6. carrie
    January 6th, 2010 @ 7:03 pm

    Emily,

    Good to know about Costco! Walgreen’s has really good prices as well….

    Also regarding coconut oil: I think Mountain Rose Herbs has a great price; about $20/gallon for organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil.

    Azure delivers here, so thankfully I don’t have to pay for shipping!

    Thanks for the info!!!

  7. carrie
    January 6th, 2010 @ 7:04 pm

    Jill,

    I would be happy to! Honestly it’s just what I’ve gleaned from other places on the web, but I’m happy to share my recipe and some things I’ve learned along the way….look for it in the next few days!!!

    Carrie

  8. Jessica
    January 7th, 2010 @ 5:42 pm

    Sorry, this an unrelated topic, and long :)

    Ok, so I ran across your old blog when I did a search for ‘homemade baby formula’ :) I posted something on it, but then I realized you had ‘moved’.

    My youngest baby started with silent reflux around 7 weeks. (back in September) I had been making the NT cow’s milk formula and she did awesome on it. Then she gradually started eating less and less until she just refused to eat at all.

    Feeling desperate I went back to commercial formula to try to figure out the problem, and when she still wouldn’t eat much, I tried spoon feeding her formula mixed with a cereal. (yes, a huge no no)She ate from a spoon so that I what I did because the doctor wouldn’t listen to me other than prescribe zantac which did nothing. I continued to research. After I came across the awesome story of your son on goat milk formula, I tried to find raw goat milk to no avail. Then I tried to find any goat milk and all there was was canned. Tried it, didn’t feel good about it. I didn’t try the meat based formula for lack of good chicken and liver, and it seemed more time consuming, and with 4 small little girls, it was daunting.

    The doctor diagnosed her with silent reflux and prescribed prevacid. I never used it because I didn’t have the $80 to buy it AND she started eating better on a formula without lactose and with added rice starch and with Dr. Brown’s bottles.

    So, it’s been about 2-3 months since then. She is doing VERY well with eating, still spits up a little, but is happy and eating well. I planned to try the cow’s milk formula again after Christmas, which is what I’m getting ready to do. My main question that I’m getting to, is you said something about healing your son’s gut with some supplements. Anne Marie from cheeseslave said she could be a GAPS baby and that making a formula with chicken stock, liver and coconut milk might be beneficial. I was looking for more info on babies on the GAPS diet, but was wondering where or how and thought you might could direct me in the right path.

    She is still eating some babyfood, mainly because she was doing so well eating from a spoon, I didn’t want to stop, then have to start back over. However, I have been lessening the amounts of food she gets and the cereal. I started egg yolks, but haven’t been consistent and am getting ready to try liver and as much real food as possible.

    Anyways, thanks for listening and for anything you can help me with. I am relieved to find other people who have done the homemade formula and had good results with it. The doctor was horrified when I told him what I fed her! Not good…

    God bless,
    Jessica

  9. bulk spice
    February 1st, 2010 @ 6:15 pm

    Bulk spices for sale are not all equal. bulk spices and seasoning blends from a qualified supplier and you are assured of the highest quality.

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