Applegate Farms: The taste test!

I had the opportunity to do a taste test of some Applegate Farm products.  I was THRILLED to try!  Since my family REALLY tries to stay away from processed foods, with some exceptions, it was nice to think we may be able to take a small step back into "convenience" foods.

Before I get into the actual product, I'd like to state just how difficult these were to find in my store.  The hot dogs and bacon were not with the other hot dogs and bacon, but with the organic milk and eggs. The pre-sliced deli meats were in a section WITH other pre-sliced deli meats, but not where I would first go for these items.  As someone who reads labels, I would definitely be drawn to these items, if they were placed somewhere I could find them.  Now that I know where they are, sure, they are easy to find and it makes sense.  If you are looking for new customers though, this may be tough.

First up was Natural Honey & Maple Turkey Breast.

I had this on a sandwich thin with lettuce, tomato and a slice of Monterrey jack cheese.  

My first impression was "it's slimy".  It had the feel of cold cuts that had been sitting in the refrigerator for a week or so.  My second impression, "YUM".  It was very tasty.  I was impressed by the ingredient list and was not scared away by the price.  

Will I buy this again?  No.  I was really turned off by the slimy feel.  If Applegate Farms was to start offering fresh sliced at the deli, you would have a customer for life!

Next was, Organic Genoa Salami.

My first thought with this, was "HAPPINESS!"  My kids love salami.  I was always hesitant to give it to them with all the fillers, etc. in it.  This salami was perfect for all of our needs.  

My kids LOVED it.  

I felt good giving it to them.

The price wasn't horrendous.  

My only complaint was, the package is not resealable!  I'm spending $6.00+ for a meat that SHOULD last in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.  Yet, the package doesn't close?  It comes in this super cool little tray, that you can't keep it in or it would go bad! 

Will I buy this again?  Yes, most likely I will.  My kids really loved this salami.  They told me it was the best salami they have ever had.  How can you argue with that!?!?

The last product we tried was, The Great Organic Stadium-Style Hot Dog.

Hot Dogs are one of the foods that we go back and forth with.  My husband and kids, and who am I kidding, myself, love the taste of them.  However, the ingredients on a regular hot dog are just plain scary!  When I read the ingredient list on this hot dog, I did a little cartwheel inside.  Gone were the Saturdays of a "from scratch" lunch.  We could put a little convenience back into our busy lives.  I had a lot riding on this little hot dog.  I'll talk about the good first.  The taste was good.  The kids liked them.  I liked the taste.  HOWEVER, the "skin" on these hot dogs were so thick that we couldn't finish them.  They were almost impossible to bite into.  

Will I buy these again?  Absolutely not.  I MAY try a different style to see if they have the "skin" issue, but it would take a lot for me to try.  A coupon, a free item, etc.  

I'm curious to try the bacon.  I may see if my next shopping trip budget has some wiggle room to purchase it.  For now, this food study landed a salami customer!

Stonyfield Farm & Applegate

Stonyfield Farm.  What do you think about it?  "Organic Yogurt" is the first thing that pops into my head.  Stonyfield was one of my first organic purchases.  I believe them to be the first mainstreamed organic yogurt.  I could be wrong, but that is my perception.  Have you ever bought Stonyfield?   I have purchased Stonyfield yogurt in the past.  When my children were toddlers, Yo Baby was their yogurt of choice.  As they got a little older, and didn't need the whole milk yogurt, Yo Kids was MY yogurt of choice for them.  My kids referred to Yo Kids as "The Soccer Yogurt" because when we were purchasing it, the picture was of kids playing soccer.  The reason I stopped purchasing Yo Kids was my local grocery stores didn't carry the both varieties.  My kids didn't care for the blueberry and they always seemed to have that pack, but not the other!  I also started to shop at Trader Joe's.  I would definitely buy Stonyfield Yo Kids for my children if we needed yogurt, and the store had it in stock.  I've only purchased regular Stonyfield yogurt once.  I bought an entire case of it from Costco.  My children hated it!  I don't think I would purchase this again.  I am a Greek Yogurt convert!  I recently discovered that Stonyfield makes Greek - Oikos.  I've tried the vanilla one and it was delicious!  If I hit a good sale and/or had a coupon, I would definitely grab a few of these!

Applegate.  Have you heard of it?  I have.  However, I have never tried it.  I have seen the Chicken and Apple sausage here and there at the grocery store, but not once have I purchased it.  I've picked it up and checked it out, but I've always put it back.  Why?  I don't know.  If I had to guess, I would assume it is because I am on a strict budget when I grocery shop.  I don't usually have much wiggle room to add things to the list.  Also, our Shop Rite is usually my last stop while grocery shopping.  By the time I am there, I know exactly how much I have left to spend and I HAVE to get the items on my list.  I have tried other chicken sausage and have liked it.  However, sausage is one of those gray areas in my food philosophy.  If a sausage is made with organic meat, minimally processed, that should be OK, right?  I'm the boss of this philosophy, so honestly, if the mood strikes me, I'm going to eat a sausage!!!  If there was an awesome sale or I had a great coupon, I would buy this product.  I don't think I would add bacon and/or sausage to my weekly or bi-monthly shopping trips, but they could definitely be a "treat" item.  

I hope you learned everything you needed to from my posts.  I honestly could talk about food and my reasons for eating the way I do for hours.  I truly believe in my philosophy.  I believe it has helped make me a better Mom, Friend and Weight Watcher!

Food Brands

What's your favorite food brand?  Does it "get" you?  I have two.  I don't know if the one is considered a brand, so I'll start with the other.

Kashi. 

 I came across Kashi well before I had children.  As I've mentioned before, I'm a Weight Watcher.  The girls at my meeting were always talking about Kashi.  I gave it a try, didn't care for it and moved on.  I tried it out again a few years back.  Whoa, was I wrong before!  I now love Kashi.  My favorite cereal is the Go Crunch Lean.  This is a pantry staple in our home.  The kids love it.  I love it.  We have it with yogurt, milk, plain, fruit and just yesterday, I blended it into a smoothie!  Another of their products that are a staple in our house, TLC Granola Bars.  Have you ever read the ingredients of a granola bar?  I bet you THOUGHT they all were healthy and had lots of good stuff in them.  Think again.  Kashi is one of the few brands that I came across without High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Having Oats as a main ingredient is something all granola bars should have, right?  I really have learned a lot by reading labels.  Kashi fills my need of convenience food.  Trying to eat a mostly whole food and minimally processed diet isn't easy.  Especially, when life gets busy.  It's easy to just throw a granola bar in a bag and head out.  I trust Kashi's ingredients.  There are several other products by Kashi that are new, such as pizza, frozen meals, and cookies.  We haven't tried them yet.  If the occasion ever comes where we may need those items, I would try the Kashi first. 

My second "brand" is Trader Joe's.  

This is one of my all time favorite stores.  It also happens to have mostly it's all own brands.  Most everything I buy at Trader Joe's, is a "Trader Joe's" brand.  I started shopping at Trader Joe's a little more than a year ago, when we changed our family's diet.  I was familiar with the products, since a friend of mine had shopped there often.  I started out going every once in a while.  I now visit at least twice a month.  We have our favorites that we purchase.  They also have seasonal items.  We try those, too.  It is very rare to come across a product that we don't like.  Just like the Kashi brand, Trader Joe's brands brings me a level of convenience that satisfies my food philosophy.  

What attracts me to these two brands?  

Their conscious effort to  bring good food, that is good for you; while being green, at reasonable prices.  

If either one of these brands were to ever go away.  My family would be lost.  Since my twin boys were three they have been asking for Kashi for breakfast and/or snacks.  I would have to start reading labels all over again to find convenience foods that comply with my food philosophy.  Also, I would have a much higher grocery bill, since Trader Joe's offers me foods I am comfortable feeding my family, at a great price.  

I hope for the sake of my wallet, and for the people out there that haven't found these healthy delicious foods yet, that both of these are here for the long run!  

Organic Food

What does the word Organic mean to you?  For me, that is an easy answer.  It means that it was grown and handled with out any pesticides, hormones or chemicals.  I believe that organic food is the food grown the way God intended it to be.  Grown from nature, with natural fertilizers, i.e., compost, manure, etc.   Do I buy all organic?  No, I do not.  I wish I could.  However, only about 25-30% of our groceries purchased are organic. The items that I purchase that are organic are not purchased because they are organic.  As stated in my previous post, I shop at Trader Joe's.  A lot of TJ's items are organic.  Therefore, more of my items purchased are organic because they are purchased at Trader Joe's.  I don't seek out the organic cereal or celery, it just happens to be what they have!  

In a perfect world, we would buy the "dirty dozen" organic.  I would buy all organic dairy.  Heck, I'd even buy organic meat!   Let's face it, this world is not perfect.  If I have to chose between an organic diet or paying for my mortgage, guess which one I am going to pick?  The #1 challenge for me with buying organic is the price.  If I can buy strawberries for $2.99 a container or $7.99 for the organic, guess which one I'm going to pick.  I wish I could afford to feed my family $8 strawberries.  It just isn't realistic.  Another challenge for organic food.  Availability.  As mentioned before, I prefer to feed my family a whole, minimally processed diet.  Our selection of food would reduce dramatically if we only ate organic.  Fruit would be limited to about 25% of what it is now.  Veggies even less.  Our Shop Rite does have an organic produce section.  It's tiny.  The fruit is just sad looking.  

Dairy is another story.  I have a daughter.  I truly believe that the hormones and antibiotics given to cows are passed through the milk.  I did not want my daughter developing at age six.  I made a conscious effort to only purchase milk and milk products that stated they were from cows NOT given milk producing hormones.  Yes, the government has stated there really is no difference between milk from cows given rBST and those not given it.  This is the same government that stood by the pyramid for nutrition for way too many years.  I believe what I choose to believe.  I believe I made the right choice.  Today, we purchase organic yogurt.  That's the one the kids like.  It is the one with the best ingredients.  I also purchase a ton of Greek yogurt.  This is not organic. It is however, made with milk from a cow NOT given hormones.  I choose the health benefits of the Greek Yogurt over the lesser healthy regular organic yogurt.  I recently bough one half gallon of organic milk at Target.  I happened to be there and we needed milk.  We aren't using as much milk as we were when my kids were younger.  I thought a half gallon was the right amount for us.  A half gallon of organic milk is the same price as a gallon of regular.  This is something I am struggling with.  I know the benefit of no pesticides is HUGE.  The frugal mom in me is saying, "Buy the regular, they've been OK with it so far."  But the "granola" mom in me is saying, "BUY ORGANIC!!!"  Right now, the organic is in the refrigerator.  When it is empty, I'll have to make a decision on which to buy.  I will make it then.  I can't tell you what I will do, it most likely depends on how much money I have that day.  Like I said, money is the biggest challenge for me.  

I think the number one reward of buying organic is knowing you are feeding yourself and your family food that is grown with love and without chemicals.  I can't say I've noticed much of a better taste.  I think it's just a mental sigh of relief to not have to worry about organic food and what type of pesticides or chemicals have been used on them.  I love shopping at Trader Joe's and buying organic celery for the same cost as regular celery at shop rite.  THAT is a reward!  ;-)  

I guess my opinion on organic is, if you can afford it good for you!  I wish I could.  If I hit the lottery tomorrow... my new grocery store would be Whole Foods.  Let's face it though.  We are a one income family of five.  I will buy organic when I can.  For now, that has to be good enough. 

Food Philosophy

FOOD PHILOSOPHY

"To eat a mostly whole food diet and eat foods that are minimally processed"

That is my food philosophy, what's yours?  Do you have one?  I didn't always have one.  This philosophy is fairly new to my family.  It all started about a year and a half ago.  My daughter was having some stomach issues.  Her pediatrician and I decided she needed more fiber.  After looking long and hard at how we were eating, I decided to drastically change our diets.  No more frozen foods for breakfast.  No more school lunches.  No more white flour, pastas or rices.  No more High Fructose Corn Syrup, no modified corn starch, no more ingredients we couldn't pronounce!  Lots and lots and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.  Lean meats, fish and eggs.  Dairy, yogurt, cheese and milk.  This change was not welcomed with a parade.  I could have given in to the whines and moans, but I didn't.  My motto has become, "I'm my child's only defense against influences from the outside world, when it comes to food."  I try to teach them the right ways of eating, portion control, variety, etc.  My husband agrees with me that we should definitely feed them this way. However, as much as he has been my number one supporter, I also feel he is one of my biggest challenges...

 He is a skinny minny.  He can eat whatever he wants and doesn't gain an ounce!  Me, I'm on weight watchers, trying to lose all the weight I  gained while we were dating and I tried to keep up with him.  Add onto that two pregnancies and three babies later.  I CAN NOT eat whatever I want.  This is something I have come to terms with.  Two of our three children are built like me.  Our third, he is a mini-me of his Dad.  This is one of the reasons I do want my children to learn how to properly nourish their bodies.  

Another Challenge???

OTHER MOMS!!!!

"You don't let your daughter buy school lunch?"

That is just one of the many many "accusing questions" I encounter.  I definitely believe in the concept of when you know better, you do better.  I know better now.  Why would I feed my kids processed "chicken nuggets" and tator tots for lunch, when I can send them a whole wheat pasta salad with fresh veggies.  They enjoy both, why wouldn't I give them the healthier option!    

I try to educate others with what I know.  Sometimes they are interested, sometimes they are not.  If they ask, I tell them why I feed my family the way I do.  Playdates, are a challenge!  I  feel that if a parent knows this is my philosophy, they should help me out a bit and not feed my kids junk.  I'm not saying they should keep a stock of organic yogurt in their home for just my kids... but if they are only going to be there for an hour or two, I promise you they will not starve. 

BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO EATING A WHOLE FOOD, MINIMALLY PROCESSED DIET?

MONEY!!!!!

Yes, healthy food IS more expensive.  I work really hard to feed my family on a budget.  I travel 25 minutes to  the Trader Joe's that is closest to my home.  I shop at Costco.  I get a lot of crazy looks when I tell people I shop at three different supermarkets to feed my family.  I know where they are coming from.  I used to be one of those people giving the looks.  Why not just shop at one store and save money on gas and save time?  YES, my local Shop Rite does carry a similar item to everything I purchase at Trader Joe's and Costco, but it is so much more money.  To me, this is a top priority...Feeding my family right.  The extra two hours every two weeks, is worth it to me. Yes, it's a couple more dollars in gas... BUT, if I can get my kids their favorite organic yogurts and cereals for at least $1.00 less a box, then to me, it's worth it.  

My biggest concerns regarding my family's diet is whether I am giving them enough balance.  I don't want my children to feel that they are missing out on "the good stuff" and go crazy when they see it.  The last thing I want is to find my kids face first in a bowl of chips at a party, because they never get them.  I do try to give them treats.  We bake together.  We buy chips and salsa and popcorn.  I repeat ad nauseam  how much I want them to learn the right way to eat so they don't have to spend their adulthood struggling, like I do.  

I will continue to feed my children a mostly whole food diet with minimally processed foods.  I will continue to stand strong in my beliefs.