Organic, Gluten-free, and/or Vegan Options at Costco

Costco the land of giant carts, where people don't understand the link between non-organic produce and their "need" for bottled water....

Anyway, I found a wonderfully helpful list here with few exceptions (ahem, GoGo Apple Squeezes, which make me nearly lose faith in humanity). While it is a lovely list, it is either out of date or we get very special Costco items in California. ;) Here are a few exciting items I noticed:

Hemp Hearts 28 oz, $14.59
I've been wanting to try them  in these as an alternative to ShotBloks.

WildRoots Ancient Grain Pancake Mix 3.3 lbs, $8.59 (Gluten-free)

Maybe not healthy, as it is a highly processed item, but healthier than the death mix next to it.

Bob's Red Mill Organic Ground Flax Seed 64 oz., $7.99 
Store this big guy in the freezer. Flax contains oil obviously and can go rancid in a cabinet.

Nature's Path Organic Qi'a Superfood 22.88 oz, $14.59
Considering this is no more than chia, hemp, and buckwheat the price is hilariously good marketing.  I could buy this in bulk at Whole Paycheck and blend it myself for less. Sounds yummy though...

Other things I noticed:
- No chia seeds but they do have them occasionally. I searched for them so long; that's what gave me the chance to snap pictures.
- Larabars (less than a dollar each I think). If I were doing any traveling soon I would have bought them.
- I didn't see any gluten-free breads but they carried Bob's Almond flour and a Bob's gluten-free blend flour.
- Yes, they also have quinoa and nuts but that was covered in the reference list above :)
- No bean-based protein powder.

I don't buy produce at Costco because it's cheaper elsewhere since I live in CA. I also don't buy "snack" foods so I didn't check for healthier options there. (I lied - I bought a jar of sun-dried tomatoes for snacks. They're so sweet!) So that's why I focused on grains/seeds as they are, in addition to nuts, the biggest areas of cost savings for vegan/vegetarian shoppers at Costco! I'm curious though if people in say, Michigan, would be able to find gluten-free options and hemp hearts in their Costco stores. If I see anyone at Costco wearing a manager tag next time I'm sure I won't be able to resist asking.

How I Spent My Summer...

Yoga on the Mall - Washington, DC

New York School of Trapeze - Washington, DC 

(Other locations available)

and FINALLY...

Hiking Mt. Whitney - Lone Pine, CA

 I love you, California.

Book Club II

It's never been much of a secret...Anyone who so much as had a sleepover with me since middle school knows that I can shovel away a whole pan of brownies. I have an inner fat child, I like to say. Back then, it wasn't much of an issue; I was growing after all. Now though, it's not so fun that my weight fluctuates by 15 pounds. Combine this with the fact that I usually buy clothes when I'm at the lighter end of the spectrum, and you've got a frustrating morning where most of my closet doesn't fit. So! I give you this weeks read:

It has sections where you're supposed to journal (a little difficult on the metro and using my Kindle) but I'll let you know how it goes.  Also, when I'm feeling self-conscience that someone might be reading my self-help books over my shoulder, I've been reading through:

I love reading about mountaineering.  It's the best kind of suspense story to me.  I would love to hike some of the 8,000ers someday. However, reading about blood clots forming in your legs and then travelling to your lungs and killing you is a little deterring, no?

What's in My Bag?

Like most "city girls" I carry a huge freaking bag to work.  I'm not one of those annoying people that drags a roller bag through metro but close.  On days when I'm squeezing in a weight circuit, pilates class, or volleyball game during lunch, I'm also toting around the following:

{Foundation, mascara, face wipes, baby powder, headband, ipod, and finally - my camping towel}

This is everything I need to go from slightly-sweaty-and-gross to OK for sitting through an afternoon with my spreadsheets.  I don't really workout during lunch if I have a meeting in the afternoon.  I just know I don't look 100% so it's best if I can save my sweating for later. (Oh yeah and deodorant is also probably a good idea!  Sorry, he was absent for the photoshoot.) 

Here's what I do:

1. Shower off and dry with the camping towel. (No, I don't wash my hair. I have thick hair and it would take 2x as long as my workout to get it dry.)

2. Then I wipe off any remaining sweat from my face with the wipes.  

3. Reapply make-up and let hair dry a bit (or blot with paper towels if needed).

4. Sprinkle baby powder lightly at roots and massage in with fingers, shake out any remaining. 

5. Comb out and probably put into a pony tail or bun.

5. Get dressed and apply deodorant.  

That's it! Back to work I go.  Any tips for a quick turn-around from gym to desk?

Food 101: Canned!

So you've probably heard of BPA?  It increases leptin. Elevated leptin = bad.  BPA is used in can lining so that creates a little problem, particularly if your local wine store disguised as health food store Trader Joe's only carries canned beans.  

Let's look at another aspect of this issue:

Calories are equal....that's good. The bag has 11 g of protein and the canned has 6 g?  Strange. This probably has to do with water content as it also varies for the fiber and some of the micronutrients.  More concerning is that the sodium is increased by nearly 16 times.  Gross.  I realize some sodium is good but that is more than I would like.

Cooking dried beans is pretty simple especially if you have a Crock Pot. 

Cooking Dried Beans

1) Rinse the beans in a colander and check for rocks.

2) Put in a Crock Pot and cover with 2 inches on water.

3) Set to high and let cook for 5-6 hours.

It takes some planning but not a lot of actual work! Enjoy your musical fruit without the BPA :)

It's a Matter of Mind

The temps have once again swung from the 80's to the 50's and I'm pulling sweaters and my favorite holey ol' sweatshirt out of their boxes.   This hasn't slowed me down from making some summery dishes! Fish tacos with homemade tortillas (I was out and I thought, why not? Dumb, dumb idea.)

Usually, I peruse several recipes and come up with a combination of my favorite elements, but when  I came across this tortilla recipe from Hillbilly Housewife I went with my gut instinct and tried it.  Making tortillas is hard work!  I definitely see the many ways our lives have become sedentary. Although I don't think any of my ancestors made tortillas...Anywhatzit,  I marinated the fish (any light fish will do) in lime and garlic then lightly cooked it in a pan.  I topped the tortillas with the fish fillets and my favorite toppings (err...whatever I had in the fridge).

I also made an eggplant salad but I'll spare you the camera phone picture I snapped before lunch.  Just check here and trust me, it's delicious.  I used roasted zucchini instead of avocado though. It's what I had :) No grill needed, just bake the eggplant in the oven.

PS - I also made, what else?! Muffins!  This recipe was actually quite good!  I used BodyTech Banana Cream protein powder because I have so much of it. (Side note: As a drink, this stuff clumps into taffy if the water is too cold.  Blech.)

I also tried a spin class for the first time in a decade!  In the past, I've had the seat adjusted too high and it caused some issues.  Painful issues.  This time was different, I had so much fun...I will definitely be back.  I see it soon becoming addicting!

Mojo is MIA

Wow.  I've applied to so many jobs today, it's exhausting.  I can't really tolerate being in front of a computer this much so I've been a blog-slacker.  I really was going to post a 'Five on Friday' yesterday...Now I can't even recall any of the 5 things I had in mind...

My workout this morning was even a fail.  Lately, my muscles have felt tapped out 100% by the time I even step on a machine.  This is particularly true for my legs.  So when I hopped on the stair climber this AM, it was a short lived effort - 10 minutes! So I pranced over to the ellipti-suck thinking I could get in a lower impact workout.  Unfortunately, I was on a machine behind a guy who was evidently having quite the conversation with himself, God, one of his other personalities, or all of the above.  Complete with hand gestures and waving. That was the last straw, I went home.

I did take a nice walk this evening with Bear while talking to one of my (sadly) long-distance friends... Cardio? Not really.  Just what I needed?  Definitely.

Good night! xo