My good friend Cheri and I were just talking on the phone about being a little more "green". Darrell and I are starting to make a few changes to help. So far, we have replaced most of our light bulbs with the fluorescent ones. It has taken me a while to get used to the new lighting (think bluish tint like a government agency), especially in the kitchen. But now it's not so bad. Our neighbors have told us about how they have actually seen a dramatic difference in their electric bill because of the new bulbs. I can't wait to see that, especially since the Carters store is having a huge sale again (shhh-- don't tell Darrell-- I am such a sucker for these sales, but where else can you get very cute baby clothes for $3.99 and to be of great quality, too?) Once again, I digress...
Back to being "green"... I've also been trying to buy organic produce, milk, cheese, and any other groceries, especially for Libby and Drew. It makes sense-- don't want to expose them to unnecessary pesticides, antibiotics, or hormones. I mean, I don't want to be having the birds and the bees talk at age 10! That's why we have only given organic milk to them. It can get quite expensive to buy all organic, so, by all means, I am not 100% organic here (I mean, chicken nuggets are healthy, too, right?). Just doing what I can. What I don't get is when I see foods claiming to be organic, but why? For example, Darrell was at Costco with Nana one time and they came home with a palette of organic pop tarts. What in the world is organic about that? I guess the strawberries-- which I thought was all artificial anyway. Regardless, L&D love them and we're down to the last case or so! I digress again...
One of my favorite places to shop for organic foods is a place called Trader Joe's. I love it there. It has that small market feel and the staff is so friendly and helpful. I mean- GREAT customer service-- which always keeps me going back. Plus, they have good food and prices, too. Today the 4 of us ventured out to Trader Joe's. It is so nice having Darrell come with us (for obvious reasons), but also because it helps to have 2 carts with a baby in each one. I love having the chance to do this because it gives us some good 1-on-1 time with each baby. Libby was absolutely ecstatic the whole time, perhaps because I let her hold the list (which was a tasty snack for her) or maybe because she held the Yo-Baby yogurt and loved pointing at the babies on the label. A few food samples later, we headed to the checkout. Then we saw these cloth shopping bags that you can use each time you shop. I've seen them a million times, but Darrell and I decided we were going to do our very tiny part to help save a tree or 2 (b/c they only use paper bags anyway). I was so excited to learn that they were only 99 cents each, so I picked up 3. Then I found that the very big and nice insulated ones were only $1.99, so I got 2 of those. I was so proud of our latest "green" effort!
This is where it ended... because I was embarrassed to admit to the cashier, who was really sweet and loved the babies, that I'd never cut a mango before. In fact, I can honestly say I've never even bought one before. My mom (Nana) is very allergic to certain fruits, so they are not in my "schema" of fruits. For example, I never ate fresh cherries until I moved to VA (and I don't like them). Maybe Nana is allergic to mangoes, too? Or maybe you don't see them a lot in LA, where I grew up? Or maybe I'm just completely clueless about mangoes for some strange reason. So I asked the cashier if I picked good ones. She said that you pick them by smell (great-- since they're in shrink wrap) and by touch-- you want ones that are sort of soft. GREAT-- these were so hard they could be used as weapons. Basically, I picked some not-so-good ones. Well, not that they aren't good, really, but that I'll have to let them ripen for a few days. I then asked how to cut them and she looked at me like I had 2 heads. I told her that I never really had them growing up and even as an adult, only had them in fruit salad that someone else made. She still looked at me funny, so I mentioned how my mom was allergic. Then I thought, "Why in *!?$ am I telling her this?" She told me they had a huge pit inside (bigger than a peach) and to cut them lengthwise. But then she told me to google "how to cut a mango". I felt like the biggest arse in the world. So, if anyone has any good ideas about our mangoes, I'd love to hear...
But the funny thing about our small steps to becoming more "Kermit-like" is that we loaded up our organic foods that were in their environmentally-friendly totes into our mini van that gets about 5 miles to the gallon. The only thing green about that is the amount of money that goes down the drain each week when I fill it up (almost $70)! Baby steps...
Sounds like you are doing very well Katie! Good for you! Do you have a Costco by you? They have some organic foods as well - some, not all.
ReplyDeleteThose prices on the shopping bags were very good! I bought some canvas bags at Hobby Lobby and they were more than that, and probably smaller.
I think Mangos can be kind of tough to cut, so I kind of cut around the pit (I've never seen the pit, lol) and then dice the fruit. I also peel it first so its easier to eat. Both N&C like mango and it is very nutricious :)
Hi Katie -
ReplyDeleteI had never had mangos till I went to Africa in 96. Maybe it was not a popular fruit in south Louisiana. I have to say that loved them in Africa, but when I tried to eat one here, I was not a fan. I still like them in salsa and salads, but the ones in Africa I ate straight. We cut the sides off, then scored the fruit while still connected to the skin. Then cut if off the skin so it forms little squares of mango fruit. Does that make sense?