Trader Joe's Organic Wine & more

I love Trader Joe's. I would go there everyday if I lived closer to one. But I only get to visit one every other week or so because I always end up going to a closer natural foods store. But I try and wait till I hit up TJ's!

A friend of mine told me that their Organic Chardonnay has been recommended to her, and that I should try it first. So we did!



I think this is a recent development with them offering organic wines (correct me if I'm wrong), and I picked up a bottle of the chardonnay yesterday. They also offer Shirah, which we didn't take. The bottle was only $4.99.

Taste - it was decent! Nothing spectacular, but not horrible either. It tastes similar to the popular Charles Shaw (Two Buck Chuck) wines they are so popular for. For an organic wine, the price can't be beat! :)

Also, speaking of organic treats, I went to Costco the other day to pick up some things, one of which were treats for the pets. I usually get the large bags of dried chicken strips - all natural 100% chicken, which both Mooch and Gromit LOOOOVE. They also sell such things in pet stores, but it's usually $20 for a 1lb tub, while at Costco, it's $12 for a 2lb bag.

Anyway, I was disappointed that they didn't have the chicken strips there, but instead, found this:





Organic chicken treats, with no wheat or fillers! I immediately picked up a box, which is a fairly large box, plus it was only about $12.



Gromit AND Mooch loves the treats! I def. recommend heading out to TJ's and Costco for some awesome finds!

Buy British

I've been fairly busy this weekend - helping with wedding planning, getting my car checked out and fixed, etc! Today, when my boyfriend and I were waiting for our cars to be done, walked around the little shopping center and found a store called "British Foods" And I realized that it was an English import food store! Of course, I had to go in!! And I found lots of fun things. A lot wasn't organic and etc, but I have a blast finding new things!


Rishi Tea, which I've heard good things about. Fairly high quality tea too, it seems - it cost about $20 for one of the cans of tea. I put it down immediately because I can't afford such extravagant teas!!



I loved the way these sacks looked with their little owl eyes! So cute!


This was the only thing the boy and I bought - a bottle of Schweppes Bitter Lemon soda. The cashier lady (who had the cutest accent) told us it was the "most refreshing drink." We put it in the fridge and took a few sips once it was chilled - and interestingly enough, it tastes just like the Dole Lime fruit bars that unfortunately got discontinued! :( - only in all liquid form!

Here are a few more interesting things in the store I took photos of:





I have more I'm going to post hopefully tomorrow! :D

Ki's Restaurant

I love the Food Network, and I love Rachel Ray's show "$40 a Day" and "Tasty Travels." Unfortunately, I hate Rachel Ray. BUT! I watch the shows anyway, because I love to hear about how restaurants do their thing, and I love it when they show San Diego because it highlights places I can visit!

On one episode, they quickly spotlighted a place in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA which isn't far from me, called Ki's Restaurant. On their website, they state:

"...offering an array of food and drinks made from high-quality organic (when possible ) fruits, vegetables, grains, eggs, dairy, fresh fish, poultry products and beef."

Of course we had to visit! So we brought our friends along for dinner. I didn't get a decent shot of the outside since it was so dark so the first image isn't mine.



While we were waiting for them I had fun taking some shots. I didn't bring my SLR with me because I didn't want to lug it around, so I brought my little Fuji. :D



The nice view of the lit ocean/beach - I couldn't get a good shot of this



The guys ordered Samuel Smith's organically brewed beer. They said it was decent. They originally wanted Stone Brewery beers (which is local!) but their tap was broken. :(



Instead of bread, they brought out mini muffins, which were sooooooo good! I don't know what kind of muffins they were - they had walnuts and were just so yummy. I could've sat there and just ate the muffins.



I ordered one the specials, which was the seared ahi tuna and wasabi sauce with scallops, potatoes and veggies. The ahi was decent - drier than I like, but the potatoes and the scallops were yum!



My boyfriend ordered the top sirloin steak, which seemed only pretty good since he didn't sing a lot of praise for it.



And our friend ordered the spicy mahi mahi, which is what I almost got. It actually looked better than what I got. I didn't get to try it though, so I can't say.


Overall, I really liked the ambiance, parts of the food were DELICIOUS and parts were okay - overall I'd come again. Maybe next time it'll be for breakfast or lunch so it'll be cheaper!

Grocery Finds

I went to the store the other day after dance class as usual and found the coolest thing (to me anyway!) - ORGANIC MILK in REAL glass bottles from Straus Creamery!



The part that caught my eye when shopping was on the milk case there was a sticker saying "Return bottles for a refund!" Apparently, you can return these glass bottles of milk at the store you bought it, or any store that carries this milk and get some money back. Now I don't know how much money, but that's an awesome way to not waste!

Another cool thing about the milk is that they do it old fashioned way, so the cream of the milk actually floats on top. My boyfriend was horrified by this, as he hates pulp in his orange juice, so the idea of cream in his milk makes him refuse to even try it! I really enjoy the milk though - it's nice and I think the flavor is ten times better than normal milk. I wouldn't mind drinking glasses of this, but I hate drinking normal milk.



The creamery is located in Northern California too, so it's local (somewhat) ;D

Another thing I discovered are these Green Tea Mints:



I got the "lively lemongrass" flavor, and it's nice - the mints are all-natural and apparently 3 mints equals one cup of green tea, so if you don't feel like drinking any but want your green tea fix, try this! Caffeine free too.

Authentic French Meringue Cookies

For Valentine's day, I made my boyfriend mint meringue cookies. They're wonderful, simple and tasty - the recipe itself does take a lot of energy, but it's a wonderful treat in the end. Taken from All Recipes.

INGREDIENTS

4 egg whites
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Butter and flour a baking sheet.
2. In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin, stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or star tip.
3. Place the meringues in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door to keep it from closing all the way. Bake for 3 hours, or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

My own notes:
* Instead of flour and butter on the baking sheet, I used unbleached parchment paper.
* I used organic sugar and free-range eggs
* I used 1tsp of mint extract to add some flavor and 1/4 cup more sugar to make up for the added liquid.
* You can also set the oven to 185 instead of using the spoon/door method.

Mmmm! Enjoy!

Annie Chun's Biodegradeable Bowls

I never like cooking for myself, so I always end up retreating to quick meals - like canned soups and noodle bowls. One of my faves is Annie Chun's noodle bowls.



The great thing about them? The food is all natural (not organic), AND, the bowls are biodegradable! They are made from corn, and what I like to do with the bowls after the meal is use them for food compost by the sink. I just thrown the whole bowl into the compost pile when it's full. Yay!



You can read more about the bowls on her website (some of her products are also gluten free as well!), and make a small donation for children in need here.

Downfall, yes, they're not cheap (I think they're normally $3.50ish at Ralph's - I've gotten them at Trader Joe's though, and I'm pretty sure they're cheaper there)

Now I just need to get worms for my compost pile...

Five Simple Ways

Going green feels like such a huge daunting task when you first begin. I remember thinking "Where in the world do I start?! I'm just one person, I'm not going to make that big of a difference!" Easy way out, right? I actually felt very depressed about the whole thing. The world was doomed, in my eyes.

It wasn't until I watched "An Inconvenient Truth" that I felt my attitude about the world's state change. It went from "I can't make that much of a difference" to "Even if it starts at just me, it's starting somewhere." Others see by your example and change their own behaviors. Even if they don't, know that you are living in a way that is gentle on the earth. And don't you want to care for things you find valuable?

Lifestyle changes are hard though, especially if you're not in the right mindset. So don't do it because "everyone tells you to" or you feel obligated to. Do it because you want to make a difference, and you want to care for the earth. Do it because you want to. Because without that mindset, you're not going to do anything wholeheartedly.

I read in Organic Housekeeping that it takes 21 days for someone to form a new habit or break a habit. So if you're willing, try to change little things for 21 days in a row. Here are some great and easy ways to start if you don't know where to start!

1.

Recycling is one of the easier ways to lessen your impact. Instead of contributing to landfills, you're allowing something to become something new and reused. Most major cities have a lot of recycling programs out there, Earth 911 is a great way to start finding recycling locations near your area.

Luckily for us, we have recycling bins near our trash bins in the complex (although it irritates me to no end when I see recyclable things in the trash!!). If you don't have a recycling program in your area, try and find out how you can implement one in your neighborhood - people will recycle more because it'll be more convenient for them.

I know in California, they raised the return money for recycling this past year, for you get 10 cents for large containers and 5 cents for small ones. You can find more information at bottlesandcans.com. We currently keep all bottles and cans and plastics in plastic bins and everything else (paper, cardboard) goes into the neighborhood recycling bins. We also recycle the plastic grocery bags we get, I know the Ralph's supermarket in our neighborhood takes used plastic bags for recycling - check your neighborhood store if they do too.

2.

(Our dog, Gromit, not included)
This one is a little more costly, since I know a lot of people re-use plastic bags as trash bags (*ahem* like my parents.. and most Asian families). But recycle those bags, and use biodegradable bags instead! I get a satisfying feeling when I know that I'm using something that wasn't from non-renewable sources, and that they biodegrade.

They cost about $5 a box, and you can find them at most Whole Foods or natural food store. I have yet to see them at Trader Joe's though! The only problem is that you can't really throw out food in the bags because well... they biodegrade. Well you probably could if you took out the trash more regularly than we do... :P

3.

Yes, buying organic does cost more. But I think of it this way - I'd rather be spending more out of my own pocket, than harming the earth and my health. Same goes for buying things like Bio Bags. Also, supply and demand. The more demand in organic foods, the lower the prices will get. Spend your money where your mouth is.

Two things to look out for when buying organic:


Look for the USDA label. This means that the product is certified organic, because really, anyone could label their stuff "organic." This was only recently implemented in 2002.


When buying produce, look at the number stickers. If there's a "9" in front of a 4-digit number, then it was grown organically. If there's a "8" in front of it, it means that it was genetically modified (STAY AWAY!) If there are only 4 digits, then it was grown conventionally.

Also, pay attention to where it was grown! Try buying local - farmers markets are great, and read the signs and labels to see where it came from. The closer they are, they less energy it took to bring it to you. And that's better for the planet, yes?

4.

Again, buying recycled does cost more, but you're reusing, yes? Make sure you check the label and read the percentage of POST-COMSUMER waste that was used. Meaning, people already used it, rather than pre-consumer, which means that it could be from things like wood shavings on a mill floor or something. The higher the post-consumer, the better.

5.

Using cloth bags is one thing that I have a hard time remembering to do because when I want to go to the store, it's on a whim, and I don't have my bags with me. So sometimes I have to grudgingly get a bag, or just carry without bags. But when you can, use reusable bags! Some stores give discounts, or put you in a raffle when you use your own bag. Apparently, IKEA is starting to charge for plastic bags. I know many places in the UK and overseas do this, and I'm so glad SOMEONE is starting this in the US.

You can get bags at many stores - Trader Joe's has the canvas ones for $3, and there are many great ones you can buy at reusablebags.com.

...

Looking back, that's all a lot of information, and it may be a lot to take in - but you can always start small! Recycle for a bit first, then move onto something else. But all these things are good to keep in your mind when shopping at the grocery store. What helped me in the beginning because I felt very overwhelmed with ideas, is to jot things down. Make a list of all the things you want to change, and cross them off when you accomplish them - it was easy for me after that, cause I constantly thought about it. Your mileage may vary :)