These are the questions on my mind at the moment. Deep stuff, I know...
1. Why do most shoe stores not stock my size? I'm tall, but hardly a freak of nature. Shoe shopping puts me in a foul mood, especially when dealing with smug ho sale assistants who do their best to imply that I am a freak of nature. Hos.
2. Why do toddlers refuse to sleep a wink on long car trips, yet frequently nod off three minutes before arriving home - even when just coming back from the shops?
3. Why can't I find double cream (or even plain old thick cream) in LA? Why are my only options either watery 'whipping' cream, or sickly sweet processed crap from an aerosol can? Sigh. Even Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have failed me here.
4. How much snot can a toddler produce? Seriously?
5. Why do I find Jon Stewart (from The Daily Show) strangely attractive?
6. Why can't I be sensible and go to bed at an earlier time each night? Not that 10.30 or 11pm is bad, but I'll never get that nine-hour stretch of sleep I want from a morning lie-in. Not. Going. To happen.
7. Why do small children think that 6.30-7am is a perfectly acceptable time to start the day?
8. Why haven't Ben & Jerry's made an ice cream flavour with whipped cream cheese yet? Just sayin'...
I don't expect anyone to have the answers, but please amuse me with your ideas anyway - that comment box below is waiting especially for you.
Showing posts with label Whole Foods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whole Foods. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
A sweet little victory
Another trip to Whole Foods today (partly in search of some 'shut your face awesome' donuts that were recommended to me), and there was drama, drama, drama. Kids, eh? Can't let you have fun.
Within moments of entering the store, the Faery began complaining she was too cold. It was the one time I didn't have a hoodie for her in the car. She then became fixated on getting a bag of teeny-tiny organic apples that cost a bomb, and I refused. I can be mean like that. She got strawberries instead - so hard done by.
Next, the tongue on her brand new sneakers kept going skewiff on one foot, and - being a new sensation she was unfamiliar with - it was annoying her. She was unable to ignore it, and many stops were made for readjustment amongst the Sunday lunch-time rush of shoppers... yeah, I picked a good time to go.
She'd been a promised a treat from their bakery once we were finished, and she became a broken record with her pleas to hurry up and finish shopping. Despite having eaten before leaving home, she claimed to be hungry.
Cold, annoying shoe, hungry... and indecisive. When we finally made it to the bakery at the end, nothing there appealed to her. The cupcakes were sold out, as were the gingerbread men, and it was a disaster. No donuts for me, either. The waterworks were turned on (the Faery, not me). After some cajoling in which I bartered and agreed she could have something from her Halloween stash at home, there was some brief peace and quiet.
I steered the trolley towards the check out aisle, and that was when I saw them.
Hot cross buns! Oh. My. God. It had been too long. My hands could not grab the six-pack quick enough. My hands may have even been shaking.
I paid up and began to push the trolley - with shopping and Miss Pie - towards the car. Along the way, I was vaguely aware of whinging from the Faery, but by that stage I'd had enough and had tuned out. Then I realised she'd stopped, I assume, to readjust her shoe. I waited. And waited. And waited. Somehow, I managed to lose sight of her, so I called out. She had taken a different route to find me, and I could hear her little voice calling back in panic, unable to see me. When she eventually found me - a whole ten seconds later - she dissolved into even bigger tears than before.
I tried to hug her but all she wanted was to be carried, which was impossible, so she wailed all the way back to the car. Give me strength.
She continued to wail for the entire car ride home, and lost it when I put Miss Pie (instead of her) into the stroller, which was loaded up with shopping to bring up from the car park to our apartment.
I was so over it all, but focused on those hot cross buns waiting for me. My reward.
Two hours later, with one child napping, and the other's mood immensely improved by a raid on her Halloween stash, I finally opened my pack of hot cross buns.
Oh my!
They tasted every bit as good as I remember. Even better, they conformed to American tradition and were fairly jumbo of size. My belly felt full and happy after just one.
So, all in all, a bit of a shitty day (it's Sunday and J is working) but - hot cross buns! Hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns... ♫ That has more than made up for any shittiness, and I know that whatever the Faery or Mis Pie have in store for me this afternoon, there are those divine sweet and spicy buns waiting for me when they go to bed.
Sharing? Why would I do a silly thing like that? They are all mine...
Within moments of entering the store, the Faery began complaining she was too cold. It was the one time I didn't have a hoodie for her in the car. She then became fixated on getting a bag of teeny-tiny organic apples that cost a bomb, and I refused. I can be mean like that. She got strawberries instead - so hard done by.
Next, the tongue on her brand new sneakers kept going skewiff on one foot, and - being a new sensation she was unfamiliar with - it was annoying her. She was unable to ignore it, and many stops were made for readjustment amongst the Sunday lunch-time rush of shoppers... yeah, I picked a good time to go.
She'd been a promised a treat from their bakery once we were finished, and she became a broken record with her pleas to hurry up and finish shopping. Despite having eaten before leaving home, she claimed to be hungry.
Cold, annoying shoe, hungry... and indecisive. When we finally made it to the bakery at the end, nothing there appealed to her. The cupcakes were sold out, as were the gingerbread men, and it was a disaster. No donuts for me, either. The waterworks were turned on (the Faery, not me). After some cajoling in which I bartered and agreed she could have something from her Halloween stash at home, there was some brief peace and quiet.
I steered the trolley towards the check out aisle, and that was when I saw them.
Hot cross buns! Oh. My. God. It had been too long. My hands could not grab the six-pack quick enough. My hands may have even been shaking.
I paid up and began to push the trolley - with shopping and Miss Pie - towards the car. Along the way, I was vaguely aware of whinging from the Faery, but by that stage I'd had enough and had tuned out. Then I realised she'd stopped, I assume, to readjust her shoe. I waited. And waited. And waited. Somehow, I managed to lose sight of her, so I called out. She had taken a different route to find me, and I could hear her little voice calling back in panic, unable to see me. When she eventually found me - a whole ten seconds later - she dissolved into even bigger tears than before.
I tried to hug her but all she wanted was to be carried, which was impossible, so she wailed all the way back to the car. Give me strength.
She continued to wail for the entire car ride home, and lost it when I put Miss Pie (instead of her) into the stroller, which was loaded up with shopping to bring up from the car park to our apartment.
I was so over it all, but focused on those hot cross buns waiting for me. My reward.
Two hours later, with one child napping, and the other's mood immensely improved by a raid on her Halloween stash, I finally opened my pack of hot cross buns.
Oh my!
 |
| This edition of food porn, was proudly brought to you by a hot cross bun. |
They tasted every bit as good as I remember. Even better, they conformed to American tradition and were fairly jumbo of size. My belly felt full and happy after just one.
So, all in all, a bit of a shitty day (it's Sunday and J is working) but - hot cross buns! Hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns... ♫ That has more than made up for any shittiness, and I know that whatever the Faery or Mis Pie have in store for me this afternoon, there are those divine sweet and spicy buns waiting for me when they go to bed.
Sharing? Why would I do a silly thing like that? They are all mine...
Friday, February 25, 2011
Whole Foods - your window to weight gain
One of the joys of living in the US is a health supermarket chain called Whole Foods.
Before you get the wrong impression about me, let's get one thing clear. I'm no health nut. I've never been obsessed with hitting the gym (actually, I detest it and would rather do a lot of walking), organic food, or calorie-counting. None of those things have really interested me.
I love chocolate. I love cheese. And I love anything that's encased in pastry.
Having said that, I like to think I live a healthy enough lifestyle. I (usually) choose walking over driving for a lot of day-to-day errands. I eat mostly home-cooked meals, made from scratch. I don't make a habit of visiting the Golden Arches - or many other fast food joints, for that matter. Generally, I don't eat a lot of processed crap, and now that we're in the US, do my best to avoid things with high fructose corn syrup. I do actually enjoy, and frequently eat, a lot of vegetarian dishes. I may not be skinny, but I hope that these factors will stop me from being a lot bigger than I already am ('Amazonian' proportions, thank you).
Over the years, I've barely set foot into health stores, but circumstances have gradually changed. The main issue is that J needs gluten-free bread, and we cook with gluten-free pasta, bake with gluten-free flour and so on. In Australia, these were easy enough to get at our local supermarkets. Not a great range, but they were available. The regular American supermarkets seem to have a limited gluten-free range - in fact, I've yet to see any gluten-free bread in a normal supermarket.
Add to this the fact that Miss Pie began eating solids about seven months ago. After six months of exclusive breastfeeding, I felt somewhat protective about what went into her mouth, so wanted to start her off with organic food.
We hadn't been in L.A. long when someone suggested we try Whole Foods for gluten-free bread, and we haven't looked back. I have never seen such an incredible range and variety of gluten-free products - all I can say to anyone who is gluten-intolerant or coeliac and living in America, go straight to Whole Foods... run!
However, the cost of groceries at Whole Foods means that I don't shop there for everything. Just the gluten-free items, andorganic ingredients for making baby food ready-made baby food for my lazy days, which are frequent.
This is the theory, anyway. Whenever I set foot in their store, it's with the intention of purchasing only the products just mentioned. Putting theory into practice is a little more difficult, because everything in there is presented so tantalisingly. Everything smells so delicious and wholesome. Everything looks so, well, good for you.
Therein lies my problem. Once I step inside, my brain tells me that if Whole Foods sell it, then it must be okay. It's not bad for you. I go into a food fog, without actually eating. A basketful of necessary purchases turns into half a trolley's worth. I find it impossible to emerge without spending a minimum of $60.
This is bad news for our budget, but good news for Whole Foods.
The process usually happens as follows: after selecting the fruit and vegetables I want, I then head straight to the pasta aisle and grab a few boxes of the gluten-free version. I then set out to grab whatever other gluten-free ingredients are on my list, and do the same with baby food and snacks. Then, en route to the bread aisle, I pass the beautifully displayed cheeses.
Mmm... cheese... I haven't had any Jarlsberg for ages... oh, and they have British cheddar! Yum!
Plonk. Plonk. Into the trolley.
Mmm... breakfast burritos? How could they possibly taste anything but divine?
Plonk. Into the trolley.
At some stage, I head down the frozen aisle to pick up sweet potato fries. The frozen aisle also contains a plethora of other goodies.
Mmm... frozen waffles... we really should take up that fine American tradition of waffles for breakfast... these ones are organic, so they can't be bad for you...
Plonk. Into the trolley.
Mmm... they have a much better range of Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavours than the local supermarket... S'mores! I haven't tried that one yet!
Plonk. Into the trolley.
By that point, any delusions of buying healthily have gone out the window. Along the way, the Faery will have also conned me into buying her fruit twists, a fruity concoction that resembles licorice straps but is super tangy, sweet and - I'm pretty sure - not that healthy.
At this rate? I may need to book an extra seat for my arse on the airline when we return to Australia...
Before you get the wrong impression about me, let's get one thing clear. I'm no health nut. I've never been obsessed with hitting the gym (actually, I detest it and would rather do a lot of walking), organic food, or calorie-counting. None of those things have really interested me.
I love chocolate. I love cheese. And I love anything that's encased in pastry.
Having said that, I like to think I live a healthy enough lifestyle. I (usually) choose walking over driving for a lot of day-to-day errands. I eat mostly home-cooked meals, made from scratch. I don't make a habit of visiting the Golden Arches - or many other fast food joints, for that matter. Generally, I don't eat a lot of processed crap, and now that we're in the US, do my best to avoid things with high fructose corn syrup. I do actually enjoy, and frequently eat, a lot of vegetarian dishes. I may not be skinny, but I hope that these factors will stop me from being a lot bigger than I already am ('Amazonian' proportions, thank you).
Over the years, I've barely set foot into health stores, but circumstances have gradually changed. The main issue is that J needs gluten-free bread, and we cook with gluten-free pasta, bake with gluten-free flour and so on. In Australia, these were easy enough to get at our local supermarkets. Not a great range, but they were available. The regular American supermarkets seem to have a limited gluten-free range - in fact, I've yet to see any gluten-free bread in a normal supermarket.
Add to this the fact that Miss Pie began eating solids about seven months ago. After six months of exclusive breastfeeding, I felt somewhat protective about what went into her mouth, so wanted to start her off with organic food.
We hadn't been in L.A. long when someone suggested we try Whole Foods for gluten-free bread, and we haven't looked back. I have never seen such an incredible range and variety of gluten-free products - all I can say to anyone who is gluten-intolerant or coeliac and living in America, go straight to Whole Foods... run!
However, the cost of groceries at Whole Foods means that I don't shop there for everything. Just the gluten-free items, and
This is the theory, anyway. Whenever I set foot in their store, it's with the intention of purchasing only the products just mentioned. Putting theory into practice is a little more difficult, because everything in there is presented so tantalisingly. Everything smells so delicious and wholesome. Everything looks so, well, good for you.
Therein lies my problem. Once I step inside, my brain tells me that if Whole Foods sell it, then it must be okay. It's not bad for you. I go into a food fog, without actually eating. A basketful of necessary purchases turns into half a trolley's worth. I find it impossible to emerge without spending a minimum of $60.
This is bad news for our budget, but good news for Whole Foods.
The process usually happens as follows: after selecting the fruit and vegetables I want, I then head straight to the pasta aisle and grab a few boxes of the gluten-free version. I then set out to grab whatever other gluten-free ingredients are on my list, and do the same with baby food and snacks. Then, en route to the bread aisle, I pass the beautifully displayed cheeses.
Mmm... cheese... I haven't had any Jarlsberg for ages... oh, and they have British cheddar! Yum!
Plonk. Plonk. Into the trolley.
Mmm... breakfast burritos? How could they possibly taste anything but divine?
Plonk. Into the trolley.
At some stage, I head down the frozen aisle to pick up sweet potato fries. The frozen aisle also contains a plethora of other goodies.
Mmm... frozen waffles... we really should take up that fine American tradition of waffles for breakfast... these ones are organic, so they can't be bad for you...
Plonk. Into the trolley.
Mmm... they have a much better range of Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavours than the local supermarket... S'mores! I haven't tried that one yet!
Plonk. Into the trolley.
By that point, any delusions of buying healthily have gone out the window. Along the way, the Faery will have also conned me into buying her fruit twists, a fruity concoction that resembles licorice straps but is super tangy, sweet and - I'm pretty sure - not that healthy.
At this rate? I may need to book an extra seat for my arse on the airline when we return to Australia...
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