Naturally Lindsay

Budget // Groceries // Conventional v. Organic

February 26, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

One of our family goals for the new year is to get ourselves on a solid budget. We have tried budgeting for years but half way through the month we seem to fall off our budget and then wonder where did all that money go? Now that we have second baby on the way and a pretty big (currently the location is a secret) trip coming up we are feeling a lot of pressure from ourselves to really stick to a budget. Over on Naturally Family we are discussing our budgeting process in more detail but I thought that I would share how we grocery budget here.

Throwback Photo: May 2013 Shopping at PSU Farmers Market

Grocery budgeting has really become a trial and error process for us. One of the big things for us is that we are still getting to know our new home and trying to find the best grocery stores. Up until now we have tended to only shop at Whole Foods, New Seasons (local store similar to Whole Foods), Trader Joe’s and a local co-op. We shop at farmer’s markets in the spring, summer and fall as well.

The problem with shopping primarily at Whole Foods and New Seasons is that they can be expensive at times. Trader Joe’s while often less expensive is really hit or miss for me when it comes to produce and I know I’m not the only one who gets distracted by all the flashy items that they have for sale and end up walking out with more than I had planned. Our local co-op is nice however limited in the items they carry. That all being said we have yet to venture to the more conventional grocery stores or discount grocery stores, but over the next month or so that is going to change as we check out our other options and compare prices and quality of produce.

Currently 90% of what we buy is organic and while I prefer organic it’s not always the most budget friendly so we are choosing to make compromises when it comes to buying organic versus conventional produce. We are planning to avoid any produce that lands on the Dirty Dozen Plus list as these items contain the highest level of pesticides. We are comfortable with buying off the Clean Fifteen and as for anything else that kind of falls in the grey area/doesn’t make the list we will buy organic when possible.

Dirty Dozen Plus*

(I say plus here because depending on what source you find the items can vary so anything that lands on a dirty dozen list is on our organics list)

1. Apples
2. Berries (Strawberries, raspberries, marion berries, blueberries)
3. Grapes
4. Celery
5. Peaches
6. Tomatoes
7. Cucumber
8. Nectarines
9. Bell Peppers and hot peppers
10. Greens (Kale, Collard, Chard, Spinach, Lettuce)
11. Summer Squash
12. Cherries
13. Potatoes
14. Fresh Sweet Peas

Clean Fifteen*

1. Asparagus
2. Avocado
3. Cabbage
4. Melon
5. Sweet Corn
6. Eggplant
7. Grapefruit
8. Kiwi
9. Mango
10. Mushrooms
11. Onions
12. Papaya
13. Pineapple
14. Frozen Sweet Peas
15. Sweet Potatoes

*Source

Luckily some of the items that are staples in our house (avocado, mushrooms, and onions) are on the Clean Fifteen list so we can start saving a bit by purchasing conventional. Now the next step in this process is a bit scary to me but we need to branch out and really evaluate our options. That next step is visiting some new grocery stores to really see what they have to offer. I decided to check reviews of stores online (taken with a grain of salt) to see which ones tend to get rated the best in hopes of setting us up for success. Then it’s time to see how prices and produce really stack up. Our first adventure will be this weekend and fingers crossed it will go well.

Where do you do most of your grocery shopping? Do you shop around or do you stick to the same store? Do you buy organic or conventional or both?

I realize now that the topic of Grocery Budgeting needs to be broken up into multiple parts because there is just so much to write about. Rather than write a lengthy post that you won’t read all of (and thank you to those of you who have read this far) I am going to continue our budgeting discussion another day.

Erin Hamlin and USA Luge Slider Search

February 24, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

This post was created in partnership with Citi®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I honestly didn’t think I would get so into watching the Olympics. I think the last time I watched the Winter Olympics was back in 2002 and that was probably mostly because I still lived with my parents and it was always on TV. So this year I surprised myself when I turned the TV on most nights to watch the Olympics (side note NBC is one of the four channels we get via rabbit ears) instead of a show on Netflix.

One sport I really got wrapped up in was the luge. I mean seriously how insane is the luge? Oh and don’t get me started on skeleton. I found myself stuck to the TV watching Erin Hamlin and her fellow lugers speed down the track. I honestly am semi petrified of sledding after an icy crash when I was 10 or 11 so I can’t even imagine going 80+ mph down an ice track on a thin board; maybe that’s why I got so into it?

Well as you all probably know by now Erin Hamlin won the bronze medal in the Luge Women’s Single competition and became the first American female luger to win a medal at any Winter Olympics and the first American to win an Olympic medal in singles luge of either gender. Pretty amazing right?

Erin Hamlin actually started her luge journey by reluctantly attending a USA Luge Slider Search event back in 1999. Although at first the luge didn’t come naturally to Erin with hard work and dedication she mastered the sport. Now she is a U.S. Olympian and is taking the time to give back and inspire kids around the country. Erin is teaming up with USA Luge Slider Search to introduce kids around the country to luge and find candidates who have what it takes to become the best in the country.

So wants to become an Olympic luger? Or maybe you know a kid who would be interested in learning to luge or another Olympic sport? You can help support their dream by heading on over to the Citi® Every Step of the Way® site and clicking on the Award $5 of Citi’s Donation (it’s FREE to do this!) to USA Slider Search or any other program that interests you pick the one that speaks to you! Don’t forget to come back and let me know which one you picked! To learn more about how you can help check out this short Citi® Every Step of the Way® Welcome Video

Meatless Monday: Brown Rice Tortillas

February 24, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

I haven’t really had any major pregnancy cravings but one thing I have been loving lately are brown rice tortillas. I had this same craving when I was pregnant with Edith and most days you could find me making some sort of wrap after work. Well the tradition continues on and currently my favorite way to eat them is topped with lots of refried black beans.

Lunch (and breakfast) yesterday was a toasted up brown rice tortilla topped with a big slathering of black beans, tofu scramble that had onions, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, chili powder and salt and pepper. It was topped with chopped tomatoes (who else is excited that tomatoes are slowly coming back into season?) and 1/4 of a creamy avocado.

Now that I write all this I think I know what I am going to have for breakfast this morning! YUM!

What do you like up top your tortilla or wrapped inside?

#rethinkyourday with Polar Loop

February 21, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Polar. As always all opinions are my own!

When I first received the Polar Loop I was excited but a little skeptical about whether or not I would actually find it useful. Since I started wearing the Polar Loop a few weeks ago I have really become more aware of how much I move (or don’t move) during the day. As a stay-at-home-mom it is easy to get in the habit of sitting around and since it is winter in the Pacific Northwest it is pretty easy to find yourself not leaving the house some days simply because you don’t want to get decked out in rain gear.

After the first day of wearing the Polar Loop I was a little embarrassed at just how much I sat down that day. My only redeeming note is that I didn’t sit for long periods of time all at once (this is one of the cool features of the Polar Loop tracking). Nevertheless I still sat more than I know I should and since then have been making an effort to get off my butt and move more. While some days we still don’t leave the house, like during our recent snowstorm, I am still finding ways to move at home and at the gym.

So after three weeks of wearing the Polar Loop I find myself still not moving as much as I’d like. According to my stats I am active about 25% of the day and honestly that just isn’t good enough for me. I would like to bump this up to 40-60% of the day.

What an ideal day looks like – 53% activity

This is an average day- 27% activity

Ways I plan to increase my activity over the next month:

Take a post dinner walk with my family.
Walk up and down the stairs (our main living area is on the second floor) once per hour.
Commit to three gym days and two at home workouts per week.
Get out once per day (weather permitting) with Edith and go for a walk to the park, to the market, to the community center, ect.
Have more dance parties with Edith.

The best part by increasing my activity level I will also be increasing our outdoor time! I will also be relieving stress, increasing my energy and preparing my body for labor and birth. So all I can say is wearing the Polar Loop has been eye opening and has helped me to make the changes that I have known I needed to make for months now.

Final Thoughts:

Pros:

It tracks five different levels of activity <– love this.
It’s waterproof and you can even wear it swimming.
Provides tips to help you reach your daily activity and it updates throughout the day. Basically it tells you how long you would need to run, walk or just be up on your feet moving around.
Syncs with phone and will even send inactivity alerts to your phone if you’ve been sitting too long.
Low battery alerts.
Compatible with Polar H6 and H7 heart rate sensor.
Customizable size.

Cons:

It’s a bit bulky for me but not too bulky for me not to wear it.
While the size is customizable you have to cut it and well that just made me a bit nervous that I was going to cut it too small so it took me a few tries before I got it (almost) perfect.

Do you track your activity? How has it changed your days/life/workout?

Day In A Life

February 21, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

5:50a This morning I actually set an alarm to go to the gym because I have been sleeping 20-30 minutes too late to stay in my workout window. I quickly check my email on my phone and then I’m out of bed. I find my clothes in the dark (note to self put gym clothes out before bed) and get dressed. I down two glasses of water and half a banana and out the door by 6:05a

6:09a I stop at the bank machine to get stamps so I can finally mail out the Valentines that Edith made our family and friends.

6:11a I’m back on the road to the gym.

6:22a I arrive at the gym hop on the elliptical and finish an episode of Call the Midwife. I end my workout with a little strength training.

7:02a On my way home!

7:17a I arrive home and I am ready to eat. I prep a batch of chia pudding, make chia jam and toast up some frozen waffles. Note always make extra because even if your toddler has already eaten breakfast they will want to eat yours too.

7:40a Neil heads to work.

7:47a I finally sit down to eat! Edith and I share some waffles and chat.

8:05a E and I watch a little bit of the today show and then move on to reading the same book five times.

8:40a It’s time for our skype date with my parents.

9:16a After skyping we color and I sip on an iced coffee.

10:10a I put on Daniel Tiger for Edith and I work for a bit. I was hoping to go outside but it is still raining.

10:30a E is entertaining herself so I catch up on a few emails and chat with Neil via google chat.

10:50a Time to make lunch and do a load of dishes.

11:35a Lunch time! I make up a batch of creamy cheezy veggie soup and add some gluten free noodles to it.

Soup Recipe:

12 oz veg broth
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 large tomato, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup cashews
2tbs nutritional yeast

Blend in a high speed blender and serve!

12p A messy lunch + morning workout = shower!

12:15p After our shower it’s time to read four books and then take a nap.

12:37p I head to the living room and do some work while watching Call The Midwife.

2:20p Edith is up from her nap and we cuddle for a bit on the couch and read a book.

2:30p It’s time for E’s afternoon snack and while she munches I clean out fridge and realize we need to make a grocery trip.

3:00p I grab a few baskets of laundry to fold and E “helps” me and we sing songs.

3:40p E and I draw and read (yes E really requests to read books all the time). I try to figure out dinner since we are so low on food and already had pasta for lunch.

4:50p After coming to the conclusion that my only option was to figure something out with what was left to eat in our fridge and freezer I reluctantly head to the kitchen and make dinner.

5:20p E and I attempt to eat the dinner I prepared but neither of us is too impressed.

5:40p E asks for a snack and we watch The Office (this isn’t a normal night for us- Neil had dinner and concert plans with a friend so we were on our own).

6:15p I blended the chia pudding I had prepped in the morning and make E a banana smoothie since she was still hungry.

6:50p Time for books in bed.

What does a day in your life look like?

7:15p Lights out and bed time for Edith. I lay in bed for awhile (we have a co-sleeping set up) and once she is out I get back up.

7:35p I get up and make some baked fries, try to do some work and look for something to watch. I find myself not feeling very motivated to work and I end up starting about 5 different shows on Netflix but don’t get into any of them.

8:45p I head to bed and watch an episode of the office on netflix via phone until I fall asleep.

11:45p Neil comes in to let me know he is home.

Meatless Meals for Brown Bag Lunches

February 19, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

These days I don’t do a lot of brown bag lunches for my self since I am a stay at home mom. However, I do make brown bag lunches for my husband who works outside the home. While PB&J is probably the easiest option it’s also pretty boring so I am always looking for quick, easy and tasty ideas to send to send with Neil for lunch.

Idea #1:

Chik’n Fried Rice, Salad and Fruit. While this is enough for me I also would probably pack a few extra snacks for Neil as well.

This chik’n fried rice is simply rice, edamame, carrots and MorningStar Farms Griller’s Chik’n Veggie Patty that has been stir fried with a little soy sauce. Quick and easy! You could also simply cook up the chik’n veggie patty and add it to some leftover takeout veggie fried rice.

Idea #2:

BBQ Chik’n Patty with vegan mac and cheese, roasted sweet potatoes and salad.

This is a quick and easy meal that can be made from dinner leftovers. Just cook the patty up in the morning and toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and place in a microwave safe dish with the vegan mac and cheese and sweet potatoes. Heat up at lunch and enjoy with a nice green salad. Easy, healthy and tasty.

As you can see meatless brown bag lunches can be more exciting that PB&J and they take little to no time to make. Help yourself my using leftovers, prepping your lunches in advanced and if you have kids get them involved as well! You can also make your brown bagged lunch more fun by serving it up in those “fancy” lunch containers they have out now.

Find your fresh take on eating well. Browse hundreds of meat-free recipes at MorningStarFarms.com.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Kellogg’s MorningStar via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kellogg’s MorningStar.

Currently 2.18.14

February 18, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Currently Craving: Another Date Night.

Thinking about: So much, where should I start? Thinking about all the prep we need to do for baby #2. Thinking about an upcoming trip we are taking. Thinking about how I should see if the next session of swim classes has opened for sign-ups yet (for Edith). Thinking about the laundry I need to do. Thinking about how I need to go through my overflowing inbox and to do lists. Thinking about how leftovers from dinner might turn into a second dinner instead of lunch (hungry pregnant lady).

Feeling: Feeling better everyday. I still have afternoons that are less than desirable but overall the negative side effects of pregnancy are getting better. I am also feeling pretty lucky to have an amazing husband and child.

Watching: I have been watching the Olympics. Honestly I am not much of a winter Olympics fan but this year I am really into it. Also since we were snowed in for a few days recently I caught up on all the Parenthood episodes available on Netflix and Neil and I have been catching up on White Collar and The Black List.

Reading: I have been reading lots of cookbooks and trying to catch up on blogs.

Looking forward to: The weekend not for any special reason but simply because Neil is taking full advantage this week of some amazing concerts that are coming through Portland right now so I’ll be happy to have him home for the weekend.

Making me happy: Edith. Seriously this kid is hilarious and such an amazing little one to watch grow. I know every mom says this about their kid but I don’t care it’s true.

What are you doing currently?

This post was inspired by Sometimes Sweet.