Coastal Reflections

Update on my throid

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Organic site of the day - July 3, 2006

Santa Cruz Organic

A different coupon is available each month and a variety of recipes can be found here.

Organic co-op

I was able to pop over to the organic co-op I blogged about yesterday and bought a few things.... red potatoes, peaches, pink lady apples, blueberries, grapes, yellow squash, bananas, and avocadoes.  Some of the prices were a little more than I would have liked to have paid, but the quality is outstanding.  The grapes are so much nicer than any we've ever purchased at the health food store here.  Ds1 couldn't wait for us to get home so I could wash grapes and blueberries for him.  I'm looking forward to this purchasing opportunity.  I'll still be going to the health food store for a few things though.

Ds1 had a wonderful time with the lady's kids and more kids showed up as more people came to pick up their orders.  When we got there, the kids immediately came running out to greet us followed by 2 very sweet rotties and a dog that reminded me so much of the dog on the Little Rascals (anyone know what breed that is?).  The dogs were super friendly.  They took us on a quick tour so we saw their sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, and rabbits.  I think they also told me they have a horse and cow, but we didn't go that far back on their property.  Then all the kiddos were off and running while I learned about the co-op.  It was so good for ds1 to have the time to play with other kids since none of our neighbors have children his age (all grown) and we've not been attending church (that's a long story for another time, but the church we're members of has less than 10 kids around ds1's age).

We're all worn out, hot and sweaty but it was fun and I'm happy to have made this discovery.

Organic site of the day - June 29, 2006

Country Choice

Some yummy recipes can be found here.

WalMart and organics

I rarely shop at WalMart because I hate the experience.  I hate that they bring their big box stores into town and drive other stores out of business.  I hate that the stores here are always crowded and the customers and employees alike just aren't very friendly. 

I had read this article a while back about WalMart going more organic.  I haven't shopped there in probably 5 months.  The stores here had a few organic items, but not many.  In fact, they had gotten rid of some that sold extremely well.  (I did email concerning that and never received a reply.)  The thunderstorms  let up enough that we were able to go last night and I was amazed at all the organics they have now in the particular store we visited.  They could still have much more, but the selection has grown by leaps and bounds.  Most of the prices were cheaper than the health food store we shop here (a national chain) and the one grocery store chain we have that offers a fairly good organic selection.  Some prices were not cheaper though - I saw several things that I can still get cheaper at the health food store when on sale.  They had a teeny selection of organic cotton baby clothes under the George label (only 6 different ones to choose from and they only went up to size 6-9 months) - the prices, however, were no more expensive than any other brand they offered.

Our buggy was the fullest it's ever been when shopping at WM.  Yep, I'm going to be a sell-out now and start shopping there more.  I truly do hate to give them my business, but we're a one income family and I have to make a dollar stretch as far as it will. 

Organic site of the day - June 28, 2006

Cascadian Farm

Check out the recipes and products.

Organic site of the day - June 27, 2006

Newman's Own Organics

Stop by and check out the recipes posted in Nell's Corner.

Organic site of the day - June 26, 2006

Green & Black's

Stop by and drool over the recipes if you have a chance.

Organic site of the day - June 25, 2006

Muir Glen

Check out the recipes (lots of them!) and answers to common questions about organic food.

Organic site of the day - June 24, 2006

Annie's

Check out the kids' pages, which include coloring pages and a book club.  There are also delicious recipes and some freebies.

Organic site of the day - June 23, 2006

Earthbound Farm

Check out all the great articles plus the Organic Kids' Zone and the recipes.

Going Solar

Do Solar While the Credit Shines

New Federal Solar Tax Credits (pdf file)

We've been toying with the idea of going solar for hot water heating for a few years, especially with this new tax credit available (our state - the sunshine state of all places! - does not offer one).  Dh is the solar water heating specialist for his employer so he would do all the work himself and get a great price on all the materials needed.  What's holding us back???  Hurricanes.  Dh had so many solar panels to replace after the 2004 hurricanes blew through here (we suffered Frances and Jeanne that year) for his clients and he had firsthand experience at how shabbily the insurance companies paid for damages.  Of course they counted depreciation on the panels based on the age, but what they all paid came nowhere near the cost of replacing a panel.  Many of dh's clients had to elect to go back to electric water heating because they just didn't have the money to make up the difference between their insurance settlement and the cost of the new panels.  I suppose we'll be on the fence about this issue for a while, especially until we see how this hurricane season turns out.  I would love, love, love to do solar though.  Great for the environment and great for the pocketbook!

Anyone taking advantage of this new tax credit this year or next?

Organic site of the day - June 22, 2006

Late July Organic Snacks

Be sure to visit Nicole's Kitchen for yummy recipes using organic ingredients.

Country Choice organic sandwich cremes

Amey's entry about Julie's Organic Ice Cream made me think of another organic treat I just love, but don't let myself have often... Country Choice organic sandwich cremes.  Delicious!