"Going Green" for St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

To celebrate, today I put on my green t-shirt and headed off to Honest Weight Food Co-op (HWFC).  I thought it would be a great way to celebrate the beginning of Spring and pick up some local "greens"!

HWFC is owned and operated by members and is open to the public.  It is a bit of a hike from my house, about a 30 minute ride.   The last time I was there, the trip was a bit rushed as I was with my husband and daughter, who are not exactly enthralled  when I drag them to "healthy food stores".   It seems that the problem is mostly all of the "smells" that they are just not used to.  My husband is definitely a "city" guy and my daughter is being raised in the suburbs.  I was also raised in the "burbs", but every month we would go to my grandparent's house out in the country.  I played in the barns, ran through the garden and watched the cows being herded across the road in the early evening.  The sites and smells of farmer's markets and stores such as HWFC bring back great memories for me.

Yes.  This is me in 1963, with my Grandma, God bless her wonderful sole, playing with her cat on the farm.

Ok, so, back to HWFC!  I spent quite a bit of time there and brought home some great food. 

Organic blueberries, strawberries, spinach, potatoes and beets.  Locally grown spinach.  I also picked up some frozen Cascadian Farm vegetables that they had on sale 2/$5, Amy's Tuscan Bean and Rice Soup (which I've never seen before), Nature's Path Organic Gluten-Free Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise Cereal, Food Should Taste Good Buffalo Chips and Glenny Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies.  Since it was almost lunch time, I picked up a container of Gluten-Free Light & Lively Quinoa Salad at the Deli Counter and a bottle of Honest Tea Company Red Pomegranate Iced Tea with Goji Berry.  I plan to review some of these items in upcoming posts.

One of the nicest things about HWFC is that nearly everything is labeled.  Even the fresh produce.  You can tell whether the item is organic or conventional, hydroponic, pesticide free.  You can see where it came from, local, USA, Canada, Mexico, etc.  You definitely don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what you are buying!  The carrots above are from Schoharie, coinsidentally where my grandparent's farm was.  :)

After I put all of my goodies away, I had some lunch.

It was 60 degrees outside, so I went out and sat on our deck.

I read all of the literature I picked up at HWFC.

I got my favorite flip flops out of the closet.

It was a good day and I can't wait to try all of the delicious, healthy foods I bought!