Farmer’s Market & Food Finds

Are your local farmer’s markets up and running? We are fortunate that our farmer’s market is open every week all year long. That’s one of the perks of living in California. I love seeing what new crops are ready to be shared. If you purchase from the same vendors on a regular basis they usually throw in a few freebies now and then. Yesterday I got some free plums from my favorite orchard. The peaches are to die for. I bought one that was ready to eat immediately and I devoured it right after lunch. Mmmm – so juicy and sweet.

Farmer’s Market
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The organic strawberries taste like candy – seriously they are so sweet they make me swoon! I already had plenty of greens purchased from Whole Foods and Costco so my purchases were light this time.

Wild Garden Hummus To Go Packs
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Nothing beats home made hummus and I make my own all the time. However what I like about these little packets is that they don’t have to be refrigerated. That’s right – they are shelf stable. That means you can take them on a hike, bike ride, traveling, picnic, lunch box, in your purse, your briefcase – your back pack or your computer bag. Oh my goodness, I saw on tv the other day that fanny packs are making a comeback!!! Can you believe that? I must admit that I used to have a couple of them that I would wear on vacation. My kids will never get over it.

Wild Garden Hummus To Go Packs
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I found this box of 3 at Whole Foods in the chip aisle high on a shelf above the jars of salsa. Individual packs are also sold at Cost Plus World Market. Hummus is such a great source of protein.

Whole Soy & CO
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I know I posted about Whole Soy & Co yogurt over a year ago. Shortly after that post they stopped production for almost a year while they built a new factory. I am so happy to have this dairy free option back on the shelves of my Whole Foods store.

Whole Soy & Co
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All of the other non dairy brands of yogurt I have tried have been too sweet or had a strange texture. This one isn’t overly sweet and has a nice creamy texture and a pleasant flavor. They also come in a variety of fruit flavors if you prefer. I like to eat mine with fresh fruit, use it in baking, sauces and dips. Yum!

Mary’s Gone Crackers
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I adore Mary’s Gone Crackers. They are super crisp, tasty and a generous serving size of 13 crackers for just 140 calories.

Mary’s Gone Crackers
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I don’t think the herb flavor is very pronounced or much different from the regular ones but they still taste good. I found these in the cracker aisle at Whole Foods.You can purchase a larger box of the originonal flavor at Costco. They are delicious with a salad, hummus, vegan cheese or soup.

Lucy’s Gluten Free Cookies
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I dont’ have a problem with gluten so I don’t intentionaly seek out gluten free products. I was however on the hunt for a prepared vegan cookie to keep on hand for a special treat now and then. While browsing the cookie aisle at Whole Foods I stumpbled across these. How perfect that this box contains 3 different types of cookies. Not only do you get variety but there are 3 cookies in each snack ‘n go pack. No being tempted with an open box of cookies – and no worries that once you open it they might go stale. So far I have only tried the chocolate cookie and it was delicious for a store bought cookie.

Lucy’s Gluten Free Cookies Snack n’ Go Packs
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Yes, you are reading that correctly. Each serving is 3 cookies. Now when I read that I figured they would be about the size of a quarter! Let it be known that they are actually a regular sized cookie – not a jumbo one mind you but a decent size and you can enjoy all three or if you are inclined, you have enough to share! For the record I ate all three of the chocolate ones myself!

Just Tomatoes
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Just Tomatoes pretty much sums up this product. They are dried tomato slices that are still kind of chewy. They make a great low calorie snack – they are actually kind of sweet. If you aren’t into such a healthy snack you can layer them into a wrap, put them on a sandwich if you are out of fresh tomatoes, toss them in a salad, into a pasta dish. add to salad dressings and dips or chop some and add them to a bowl of popcorn. Chef AJ (a poplular vegan chef), likes to give them a whirl in a coffee grinder or a spice grinder and use them to flavor various recipes. These can be found near the dried fruit section at Whole Foods or health food stores. I do eat them right out of the bag as snack – weird I know.

Nutmeg Notes

After my first week on thryoid meds for hypothyroidism I have experienced an increase in fatigue, a little dizziness, more hair loss, insomnia and I swear my skin is more itchy than it had been! From what I have read the symptoms can become more intense while the body adjusts to the introduction of the thyroid hormone and then it levels off over the course of the first 6 weeks. Of course it probably didn’t help that I had a colonoscopy thrown in there too with the liquid diet and all that. Let me just say that I am glad that last week is over!

Not to over share but I think it’s important to let you know the out come of the colonoscopy. They found six small polyps that were removed. The doctor said that the colonoscopy screening did exactly what it is supposed to do. Allow him to find polyps before they become cancerous. I got the call today that all of the polyps were benign! Thanks be to God for that. I really wasn’t worried as the doctor had already told me he had no reason to believe they were cancerous. Of course there is always a little twinge of fear until you know for certain. My point for sharing this is that it’s so important to have these medical screenings. The colonoscopy prep is not fun but it’s also not the worse thing either. It’s just one of those unpleasant procedures that needs to be done. I have three years before I have to do it again. Please don’t put off these important screenings.

Did you see my last post about our cholesterol results after a year of eating a plant based diet? If not please check it out here.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram as @Nutmeg Notebook! The app is free for your tablet or smart phone. I post things there that don’t make it to the blog.

Happy Healthy Eating!

Tami

Add Your Thoughts

Do you have a local farmer’s market?

Have you found any new food finds lately?