May 1, 2012

Healthy Happenings, Savings & Smoothie Recipe

I'm still here! I know things have been a little quiet around here, but offline life has been quite busy! We are jumping through a couple hoops within this home-buying process, but I trust the Lord's leading.

In the meantime, I'm thoroughly enjoying being distracted by a desire to be healthy! I've always been a health nut to some extent, but with spring time here, it is a season of cleaning things up. Many of us have found eating organic can get pricey, but I'm running into some great finds that I'm happy to share with you all.

My favorite site for saving on organic groceries and natural living products is Vitacost.com. I was never big on purchasing groceries online until recently, especially with free shipping over $49 and many other incentives they have on saving money. I'll share with you my latest purchases.

Order #1 4/21


~ 3 loaves of Ener-G Light Gluten-free/Wheat-Free bread. This is normally $2.47 per loaf, but at the time of purchase it was on sale for $1.99 a loaf! I paid $5.97 for all three - two in my freezer.
~ Arrowhead Mills Organic Kamut Cereal $1.57. I'll be enjoying this with rice milk in the morning :)
~ Peppermint Castile Soap 8 fl oz $2.97. I plan on diluting this and using in my foam soap pump.
~ Seventh Generation Mult-Surface Wipes 70 wipes $4.75. At the grocery store this is over $3.00 for 35 wipes. I thought $4.75 for 70 was a great deal. I plan to keep these in the bathroom to wipe down counter top and toilet each day.
~ Brainstrong Prenatal Vitamins two month supply $13.19. I am very particular about my supplements. I chose this one because it comes with an Omega 3 capsule. I also like that the Vitamin A is in beta-carotene form and Vitamin D is D3. 
~ Amazing Grass Chocolate Superfood powder $21.34. Okay, so this is definitely where I splurged, but I still found it for less here. This is my absolute favorite protein-powder mix. I've shared it in a recipe below.

And the grand total....$49.69 (free shipping!)

Order #2 4/24

Yes, I really did place an order 3 days later, but that's because VitaCost was having a promotion I couldn't turn down - free shipping on orders $24.50 and up. I also had a $10 coupon for referring a friend to register with Vitacost!

~ 2 cans Eden Foods Brown Rice and Cajun Red Beans $1.76 each. These cans are BPA free! These cajun rice and beans will make an easy, healthy dinner. I plan to warm them and wrap them in tortillas with salsa and shredded cheese. Easy peasy in a pinch!
~ Mur Glen Organic Tomato Sauce 8 oz $1.07. I plan to use this with the gluten-free pizza crust mix I ordered. 
~ Raw Chia Seeds 9.5 oz $7.49 I use these in smoothies and oats
~ Organic refried beans $1.92 Warm and place in tortilla with fried egg and cheese for hubby's breakfasts.
~ Toasted Pine nut Couscous $2.35 This will be a side grain for dinner - all I need is a vegetable and protein and it will be a complete meal!
~ Kumquat natural fruit spread 10oz $2.69 This will taste great with the gluten-free bread from Order #1 and topped on oatmeal!
~ Family Size Annie's Mac n Cheese $2.91. Add in ground turkey and vegetables and voila! Dinner!

And the grand total....$24.72 (free shipping!) The subtotal was $34.72, but I used my $10 off coupon here.

I plan on making several purchases with Vitacost! I have two $10 off coupons to use for referring new registrants. If you'd like to save $10 off your first order and begin passing along the savings click here to sign up! If you'd like to follow along my savings with healthy eating/living and see how I use these items to feed my family - please stop by again. 

I leave you with a delicious green smoothie recipe, using some of the items I bought!

1 Cup rice milk
1 handful fresh organic spinach
1 very ripe banana
1 Tbsp raw chia seeds
1 scoop Amazing Grass Chocolate Protein Powder
Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Enjoy!
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