What If I Don't Want to Buy Organic?

When Whole Foods opened up in Roseville recently, I was overjoyed. For me, Whole Foods brought back fond memories of living in the Chicago area, and of finding new and exciting things to eat on my lunch break from Starbucks. Yeah, I know there is one in Sacramento, but I just never found myself taking the time to go. My husband and I decided to do our weekly grocery shopping trip at Whole Foods on week, and realized one thing: there is nothing there that is not organic.
Now, I don't have anything against organic food, or the people that try to eat a fully organic diet. If you want only non-GMO produce and crackers with only whole wheat flour and no high fructose corn syrup, more power to ya (not that I'm a fan of high fructose corn syrup. I feel like I'm having to explain myself a lot here. Hmmm.) I am just saying that I think organic milk tastes funky, and the organic yogurt sat uneaten in the back of my fridge for about three months, after I ate one and decided that a) I don't like stirring my yogurt and b) it tastes just as funky as organic milk. Also, what if I don't want my crackers to have flax seeds in them, and what if I want my tampons to have applicators? I'm aware that tampons are not food, but that was just one more grievance that I had after taking a look in the soup aisle and realizing that I wasn't going to be finding any soup for my lunch that was going to cost under $3.

For all my ranting, though, checking Whole Foods out is definitely worth it. The first time we walked into Whole Foods (not for groceries, but for the experience) was pretty neat. Their selection of cheese is amazing, even though some of it looked questionable. We were impressed by the fact that they roast their own coffee daily, and there is also an area where you can put together your own customized trail mix.

The best part happened in the bakery, though. We were standing by all of the desserts, and we must have been drooling because the guy behind the counter offerred us a sample of whatever we wanted, and a sizeable one, too.

I don't think that we will ever shop for our groceries at Whole Foods again, though. I think Safeway has found the right balance for organic shoppers, offereing a decent selection of organic foods with everyday items. Trips to Whole Foods will probably be reserved for getting free dessert samples and experimenting with different cheeses and wines.
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Rice and Beans

When I lived at home with my family before coming to Sacramento State, my dad would sometimes make my siblings and I his "specialty" of rice and beans. Believe me, I was skeptical on this "creation" but when I tried it, I was hooked!

Now that I'm living away from home, having tasty meals in my tummy is definitely not easy. Making dinner from scratch is not my area of expertise, so when I want to make something quick and yummy after a long day of school, I think of rice and beans.


All you need is white rice, a can of beans (I use Stagg Chili steak house reserve chili with beans, which includes beef with green chilies), and a can of corn (I use Green Giant Niblets). You can use any type of beans you like, but if you decide to use the Stagg Chili, you can purchase it at Costco. The Stagg Chili I use is great because it's a little spicy. You can probably find this brand of chili at your local grocery store as well.

Just cook the rice, heat up the beans and corn, mix it all together, and you've got one easy, delicious meal. Enjoy! Continue Reading>>