Milk Nazi

Or... Cheap Organics.

Or... I Love Costco.

Okay, so I committed to switching to organic dairy and eggs as a small step towards a healthier and more environmentally friendly way of eating. I've heard several times before that if you are going to go organic with just one thing that it should be milk. I'm not sure why... I'm far too busy saving the world to worry about details. So, I bought my first round of organic milk this week at Costco.



What I hadn't heard was how f-ing expensive organic milk is. Even at Costco! When we first joined my beloved food warehouse club I was ecstatic to find milk sold for $2.00 a gallon. That's cheap! I love that! So imagine how hard it was for me to pass up the cheap-o gallon for the organic version: half the size, twice the price. Yikes.

But let's not focus on the negatives. Let's check out all the benefits of choosing organic milk. They're printed right on the side of the carton:


Now, don't we feel better about ourselves? The milk is sold in packs of 3 1/2 gallons for $8.99. It stung a bit, and now I have concerns that I'm going to turn into the milk nazi around our house. I already cut down on the amount I put in my coffee and this morning I was making pancakes and the recipe called for a cup of milk... I found myself wondering if I could get by with subbing in a half cup of water for half of the milk. I have visions of Drew coming home (he's in the Virgin Islands... it is 85 degrees there... I'm not complaining... I'm just filling you in) and pouring a bowl of cereal in the morning with me standing over him shouting, "Do you really need all that milk?!?" I'll be passing out milk rations... it could get ugly. Stay tuned for that.

In other news... I love Costco. Love them. Check out the rest of my loot:

Often I'll buy organic items there because they are less expensive than the non-organic versions at the grocery store. For example, this one pound tub of organic spinach is $3.99. That's about how much the regular spinach is at the grocery store for a smaller portion. Super. Super food that is.


I also buy organic canned tomatoes: 8 cans for $7.99. Occasionally I can find regular canned tomatoes on sale at the grocery store for less than a dollar, but not often. Another fabulous deal!

I LOVE Pacific Natural Foods. I started buying their soups and chicken stock before I was at all interested in organics because... wait for it... they're cheap. This 6 pack of soup cartons cost $10.99 which comes out to be about $1.83 per carton. The chicken stock is even less. The cartons are resealable so you can pour a bowl and stick the rest in the fridge. So convenient. We eat a lot of grilled cheese and tomato soup... I'm gourmet like that.

More fun with the self-timer! This MaraNatha almond butter is not organic, but I love it. Love it. Obsessed. So much so that I felt the need to hug it on the blog.

This dog is not organic either... but we keep him around because he's so handsome.

Hey Costco! Send me a 3-pack of organic milk and I'll continue to plug your store. Thanks!

Resolutions: How are we doing here?

Just so you don't think I'm hiding in a closet somewhere eating brownie batter, here's a little update to how the New Year is going so far...

Resolution: Run Faster. Did you know it snowed like a thousand times in the last week? The fact that I'm not cuddled up on the couch eating brownie batter is a miracle in itself. The fact that I made it to the gym to run on the treadmill 3 times this week is pretty unbelievable too. And I ran fast. Well, fast for me. On Wednesday, in an attempt to "run fast" I did 5 miles of intervals that went like this: 0.25 miles @ 6.5 mph, 0.25 miles @ 7 mph, 0.25 miles @ 7.5 mph, 0.25 miles @ 8 mph, repeat for 5 miles. OMG. I was so tired. Plus, lets be honest, once you get up to 8 mph the treadmill starts making a lot of noise and people start staring. So I'm pretty proud (or embarrassed) of myself for ignoring the looks and finishing the workout. Resolution = Success!

I keep seeing people update on FaceBook about how they are running a marathon this Spring and it makes me SUPER jealous! But I keep reminding myself to stick to the program. This Spring is for halfs. That works for me.

Resolution: Be More Organized, Get Good Grades, Look Cute, Not Old. Ummm... Drew organized the office so when I blog I feel more organized. I bought some notebooks and printed my syllubus for an online class. I feel pretty cute. This resolution is going really well. Resolution = Success!

Resolution: Stop Spending Money! Damn you Target. And damn you Costco with your cheap liquor. New resolution: don't shop at Costco in Missouri. I have no self control when it comes to cheap booze. There's a reason its illegal to sell liquor at Costco in Kansas. Resolution = Fail.

Resolution: Have More Fun! Hmmm... have sat on couch drinking hot chocolate & Bailey's for 3 viewings of Season 1 of Glee (yes, the entire season, 3 times) with husband. Glee = Fun. Husband = Fun. Resolution = Success!

****Note: Resolution having to do with Twilight & Teen Angst has been deffered until June****

Resolution: Eat Cleaner. We've been doing really well with this one. If you disregard all the Bailey's and hot chocolate (it's organic hot chocolate though!) and one trip to Spin Pizza, we've eaten really healthy this week. Only problem is... we are plum out of food. Last week at the store I cringed when Drew bought a ton of apples, thinking that we'd never eat all of them... along with the tons of other snacks we bought. Now we are 100% out of fruits and veggies in our fridge. Looks like we'll be going on an emergency grocery run today. And I guess we'll have to buy more apples.

I get really snacky, and with the lack of junk food in the house I have to turn to the only sweet foods we have: fruit. I've eaten a lot of raisins this week! Drew had a breakdown on Friday night and demanded to know where I was keeping my stash. I usually have some sort of chocolate hiding in the back of the freezer or some candy stashed on a high up shelf, but I don't anymore. That is commitment! He tried to send me out for chocolate chip cookies but I made him a hot chocolate & Peppermint Schnaps instead. Hot chocolate doesn't count when its below zero. That's a fact. Resolution = Kind of pretty successful so far.

New Resolution: Go to church. I added this one late... but with good cause. I've totally been slacking on my church attendence lately. It always seems like I get busy and things get prioritized in front of going to church. Like, I need to squeeze in a run, or I have to work, or I'm really tired and don't want to get up that early... early as in 10 AM. Time to get my priorities straight. God > Running. Church > Sleep. So far so good. I went to church this week and last... just have to keep it up.

That's enough of resolutions and betterment for now. More importantly... have you voted on a bag?! Please see poll to the right. Today is your last chance to vote in this very important election of bag! Now if you'll excuse me... I think I hear some brownie batter calling my name.