Browsing Tag

farm

Domestic

El Mercado

June 25, 2014

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I recently was introduced to a website – Quirky, which provides products designed by real people (like you and me)!  When I was asked to do some product reviews, I was excited to see the impressive list of items they have available for purchase  – like Tether, Mocubo and Silo!

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Due to my obsession with farmer’s markets, I thought it best to test drive the Mercado.  This multi-compartment farmers market tote, was an answer to all my farmer’s market haul troubles.

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Thanks to various pockets, loops and transparent compartments I was able to get my loot home undamaged and was also able to keep tabs on what I had purchased so far… Usually I bring a giant Costco worthy shopping bag to a farmers market and between delicate peaches, lettuce leaves and that watermelon I just HAD to have, something is bound to get smashed, bruised or just buried alive in there… plus I constantly am having to sort through my bag to see what I still need!  With the Mercado, the sheer compartments allow you to see inside the bag, and there were enough sections to hold lettuce, herbs, stone fruit, packages of raspberries, freshly squeezed juice and all of my gear from my Barre3 class I had just come from!

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Between the adjustable strap (you can go shorter for over the shoulder or longer for a cross-body bag) and the assortment of compartments (4 small, 2 medium and 1 large, plus 2 outside pockets) make this for the perfect bag for weekend activities, or to store in you car for grocery store runs.

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My only issue was that, I probably could have used some more room (I’m a chronic over buyer), so hopefully one day this will be available in various sizes… maybe even different colors/fabrics?  Long story short – this bag held A LOT of stuff, and did not feel that heavy, plus all of my groceries made it home in their original condition… yay!

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To get your own Mercado bag click here – and shop their entire line-up of amazing products click here!

Walking Away

Tasty

Farm Fresh to You

January 27, 2014

images via Farm Fresh to You

I am a big Farmer’s Market junkie.  I love the idea of eating what’s in season (now that I have tasted the MAJOR difference in food straight from a garden/farm) and really enjoy going to the market and picking my produce for the week.

Unfortunately, I have realized the whole “pay with cash” thing, does not work in my favor. I am very bad at tracking just HOW much I spend on a given morning at the market – $2 here, $5 there… and after filling my bag up with goodies at a particular stand, I realized that I had spent $11 on brussels sprouts.  I wasn’t buying brussels sprouts for a family of 12 – I was buying it for my little family of 2.  You wouldn’t even pay $11 for a side dish of them in a restaurant! And these weren’t even cooked! Ok rant over…

Long story short(er), I realized that while I thought I was saving “some” money, I probably was doing just the opposite.  Some things are great deals – but sometimes seeing $5 written in a cute font on a chalkboard, makes me feel like I’m getting a great deal on a bunch of kale, when in reality, I was probably taken to the house a bit.

After this realization, my sister brought to my attention that Farm Fresh to You (they have a stand in the Ferry Building), delivers organic produce straight from the farm to your front door!  They have different box sizes and contents, starting at $25 (which will last 1-2 people a week or two!).  I also love that the box is a surprise each week, containing only the freshest, highest quality produce.  You have the option of deselecting items you really dislike and can log in a couple of days before to see what you will be receiving.

They make it very easy – with a vacation hold capability and an interactive scheduling portal.  You even can add on a dozen cage free, organic eggs (I’m telling you – I didn’t like eggs before I crossed over to these kind!) for a few extra bucks!

This is my first week with the box and I already love it… Here is what I received:

  • 2 D’Anjou pears
  • 3 assorted apples
  • 1 bunch golden beets
  • 1 bunch broccoli
  • 1 bunch carrots
  • 1 bunch red leaf lettuce
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 1 lb fingerling sweet potatoes

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I wanted to share a few things I whipped up with the contents this week… so here we go!

Cowboy Steak with Roasted Fingerling Sweet Potatoes and a Red Butter Leaf Salad with Pecans and Dried Cranberries (used potatoes and lettuce)

Honey Sesame Chicken with Broccoli (used the broccoli)

Oven-Roasted Golden Beets over Couscous (used beets)

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Then I had carrot sticks with apple and pear slices for snacks at work and used the spinach in a breakfast scramble with Italian turkey sausage and sweet potato… yum!

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If you are interested in trying out Farm Fresh to You for yourself, click here to sign up and use code 6164 for to save $10 off your first order – just say Whitney Beaver referred you!