Posts tagged ‘fresh connect’
My Five Favorites
… from this past weekend’s Eat Local food expo. Thanks to the Kansas City Food Circle for putting this on!
1. All of the people!
Mike and I both were amazed at how many people, and different types of people, were at the food expo. It was awesome to feel like we were part of a larger community who valued the same thing – local, quality food. It was awesome!
2. Cranberry bushes!
We had no idea that you can grow cranberry bushes in the area. As we walked around, we learned all kinds of new things about what can be grown locally. While we don’t have our backyard ready to go for it yet, it gave us great ideas for the future! (and opened our eyes to how much fun this can be…)
3. Familiar faces … sort of.
We learned about the expo thanks to our pals at Fresh Connect. Not only did we see them there, but we also saw some of the people who work at Wells Family Farm and Schenker Family Farm, the two places where most of our meat comes from these days. So fun to put faces to the name, or package of hamburger in our case.
4. Breakfast… yummmmmmm.
We arrived hungry, and I was praying that there would be something we could eat for breakfast. Thanks to the Bread of Life’s table, we were in luck. We shared some awesome vegan zucchini bread and then drooled over all of their other selections. So good.
5. New Date Night Ideas!
If you know Mike & I very well, you know we try to have a weekly date night. Walking through the expo gave us some great new ideas, with our favorite being the New Earth Gardens in Bates City, MO. When you visit, they have a “U-Pick it” program where you go through the farm and pick what you want. They are growing so much stuff right now, it’s crazy cool. We can’t wait to try it out!
Eat Local Expo
Helping put the word out there for fellow local food connoisseurs … or those thinking about making the dive…..
Paradise Locker Meats
A third recommendation for eating safer, healthier foods is to get your meat from a local butcher. I recommend the Fantasma family’s Paradise Locker Meats for those in the Kansas City area.
Meat is one of the hardest items to buy when you start to eat healthier. It’s difficult to know what to look for, what’s good and what’s not, why it’s worth spending a few extra bucks, and where exactly the meat has come from that’s sold at the grocery store. One idea to make this process easier is to stock up on meat from a company like Paradise.
Family-owned and operatred, this business is the real deal. They provide quality meats that have not been treated with hormones and raised the right way. They get their meats from small family farms and do all of the processing and cutting on-site in their USDA inspected plant. They’ve won several national awards, and even been featured in the New York Times and other national media as an outstanding meat supplier.
Some of their selections include beef, pork, lamb, homemade sausages and more. You can make a trip to their store in Trimble, MO, or call to learn about other options for ordering and delivery. I’ve even recieved a few items from Paradise via my Fresh Connect delivery.
After watching Food, Inc. I’ve understood the importance of healthy, safe protein. Often I hear people say that they are “never” eating meat again after watching the documentary and hearing about the practices of large meat manufacturers. Paradise offers an alternative solution for continuing your meat consumption with a safe product that’s raised, cut and processed the right way. This is a great resource for those of us in the Midwest, and specifically the Kansas City area. For those of you out-of-towners, I believe they will ship to you you too! I encourage everyone to take advantage!
Paradise Locker Meats
05 W. Birch Street
Trimble, MO 64492
Phone 1-816-370-MEAT
A Safe Apple A Day…
should really keep the doctor away – or at least hold him off if you’re like me.
Here’s my second recommendation for those of you interested in eating safer, healthier foods but have NO IDEA where to start. My first step was using the company Fresh Connect. My second step is knowing the “Dirty Dozen” and choosing to buy the organic version of these fruits & veggies.
The Environmental Working Group has made a list of the “Dirty Dozen” produce items that contain the highest levels of chemical and pesticide residues. Remember, the key is to start small, and this is one easy way to do that. Make a decision to start buying an organic version of ONE of these at first, and then break yourself in. You don’t jump into a cold pool all at once, you start by testing the water with your toe. So, do the same with switching to safer foods. Test the waters here, and choose a few of these to try. I’m not saying the organic version will necessarily taste different, but recognize how you feel afterward – both physically and mentally. If you’re like me, you will slowly work your way up to buying the organic version of almost all of these and find a way to make it work with your budget. It’s worth it.
Why?
Your body will be digesting foods it recognizes and not be distracted by processing strange chemicals that have been sprayed on the food. Your insides will stay focused on fighting disease, burning fat and keeping balanced hormones rather than going haywire because of a foreign chemical intruder. As a 26-year-old colon cancer survivor, this has become a priority for me as I can’t afford to have my body not focused on fighting off my naturally-causing genetic deficiencies because it’s preoccupied with Round Up on the peaches. I’m not saying this will keep my cancer away, but it sure won’t hurt that effort either. Whether you’re in my boat or not – do this for yourself and for your future health. I don’t think eating safe foods is something you’ll ever regret.
The Dirty Dozen
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet bell peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Imported grapes
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes
Here are some places in the KC area that I go to buy organic produce. (ahem – come on Walmart, get with it!)
- Fresh Connect
- Nature’s Pantry (great place, little pricey, but still awesome)
- Hy-Vee (fresh produce isn’t in the Health Market specifically, it’s with the regular produce. Frozen is with the Health Market stuff though.)
- Target (smaller selection, but it’s there nonetheless)
- Whole Foods (for my Overland Park readers)
- Farmers Markets. Here’s a link Farmer’s Markets in the KC Area. Don’t forget about Lee’s Summit’s market who isn’t on the list yet! Also remember that even if the market doesn’t say it’s an “Organic Market,” there will be plenty of vendors there with organic produce.
- Jason’s Deli. I know it’s not a market, but if you’re hungry for a safe salad, this is the place to go. These guys have a ton of organic produce on their salad bar.
Did I miss any here? Write in and let me know if I need to add to the list!
Source of the Dirty Dozen: An Unhealthy Truth by Robin O’Brien, page 274
Fresh Connect
I’ve had a few requests to start blogging some additional info about the organic/local food movement and steps to take if you’re new to the whole idea but want to slowly break into it.
One of the first, and easiest, steps I took after deciding that I wanted to eat “safer” foods was to sign up with Fresh Connect.
This is mainly for Kansas City-area residents so if you’re an out of town reader, I apologize. I’d encourage you to look around in your area for a food co-op, as many metropolitan cities have these. Also, a great way to get plugged into this movement is to become a Farmer’s Market shopper in a few months.
But for my KC readers, Fresh Connect has helped me effortlessly start eating healthier, safer foods. A “to-your-door” delivery service, they deliver fresh produce and meat to your home as often as you choose. You select the quantity and frequency and leave the rest up to them. It not only saves you time if you have a busy schedule like ours, but it makes you eat healthier because you’re stocking up on fresh fruits and veggies instead of prepacked junk found at the store. We’ve also enjoyed the variety of foods we’ve branched out to eat. Foods like cabbage, beets, squash, buffalo meat, among others have made their way onto our menu and we’re enjoying this nice change!
For our two-person family, we’re set up on a rotation to get a fruit & vegetable combo delivery two times/month. We also receive a delivery of meat the first week of each month. They have many options for food and deliveries that will fit any budget. We’ve chosen to devote around $100/month toward this food delivery. It’s cut down on our grocery spending too, as we now just pick up a few of the additional items every few weeks that help us prepare meals and lunches.
I know this isn’t for everyone, but if you’re serious about eating more local, safe food this is a great first step.
Check it out at www.freshconnectkc.com.
** Mention that I referred you, and we’ll both receive $5 off of a delivery!
Semicolon Stories 