The Diet Continues; Newer Food Buys

I'm used to seeing rebounds off lows, so most of the past week saw my weight surge up about 4 lbs and work its way back down, to a new low by about half a pound this morning, although an interim weigh-in (yes, I'm a bit obsessed) suggested that I might go down another pound. Maybe tomorrow.

I hadn't really shopped at Sam's Club for the past 2-3 years--in fact, didn't even go to the North Charleston club in the year-plus I lived in SC. Plus, Walmart now sells a limited number of economy sizes, like the big jars of jalapeno pepper slices I love. (I eat peppers on burger, eggs, salads, etc.) I had come close to closing my account, because for example, a single person really doesn't need gallon jars of mayonnaise. In most cases, Walmart offers more selection and usually had a closer, more convenient address. There were always good buy options, though; I think I've written a couple of related posts. The $1.98/lb chicken breasts and $5 rotisserie chickens are always a good buy (at both store concepts). I've often found that economy sizes of things like virgin olive oil, seedless cucumbers and baby spinach are a good deal.

I visited the Sam's Club in Yuma, which was maybe a half mile or so from an extended stay housing (awaiting delivery of household goods). I didn't really shop food because I was eating out at the time and had no place to store my purchases (other than a good deal on fresh blueberries, which I kept in the small refrigerator). So I went yesterday, and it does seem there are differences (or I just must have skipped past them; for instance I used to purchase Lean Cuisine/like multi-packs).

There are a lot more "green" (literally) buys than I remember. There are a number of green signs to attract the attention of "healthy shoppers" to organics or other healthy brands/goods. . I mean, they've offered organic fresh foods (e.g., salads) for some time, but it's more the nature and the extent. For example, when I was in the vegetable oil aisle, I noticed walnut oil and multiple brands of extra virgin olive oil. In the soup aisle, I noticed multi-packs of canned lentil soup and Amy's organic soups. I thought packaged walnuts were a good deal and noticed a decent price on a brand of almond butter. Usually there are multi-packs of sandwich thins, which have become a staple on my shopping list. (Okay, in my flirtation with the paleo diet, I haven't completely eliminated breads or tortillas. To make my heresy even worse, I bought a twin-pack of organic super grain bread loaves.) I still wish I could find  Ezekiel bread at Walmart or an alternative supermarket (according to Food For Life, the nearest location is something like a 20-mile drive to some obscure health food store. I have an aversion to most health food stores. The shipping costs for Ezekiel bread, even via Amazon, are ludicrously expensive.)

They also carried 3-lb packs of grass-fed beef (roughly $6/lb); my nearby Walmart carries a different brand of similarly priced beef bricks. I know it sounds expensive when you can buy conventional ground beef at half the price, but you can taste the difference and it's now a staple of my diet. For a long time I was hesitant to buy it not only because of the premium price but hefty shipping costs. Walmart's prices are competitive with the vendors I've researched, without the high shipping costs.

Another category I think is well-priced is protein bars. I'm fairly picky here, because I've adopted a rule where I won't look twice at a frozen dinner or protein bar which is over 20 net carbs. Sam's Club has good deals on KIND bars and Nature Valley protein packs.

On the fruit side, I like the big sacks of frozen mango chunks and mixed berries. With respect to fresh fruit, lately I've bought strawberries and Bartlett pears.

I've become much tougher on pasta and pizza, even the healthier frozen foods, under my 20-carb rule. One brand that meets my rule is California Pizza Kitchen (at least for a couple of individual twin-pack flatbread varieties). Make no mistake--the slices are smaller and more spartan than what you'll get from a fast food place or in numerous NYC restaurants, but I enjoy them and am forced to be more disciplined than when IT companies I've worked for occasionally bring in multiple pies for business meetings or project/maintenance periods. I may try experimenting with do-it-yourself flatbreads making my carb rule; I bought a couple of packages which I hope to experiment with (a sack of pepperoni slices was on my shopping list).

Pasta is more difficult, but I've bought shirataki noodles, a bit pricey (maybe $1 or more a serving) with a negligible carb count. I've ordered from Miracle Noodles; Another vendor I've used is Vitacost; I particularly like the fettuccine variety. (If you are not familiar, they are usually packed in water, which you drain before preparing the noodles, typically in 2 or more serving bags.) I've sometimes included them with leftover chicken breasts in a bowl of chicken or turkey broth, with a dose of Sriracha sauce.

Speaking of vendors, I have been a huge fan of Wild Planet tuna and Blue Galleon/Bela-Olhao sardines. Blue Galleon ran into business issues and seemed to disappear for a while, and I'm not sure what happened with Wild Planet: I think at some point they suspended direct sales because I was trying to reorder another 24 cans and ran into issues. But in the interim, Wild Planet has diversified its offering of good oily fish, including mackerel and sardines. (You can order directly from Wild Planet, and as I write, their water-packed sardines are at a good sales discount at Vitacost.) I bought a pack of Blue Galleon sardines in hot sauce via Amazon.com (Vitacost also carries Blue Galleon).