AdobePinon

Just hauled myself down to the local Albertsons (you can tell it's late - I usually shop at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and a few local markets). Was very amused to see that they are just installing some brand new 'Organic Produce' furniture in the fruits and veg section.

Lottie

Well apart from my yorkshire puddings, which I've not been able to get right since I moved over here, I do know how to cook!

You're right about McD's- I won't eat the stuff since I saw Supersize me last year.

Places that we eat out/take out often (although there is just the two of us for now, which I'm sure makes a difference) are:

- House of Noodle Soup (if we're trying to be healthy) $7 entree
- Thai restaurants $7-10 entree
- Pizza - $12 entree
- Sat/Sun Brunch at diners - $8-10 entree
- KFC - $10 bucket -yes I'm partial to deep fried chicken, mash and gravy but we're only allowed that once a month!

A lot of these entree's will do the two of us, which is a new tactic to battle expanding waistlines!

That said, I am trying to limit us to take-out/eating out once a week, it's normally twice/three times, especially if we eat out as part of our social life at the weekend.

Also, I wonder if grocery price varies enormously depending on where you live in the US? What I will say is that my observations on cost/quality of groceries where we live and the cost of eating out have been echoed by family and friends who have come to visit so far.

Lottie

[QUOTE=snorkmaiden] but here the yoghurt is bright pink or blue



I got the shock of my life when I opened up my first American yoghurt, it was lime green....yuck. The Stonyfield Farm yoghurts don't have the nasty colours in them, try them if you've not already

Pimpbot

I never ate healthy in the U.K. seeing that I am not that big on veggies. But I wasn't loading up on fried stuff, it was just easier cooking stuff out of a box when you live alone. McCain oven chips were my diet. lol But since I have moved here closing in on two years now, I have gained probably around 20 to 25 pounds and gone up 3 waist sizes. We eat out maybe once or twice every couple of weeks and I do find myself driving down to Taco Bell for lunch far to often.

Ben

We used to be able to get the Greek Yogurt at our local Trader Joes but apparently import problems have stopped that now! the children loved the stuff with their fruit for breakfast.

I totally know what you mean about pesticides - DDT has been banned for use in the US for a long time, but it is still sold to South America! Just remember that when you bite into your next apple or orange or pineapple or banana and the label says the origin is South America. But then, there are many places still within the US that have DDT in the soil and water. And these pesticides accumulate within animals and the human body because of the fatty tissue. For some reason they cling to fat so while you may only get a little of the banned pesticide from the fruit and vegetables you eat, you get a heck of a lot more of it from the cows you eat, both in the meat and the dairy products. Double whammy!

Bob

Aye, costs vary....in the summer, blueberries are dirt cheap in maine, spuds are dirt cheap in maine as is sweet corn in the summer, but apart from that, everything else is really expensive.

Pimpbot

I'm contracted to work at Dial. So I haven't bought any detergent, softner, soap, air freshners, candles, chilli(they own Armour) etc etc for the last 10 months, because I get it for free.

TRPardoe

Maybe you should eat at better restaurants

AmerLisa

Now who is making the sweeping assumptions here? Not every fruit and veg you buy in America is grown for size and tasteless. If you spend all your time at local supermarket chains, then that's probably what you are going to find. Same thing in the UK. However, if you take the time to find a, for example, farmer's market, you might find something worth eating. Also, in hotter weather, i.e. California all the time it would seem, fruit and veg will not last very long. Even when we lived in the UK our produce didn't last long in the hottest days. When we buy fruit during the winter here we keep it out in the garage, its very cold out there and our fruit really does last longer. Veg I keep in the fridge. I must say that I've never had any fruit or veg go bad before I expected it to.

Also, we only buy Juicy Juice for our daughter, and water it down heavily! It contains 100% fruit juice, but I would never give that stuff full strength to any young child. When we lived in the UK we never used Ribena, that stuff is as bad as Kool-Aid is here. I think, as Ben says, you just have to get the hang of shopping here. It isn't all doom and gloom. In fact, while yes I've put on weight since being here (I put that down to lack of excercise and not working) my husband has, initially, lost weight and now maintains his weight. So obviously all the corn syrup stuff is not affecting him, lucky beggar!

AmerLisa

The same here with blueberries, etc. If I had a freezer, which some day I'm going to, I'd feeze things. Probably one way of saving money.

Bob

now that's an odd mix...eat to much chillie, shit ya self stupid and have all the free washing eh...very handy

Bob

that's what the inlaws do, they buy and freeze a crate, lasts pretty much all year...but then they have a huge freezer...very handy...but somethings don't freeze very well, but blueberries do, and there yummy frozen, drop a few in the icecream

Anyway, farmers market and greenstores...yeah, have great foods...but those prices...can't afford to have quality food all the time, would have less than half the food in the weekly grocery shop otherwise...so it's a matter of making do with the shite that's in the supermarkets, and using lots of spices and stuff for flavour...

AdobePinon

The curious thing is that it has been very hard to tie DDT (or its decomposition derivatives DDD, DDE) to human health effects. (It does destroy animal populations.) If you drive around California at 5:30 a.m., you will see crop dusters and sprayers everywhere. I can't say that the sight fills me with joy and confidence.

Ben

Actually, Bob, I think you would find that if you got into the habit of shopping at a farmers market or meat farms place you would soon find it wouldn't cost you anymore if you go with what is in season. You wouldn't need to buy as much because it won't spoil as quickly or be bruised badly. You just don't waste as much.

AdobePinon

I've often found the prices to be better at the farmers markets than at the grocery stores.