The RAnts of RA

We had a bunch of errands to run in Merced and decided to stop off at Costco. They were having a sale on Nutiva Coconut Oil – 74 oz. for $14.99 – organic.  For that price  I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t something wrong with it. I’ve got five in the pantry and I’ve been using one for what seems like forever.  I can’t find a thing wrong with it.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (There is no such thing as extra virgin…)

I have to say I was pretty dismayed at the amount of organic food available.  I was looking for organic staples: flour, sugar, corn meal, rice and beans. What I found was crackers, soups, cookies and other assorted items of prepackaged food that I don’t trust anymore.  I’m tired of buying stuff with things I can’t pronounce and ingredients I have no idea what they are.  If I can’t make it in my kitchen, our family is not going to eat it.

I was happy to see they had packages of grass-fed ground beef that were very reasonably priced. Sadly, they didn’t have any other types of organic beef or any other organic meats.  The Modesto location seems to have a better selection, but I haven’t been there for awhile, so it’s hard to say.

There are deals to be had in the organic market.  Look for deals on beef during the month of October.  When you find them though, stock up because once the supply is gone, the price shoots back up, and it’ll stay up until Spring.  Consider canning the beef, chicken, pork, etc… instead of freezing it.  The meat will last longer and will be tastier, and most of the cooking will already be done.  It’s just a real nice thing to have on hand.

I think we’ll find a lot of organic food to choose from come Spring. Plan ahead.  What does your family like to eat?  Make a list! What items would you like for them to start eating? Search for recipes that use those items. Buy extra when items are cheap and either can, freeze or dry them for later.

Get to know your neighbors, plant a garden. If we demand organic food, things will change, slowly…

Related articles

• Food: Celebrate organic, natural living
• Farmivore: Going Grass-Fed, Profits Be Damned
• ‘Super foods’ a growth industry for Nutiva
• Really, How Much Better Is Grass-Fed Beef?
• Our kids and GMO’s
• Beef prices reach highest level since 1987

I have struggled with Fibromyalgia for the past 15 years or so and let me tell you, the pain at times is unbearable.  The pain is localized in my arms and legs. Anyone who has ever suffered from this ailment knows what I’m talking about.

I’ve been making my own bread these days to help get away from GMO’s and my bread doesn’t have all those preservatives in it.  But I don’t understand, my bread stays fresh without the preservatives.  So, why are they in there?

Last month I had run out of flour, so I went to my stock and got a bag.  Well it wasn’t organic bread flour. I had purchased it from Costco. Thank God it was only a 30-pound bag because almost from the moment I opened it my arms and legs went wild.    I didn’t think anything about it, except I prayed for the pain to go away.

Last week I opened another bag of Giusto’s Organic,  High Performer High Protein Unbleached Flour  and I’ve eaten breads and rolls to my hearts content (and then some!)  and nothing hurts.  I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing I have a sensitivity to GMO’s.  I know wheat is  not supposed to be a GMO product but frankly I don’t trust our government or the GMO producers  and I think the wheat crops are GMO. Who would be the wiser?

If you suffer from Fibromyalgia try eating only GMO-FREE breads and see if you don’t feel better.  Let me know if you notice a difference.    All my GMO wheat is gone  and it’s organic all the way from here on out.

Related articles

• One Face of Fibromyalgia
• Exercise May Ease Pain of Fibromyalgia, Study Suggests
• Chiropractic Care and Fibromyalgia
• In People With Fibromyalgia, Pain Is Not Worsened By Regular, Moderate Exercise
• Fibromyalgia: Will We Fight?
• My grandfather was wheat free, before it was trendy!

As far back as I can recall pumpkin pie has been my favorite Thanksgiving dessert. To my way of thinking, if you don’t serve pumpkin pie, you can’t have Thanksgiving. I’ve tried making my own pies, buying frozen  pies and the local store-bought pies.

I should probably be ashamed to admit it but I’m not, my absolutely favorite pumpkin pie can be found at Costco. The pie crusts are flaky and moist, not dry and crumbly but the best part is they aren’t over-spiced.

Costco pumpkin pies are huge too. A full 58 ounces — they measure about 12 inches in diameter, so there is plenty of pie to go around. The cost is right too. At $5.99, they don’t cost any more than those tiny 8 inch pies and they are so fresh and delicious, everyone will remember the pumpkin pie, long after the last slice is consumed.

So, just because you don’t have time to bake a pumpkin pie from scratch — or if the oven simply isn’t big enough to accommodate every dish you hope to serve, you can pick one up at Costco and feel good about serving pumpkin pie to your guests — even if you don’t make it from scratch.

It comes in a wonderful plastic container, the only drawback is the lid doesn’t have a cover, so once you open it, you are kind of stuck. I like to take the rim off the pie container, cover the bottom of the dish with plastic then replace the rim to hold the plastic in place. It travels well.

Happy Thanksgiving! Save a piece of pumpkin for me!