I'm Overwhelmed...

Sometimes I hear lyrics to a song while driving down the road and I can't seem to get to a stoplight fast enough to look them up on my phone.  The latest song that I downloaded immediately, then played at least 10x that day, was "Overwhelmed" by Big Daddy Weave.

The lyrics to "Overwhelmed" are powerful which is what initially caught my attention!  Even if you have heard the song, go play it again before reading on and listen to the lyrics.  (Here is a link to the official music video).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiGb14tTaH4

My favorite line - "God I run into your arms, unashamed because of mercy" - praise Jesus!  My girls have heard it played one to many times for their liking, but I just can't seem to get enough of it.  Sure the tune is catchy and the words are beautiful, but no doubt God knew I would need to hear it 100x before I actually applied the thing & started living it out.  So often I believe truth, but living out that truth is hard.  Plain and simple.  Knowing and applying are two totally different verbs.       

My BJ's Shopping List

I've been wanting to put this post together for some time and was reminded of it when I recently read 100 Days of Real Food's, My Go-To Costco Shopping List.

We used to be members of Costco until having kids and it began to be unpractical to drive 25 minutes to our closest store in Raleigh.  Costco ROCKS and I have been wishing for years that they would bring one to the suburbs where we live!  There have been rumors for the last few years, and I recently saw our wish looks like it is coming true, less than 5 miles from home!  
http://www.apexchamber.com/sections/whatsnew/documents/DecemberNews.pdf



We purchased a BJ's membership a year ago when we really started flying through food like crazy around here with 5 people to feed.  Especially fresh produce.  I am super happy with my BJ's membership and can get many things there in bulk at much better savings overall than my other grocery stores.  We go through produce so fast, that I typically hit BJ's once a week before it is time to pick up my kids from school, since it is in that general vicinity.  You can use BJ's coupons, manufacturer's coupons and can stack them as well.

I'll be honest, I don't have time to write down prices, though I know approximates for many items by memory and I will share those with you.    Just know that the prices are generally fabulous compared to buying the same things in smaller quantities in your regular stores.  Also note that this list is not completely "clean".  This is real life, friends, and we DO eat processed food.  We just try to keep it to a minimum and for the processed items we do buy, we try to make "better for you" choices.   The following are things that I regularly purchase at my local BJ's:

PRODUCE
5 lb bag of ORGANIC gala apples for ~$10 (I buy this every week; we fly through it!)
3 lbs bananas ~$1.35 (seriously, you can't beat that!)
4 count bag avocados ~$4.99
1 lb grape tomatoes ~$5
3 lb bag sweet potatoes ~$2.50
Nature's Greens 2 lb.  bag chopped kale $1.99
Nature's Greens 2 lb. bag chopped collard greens $3
organic salad mixes
Love Cooked Beets (4 pack, $6.99)
baby carrots
bell peppers (4 count bag of red for ~$5, 4 count bag of green for ~$4)
Fresh Express Romaine Hearts (3 count, $2.79)
brussels sprouts
mushrooms
berries (in season)

REFRIGERATED
salsas
cheeses
chickpea salad
Wholly Guacamole box of individual guac containers
Pete & Gerry's Organic Eggs 12 ct, $3.99
Naked juices (huge bottles for ~$5)
Stonyfield Farm Organic squeeze yogurt tubes 
Applegate Farm Organics (wide variety of products!)

FROZEN
organic chopped  spinach 3.5 lbs $6.99
organic broccoli florets 4 lbs. $7.69
Alexia sweet potato fries 
Wild caught Sockeye salmon filets
frozen fruit

PAPER PRODUCTS
paper plates (cause I'm lazy a lot)
toilet paper (BJ's brand is usually cheapest, but Charmin Basic with coupons)
paper towels (BJ's brand unless another brand is cheaper with coupons)

LAUNDRY/PERSONAL CARE
laundry detergent
dish detergent
Method cleaning supplies
shampoo/conditioner
shave gel

PANTRY
ground flaxseed
chia seeds
quinoa
organic maple syrup
organic extra-virgin coconut oil 36oz. $11.49
pure vanilla extract 16oz. $7
raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, etc.)
Organic peanut butter (just peanuts, salt) 26oz. $5.99
dried apricots
dried mango
raisin boxes
kcups
Annie's Mac & Cheese (12 boxes for $12!)
Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna (4 cans for $12)

SNACKS
Pirate's Booty (huge bag OR individual snack size bags)
Food Should Taste Good Sea Salt Brown Rice Crackers
Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
Various brand applesauce pouches
Kind Bars (box of 18 bars for ~$22)
Clif Kid Organic ZBars (box of 24)
Nature's Path Organic Dark Chocolate Macaroon Crunch Granola Bars (box of 48)
Veggie Sticks
Skinny Pop popcorn (individual snack size bags, non GMO!)
Popcorn Indiana White Cheddar Popcorn (non GMO)
Popcorn Indiana Kettle Corn (non GMO)


dawn

Orange & Pepita Granola

This granola recipe is delicious and super easy to make!

Mellow Lentil Soup

Don't let the longer list of ingredients fool you - most are dried herbs!  This soup has such a yummy flavor and is nicknamed the "Sniffle Soup."

Avocado Kale Salad

Mmmmmm, I found my new favorite kale salad!  There is an Avocado Kale Salad at Whole Foods that seems to be a favorite amongst my food nerd friends.  However, it seems every time I am in the store, they never have it.  So, I have absolutely no idea what it tastes like.  If it tastes like this one, I am a fan!  This is so easy to throw together, you'll love it!

Avocado Kale Salad

1 bunch kale, stemmed & finely chopped

1/2 avocado

2 T lemon juice

1/2 t. soy sauce

1/4 t. minced garlic

pinch of salt

Toss ingredients together in a large bowl.  Use your hands to mash the avocado and other ingredients into the kale. Set aside for 10-20 minutes to allow kale to soften.  I pull my avocados out of the fridge as I store them there once ripe, so my salad is already cold.  If you are using a room temperature avocado, you may want to refrigerate the salad before enjoying.  Leftovers are good the next day, too!  Melts in your mouth, yummmm...

Dawn

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Hi friends,

Don't you just LOVE 3 day weekends!  I think it should always be a 3 day weekend and 4 day work/school week!  

This is a great post I came upon.  I told LeAnne I didn't know whether to laugh, because it was so spot on between the 70's and now, or to cry because life was so much simpler back then.

http://www.scarymommy.com/back-to-school-the-70s-vs-today/

On other random topics, I read The Husband's Secret over the long weekend.  I flew through it in 24 hours.  Super awesome book!  Brilliant writing and plot.  If you were a fan of Gone Girl or On The Island, this would probably be your "type" of book, though it was not strange like Gone Girl in case you were not a fan.  I will say, the husband's secret...SHOCKING!  I did not see that coming.  It is not the only secret in the book, though.  I love how the author brings it all together in the Epilogue at the end to show the power of secrets and how wildly different the characters lives would be if secrets were revealed.

Too Busy To Listen

We have been in the midst of this great sermon series at church, entitled Too Busy To Listen.  I also just finished reading Lysa TerKeurst’s new book, The Best Yes.  The two have spoken to me so deeply, especially with this being the start of a new school year for my kids, and my return to my second year at my part-time job at preschool.  While I love both of these things (my children’s school and my job/ministry), I lovingly refer to the school year as the “rat race”.  With fast paced early mornings getting three kids out the door, carpooling to school 15-20 minutes from home pending traffic, the homework/dinner/shower/bedtime hours, and adding 14 very cute 4 year old preschoolers three mornings a week to that mix, it does not fail to keep me busy and my schedule full.  And we refuse to pack our evenings with extracurriculars like many do!