I Have a Love-Hate Relationship

I have a love-hate relationship with coffee.  I love to drink coffee.  Coffee hates me.

After I drink it I have this nauseous sensation that doesn't leave for at least half of a day.  It's one of those relationships where as I am sipping my coffee I am thoroughly enjoying every sip.  Then when I have finished the cup (or sometimes even before I have finished) I have the thought that goes a little something like this........."WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!"  Can any of you relate?  The reason??  Caffeine increases stomach acids levels.  Even decaf.

The Healthy Home Economist wrote a blog post a while ago about the effects caffeine has on us.  After I read that I was OK with the fact that coffee and I don't have a great relationship.  Even though I only drink decaf.  Decaf coffee still has enough caffeine in it to upset my stomach.  It is a GREAT article if you are a caffeine lover and even if you're not, read it here.  (P.S. Have I told you how much I love Sarah Pope, who is The Healthy Home Economist?  I do.   ;-) )

So, I found this little love....

Teeccino Maya Herbal Coffee.  It is USDA organic, naturally caffeine free and non acidic herbal coffee.  The one I bought was Chocolate Organic.  They describe it as a "velvety chocolate with a hint of heat from chilies."  They use carob, which is caffeine free.  It does have some organic cocoa in it, so it has to have a small amount of caffeine.  But my tummy can tell you, it can't be much.

I think I bought this at Whole Foods, so you can buy it here on Amazon or even at EarthFare, I would imagine.  On Amazon it is $12.38 for 1 11 oz bags or $24.00 for 3 bags, which equates to $8.00 per bag.  I think I paid somewhere around $9.00 at Whole Foods for 1 bag.  I also bought my tea infuser here, that I obviously use for coffee.  :-)  And I LOVE it!

It is delicious.  I added a little coconut sugar and raw milk to mine this morning.  And the great part for me is, when I get distracted from my hot "coffee" and I go back to it ice cold...it is still delish!  ;-)  (Hey I was proud of myself, I had 1 load of laundry done, living room and kitchen floors vacuumed and kitchen mopped by 9 a.m.  What?!?  ;-) )

And for those of you who want to detox away from you coffee addiction, this is a great substitute for you coffee.  They even make the comment on the package that says "Kick the caffeine habit in 2 weeks!  Begin brewing 3/4 coffee to 1/4 Teeccino.  Gradually decrease coffee and increase Teeccino until you are caffeine-free!"  

The side of the bag give you instructions on all the different ways to brew and what amounts you need.

Soooo.....GO GET SOME!  :-)

Here are additional coffee substitute ideas from...once again...Sarah Pope, The Healthy Home Economist.  

Aldi and Organic

I am elated to write this post!

Aldi is now carrying ORGANIC!  Today was the 1st day and of course I had to go and check it out.  I used to shop at Aldi when I first stopped working outside of the house to become a stay at home mom.  We reeeally missed my income and one effort to compensate was to shop at Aldi's.

Then after some time, we started to buy and eat organic and Aldi had nothing for me in the organic area.  So, we slowly left Aldi and went to Meijer.

Now I am thrilled to find out (Thank you Tammy!!) that Aldi has a new line called "Simply Nature."  And most of it is organic.  Still read your labels though.  Just because it says organic doesn't mean it is healthy for you and me.  And some of the Simply Nature is "natural" which DOES NOT mean organic.  Natural is just a pretty word for this still may have pesticides in it.

But as far as cheese and frozen fruit goes, Aldi's gets 2 thumbs up from me.  Here's why....

First, I could not believe that Aldi carries KerryGold.  When I can't find cheese made from raw milk KerryGold is my second in line (they also have amazing butter that I buy at Costco).  All KerryGold cheese and butter is made in Ireland from cows who are only grass fed.  Aldi carries two KerryGold cheeses.  One is 7oz of Blarney Castle for $1.99 (which is a smooth and mild Gouda) and the second is a 7oz Dubliner cheese with Irish Stout for $3.99(oh how I used to love Guinness!).  I can't wait to try both of them.  (Meijer sells a KerryGold cheddar and I believe it is $5.99 for 7oz).

Then, I still can't believe this one!  Aldi carries an 8oz block of Simply Nature Sharp Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese that is also organic for $3.49!  WHAT!?  Heaven.  And we had it for lunch today, it is delicious (kids did not care for it but I thought it was divine).  I am sure they will not complain when it is melted down for their cheese quesadillas.  :-)

On to the frozen fruit.  I usually buy my organic frozen fruit from Meijer.  Not any longer.  First, they are no longer carrying organic blueberries and second Aldi has Meijer beat hands down on price.  

Meijer sells a 10oz bag of organic frozen strawberries for $3.99.  Aldi has a 12oz bag of organic frozen strawberries for $2.39!!  Rock on!!  We use organic strawberries in our Kombucha and Christmas Jam, so this is going to save us a ton!  Aldi's organic frozen blueberries are $3.49 for 12oz.

I also splurged and bought the kids some frozen organic fruit bars for $2.69 (4 per box).  Ingredients do include organic sugar, guar gum and xanthan gum.  Fyi.  

They also carry organic yogurt (dairy has to be bought organic or don't eat it!!), pasta sauce, spaghetti, linguine, string cheese, olive oil, apple juice and chicken broth.  Comment below if you want specific prices or look at their ad online.

I also bought a jar of spaghetti sauce, chicken broth (I always have some on hand if I run out of my homemade broth) and string cheese to try.

Here is a "chart" for those of you who like charts.  :-)


                                                                                       Aldi                      Meijer
KerryGold Dubliner Cheese w/ Irish Stout 7oz              $3.99
KerryGold Blarney Castle Cheese (gouda) 7oz            $1.99
Organic Raw Sharp Cheddar 8oz                                  $3.49
Organic Frozen Strawberries                                         $2.39 (12oz)         $3.99 (10oz)
Organic Frozen Blueberries                                           $3.49
Organic Frozen Red Raspberries                                                                $3.79 (10oz)

Happy shopping!