Woman in Real Life

Maybe talking about donuts is a funny way of starting a post about healthy shopping choices. But the thing is, I like to know what's in my food. When I make my own baked goods, I know that they don't contain any artificial colours or flavours or unhealthy additives. That's where the folks at The Healthy Shopper and I are in complete agreement. The site is a great source for healthy living ideas, recipes, product reviews and more. Plus, they are the people behind The Healthy Shopper coupon book, which happens to hold my very favourite coupons ever. That's because this unique coupon book offers significant discounts on natural and organic products.

Recently I received some happy mail - a box of (healthy!) goodies from The Healthy Shopper - their fall product picks. Among the natural and organic products I received were a couple of Pamela's gluten-free products. I have used and enjoyed Pamela's gluten-free Artisan Flour Blend before, so when I saw this recipe for vegan and gluten-free donuts, I knew that this flour would help me to create the perfect gluten-free donuts. And so it did. The donuts had a great taste and consistency and gave an authentic donut experience with much healthier ingredients.

Are you a reader of grocery labels like I am? Do you take forever to pick out your groceries and haul them home? I hear ya. I like to know every ingredient that's in my grocery picks (and check the expiry date too!).

I spend most of my grocery shopping time in the produce section - I know that any fruit or vegetable is a solid choice for good health. My next stop is usually the health food/organic section of the store. This is where I look for healthy refrigerated and dry goods options such as my favourite kamut udon noodles, organic ketchup, organic dry lentils and healthier cereals.

I remember when grocery shopping used to be fun. I still like to browse, read ingredients lists and pick out new products to try, but I have so much stuff to get now that it's a little overwhelming. I have to please four picky people (including myself), think about what to make for dinner, devise ways to get the kids to eat healthy snacks and figure out what to pack for those dreaded school lunches.

Once the kids were off to school today, I stopped by No Frills just to pick up some fruit for lunches and snacks. Close to $200 and a full trunk later, I drove home thinking now I have to get all this stuff out of the car and put away. For motivation I put a Beastie Boys cd in the stereo. I figured they could keep me moving if anybody could. Anyway, that's done, the Beastie Boys are still running in the background, and it's time to move on to What I Ate Wednesday and a look back at some food highlights from the past week.

I chowed down on a whole bunch of these vegan Triple C Bars, above. They are completely addictive. Just ask my mom - she made some herself the other day, and she rarely ever bakes anymore. She just had to have them!

Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins cereal is obviously meant to be eaten at breakfast, and that is how my daughter eats it. I, on the other hand, eat it throughout the day for snacks (sans milk). These little nuggets are tasty! They are made from natural ingredients and low in sugar and fat.




If you are trying to reduce your intake of regular wheat products like I am, I highly recommend these Sobaya Kamut Udon noodles. They cook up just like pasta—no rinsing needed! They are great for Italian or Asian dishes.


In terms of spelt pasta, one of my favourites is Pantanella Spelt Pasta, which I buy at a local bakery. This pasta doesn’t create a nasty film in the water like some spelt pastas do. Not sure how easy it is to find in general.


MI-DEL Gluten-Free Ginger Snaps are a great little treat with tea. And they are gluten-free. What more can I say?


Taste of Nature’s Organic Food Bars are delicious, high in fibre and contain no additives, artificial flavours or sodium. Just yummy vegan, kosher, non-GMO ingredients like nuts, fruit, seeds and agave nectar. My current favourite flavour is Quebec Cranberry Carnival.



While it isn’t a food, Emergen-C is a staple in our kitchen. It is a powdered mix that fizzes up in water. Each packet contains 1,000 mg of vitamin C as well as antioxidants, electrolytes and B vitamins. It works wonders if you feel a cold coming on and is also, I’m ashamed to say, a great hangover remedy.

I gave a packet to my sister to test out. She was astounded to find that her hangover was gone soon after drinking this mix. Next time, I told her, she can even drink one the night before, prior to consuming alcohol and then more the next day. Of course, even drinking water will help alleviate some symptoms. I give this to my kids when they aren’t feeling well too, just in smaller doses. A note to my fellow Canadians: if you are visiting the U.S. anytime soon, buy your Emergen-C there. It costs about half the price.


Except for one time when my daughter was really ill, I have never given regular cough syrup to my children. (By the way, the one time I did, she got worse and we had to go to the hospital.) For a mild cough, we have found that Boiron’s Stodal homeopathic cough syrup helps to reduce symptoms and help them sleep.



I can’t forget the humble apple as both a nutritious natural food and a remedy for what ails us.

When I was a teenager, my best friend and I would hit the thrift store in search of wool cardigans, mustard coloured v-neck sweaters and old men’s brown leather jackets.

I was tall and blonde, while she was shorter and brunette, so I always thought that, with our shabby clothes, we looked like this:




As I got older, I lost the patience needed to sift through racks of cast-off clothing. I would sometimes visit a thrift shop to look at old furniture, or dishes, or something easier to browse through.

Recently, however, inspired by blogs like Sherri’s and James’s, I decided to give thrift store shopping a try once more.