Podcast Episode #279: Grocery Shopping Tips with Cassy Joy

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You’re listening to the Balanced Bites podcast episode 279.

Topics:
1. News and updates from Diane & Cassy [1:43]

2. Something new that I’m digging: new water bottle [8:32]

3. Shout out: Noelle Tarr’s new Strong from Home program [10:38]

4. Must-have grocery shopping staples [13:19]

5. Grocery list writing tip [19:42]

6. Budget-minded shopping [21:03]

7. Shopping multiple stores [26:18]

8. Getting variety in your shopping [31:12]

9. Truth in labeling [39:46]

10. Ingredients to avoid [46:29]

Diane Sanfilippo: Welcome to the Balanced Bites podcast. I’m Diane; a certified nutrition consultant, and the New York Times bestselling author of Practical Paleo and The 21-Day Sugar Detox. I live in San Francisco with my husband and fur kids. I am so super duper excited today to have my good friend Cassy Joy co-hosting with me. Liz is on a quick break this week, and so while she’s away, Cassy is here to play.

Cassy Joy: Yay that’s me! {laughs} My name is Cassy; I’m also a certified nutrition consultant. I’m the author of the Fed and Fit book and creator of the Fed and Fit Project online. I live in San Antonio, Texas with my husband and fur baby, Gus. And I’m just so stinking excited to talk here with Diane and all of you wonderful people.

Diane Sanfilippo: Before we get started, let’s hear from one of our sponsors.

Liz Wolfe: Our podcast sponsorship today comes from Vital Choice, an online purveyor of the world’s best wild seafood delivered right to your door; because juggling a busy life shouldn’t mean you have to forgo healthy meals. At www.vitalchoice.com, you’ll find wild Alaskan salmon, halibut, tuna, sable fish, and cod, as well as prawns, crab, and scallops. You’ll also find grass-fed organic Wagyu beef, free range heritage chicken, fresh frozen organic berries, and dark organic chocolates. Make a vital choice by eating the highest quality food you can. Vital Choice; come home to real food. Use code BALANCEDBITES to save on your first order at www.vitalchoice.com.

1. News and updates from Diane & Cassy [1:43]

Diane Sanfilippo: Hey everyone! It’s me, Diane, here with Cassy Joy today.

Cassy Joy: Well, Diane, do you have any fun updates for everyone? {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Liz always makes fun of me for not just saying “Hey” really quickly, or not saying it fast enough. And you just skipped right over it, and you were like, “hey, tell me what’s new.”

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Which is all good. Updates for me; well, I think when this episode first airs. I always say that because I feel like when I listen to some episodes of other people’s podcast, it’s like week after it launched, and I’m like, “Oh they’re doing that! Oh, wait they did that 3 weeks ago.” {laughs} Like I’m tuning in late. But anyway. I’m going to be in Park City this weekend at the Sundance Film Festival. I think this is my fourth time going, and I think the last time I went was a couple of years ago. I did a little book signing in Salt Lake City, and then I went over to Park City. This year, no book signing. I’m just getting a little vacation weekend, going to watch some films hopefully. Going to mostly stand in line in waitlist lines to watch them. But if you think you see me there, and you’re like creeping from back in the waitlist line, and you’re like; “I think that’s here.” It’s probably me, so come say hi, because I don’t want you commenting on Instagram later that you saw me and you didn’t come say hi. So come say hi. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s my little out and about update. Unless I look like a wreck, then maybe don’t say hi. {laughs} I’m just kidding. What else is new? We put out a little goal setting PDF workbook called What lights you up? Goal setting workbook, and that’s at http://blog.balancedbites.com. You can get it right from the home page, hopefully you guys are having fun with that. I would love to hear any feedback you have; if you’re using it and you’re like; this is too overwhelming, or you’re like, this is great. Either way, because I don’t know, maybe that’s something we’ll update and tweak and keep putting out year after year just make it better and better, as we like to do.

What else; I’m trying to see my notes here. Well the spices are rocking and rolling. You can get them at www.BBSpices.com. They’re sold exclusively through Kasandrinos, and that’s pretty much it on the spices. What else? Facebook live. I’ve been doing some cooking videos on Facebook live recently, and I’ll probably keep doing more of those. Sometimes I’m on Instagram live, but that’s a moment. It’s a moment, and then you can’t get it back. Once you do it, you hit end video, and if you missed it, you missed it. But I don’t want anyone to feel too badly about it. I’ll let you guys know when I’m going to be live on Facebook, and those will always be there for the replay, so it’s a good time.

And I think the only other thing I wanted you guys to know about is that we have a survey we would love all of you, Balanced Bites podcast listeners, to fill out. I don’t know; we’ll probably leave it open for a couple of weeks, and you never know, wink, wink, if we might be picking some random folks who fill it out to get one of the coveted Practical Paleo cooler backs wink, wink. {laughs} I’m actually winking.

Cassy Joy: {laughs} She is.

Diane Sanfilippo: Cassy can see me. So we’ll link to the survey from the show notes, but you can always go to http://blog.balancedbites.com/survey and fill that out. We would love to hear from you guys, our listeners. So, there are all my updates. I would love to hear some updates from you. What’s up over there?

Cassy Joy: Oh man, those were really good updates. Well, to echo your Park City future experience, I just got back from Music Fest, which is; it’s really bizarre. It’s this transplant of all these Texas people, the Texas Country Music Festival, and they go to Steamboat, Colorado. And it’s this influx of 5,000 Texans. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Just Texans?

Cassy Joy: Really, for the most part it’s just Texans. All of the shows, they’re always like, “Who here is from Texas?” And 97% of the hands go up! {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: So you’re a little; what’s the little thing you were saying on tour; Gig’em?

Cassy Joy: Yeah, Gig’em! There’s a bunch of Aggies. It was really fun. My sister was playing; this was her 5th year playing there, Kimberly Dunn, and anyway. We went up as a family to support her, she had several shows. It’s this big music festival, and then on the last day, my big update is her boyfriend proposed on top of a mountain.

Diane Sanfilippo: How fun is that?

Cassy Joy: So, it was so fun! And a snow storm started all of a sudden {laughs} so it was very windy and snowy, but it was still effective. So that was really fun, and the same thing happened. There was a girl; I was standing; it was so cold, and I was standing at one of Kimberly’s concerts. And this girl came up behind me, and she tapped me on the shoulder; and I turned around, she had these giant ski goggles on, and she goes, “Hi Cassy!” And I was like, “Oh gosh, hi! I can’t see your face at all!” {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Cassy Joy: Anyways, she just recognized me from the big orange coat and came and said hi. So it’s the best in the world; you should definitely go say hi to Diane if you see her.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Cassy Joy: I got; I’m going to definitely download your goal setting worksheet, that sounds amazing. I want to see how that progresses. But I got a new Emily Ley journal, I think that’s how you say her name. And I’m really excited about it. I wanted a daily planner, so that’s one of my fun updates. {laughs} And I just can’t wait to dive into that every night. And then the Fed and Fit Project online is rolling, and is still scary and still fun and very much complies with my go ugly early principle. So we went for it, and I think folks are really enjoying it, so that’s really fun. It’s a very small group every month that we’re working with, but it’s been great.

And then also, I’m doing Facebook live. It alternates lately between Wednesdays and Thursdays, but tomorrow will be Thursday and I’m doing cooking demos in my little; it looks like a kitchen studio but it’s actually my guest room {laughs}.

Diane Sanfilippo: I love it. I was wondering what that room was.

Cassy Joy: Yeah, I like to give away my secrets. That’s where I’m at right now. And I just got a new light kit; so with this winter darkness, we can roll on through the hours, {laughs} even if the sun goes down.

Diane Sanfilippo: Because what you really needed were more hours that you could do work in. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughs} I did. I really do. I feel like I do. But yeah, that’s about it. It’s been really fun and wild 2017 so far.

Diane Sanfilippo: I love it. I can’t even believe we’re well into 2017 now. January is closing out. This episode airs; I want to say it will be the 19th or 20th of January. It’s like; what the heck? This whole month is just blowing by. It’s crazy.

Cassy Joy: It is, it is. It’s been fun. That’s going to be year, too.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} It’s going to blow by?

Cassy Joy: {laughs} It is. I guess that’s what happens.

Diane Sanfilippo: Shew!

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

2. Something new that I’m digging: new water bottle [8:32]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, why don’t you tell me something new that your digging lately?

Cassy Joy: I am really digging this water bottle that I’ve got. {laughs} I really am, I am not even joking. It’s my new pride and joy. I’m going to murder how you pronounce the name, but it’s Takeya, and it’s the 40-ounce one. I’m not affiliated with this bottle, clearly.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Because you don’t know how to say their name!

Cassy Joy: {laughs} Exactly! It’s insulated. I know you can pick them up at Costco; which both of our books should be there right now.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh, that’s right!

Cassy Joy: Yeah; that’s a fun update.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Cassy Joy: Yeah, anyways I just really love it. And folks on the Project are trying to drink more water and it’s just a nice big one to carry around. I brought it with me to Colorado, and you need more water at altitude so it just really helped hold me accountable. I really love it. My husband got one 6 months ago, and I remember telling him when he was asking me what I wanted for Christmas; I was like, well I really like your water bottle. {laughs} and he had no idea. Just for a rule of thumb, if you ever get yourself a cool water bottle, I’d probably like one too. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} You’re the water girl. I think I had; well I had a very similar one from Healthy Human, and I say this with finger quotes. I “loaned it” to Liz because I brought her a bunch of broth in it when we were hanging out in Napa a couple of months ago now, and she and the kiddo were both a little under the weather; so I was like, I’m going to bring that because it keeps liquids hot or cold. I know they’re probably the same kind of thing; they're the double layered, so you don’t feel if it’s hot or cold from the outside, but it stays really hot or cold inside. I love that. And I’m pretty sure I’ll never see that bottle again {laughing}.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I might need to get a new one. So that’s a good reminder.

Cassy Joy: That is a good one. It’s like loaning a thing; something to your sister. It’s just; bye-bye.

Diane Sanfilippo: Poof. Into the wind.

Cassy Joy: {laughing} Oh that’s great. Well, do you; are you digging or have a shout out for something right now?

3. Shout out: Noelle Tarr’s new Strong from Home program [10:38]

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m going to do a shout out this week. I’m going to shout out to Noelle Tarr of Coconuts and Kettlebells. She has a brand new program that is just releasing called Strong from Home. So if you’re somebody who is looking for at-home workouts, you might want to check that out. I haven’t gone through the program, but I definitely know that there are tons of folks who are looking for at-home workouts. And I know we’ve probably got more; they can hear about you and your program, as well, the Fed and Fit Project I know has lots of at-home workouts and at-home friendly workouts as well.

But you guys can check out Noelle’s program. We’ll have a link to it right in the show notes for this episode, which is episode 279. So just head over to http://blog.balancedbites.com, and you’ll see episode 279 and you can link right over to it.

Cassy Joy: So cool. Love it. Go Noelle! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Get it!

Liz Wolfe: The Balanced Bites podcast is sponsored in part by the Nutritional Therapy Association. The NTA trains and certifies nutritional therapy practitioners and consultants (including me; I’m an NTP), emphasizing bio-individuality and the range of dietary strategies that support wellness. The NTA emphasizes local, whole, properly prepared nutrient dense foods as the key to restoring balance and enhancing the body’s ability to heal. Nutritional therapy practitioners and consultants learn a wide range of tools and techniques to assess and correct nutritional imbalances. To learn lots more about the nutritional therapy program, go to http://www.NutritionalTherapy.com. There are workshop venues in the US, Canada, and Australia, so chances are you’ll be able to find a venue that works for you.

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so today we’re going to talk about grocery shopping tips. We got lots of great questions from Instagram, and we’re not going to be able to get to all of them today, but we tried to put together some that will apply to as many of you as possible. And just a little side note/heads up, whatever you want to call it. We put these questions out pretty often on Instagram to get your feedback and see what you guys want to know about. So even if you don’t have something super personal to write in about and write a specific question that I think we used to a lot more where you guys would be writing in really detailed stuff. But lately we’re doing some focused episodes on different topics, and we’re finding you guys have lots of awesome questions. So make sure you're checking the Instagram account; it’s just @BalancedBitespodcast, because we’re taking them directly from there.

And to that end, some of the handles are difficult to read {laughs}. But you know, so be it.

4. Must-have grocery shopping staples [13:19]

So we’re going to get started talking about staples and grocery shopping for staples. So let’s see this one; {laughs} Jerves Rocks {laughs} is asking, “What are some of your must-haves when it comes to food shopping for the essentials. What items are the foundation of your food shopping?” Do you want to jump in on that one, Cassy?

Cassy Joy: Sure. Yeah. Some of the essentials; you know I kind of think about; I’m a teeny, teeny bit OCD {laughs} and I tend to think about my kitchen as being organized into categories. We’ve got kind of our long-term supplies, the middle term supplies {laughs} and short term supplies. You know, short term being the really fresh stuff that you want to eat or cook right away and then store for later, middle of the way would be maybe frozen proteins, and then long-term storage would be those spices.

And I would say that essentials; there are some in all of those categories. For example; a long-term storage essential would be sea salt; a good sea salt. I think that’s something; I do like to buy it in bulk, so I’m not running out of it. Other foundations, of course, are going to be really healthy proteins. I try to get a variety. In their seafood I like to buy fresh every week, so I’ll get some sort of a different seafood, and then fruits and vegetables. Just try to go and make sure I’ve got an abundance and a good variety.

That being said; although I like to eat, and we can talk about this a little bit more later. But although I do like to mix up my meals throughout the week, and try different foods, I do think there is something to having some sort of consistency, especially with breakfast. We tend to eat the same thing over and over again at breakfast. So some of those essentials are going to be kale, you know, for morning breakfast. We have potatoes {laughs} we have eggs, berries, and things like that. Those are some of my essentials. Is that what you were hoping for, I hope? {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I’m laughing because you’re like, eggs and kale and potatoes; and I’m like, this is one of the 4,000 reasons why we got along so swimmingly on tour. And for those of you listening to Cassy and her very effervescent personality; this is really how she is. This is; it’s not 100% of the time, to where you’re like, “Is she a real person?” because I used to think, how can a real person be that happy all the time? She has her moments of just normal energy level, but this is her most of the time.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: It’s quite infectious in a good way. It kept me in good spirits on the entire tour. Anyway, I digress.

Cassy Joy: Aww, that’s so sweet. You kept me in good spirits.

Diane Sanfilippo: I don’t know how. I’m not that kind of person. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: But anyway.

Cassy Joy: I just love ya!

Diane Sanfilippo: Aww. Well thanks. I’m emoji blushing. So my must haves, when it comes to grocery shopping, for essentials. So to add on; I would say when we’re looking at what do we need at the grocery store, it’s pretty much always the same things. And similar to what Cassy is saying, but it’s eggs and proteins and veggies. Those are kind of the first things we think about. Is there protein in the fridge, or if there’s not, is there some in the freezer that we should be pulling out and sticking in the fridge? And quick proteins. For us that’s like deli meat; Applegate or Whole Foods house roast beef, because that’s typically a grass-fed option here.

In terms of veggies, I try and pick different veggies, some of them that will last a little longer in the fridge. So I don’t know if you guys have noticed; a head of cauliflower, you can forget about it for quite some time {laughs}. And I’m sure the vitamin C content is drifting away as the days dwindle, but to that end, at least you’re getting; the fiber doesn’t go anywhere, so you’re still getting that. And you know, there are certain veggies that I kind of forget about sometimes. Carrots are great to keep around because they last quite a while, and you can just get around to roasting them whenever. Even if they start to shrivel; they’re just partially on their way to being roasted {laughs} it’s totally fine.

So those are some of the basics. When it comes to what I consider grocery items versus the fresh stuff; and I call it grocery because I did work at a grocery store for a little while; I worked at a Trader Joe’s. And they refer to what’s in the aisle, not cold, as grocery. So things in cans and jars and whatnot; boxes. Things that we tend to keep on hand under must-haves are like a good, clean organic pasta sauce. My favorite brand is this Yellow Barn. It’s like Biodynamic Organic, and it’s just super, I don’t know, fresh tasting. I just really love it. So tomato sauce. We will keep capers and olives; tomato paste. We will keep backup extras of organic ketchup and maple syrup. I just, you know, I speak the truth.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: It’s like; do we have one open in the fridge? Yes. Then we better also have one in the pantry that’s not open. I am an overbuyer, not an underbuyer. I will hoard meat when it’s on sale. Anyway, I’m just trying to think of what’s in our pantry. That’s most of it.

And then in terms of fresh other things that we always have, lemons. And I know that’s probably a big one for you too, Cassy. Lemons, and cilantro, and those are some of the biggest staples, I think. So we just always make sure we have those. And cold brew coffee and coconut milk. {laughs} Pretty much essentials. I mean, how could we forget.

Cassy Joy: Those are great. I want to add one to the pantry staple too; would be those little, the curry jars. The fresh curry paste.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh yeah, yeah. Like the Thai Kitchen.

Cassy Joy: Yeah. Read the ingredients, because they have one that’s kind of wonky. But two of them are really great, and we’ll keep those on hand if I want; you know, sometimes.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, that’s a good call.

Cassy Joy: Yeah, you’re just tired of other kinds of food. So that’s another canned grocery. I didn’t know that those were called groceries!

Diane Sanfilippo: I don’t know if everybody does that, but Trader Joe’s does, so.

Cassy Joy: I’m going to do it now.

Diane Sanfilippo: Versus produce or meat. Because you think the whole store is the grocery store; but they call it the grocery aisles. I don’t know, it’s just what they call it.

Cassy Joy: I like it. I like categories, that’s great.

5. Grocery list writing tip [19:42]

Diane Sanfilippo: Ok. So here’s a random grocery shopping tip; I don’t even know if people are asking this one but I’m going to share it anyway. Because this is something I do to make my life easier, and I think I started doing this when I worked at Trader Joe’s, which was back in around 2001 or 2002, something like that. I don’t know, it was a long time ago back in New Jersey. But when I write my grocery list, as often as possible I write it in order that it will appear in the store. So I start with produce because that’s where I walk in and what’s first at Whole Foods; then I hit the meat section, then I hit eggs and dairy, if we’re buying goat milk yogurt or something like that; and then past the deli counter. And I get all the cold stuff first, and then I go down the aisles after that. Because we don’t get that much that’s in the aisles; we really just hit like the coconut milk and pasta sauce and stuff like that. But I literally write it in the order that I’m going to get it, and I think most of us go to the same stores all the time, you know what’s where. That just really helps keep your list organized. I know some people write it by recipe, but I’m like; my eyes can’t be darting everywhere on that list. I’m just going to write it in the order that I’ll be buying it.

Cassy Joy: Totally. Here, here. I do the same thing; I write it twice.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Just whatever is on your mind and then you reorganize it?

Cassy Joy: Yep, exactly.

Diane Sanfilippo: Fair enough.

6. Budget-minded shopping [21:03]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so here’s the next question. This one was for Liz, so maybe we’ll save it for when she comes back, because if I were to answer this question for Liz, it might be really funny.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’ll wait. I’ll let Liz answer that one when she comes back. Somebody wants to know what she’s buying very specifically. So here’s one from Angie, I believe, I mean it looks like her name is Angie Hiney.

Cassy Joy: I think that’s it.

Diane Sanfilippo: Which is kind of awesome.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: She says, “I know this differs from person to person, but I’m interested in a budget breakdown; for example, knowing what things to prioritize. I know healthy fats and buying organic for the dirty dozen is a priority; but what other things could help stretch that dollar while providing a health meal for the whole family?” What do you have on this, Cassy?

Cassy Joy: I have a feeling I might touch on something similar to one of your talking points. But I would say, shopping seasonally. Thinking very season-minded I think is a really important thing as far as pinching pennies. Don’t expect to go; for example. Within the Fed and Fit Project, I recommend folks focus on berries and citrus. Now I did that strategically, because there are certain times of the year you’re going to be able to find citrus, and certain times of the year you’re going to be able to find berries. Because I don’t expect someone to go in January and spend $20 on 2 pints of strawberries. So I think shop seasonally is a really good way to do it.

Maybe be flexible with your menu building, and the recipes you're planning on making that week. Think about what might actually be available. I think both of us think very minded; we both think that way when we’re writing recipes. There are some, for example, if I’ve got a recipe for a stuffed squash, which I do; calls for grapefruit juice in it at the same time as acorn squash, when you’re going to be able to find both of those things in the store. So try to think about what’s going to be available, and that will really help as you’re trying to really buy healthier ingredients. I think that’s a big tip for me.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah; and that applies, you know, if folks go to the Farmer’s Market, then showing up towards the end of the day, the farmers are usually trying to unload as much as possible. And around here, at least, the prices at the farmer’s market, especially on produce. I mean, the meat isn’t inexpensive there, because it’s usually the best quality, but the produce you can just get amazing, amazing deals. For $20, you will have bags and bags of produce from the Farmer’s Market.

Another thing I think that I do is I tend to sort of hoard the things that I love when they’re on sale. For example, that pasta sauce I mentioned; which we’ll use it on zucchini noodles, or if we do gluten free pasta, or just chicken, or whatever. I think it’s like $7.99 a jar when it’s full price. But sometimes it’s on sale for $4.99 or $5.99. And if I’m seeing one or more dollars off, I’m going to hoard it.

And I really don’t shop on a budget with groceries. For me, that’s something that we write about food; it’s our work, it’s like our whole life. And I get that it’s not everyone’s whole life, so I’m saying it with that caveat. But at the same time, I’m not trying to spend more money than I need to, and I’m certainly not buying steaks at the butcher counter all the time, either. It’s just not how I shop.

So that’s one; especially for grocery items like that where you can keep it on the shelf; you can keep it in your pantry. It’s not going to go bad. Stock up when you see a really good sale on something that you know that you love, and just kind of pack it away.

Another little tip if you do shop at Whole Foods, for example; and I’m not sure what other grocery stores might have this, but the Whole Foods app; I noticed in there, they will have a lot of products that are some of these specialty products, and they’ll have coupons that are at least $1 or more off. They’ll also sometimes have department coupons; where if you’re spending $25 on meat or produce, you’ll get $5 off. And I’m like; well I’m already going to spend $25 on produce, I may as well have them scan the app.

I’m not one of those people where I care that they know what I’m buying all the time; I’m there, give me my $5 back. {laughs} I’m like; I mean, if people aren’t aware of what’s happening with these club things, I mean they just want to know your buying habits. That’s because I’m aware of what’s happening. But get the coupon; it’s fine. Get your multiple dollars back. I think that’s an awesome thing to kind of keep in mind that you can save money with that stuff.

And I think beyond that, it is sort of around the priorities for eating paleo on a budget that I have in Practical Paleo and on the blog. And looking at different cuts of meat. That’s one thing I was really sensitive to; and I know your book, all your recipes are kind of the same way, where we use a lot of ground meat, and we use less expensive cuts. It’s not; they’re not cookbooks filled with steaks and tenderloin, whatever I don’t know. Fillet; I don’t even know what it’s called anymore, I never buy it. Fillet Mignon. You’re not going to find recipes like that in our books, because we know that’s not practical. We’re using lots of ground meat, we’re using chicken thighs; we’re using things that you guys can find really easily and less expensively. So hopefully those tips help.

7. Shopping multiple stores [26:18]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, this one is from Christina Marie782. She said, “I feel like I need to go to a different grocery store each day to get what I need and not break the bank. Eating organic and grass-fed has me shopping for the best prices, quality, and selection more than in the past. Both good prices and my time are valuable; is there a solution to this conundrum?”

Cassy Joy: Yes. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Cassy Joy: Yeah, you know I would say, you’re going to spend a tiny bit more with this alternative I’m going to propose. But it may actually save you a little bit of time. If there is something you can buy online that you’re getting in an actual grocery store, that may be a way to save yourself a trip to the store. I’m thinking grocery items, now that we all are familiar with what those qualify as {laughs}. But canned goods, dried goods, things like that that you can really order online. You might actually be able to save some pennies. It’s really easy to shop deals online. You just type in your favorite brand of coconut milk into the search engine, and you go. You grab the best price. So that could be; that’s something that I personally do. When I’m buying something in bulk like that, I’ll shop online. So that may be one way to eliminate a trip.

Diane Sanfilippo: I think also; and this is something that we do sort of naturally. There are some days where I; if I’m developing a recipe or I really need to go to both stores; for me, for the most part it tends to be Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. And they couldn’t be more different. And if I had my way, I would always go to Trader Joe’s first, because the prices are just so much better. But I can get more local stuff at Whole Foods. But it’s literally 2-3 times the price for multiple bags of groceries. When we get our bill at Trader Joe’s, for let’s say, 3 or 4 bags of groceries and it’s $125 bucks; or at Whole Foods, it’s so much more. But that being said, I do tend to buy more proteins at Whole Foods because of the quality options. We can get organic chicken at Trader Joe’s, but beyond that there are not a lot of high quality proteins.

Frozen wild fish is definitely a good one that you can get there, but what I tend to is alternate week to week. So again; stocking up on those items we can keep on our shelves, and remembering week to week who has the best price on what. So if that means that, you know, most weeks you're going to go to a Trader Joe’s type of store, and you’re going to get most of your stuff there, and then you’re just going to get the things you feel you really want to commit to certain quality on at Whole Foods; or whatever is equivalent near you, I think that that’s fair. And you know; you can freeze those meats.

I think to your point, Cassy; if you’re getting fresh fish. I’m kind of with you; if I’m going to do fresh fish, I will just get it that week and use it. But obviously, we have an amazing sponsor in Vital Choice; and their seafood… I’m extremely picky about the fishiness of my fish. And their seafood is so fresh that when you defrost it and cook it, it’s as if you just bought it fresh. It really is delicious, it’s tender, and there aren’t issues with that. So that’s another way that you could possibly go, is to order that online as well.

But that’s kind of what we do. I try not to make it where I have to go to both stores every week. I try to think ahead and stock up on certain things, and get as much as I can where I know it’s going to be less expensive. Because in this case, for us, Trader Joe’s versus Whole Foods, it’s multiple dollars cheaper at Trader Joe’s for organic maple syrup, for example. There’s basically no reason for me to ever buy that at Whole Foods unless I really have to; if I need it, and I’m totally crunched for time and I’m not making another trip. But, I’m going to save the money by just remembering.

And if you need to keep a list; keep a list of how much things are at different places and that might help you. When it comes to produce, obviously it’s going to fluctuate seasonally, but Trader Joe’s actually has a lot of very fixed prices on things, and so it’s going to be a little bit different. This is not speaking to; whenever we talk about budgeting, we cannot say, these are perfect choices every time. We’re not, we don’t know that all of that produce is from the United States. If you’re asking about budgeting, we are not also saying, the highest quality most local. You can’t prioritize everything; you have to pick a priority. So at that point you have to give up something.

So I think those are kind of my best tips. And we’ll put a bunch of links in the show notes. I’ve gotten this question so many times, I think I have a video on it; I’ve got an FAQ blog post. It’s in Practical Paleo; we’ve answered this question a lot of different times, so we’ll link you guys to more resources over in the show notes if you’re looking for more.

8. Getting variety in your shopping [31:12]

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, so this next one is from Inga Bentley. She’s asking, “What’s the best way to get variety in shopping? I tend to get the same veggies and same meat every time I go to the store.” Ooh, that’s a good one. What are your tips?

Cassy Joy: I like this one. Shop; I sound like a broken record. But if you shop what’s in season, it will force you to try the things that are seasonal. For example; if you’ve never tried parsnips, and all of a sudden you show up and there’s a huge display of these white, weird looking carrots, and you’re like; what the heck is that? Give it a go. Google a recipe. I have a brown buttered parsnip mash on my blog that’s really delicious. It’s a really good way; if you shop what’s in season, you’ll be able to shop on a budget, but you’ll also be able to incorporate new seasonal foods into your diet.

I also think; both Diane and I are recipe developers as a part of our job, and we really enjoy coming up with recipes that encourage folks to try new things. For example, I know Diane has some really great organ meat recipes out there; and {laughs} if that’s something that you’ve never tried before; I don’t have those recipes in my book. Oh; she’s got a meatloaf, for example. If you’ve never had chicken livers before, that’s a really great one. I’ve made that.

Look up recipes from some of your favorite developers; and if it’s something you haven’t cooked before, give it a go. Maybe try one a week. It doesn’t have to be too intimidating. But I don’t know; I would say lean on recipes and lean on what’s in season to inspire what shows up on your plate.

Diane Sanfilippo: I think that was my one note, as well; just to pick some recipes. Because I do the same thing; {laughs} it’s funny. You know, we buy the same things all the time too; it’s just things that we like, and we’re always cooking the same things all the time. You guys see what we post that we eat; I mean, 80% of the time we’re eating the same things over and over again. But I would say if you pick a recipe and it calls for an ingredient; here’s the other thing about that. For one, it could call for an ingredient that you’re not used to. So let’s just say it calls for parsnips and it pushes you to get that. But here’s another way to look at it; what if a recipe calls for carrots, and you can’t find carrots. Which that’s kind of a bad example, because I feel like you can pretty much always find carrots.

But what if it calls for pears, and you can’t find pears? You can probably find apples, and instead of throwing it out and saying; “well, there are no pears at the grocery store,” Start to learn which ingredients are similar. You don’t need any kind of guide, or us to tell you. I mean, you know that an apple and a pear are really similar. You know that an orange and a tangerine are really similar. And who knows what it’s going to do in the recipe. Maybe it won’t be as good with an apple as it would have with a pear; but chances are it’s going to be exactly the same, it’s just going to be tasting like apple instead of pear. {laughs}

So I think those are good tips to kind of keep in mind and to just challenge yourself not to shy away from something just because you can’t find a perfect ingredient that it may have called for. I think I did that when I made a recipe from Simone’s cookbook, the Zenbelly cookbook. I believe it called for plums or pluots; and for whatever reason; I think it called for plums and I actually could find pluots in my store, which was so random in New Jersey at the Whole Foods there. But I made this roast chicken, and I just picked a different stone fruit. It’s the same family; all in the family, you’re going to be fine. The recipe is going to be great, and then you’ll learn that you can lean on some different choices now and then.

Cassy Joy: That’s a great one. I have one more last to add on there that I do every week. I like to try a different fruit every week. I will go to the store and I will get the basics; my husband really likes bananas, which like seasonal, whichever whether that’s citrus or berries, depending on the time of the year. But I challenge myself every time I go to the store to grab a new fruit. And that’s just a way to kind of get in a different array of micronutrients. But it’s really fun! I mean, we usually eat it with breakfast. But then we get to split a passion fruit, and that’s just kind of fun. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: That is fun.

Cassy Joy: Yeah.

Diane Sanfilippo: You know, the other thing that I tend to do; and I just thought of this now. And this is {laughs} this pretty much only happens when I shop by myself, because my husband is very list-task oriented at the grocery store, which I think a lot of husbands are. And thank you, husbands for grocery shopping for us when we ask you to, we appreciate it. But, my husband’s definitely not a grocery browser, and I’m a grocery browser.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: For me; here’s the thing about grocery shopping {laughs}. So here’s my analogy; cooking is like an art project that you get to eat, that’s the thing I love about cooking because I’m all about a project. People ask me all the time about recent books I’ve read; I’m like, I’m not a reader, I’m a maker. I like to make things, and come up with crazy ideas, and be like, “Let me see if this is going to taste good,” and just try it.

So that’s one thing I love about cooking. But what I love about grocery shopping is it’s shopping; it’s guiltless shopping. {laughs} So, for me, it’s a time that I can spend that extra $5 on a new sauce that I found. I found a new barbecue sauce recently in the store; and I was like, “Oh, this label is cute, and it says gluten free and organic; let me see if the ingredients are clean.” And they turned out to be super squeaky clean. Like, it had sugar, but I don’t trust a barbecue sauce without sugar.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m just going to put it out there. We make them at home; we have recipes in our books, and that’s cool; but on a shelf? I’m not sure I trust that. And I definitely don’t trust it with a sugar substitute. No, no, no, no. but I found one that I liked, and we really enjoyed our meal with it. And we just never would have found that if every grocery shopping trip was a mission for the stuff we knew we needed. And everyone’s got a different attitude and mindset about grocery shopping. But if you want to go on a day that it’s quiet; I’ll tell you what, Friday night, 7 or 8 o'clock. This is my hot Friday night. Go to the store; it’s quiet, I promise you. And take a little time. Just look around.

Not everyone has the same; I don’t know. I have a specific type of attention to detail when it comes to what’s on the shelf at my store, and I think part of that comes with partially being a graphic and noticing packaging in a certain way; and part of that comes with having worked at Trader Joe’s, because my eye will catch what’s new. Because everything else, I've seen it before. So I’m interested in what’s new. Because the cool thing about what’s happening with the paleo movement, with gluten free, with organic; is that there are actually more and more products available to us that we can and do want to eat that are on the shelves. Or in the specialty produce cold section; like different new fermented things. It’s worth looking these days, because there’s new stuff all the time. Whereas maybe 5 years ago, it’s like, “I’m not even going to look because it’s just frustrating and annoying.”

And our next question is about ingredients to avoid, or one of our next ones. And you know, in the past, we would have been stumbling through a minefield of just hidden gluten and lots of weird ingredients. I feel like today, we can find it. And I mean, in San Francisco; anyone who has been listening to this podcast for any amount of time, that’s one of the reasons we moved here is food! I wanted to be somewhere we can have more options for food. And that does extend to the grocery store.

And you know; as a side note on that. If you guys live in an area where the grocery store doesn’t have options that you feel are great all the time; go ask them for specific products. Because let me tell you what the grocery store wants to stock; anything you’re going to buy. They just want to sell what you’re going to buy. If you’re going to buy it; they’re going to stock it. Of course you can’t handle that on your own; you can’t support them stocking something, but tell all your friends, you know. If you want them to have a certain kombucha; ask them to get it, and as soon as they get it, tell all your friends. And if you’re buying it, they’ll keep selling it. And that’s exactly how it works.

Anyway, that’s definitely something else that I do. I take a little time to browse, and I make it fun for myself, and I get excited to come home and try something new.

Cassy Joy: I love that. I’m just sitting over here nodding and grinning the whole time. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Cassy Joy: I’m with you!

9. Truth in labeling [39:46]

Diane Sanfilippo: Cool. Alright, here’s another one. This is a perfect question for you, and timely, as you mentioned. Our books are in Costco right now, which is super fun. And I’m such a bad author for beginning to mention that in our updates. So all US Costco stores, you should find both of our books, probably hanging out together, drinking kombucha. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Anyway. I want somebody to take a picture of our two books and a kombucha, and pretend like they’re having a little kombucha date. Oh my gosh, I’m a lunatic right now.

Cassy Joy: I love it! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Like in the middle of Costco. Just prop our books up as if you’re hanging out with me and Cassy. Ok, forget it.

Cassy Joy: Next to all the socks.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh my gosh, I love it.

Cassy Joy: They have the best socks. {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: I love new socks! {laughs} Top 5 favorite things; new socks. Alright, so this one is about big box stores and labels; Nicole Seal something like that. She says, “How much can you trust labeling at big box stores; places like Costco and BJ’s wholesale. Different clubs are starting to sell “grass-fed beef” but this seems a little shady to me. It’s really convenient in a pinch, but is it too good to be true. Likewise for labeling on packaged snacks. I’ve seen snacks with palm oil listed as an ingredient, as well as nearly identical snacks with palm olein oil listed as an ingredient. Do you think manufacturers are really labeling truthfully to capture these subtle differences?” Interesting question.

Cassy Joy: That is a good question. You actually got me Googling. Goodness, that’s a really good question. I mean, I tend to lean on the side; gosh.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Cassy Joy: Yeah. I think for the most part you can trust what’s going to show up on a label. I don’t have that much lack of faith in the system.

Diane Sanfilippo: I think the difference, though, is what it says sometimes isn’t the whole story. So, I think they can label grass-fed because a lot of beef; and actually, I’m like 99.9% sure of this. All cattle is grass-fed for about the first 6 months, because they would be pretty much be sick and die instantly if they weren’t. Because that is their natural diet. And I know someone was asking me recently about what qualifies as grass; there are a lot of different types of grasses, like barley grass and wheat grass. There are a lot of different types of grasses. It’s not just, look outside and it’s green lawn. That’s not what we’re talking about with grass-fed.

I actually have a blog post from a long time ago; I visited a local farm when I was in New Jersey called Harvest Home Meats; and we’ll link to it in the show notes, but I talked to the farmer, the rancher, about what he was feeding and how that worked, and it’s a really intricate process. I bet you guys could also look at what a company, or farm, like 5 Mary’s Farm is doing and ask them questions about how that works.

I think that the grass-fed beef label is not quite the same as 100% grass-fed, or grass-fed and grass finished. Because most beef is going to be finished on grain unless it says 100% grass-fed. So I think some of that is a little bit of green washing. They’re using what’s technically true, but perhaps not the whole story. I wouldn’t be so put off by it and feel like they’re trying to pull one over. I don’t think it’s so much they're trying to pull one over, as much as they're just trying to talk up anything that could be good and buzzword worthy that might catch someone’s eye. It’s still perhaps better than something that’s conventional and we need to maybe look into what does it take to be able to say grass-fed. What percentage needs to be said grass-fed; until how many weeks before slaughter is it grass-fed versus grain finished. So some of that might be there.

When it comes to the palm oil versus palm olein, and I’m not even sure how to pronounce that word. I did do some research on that because one of the plantain chip brands that we were bringing into the was not using palm oil, it was using the palm olein. And when I looked it up, I can’t remember exactly what it was, but there was something about it that I was like; that’s not a good one. The palm oil would be fine, but the processing that happens to extract this other type of palm olein {laughs} was; for whatever reason, I gave it a stamp of no. I don’t remember; I don’t know if that was something you were looking up, Cassy, but that’s not one I would go with. And it is a subtle difference. And I don’t know that they’re trying to just kind of capitalize or capture that. They’re telling you what’s in there; it’s up to you to recognize that that’s a different thing, and that’s not always easy at first. And I wouldn’t get mad at yourself if you don’t realize it at first. Just asking the question now, I think, is good in trying to figure out what that’s going to mean.

Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm. There is; I stumbled across; I put together a quick Cassy Joy’s Costco picks; so technology and beauty stuff too in addition to some of the standard groceries. And I found a grass-fed, grass finished hot dog there. Now, it’s a hot dog. But, {laughs} that one. And I Googled it; and I think that’s kind of the beauty of today’s modern technology being at our fingertips.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Cassy Joy: Most likely, you have a smart phone that you’re carrying around with you, and if you’re really curious about it, Google the company and dig in. dig a little bit deeper. There’s a really good chance; if they’re really proud of their ingredients, then they’re going to talk about it online. So that’s what I did for those hot dogs.

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s a really good tip. And I would definitely recommend that, too. I’ve done that when I was looking at different dairy products and trying to sort through some of the grass-fed yogurt companies, or some that didn’t say organic, but I had a hunch that they were these small farms that weren’t going to deal with it at the moment. And when you read up on the companies. And you know what’s funny; this is one of the times when sometimes, I’m not put off by an older, janky website, when it’s a company that I think is just focused on making really good food, and their website is not…

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: You know what I mean? I’m pretty critical of websites and the presence that you have. But if you’re this old school Bulgarian yogurt company, and your priority is not your website, I’m kind of ok with that. I’m like; you take care of those cows. Don’t you worry about that website of yours. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: You know what I mean? Sometimes it’s like overly flashy and green washed, and now I’m like; now I don’t believe you. I believed you when it was the little mom and pop. But anyway, it’s interesting stuff.

Cassy Joy: That is. That’s a good one.

10. Ingredients to avoid [46:29]

Diane Sanfilippo: Ok. So, I think we have time for a few more questions here. This is a good question from My Path to Run. “What ingredients should I avoid?” Do you have a list, or do you want me to get started on that one?

Cassy Joy: Yeah! We can definitely go back and forth. I think it depends on what exactly you’re looking at. If it’s a prepackaged food; I’m imagining chips, you know? I’m thinking of my dad. He goes into the chip aisle, and I’ve taught him to be a label reader. I remember I went grocery shopping with him, and I came across him in the chip aisle, and he was holding a bag of Fritos {laughs} and a bag of something else, and he’s like; what is this oil? {laughs} Anyways. I think that there are; definitely the vegetable oils are something that I recommend avoiding. The canola oils, the hydrogenated oils; those come in a bunch of variety. I’m sure Diane’s got a list.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughing}

Cassy Joy: {laughs} Somewhere.

Diane Sanfilippo: You know, I don’t. But…

Cassy Joy: You don’t?!

Diane Sanfilippo: We’ll add it to the…

Cassy Joy: Oh gosh, well there you go.

Diane Sanfilippo: How could we not?

Cassy Joy: As if you needed more work.

Diane Sanfilippo: We don’t have anything to do. {laughs} So no. maybe we’ll make that. I actually have a book that’s a consumer reference to food additives, so I’ll use that. But anyway.

Cassy Joy: That’s good. That’s good. I mean the high level ones; I think I might have a really high level one in my book, but it’s artificial colors, it’s all the different kinds of syrups and what they mean; all the different types of sugars, different stabilizers and what they mean. I think I might have actually done a podcast episode on it where I jumped into it in a little more detail. What are some of your big ones, Diane?

Diane Sanfilippo: So my big ones are definitely anything wheat or gluten derived; so this is one where we have a list of ingredients in Practical Paleo on finding hidden gluten. So this is like hydrolyzed proteins and things like that tend to be a sign of something that contains gluten. Or if it contains soy sauce, and it’s not specifically Tamari or it doesn’t specifically say gluten free, which if you’re trying to avoid gluten and you don’t mind having some soy then something with Tamari can be ok if it says that it’s gluten free.

But I do avoid gluten containing foods; I avoid canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, as you mentioned, anything hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. I avoid anything that might say MSG, or monosodium glutamate; food additives like that. Anything with corn syrup. I avoid glucose syrup unless it says gluten free, because glucose syrup can be derived from wheat, and those are things that you learn when you like gummy candies, and you’re like; “What is glucose syrup?” {laughs} Because it’s in gummy candies. I mean, it’s been years since I had those things, but I did do some research on it. So as you come across more ingredients in things that you’re like; “I kind of want to eat that. What’s so bad about it?” Start researching what those ingredients mean.

But you know, the big ones for me are things that contain gluten or that contain junky oils, as you’ve said. When it comes to sweeteners, for the most part I don’t bring things into the home that contain agave, or that contain non-organic sugar, because I know that if it’s sugar beet, and it’s not organic, then it’s probably GMO. These are just little things you kind of learn along the way, but if it’s got brown rice syrup in it as a sweetener, I’m not that concerned with it. It’s more, I want to read that label and be aware. And I think that’s what’s important when it comes to certain ingredients that might be a little bit sneaky. But if you’re making a choice and you’re aware that it’s there, then that’s the choice that you make.

Like I bought these brown rice crisper; I don’t know what the heck they’re called. They’re like these; it’s almost like, it looks kind of like a rice cake but it’s in the shape of a roll, like a little log.

Cassy Joy: They’re rolled.

Diane Sanfilippo: Those roller things. I bought them at Safeway last week, and they taste like Honey Smacks from when we were kids; or Sugar Smacks. And they have a couple of kinds of sweetener, and they have agar agar. Which, when you see these things in something you’re like, “I really want to eat that,” you Google it and you’re like, what is that? And then you make a decision if it’s something that you want to eat or not. We can’t make that decision for you, but those are the kinds of things that I look for.

And if I show you a product, that’s something I’ve been trying to do a lot lately. I’ve done a couple of Facebook lives; where I’m like, here’s what I bought. And feel free to freak yourself out that it’s not all perfectly paleo, but I’m just showing you what I really bought. For me, that’s to give you permission to just, like, relax a little bit. It’s all going to be ok. Maybe what I choose to eat isn’t what you’re going to choose to eat, but I don’t want everyone walking around thinking; well, Diane and Cassy and Liz never eat XYZ. Liz is home eating nachos. She’s like; I’m on the all nachos diet. I don’t know what those nachos are made of, but.

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Totally throwing her under the bus right now. No, she says that herself. But that’s that. And a couple of things I would definitely recommend avoiding when it comes to bacon and sausage, and this might surprise people because people think it’s all about nitrites and nitrates. I wrote a blog post about bacon about a million years ago; the whole nitrate thing everyone just is still a little like; oh, “I buy nitrate free.” Well, ok. You think you do. But celery salt is pure nitrate, that’s what it is. It’s there to help preserve things. You don’t want to not have that stuff, but perhaps you’re not getting a synthetic form of it. And that’s a little bit different; maybe. But you’re getting tons of that stuff just from a salad; you’re getting nitrates just from a salad. So do a little research on what that means, instead of just looking at it as a scary buzzword.

But some things to avoid, in bacon and sausage; and this is especially if you’re shopping places that are not a Whole Foods or; I don’t even think Trader Joe’s; I don’t know that I’ve seen these in any of the products there. But BHA and BHT; do a little bit of research on those. Those are definitely some preservatives that have links to cancer and it’s not like eating this sausage one time will cause cancer; it’s not that. But just be aware of it.

And I posted recently about a sausage that I found at Safeway. And it’s not organic, and it’s not pastured; I was like, these pigs weren’t hugged every day. I don’t know anything about how the pigs were handled. But I am looking at the ingredients, because if I’m trying to make the best decision I can in the moment, at least I’m going to avoid some of these ingredients that I know are really harmful. And for someone else, if you’re coming over to paleo from perhaps previously eating vegetarian, and it’s really important to you that the quality of the animal and the way they were raised; that they were given hugs every day, or whatever it is; then that’s the choice that you make. Then you don’t buy meats at stores that don’t have what you want, and maybe you eat a little bit less of it because you’re only getting it when you can get the really high quality pastured stuff. But that’s not how I live, and I would not ever want to put on airs that we only eat perfect food all the time.

I mean, we try and show pictures of what we’re eating so people can just calm down a little bit, and some people get stirred up by it. “That’s not paleo; I didn’t think that was paleo.” It’s like; well, my website is not called paleo everything all the time. It’s called Balanced Bites or it’s my name. Yes, I wrote this book, but in the second edition that’s a lot of what I updated, too. Talking about for whom a strict paleo diet forever might be helpful; and the rest of us, let’s talk about eating more inclusively rather than being scared of everything that’s out there. Tangent. I’m on a tangent.

Cassy Joy: Amen, sister!

Diane Sanfilippo: Cassy’s like; got her hands in the air.

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: Hallelujah! {laughs}

Cassy Joy: Hallelujah, I love it. I love it. No, it’s so true. And to your point, that really is a lot of my motivation behind some of the photos that I post online; especially if I’m eating out, for example.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Cassy Joy: Where you cannot control the ingredients that show up on your plate. It’s just a concession you make. It’s like you said; you pick a priority. You can’t have it all all the time. And it’s not always perfect; but you know, I’m still kicking. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I love it. Well, we’ve got some extra resources; Cassy you mentioned you’ve got your Cassy Joy’s Costco; what’s it called, Guide to Costco; Costco guide, something like that.

Cassy Joy: Costco picks.

Diane Sanfilippo: Costco picks.

Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: So, can folks get that just from http://FedandFit.com. They’ll find a link to it somewhere over there?

Cassy Joy: Yep, absolutely. If you plug your name in for the email address, you’ll get that along with a bunch of other fun downloads for free.

Diane Sanfilippo: Awesome. You guys know you can get my healthy shopping lists any time. If you have been on my emailing list for a while and you didn’t get them when you signed up for whatever reason; maybe you signed up somewhere that that wasn’t what we were sending you. If you go to www.healthyshoppinglists.com, plural, you can get healthy shopping lists for, I don’t know, like over 10 stores. And we have to update them, so I think we put a lot of those together more than a year ago, at this point, and there’s probably a lot more options now. And hey, if you’re reading those lists and you’re like; I just found 5 more cool things; send us an email. Let us know what you’re finding, we’ll totally update those and re-release them at some point. But you can get lists for everything from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, as we’ve been talking about; to places like HEB, and Wal-Mart, and Target, and Costco, Sam’s, BJ's, and Natural Grocers. There are some that you would expect to find some of these products; and then some stores, like I was saying, even Wal-Mart where we’re pointing out what can you find there. Because there are some great things that you can still find everywhere. You don’t have to worry that it’s not a specialty grocery store.

And then Practical Paleo second edition, there is of course guide to food quality and budget; grocery shopping, lots of tips and tricks, and I’ve also got, one of my favorite new things in the book is the guide to going paleo; or guide to starting paleo. I talk about sort of 5 steps and what to start with first. Because there are some people who don’t want to do this stuff at all once. And it doesn’t even have to just be going paleo, but the first step is changing out the fats and oils that we’re eating; and Cassy and I both pointed out in terms of ingredients that we avoid; poor quality oils is sort of at the top of the list. And so I give you information on why to change them out, how to do it; what you’re getting rid of in the pantry and what to replace with what. Then moving on to grains and sweeteners and things like that. So that could be really helpful for you guys, as well.

Diane Sanfilippo: Pete’s Paleo has opened a new location on the East Coast. Since they’re still operating out of San Diego, as well; this means local produce and meat coming from both coasts. And drastically reduced shipping prices. Check out their new and improved website, www.PetesPaleo.com to take advantage of low shipping rates; and be sure to use coupon code 1FREEBACON. That’s the number 1; free bacon, and receive a free half pound of bacon with the purchase of a meal plan. Go to www.PetesPaleo.com.

Diane Sanfilippo: Alright, that’s it for this week you guys. Hey, if you didn’t know; Cassy Joy has her very own podcast, Fed and Fit podcast. You can check that one out. I was lucky enough to be on at least one episode; I think I was on 2. But we did a really fun travel episode from the back of an Uber, so you guys should definitely check that one out. She’s got lots of awesome tips and tricks and interviews, so you should definitely check it out. And you can find more about Cassy at http://FedandFit.com. And me, Diane, at http://dianesanfilippo.com. Don’t forget to join our email lists for free goodies and updates you don’t find anywhere else on our websites or on the podcast. While you’re on the internet, please leave us an iTunes review. We’ll see you next week.