Week 10: Hitch up the wagon, Pa. We’re goin’ to town!

Total Weight Lost: 12 lbs

I’ve only been grocery shopping once since deciding to ‘eat clean’ whenever possible, but it seems it will be harder than I thought.  I have vague recollections of grocery shopping in Washington state and seeing entire walls full of organic produce and aisles devoted to organic and natural snack foods, and I naively expected a similar experience here in southern Maryland.  Instead, I went to three separate stores and left with just a few organic finds:  carrots, green bananas, and a bag of apples.

I think a CSA or a farmer’s market is going to be the way to go for organic produce in our area, at least in the summer.  I’ve also found an organic berry farm nearby, and I hope to take Allison to pick strawberries there soon.  On the way to the airport I passed a ‘farm fresh eggs’ sign, so it may be possible to get cage free eggs here as well.  Finding humanely raised meat and poultry is going to be the biggest obstacle.

A good friend of mine, Marg, has been vegan for over 20 years, and she is very careful about what her family eats.  Her husband and daughter eat meat, and I asked her where she shops.  It turns out that the closest place to get humanely raised meat is, well, not very close.  Once a month Marg’s family drives two hours to Annapolis, home of the nearest “Whole Foods” store.  I don’t know if this monthly trek will be doable for Chris and me, but I intend to make my inaugural trip to Whole Foods tomorrow to find out.

Laura and Allie in 'town'

In the 11 months that we have been here we have made it into Annapolis, Baltimore, and DC a handful of times.  They are all about two hours away, so it’s a bit of an occasion when we decide to ‘go to town’.  We make sure the girls get baths the night before, and we all put on our best clothes.  Sometimes, I even do my hair and makeup.  We always plan to get an early start, so I have plenty of time to tromp around the house hiking up my pants and speaking in my best country hick accent: “Git the young-uns, Pa, and hitch up the wagon.  We’s goin’ to TOWN!”  It may not be funny to everyone, but as an avid “Little House on the Prairie” fan, I think it’s a riot.

Anyway, tomorrow will not feel like quite such an ordeal because Allison is staying at home with Chris.  My sister, Laura, is visiting and we are not only going to Whole Foods, but to an actual mall.  I can barely contain my excitement.  Going to malls with my sister (and/or my mom) are my third most missed thing about Washington, right behind 1. family and friends, and 2. the weather.  I’m especially thrilled because this mall has a Nordstrom, and the only thing I love more than malls are malls with Nordstroms.

I know some of you, maybe many of you, are thinking, “Nordstrom’s is ridiculously expensive.”  Which is absolutely true.  But I am more than willing to pay a higher price for what I consider to be a truly enjoyable experience.  I am not the kind of girl who delights in flipping through racks crammed with clothes, looking for that spectacular bargain while elbowing away the millions of others looking for that same spectacular bargain.  No, I am the kind of girl who likes to browse elegantly displayed, spacious racks of clothes that are neatly ordered by size and style.  I like to have my clothes whisked off to a luxurious dressing room by a well dressed, polite sales associate the moment I pick them up.  I like getting constructive criticism and thoughtful recommendations while trying things on.  I even like having someone tell me exactly what size bra I should buy and then waiting in the dressing room for well-fitting bras to appear as if by magic.  And perhaps most of all, I like the Nordstrom’s Cafe, where I can get a grilled cheese sandwich, french fries with fancy seasoning, a side of fresh fruit, and a notoriously great tasting coke all for five dollars.  Honestly people, what’s not to love?

But I digress.  Sadly, Nordstrom has not yet offered to sponsor my blog (nor, oddly, has coca-cola), so I will return to the topic at hand: my weight.  I am now down 12 pounds, and I’m just 5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.  Which means I can put on my ‘skinny’ jeans without stopping to rest, and there is just a mini-muffin top instead of the costco sized one that was present last time I put them on.  I am feeling good about my decreased intake of processed foods, and when I do eat them, I find that they usually don’t taste quite as good as I remember.  Except for Skinny Cow chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.  I had one two days ago, and it was every bit as good as I remember.