Fred Meyer Organic Deals for the Week of Feb 18, 2012

Life around our house has been crazy lately, but I still want to share good prices that I find with you...on that note here are the Fred Meyer deals for the week:

Wild Alaska True Cod Fillets 3.99 per pound
Wild Alaska Whole Sockeye Salmon 4.99 per pound
Wild Northwest Cooked Shrimp Meat 3.99 per pound
Organic Hass Avocados 4 for $5
Organic Fuji, Gala or Braeburn Apples 1.28 per pound
Organic Broccoli or Cauliflower $1.88 per pound
Organic Grape Tomatoes 2 for $4
Organic Naturally Preferred Frozen Fruit $2.99 per package
Muir Glen Organic Pasta Sauce $2.99 each

Organic Food Deals for the Week of Feb 15, 2012

Safeway:

Organic Pink Lady or Braeburn Apples 99 cents per pound
Organic Navel Oranges $1.29 per pound
Organic Heirloom Tomatoes $3.99 per pound
Organic Red or Green Leaf Lettuce 1.69 each

Top Foods:

Wild Alaskan Cod Fillets $4.99 per pound

QFC:

Organic Navel Oranges 10 for $10
Wild Alaska Whole Sockeye Salmon $3.99 per pound
Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips 2 for $5
Organic Strawberries 16 ounces $3.99

Progress On Re Arranging the Living Space

The house had begun to feel stale. Like the decor was in need of a face lift. We don't have the extra money to go buy anything new, but I decided it could feel better than it did, by moving it around. Progress so far is a very tidy pantry, a reading nook for Olivia, seating that induces conversation with visitors, and a designated play area for miss Olive. Here are the photo updates...First project, take the two darling children and occupy them...

Tami...this play gym is a life saver for me with Henry, he LOVES it!

First the before pictures...let me know if you think it has improved some! 

Here are the after pictures. First is miss O's designated play area

 Here is miss O and mommy's reading area...

 The cozy, conversation inducing area...

 A place for everything...including boots for the backyard...

 Ah...much better. Not done yet. Still need to hang a few pictures and finish organizing but almost there! I hope to spend the rest of the day finishing. It is my valentines day gift to my husband who LOVES organization and clean homes.

Fred Meyer Organic Deals Week of Feb 12, 2012

Organic Minneola Tangelos 99 cents per pound
Organic Anjou Pears 99 cents per pound
1.5 lb Organic Fingerling Potatoes $2.50
Food Should Taste Good (GMO free) chips 2 for $5

Week of Feb 7, 2012 Organic Grocery Sales

Top Foods:

Organic Navel Oranges $1 per pound
Wild Planet Sardines 2/$5 dollars (great deal!)
Yami Organic Yogurt buy one get one free
Full Circle Organic Frozen Fruit 10 ounces $2.99 each


QFC:

Organic Fuji Apples 10 pounds for $10 dollars
Natures Path Organic Cereal 2 for $5
Tom's of Maine deodorant and toothpaste 40% off
Organic Hass Avocados 2 for $4


Safeway:
Wild Alaskan Salmon Fillets $8.99 per pound previously frozen
Organic Minneolas (oranges) 99 cents per pound
Organic Hass Avocados 2 for $3
Alexia Frozen Potatoes $2.49 for 24 ounces (with coupon)

Food's That Help You Sleep

Having a toddler that has yet to "sleep through the night" has often been a challenge, but I have begun to find it more so with tax season upon us and a more absent husband, who when he is home NEEDS his sleep. For the longest while I thought O's frequent awakenings at night were normal,then I gave birth to Henry, who from day one has slept all night long. This got me thinking and researching what O might be lacking that would help her sleep at night. My search led me to serotonin and melatonin production in toddlers and eventually to foods that increase that production. I have been keeping track in a little book of what I feed her and which nights she sleeps better (meaning she only wakes up once or twice as opposed to every hour after midnight). To my relief I have found that the melatonin and serotonin producing foods increase her sleep at night! Needless to say I have begun to incorporate as many of these foods into her diet as possible. I will share them with you here.

Tryptophan:

Let me start with the fact that tryptophan is an amino acid. This amino acid is used by the body to make serotonin, the precursor to melatonin, your sleep inducing hormone. Serotonin affects neurotransmitters by "slowing down nerve traffic", in other words calming down your brain. Tryptophan is found in milk, seafood, meats, peanuts and eggs. The key to consuming tryptophan is not to eat it alone. It must be consumed with carbohydrates to activate its calming effect. Eaten alone most proteins will actually wake up your brain (due to the amino acid tyrosine, which with no carbs on board will over rule the tryptophan). Dairy, which contains calcium, is the most effective sleep inducing food since calcium combined with tryptophan increases the production of melatonin in the brain. 

Vitamin B5:

This vitamin is required for the synthesis of the hormone melatonin. Deficiency of this vitamin is virtually unheard of but just for some good information it is found in high amounts in the following foods:

liver and kidney, yeast, egg yolk, broccoli, fish, shellfish, chicken, milk, yogurt, legumes, mushrooms, avocado, sweet potatoes, and unrefined whole grains.

Melatonin: 

A fact I found interesting is that melatonin is produced in the pineal gland AND in the gut. A child with a compromised gut or "leaky gut syndrome" may have issues producing melatonin and therefore may not sleep as well at night. Melatonin is found in the following foods:

 (my reference list has a website with herbs and seeds that contain large amounts of it also)

·        Almonds

·        Sunflower Seeds

·        Cherries

·        Oats

·        Rice

·        Tomato

·        Ginger

·        Banana

As we continue our journey towards O sleeping better at night I am sure I will have more to share! Thanks for listening.

References: 

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/family-nutrition/foods-sleep/foods-help-you-sleep

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/pa/

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/melatonin-000315.htm

http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/antioxidants/melatonin-natural-food-sources.php

http://home.bluemarble.net/~heartcom/tryptophantoserotonintomelatonin.html

http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/diffdx/leakygut1.html

A Few Fantastic Food Deals for This Week

Fred Meyers:

Wild Alaska Whole Sockeye or Troll Caught Silver Salmon $4.99 per pound

Wild Alaska True Cod Fillets $4.99 per pound

Top Foods:

Organic Yellow Onions for less than $1 per pound

Organic Potatoes on sale for a great price that I can't remember now and did not write down!

Organic Boxed Spinach for $2 per box

Best Food Sources of Calcium (non-dairy)

Image via Wikipedia

If you are like me when you think of calcium you think of milk (because of all that good milk industry advertising) and when asked what other food sources are a good calcium source you might be at a bit of a loss. I recently did a little research on other good food sources of calcium and this is what I found.


Seafood:
  Wild Sardines canned-300mg per 3 ounce serving. Canned Salmon have 100mg per serving, plus you have vitamin D which is essential for proper calcium absorption.

Beans:
White Beans, Black Eyed Peas: 150-250mg per cup of cooked beans

Greens:
Kale, bok choy and spinach- 150 -250 mg of calcium per cup. Collard Greens-350mg of calcium per cup. Cooking has no effect on the calcium levels. Greens also provide vitamin k, which is essential for bone mineralization

Sesame seeds:
150mg pf calcium per Tablespoon...so  Organic Tahini  that you can put in hummus is a winner!

Blackstrap Organic Molasses Unsulphured :
1 tablespoon has 172 mg of calcium, compare that to 300mg in an 8 ounce glass of milk...2 tablespoons gives you more than a glass of milk!

Other surprising sources:
Oranges, thyme, oregano, dill, cinnamon, celery, cabbage, brussel sprouts and crimini mushrooms


Facts about Calcium:

• Vitamin D is needed to facilitate and accelerate absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract
• High intake of caffeine and protein increases excretion of calcium through the urinary system
• When your dietary intake of calcium is low your body pulls calcium from your bones so your body can continue to function. Calcium is needed for blood clotting, nerve conduction, muscle contraction, cell membrane function and enzyme regulation. Those are important things!

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium/

http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/appendixb.htm

http://nutrition.about.com/od/therapeuticnutrition1/a/Getting-Enough-Calcium.htm

Related articles

• 7 Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium for Healthy Bones (organicauthority.com)

Before the Redecorating and Organizing of the House

 I have decided to move all the furniture around and redecorate the house. Here are all my before pictures. Sometime next week I will post the after pictures. Take note all my furniture and most of the decor are vintage, hand me downs, goodwill, thrift or Ikea finds. Feel free to post suggestions or ideas. I main priority is the living space downstairs so that is all I have posted pics of. Upstairs will be a project for another week!