Bountiful Baskets

Every time I think whew! One thing down and now life can slow down a little bit. But life's got a funny way of making sure you know exactly who's in charge here. 

This month we'll be starting our next big adventure : Bountiful Baskets.

BB is a food co-op where basically the grocer (and their mark up) is eliminated. You get the same food headed for the store- little bar code stickers and all- but with the co op you know how fresh it is. How many people have handled it. Oh, and the price :) You'll notice below I've got some pictures. These are from the 3 training sessions I did in Omaha to prepare for this co op. The baskets are lined up and as the food comes in boxes we put fruit in one and veggies in the other. Each basket (veggies + fruit= 1 basket) costs $15. Plus the $1.50 credit card fee so the total is $16.50. And that's it. Participants come and bring their own basket and transfer the food and take it home every other Saturday. My best friend Sarah was the first one to tell me about this opportunity. I remember our conversation quite fondly because in many ways it showcases both our personalities. 

She said Have you heard of Bountiful Baskets? 

No.

She says Ok. Listen up! Drop what you're doing right now you gotta do this. It's amazing (with all the enthusiasm of The Sarah).

Me- ok. But there's not one going on in Des Moines.

She's like I guess you'll have to start one yourself. IT'S SO FUN!! ;)

So I called a gal up in Omaha and found out that I could start my training I think it was in February. I also found out that there was another couple who live in Des Moines who were wanting to open as well. So she and I talked and agreed to join forces. This has proved to be fantastic. They are DO 1st years and it's fun to have them at DMU where, now that we know each other, we run into each other every now and then. 

Some people might think this is too much or kinda crazy since we have sort of this non conventional life. But there are serious benefits.

First of all, Brad and I have for the last year and a half or so.... well, basically ever since I moved back from Utah, we have been eating much different. We eat mainly fruits and vegetables. We don't eat any beef. Once a month or 6 weeks I'll buy one pound of buffalo. It's a great leaner meat and keeps away any cravings :) We also make a lot of our bases from scratch, like chicken broth. All our meals have to be low sodium, low fat, low cholesterol, and low sugar (we do make some exceptions when having people over or, in the case of the snickers.... I made those in Council Bluffs for a work event :)). This, as you know, means pretty much no processed foods! As a result our meals take longer to prepare but have become much healthier and more... focused and thoughtful. It's hard to explain. We think about everything we are eating and know almost instantly if what we ate was bad because of how we feel. It's amazing how not adding salt can alter how you look at foods and of course how they taste. I can say I pride myself on working very hard to create meals that are low sodium and still have all the flavor and pizzazz of 'regular food'. 

Bountiful baskets fell right in line with these goals. Now we are able to get fresh produce at an amazing price and build our meals around this structure. It will also help the community and people who are struggling. It will count as volunteer time and will help Brad in school purposes. I am excited to meet people who care about what they eat and who are happy to volunteer and help out. I like that energy and I want to be apart of it. It will be every other Saturday for about 3 hours of my time. Well worth it I think! 

So attached are a few pictures to help you get the idea. Ours will be at DMU and hopefully will be outside when it's nice and in a common space when it's not.