Monthly Vegan Bulk Food Order, A Case of Dates, and My Favorite Gluten-Free Tortillas
January 29, 2010 by Sheri
Filed under Buying Groceries In Bulk, Feature, Feeding Vegan Kids, Green Home and Garden, In A Vegan House
Hi again!
I’ve mentioned that we shop in bulk as a way to save money on organic groceries, and last month I showed you my organic bulk food order. This is for a family of 7, and we eat a high-raw organic vegan diet, all 7 of us. Many of these items will last for several months. My monthly bulk food order varies according to what we are running low on when I place my order.
This is LAST month’s order:
- 25 pound cases of organic raw cashews and organic raw almonds
- 20 pounds of organic frozen raspberries
- 25 pound sack of organic dried chickpeas
- 5-gallon bucket of Bubbies pickles
- 11 pound case of organic medjool dates
- 6 pound bucket of Red Star Nutritional Yeast
- 15 pound bag of organic ch-ch-ch-chia! seeds
- case of Ezekiel gluten-free tortillas
- case of Guiltless Gourmet no salt tortilla chips (for dippin’)
- 40 pound case of organic bananas (these were pre-ordered and then picked up from my local grocery store, not through my co-op)
- 10 pounds of organic raw pistachios
- 10 pounds of raw organic pecans
- 5 pounds of organic shelled hempseed
- 10 pounds of organic raw walnuts
- 5 pounds organic red lentils
- 5 pounds organic white sesame seeds
- 5 pounds raw organic macadamia nuts
- box of organic green tea (100 unbleached bags)
- foil bags of loose leaf teas and spices in 1-pound sizes, all organic: black sesame seeds, curry powder, garlic powder, red raspberry leaf tea, onion powder, spirulina powder, ground ginger root, smoked paprika, rooibos tea.
- not pictured because the kids already hauled them downstairs and put them away are: 25 pound sack of black beans (not part of my co-op order, bought instead through Whole Foods), 8 pound tub of Nutiva Coconut Oil (not part of my co-op order, bought via Amazon), a case of ZICO Coconut Water (via Amazon — thanks to Earthmother for the yummy recommendation!), and a case of Amy’s organic dairy-free roasted vegetable pizzas which hubby takes to work for lunches on days when we have no leftovers for his lunch.
Here is THIS month’s organic vegan bulk food order. Again, many of these items will last much longer than one month:
- one case of Food For Life Gluten Free Brown Rice Tortillas (these are the only gluten free tortillas that we have tried that do not taste like cardboard! and they roll up wonderfully well too)
- two foil bags: one contains 1 lb of organic smoked paprika and the other contains 1 lb of organic garlic powder
- 25 lbs of organic yellow popcorn for Family Nights (I live with oodles of popcorn-lovers)
- 25 lbs of organic french lentils (I make lentil soup weekly — my idea of vegan comfort food!)
- a case of organic Thai Kitchen coconut milk (for making coconut kefir, homemade coconut milk yogurt, etc.)
- 5 lbs of organic buckwheat groats (for making raw buckwheaties and raw crackers and breads)
- 25 lb case of organic frozen strawberries
- 10 lb case of organic Tinkyada Gluten Free Brown Rice Pasta (once every week or two a nice easy pasta dinner at the end of a hectic day is ideal)
- one case (12 bags) of Garden Of Eatin’ Organic Blue Corn Unsalted Tortilla Chips (for dippin on dip nights!)
- 25 lb case of organic raw almonds
- 2 cases of O.N.E. 100% Natural Coconut water (each case has 12 of the 1 litre cartons; they were on sale so we stocked up)
- one 11 lb case of organic medjool dates (the brand is Oasis Date Gardens and it is the only brand we use)
- 2 jars of South River Miso — one is sweet tasting brown rice and one is chickpea, both are organic and they taste wonderful!
I get a lot of emails about what dates we use, so here’s a peek at the medjool dates we use and love.
We are a sugar-free family — we avoid granulated sugars and prefer to reach for sweet alternatives instead. Organic medjool dates are a wonderful alternative to granulated sugars and they offer plenty of nutrition as well. They are a great way to sweeten things naturally.
This is an 11 pound case. The dates are organic, soft, plump, and taste sweetly delicious! I have been buying these dates by the 11 pound case through my bulk co-op for years and they have always been fresh:
They are so plump and moist! They taste like a bite of maple syrup:
This is the South River Organic Miso we enjoy:
The Brown Rice variety is tasty but it does contain soy. It was an accidental order — as delicious as it tastes, they offer plenty of soy-free varieties (like the Chickpea one, pictured), so I’ll stick to soy-free for future miso orders.
And here’s the Food For Life Gluten=-Free Brown Rice Tortillas that we enjoy. They fold and wrap beautifully, without breaking OR tasting like cardboard (bonus!). I just wish they were organic and I’d be one happy little wrap-eating gal:
I also ordered a 10 pound bag of organic goji berries this month (through Amazon, not through my co-op). The brand is Navitas Naturals and these are the ones we always order. We fill a glass jar of goji berries for the pantry, and the remaining goji berries get divided up into 2 pound portions and vacuum-sealed to maintain freshness. When my pantry jar of gojis is empty, I simply open up one of my vacuum-sealed bags and refill the jar.
We save a LOT of money on organic groceries by buying in bulk. We have other ways that we save money on groceries too (being vegan is another great money-saver, though that is not why we’re vegan), but bulk buying is a big one. Buying in large quantities means that the price per pound drops considerably — the bigger the quantity, the cheaper the price/lb. So as long as you have a place to store your bulk food properly, you can really take advantage of savings by shopping bulk.
And saving money on organic groceries is A Very Good Thing, especially when you’ve got a big brood to feed!
My sweet older daughter just made some vegan cocoa — I’m off to fill my travel mug with steamy vegan cocoa on this snowy day, and take my kids to homeschool gym classes.
Happy Friday!
Sheri
Hi Sheri – yet another tantalising-looking blog post! Just letting you know I’ve nominated you for a blog award, have a great day!
An award? Thank you! I’m flattered
I’ll come by for a visit very soon!
Sheri,
You’ve inspired me. I’m off to make some bulk orders. =)
Well, with your big brood, bulk would be a great way to shop!
Sheri, every single one of your posts is delicious and inspiring! I’m drooling over all those amazing fresh ingredients!
Thank you!
How fun!!! I would love to jump in there and start sorting and organizing and stocking the shelves.
Everything looks yummalicious, too!
that’s my favorite part too, stocking and organizing the shelves!
Perfect timing! I was just about to google some recommendations for good gluten free tortillas!
Yes, we do like these — they are Food For Life brand, the makers of Ezekiel breads. Just wish the tortillas were organic
This really amazes me. You put so much time and thought in to planning and prepping and your kids (and hubby) really seem to benefit greatly
You rock.
Hi Denise, welcome!
what’s the cheapest place to buy bulk nuts? Do you just buy them through amazon?
I always order organic nuts/seeds wholesale through my food co-op. I don’t know what Amazon’s prices are like. Maybe Whole Foods would do a bulk order with discount for you? (though they can be quite spendy there…)
we did a bulk order this month too! got lots of chia seeds.
our coop orders those dates. so delicious.
I saw, you used Azure! Have heard great things about them. You loaded up on chia!
Hi Sheri,
You know how to make coconut milk yogurt?!!! Hope this is a post soon! I have eaten the coconut yogurt from So Deliciuos and it is so yummy! I was wondering if you make it the same way as traditional yogurt. I make ours from raw cows milk and would LOVE to know how to do it with coconut milk.
Angela
I’m experimenting with coconut milk yogurt right now — tweaking my recipe and trying various different cultures. Not thick enough for my liking but am working on it. My kids love the So Delicious yogurt too, but it’s not cheap
But yes, same way as traditional dairy yogurt, sort of…scald the coconut milk, cool it, add culture, ferment…I am exploring different yogurt culture starters and also different ways to thicken it. And am using my Excalibur Dehydrator as my yogurt machine!
I was coming to ask about the coconut milk yogurt too! We’re in love with the So Delicious one but very much not in love with the price. My DF son and (almost DF) daughter love it too. I’d love to find a way to make it at home but was discouraged when folks said it won’t work in a yogurt maker (haven’t confirmed this though).
As far as thickeners, the So Delicious one appears to have quite a few. I have one container left.
Now to find a place near us to order bulk foods like you do! You’d think living in Austin, Texas it would be super easy, but I’m having a rough time! Both WFM and Central Market (HEB) are still awfully proud of their bulk items when bought in bulk.
I’m from Austin too. Maybe Wheatsville would allow you to do bulk orders? Or maybe Sun Harvest.
Sheri,
I may start experimenting as well. I also have 5 kidos and yes it is definately a treat when I bring home coconut milk yogurt. I have the same trouble with cows milk yogurt. Most of the time it is awesome and thick but every now and then we end up with the drinkable variety. I always do it the same way but it doesn’t always turn out the same way. After my temp cools back to 110, I put it in a lidded glass dish, wrap it in a beach towel and put it in the oven with the light on (the oven is not on, just the light). I do this around 7:00 p.m. and by 7 a.m. we have yogurt. I use plain yogurt as my culture, it must not work that way for coconut yogurt if you are experimenting with different cultures. Anyway can’t wait to hear about it
Angela
Still experimenting! I am adding some interesting thickeners with mixed results. If it works, I’ll tell you
I am just curious, how do you store your dates? I’ve been keeping them refrigerated. I go through sweet cravings and then no sweet cravings for up to a month at a time, so I worry about them going bad.
I store them in a cool dark space downstairs in the pantry/food storage area. We go through that case pretty quick so they don’t make it to the fridge
They do stay nice and plump and fresh for weeks and weeks though.
If you’re concerned about them going bad, popping them in the fridge is a good idea.
Sheri
I’d like to know more about your coop… I have nothing like that in my area. I’m so curious how that works.
Great post! I’d love to know how much you spend on food each month and how much these orders cost. Details details!
I don’t have a specific monthly dollar amount because my monthly grocery budget fluctuates according to what we buy that month. To get a monthly amount, I’d have to add up what we spend over a 12 month period, and then divide that number by 12 to get a rough monthly average. We buy in bulk, and the stuff we buy is meant to last several months, so each month varies. I shop in person for fresh produce and buy the rest in bulk.
I would say we spend maybe $100 or so per person per month, on organic food.
There are your details details!
Sheri, every time you post about your bulk buying I wish we had more storage space. But seeing those medjool dates has inspired me – I’m off to soak some walnuts so I can make Earth Balls tomorrow (another of your inspirations!)
Penny, you can store under a bed, in a linen closet, on a spare shelf in the kitchen…my friend stores in underbed storage boxes underneath all their beds because she is short on space too. Works well!
About how much do you spend a month on food? We have 4 kids and I am trying to figure out a good amount of money. It seems like since we have gone high raw that we eat less as far as measurements, but I really feel that good ingredients are important. I have a good place to buy organic mostly raw bulk where I live.
Is there a post that talks about what a normal day looks like in terms of food for your kids?
My kids usually eat
B- Green Smooothie, granola
S- Fruit
L- Leftovers, veggie, fruit, nut/seed butter
S- small green smoothie, and something usually a grain
D- 2 Veggies, Fruit, Grain, and ?
What do you think?
Your kids sound like great eaters! that’s a really awesome outline of your daily food intake.
I haven’t outlined our daily food intake anyhwhere…ours varies so much that no two days are ever alike. Many things remain the same day to day — green juices, green smoothies, salads, etc…but we love to add lots of variety to our meals from day to day.
Wow Sheri! What a great order!!
I loooove South River Miso! Just picked up another chickpea one since I ran out recently! I made the same mistake with the brown rice one! Too funny! The Adzuki bean one is really good too!
Those dates wouldn’t last a second in my house, hubs and I LOVE them!
Oh, South River is a new find for us but we are really enjoying it! I’m adding the Adzuki variety to my my next grocery order, thanks for the recommendation!
WOW. I think you should teach classes on nutrition in your area. That would be fun!
That does sound fun, but I’m short on time as a busy homeschooling mama
Thank you for sharing this. We love medjool dates ; ) We avoid sugars too!
there are so many other great ways to sweeten besides sugars, aren’t there!?
Perfect timing, Green & Crunchy Mom! I just bragged about your bulk buying & organizational skills on In The Raw today!
Sooooo happy to see South River Miso on your list! I love love love them. I first met them a dozen years ago when I ran a large commercial kitchen in New York. Good stuff.
Thank you for the mention in your wonderful article! I am honored!
That was the best article on transitioning to a living foods diet that I have ever read.
Yes, we’re enjoying South River too. Yum!
You have inspired us! After your last entry we made our first order through the bulk co-op here. We are going to build our pantry very slowly so that it will be easy to afford. This month, is rice and a tub w/lid for storage. We took your recommendation for lids
I’m so excited! Thanks for giving us that kick we needed to get going!
Yes, Cassie, we did that too — built our pantry stockpile up very slowly to make it affordable. Buying everything all at once would be too $$.
Hope you like the gamma seal lids, we think they work great!
I just love all of your posts. Haven’t found one I don’t like yet. I always learn so much. I noticed you said you make bread out of your buckwheat groats. I make buck wheaties all the time, but I would have no idea how to make bread. Do you mind me asking what kind of recipe you follow? You are so knowledgeable! How did you learn so much about raw, super foods and vegan baking? Please wise one, teach me, please!
Raw bread…yes, that’s one of the ways we use the raw buckwheat groats. Also use them to make buckwheaties, raw cookies, sprinkle buckwheaties on sliced fruits, add to homemade granola, etc. No recipe for the raw bread (sorry!), I just wing it and it turns out nicely.
Holy moly lady, I remember your order from last month. Has it been a month already??!! Thanks for your comments on my posts the past month; it’s always nice coming from YOU when you tell me I inspire you. Funny, you inspire me, just whippin up raw key lime pie and homeschooling your brood while making the raw vegan life crunchy life look so easy. There are parts of it that are, of course, but you are my Green & Crunchy Mommy Idol!
Oh and those medjools. NICE.
Thanks Averie!
Wow, particularly love the dates.
I think the dates are my faves too
Sheri,
Do you refridgerate your dates?
Thanks!
Found where you suggested refridgerating them! Thanks.
I love all that food! So much delicious tasty awesome goodness. But the star of the show is definitely the medjool dates, some of the best things on the planet. Pure delicious perfection.
I agree! I could eat them non-stop. We pop em in our mouth like candy
You are an amazing momma
Hi Kaisha, feeling good these days I hope!
Thanks for sharing!!!!! We have two refrigerator/freezer units plus a big freezer unit so I like to stay stocked with things too. One of the best ways to save moola!
Cheers XOXO,
Kristen
I totally agree! Staying well-stocked is a great way to save money on food!
See that you preserve your goji berries by vacuum sealing. Great idea! Is there any brand you would recommend? This seems very important to increase the shelf life of certain bulk items. Just wanted to see if you had any tips on purchasing a vacuum sealer. Take care.
Hi there,
We bought a FoodSaver vacuum sealer and it works wonderfully. We give it a good workout and it does a great job of preserving our bulk foods very well.
What do you use to vacuum pack your goodies? Is this how you keep your dates fresh?
Hi Laura,
I don’t vacuum seal ALL my bulk food. I don’t vacuum seal the dates either, though you certainly could. We aren’t storing the dates for long periods (we use em up quick) so no need for us to vacuum seal them. the things I vacuum seal include items that we won’t use up quickly, ie. 10 pounds of goji berries, 10 pounds of raw cacao nibs, 15 pounds of chia seeds, etc.
We use a FoodSaver brand vacuum sealer and it works great!
Looks great! I am placing my order for bulk food through Azure this week and will be getting my dates too[ we ran out too quickly this time], also nuts, etc.. too bad they do not carry organic chia and goji berries, otherwise I would be stocking up.
Sherri, just finally paid attention that you live in Ohio. First of all I did not realize Azure goes that far. And the–I am from Columbus, OH, but moved to Northwest 2 years ago. I still do miss Columbus, though, and we are thinking about moving back. Where in Ohio do you live?
Hi Elena,
Are you moving back here?
I’m in Columbus — we like it here
I called Azure a while ago and they said they could ship only non-perishables to Ohio. Bummer, because their prices are excellent.
I don’t use Azure for my grocery needs, though I know many people who use them and are very satisfied!
What an amazing stash of food! It’s amazing how little we actually save from the sales in the store. Bulk is the way to go!
Hi Tasha! Thanks for the comment! I agree, bulk IS the way to go
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I love that you buy bananas in bulk! I mean, honestly, I hadn’t even thought of it. So we did it this week from our local Co-op. The person who took our order was in a bit of shock that we’d order that many bananas. Then the person who checked us out today asked, “what are you going to do with all those bananas?” Too funny! But when we told her all the things we were going to make from the frozen bananas, well, she thought that sounded fabulous.
I love your posts!!! They are helping me so much to make this transition to a raw/vegetarian lifestyle! {HUGS}
Hee hee, I get the funny looks tyoo when we buy our big case of organic bananas. SO funny! When they ask what I’m doing with all those bananas, I always say that I live with a bunch of monkeys. Which i DO
Thanks for the great comment!
I live in Deep River, but spend plenty of time in Middletown and West Hartford..I am looking for info on buying in bulk and a food co-op..any ideas?on line sites?Please help!!
thanks