What I like to buy from Walmart...Yes, I shop at Walmart!

I've been eating primal/paleo/local/grassfed/organic/gluten free/ ...for almost 8 years now.  And to be honest it's been an evolution of sorts seeing this trend become more and more popular.  Back when I first started eating this way, there was NO WAY you would find anything that you wanted to eat at your big chain stores like WalMart, Meijer, Kroger, Martin's etc.  Nope.  You had to go to a "nutrition" store like Garden Patch or Down to Earth or DC Meats to find anything and it cost at least one arm and one leg to make a batch of pancakes!!

Sooooo, to be able to run down to WalMart (which is approximately 35 seconds from my house) and pick up a container of organic spinach or grab some tapioca flour to make Friday night pizza is BEYOND exciting for me.  They seem to get more and more items all the time.  My most recent highlight was finding my Kevita's there!  Really, Walmart you know how to make a girl happy!

If you eat yogurt, my hubby will tell you that hands down Fage is the creamiest tastiest greek yogurt out there.

Unsweetened Cashew Milk - I prefer getting it at Aldi's because it's cheaper, but Walmart is closer.  I love warming this up and adding some cacoa and coconut sugar for a warm "hot chocolate" treat.

Just like most stores now, Walmart carries your cage free eggs.  Cheapest I've seen are actually from Sam's as you get 18 eggs for $3.00 but when you need eggs;0)

This condiment I CANNOT live without.  Between Frank's Red Hot and Spicy Mustard...I use it almost every day.

I'm all about stocking the freezer with easy things to heat up and eat...and when it comes to broccoli, the little tree part happens to be my favorite.

I don't use these very often, but I do keep a couple in my freezer for those emergency situations when I need some veggies and I've either run out or I don't want to take the time to cook them.

Same with this one, what I look for in all of the frozen veggies I buy is to make sure they aren't adding any weird sauce or oil or MARGARINE of something funky.  I want a good old fashioned frozen vegetable.

I use this to make cauliflower fried rice when you can't find a good head of fresh cauliflower.

Some simple lunch ideas for kids.  Rolled up turkey.  No added hormones or antibiotics and nitrate free.  They have a more choices than turkey.  But I noticed that the ham typically has added sugar in it.  

I use this every once in awhile, if I can't get to DC Meats to get my meat.

This bacon is also an option - I prefer DC Meats.

Now to the fun stuff...I use Chia seeds in my post workout shake every day.  You can also use them to make your own jelly.  They pack a good protein punch!!  Add them to your smoothies or baked goods.  This huge bag is like $4.52

Back in the day we had grainy yucky almond flour and my poor children had to eat pancakes that tasted like grit.  Now, you can find blanched almond flour almost anywhere.  It's SO much better!  I use this mainly to make my biscuits and almond flour bread and sometimes I use it in cookies.

Hands down the cheapest place to find coconut flour.  I buy it here always.  This is like $6.75.  I use this in almost every baking recipe I have.  Pancakes, pizza, cookies, 

Love this starch!!  It's cheaper per pound at Garden Patch ($1.70 vs $1.96) but it's nice to know they have it here if I am not prepared and run out.

Cacao Powder  - need I say more?  CHOCOLATE

Raw nuts:

I drink A LOT of coconut water.  Be careful some brands add funky stuff.  Make sure your's says coconut water only on the ingredients.  I don't buy it at Walmart because Cotsco sells it for super cheap - but I wanted you to see which brand I bought.  It's $3.96 for one of these at Walmart if you buy a case at Cotsco it averages out to $2.25 per liter;0)  

If you enjoy "paleo" baking then you can't live without these chocolate chips - They are dairy, nut and soy free.   Which is pretty hard to find!  Walmart has them for the best price - but you can find them at Meijer and Garden Patch as well.  They now have chocolate chunks too!!

Not sure how I went from yummy baked goods to tuna, but I feel finding the right tuna is important.  I have read every tuna can in the entire world...I like to make sure there isn't added soy or vegetable oil!  YUCK!!  This one is more expensive $2.96 a can.  

We use turkey A LOT!

And I had tons of peeps as me where I got my turkey drumsticks;0)

And I cannot live without dark dark coffee - hands down the cheapest for this big box,

Just like Aldi's - they have grass fed beef..It's like $0.25 more here.

And my beloved Kevita - coconut water probiotic drink.

Organic red potatoes.  I love how they put that they are naturally gluten free...watch out for this gluten free craze the marketers are on!!  They put that on the marshmallow packages too!!

They have everything you need to make your own laundry soap and the good news is, it's all in a row (someone must be onto something)  I used to have to get the baking soda in the baking aisle!

And....I also found these in the freezer section.  I will tell you that I have never tried them, I did read the ingredients and it seemed decent.  I prefer to cook on my own, but I suppose if you were in an emergency situation or you just had no idea at all how to cook...then maybe this would be worth a shot.  I heard they were only at Walmart...to me it kind of looks like my kids plastic play food.  If anyone tries this, I'm curious to see what you thought.  Portions?  Taste? Etc? 

Like I said, organic spinach.

And this tuna doesn't have anything yucky and it's only $1.49.  I know you can also find Polar Tuna at Meijer for $1.19 and today I was at Fresh Thyme and they have SkipJack in water for $1.25.  

Those are my picks at Walmart. I will post Meijer next week and then I have a couple of random stores that I will collaborate into one final post for the following week.  They are what I like to call my specialty stores...Garden Patch, DC Meats, Sam's Fresh Thyme.   

Paleo Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

When I figured out how to make a couple of my favorite comfort foods into a paleo template that's when it became real to me that I could eat this way all the time.  My three things that I just couldn't live without were pizza, pancakes and biscuits.  I wasn't always a fan of biscuits with gravy but I have become one now that I make my own.  I didn't invent these recipes but I'd like to share them with you today so that you can find your own foods that will make Sunday morning a happy time for you to gather with your family and enjoy some good old fashioned biscuits and gravy and not have to worry about what it's doing to your gut.  

The best biscuits EVER come from Elana's Pantry Almond Flour Cookbook:

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup oil 

1/4 cup agave 

2 eggs

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Stir. Measure into 1/3 cup size biscuits.  Bake 350 for 15-20 min.

A couple of side note in regards to baking/cooking/following a recipe.  If I don't have something that is in the recipe I typically "make do" with what I have.  I use olive oil.  I have used honey instead of agave.  I've squeezed an orange instead of lemon.  My food typically turns out different each time I make it because when I want it, it's typically a craving and I'll make it happen using whatever I have in my pantry;0)  

And my all time favorite recipe for sausage gravy comes from Robb Wolf (robbwolf.com)

16 oz. country style pork sausage
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 can coconut milk (shake it up before you open it)
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried, rubbed sage
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

1. Heat up a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage. Break up the sausage into fairly small pieces so it will cook easily, but I like to leave some bigger chunks in there too. Once the sausage is thoroughly cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Discard most of the fat, but leave about a tablespoon in there, and leave all the stuck-on brown bits of sausage in the bottom of the pan.
2. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the arrowroot and stir it into the fat & brown bits, whisking constantly for about a minute so it doesn’t burn. It will get pretty thick and almost dry.
3. Add the coconut milk about 1/3 of the can at a time, and whisk together with the “roux” you just made, incorporating it thoroughly. Some of the browned bits should start to come off the bottom of the pan, too. This is what we want. Keep adding in the coconut milk until it is all incorporated. Add the fennel, sage, cayenne, salt and pepper and mix it in.
4. Add the sausage back in and incorporate throughout the gravy. Cook for a moment so everything is heated evenly. Serve immediately over biscuits.

Once again, feel free to sub as needed.  I've used turkey sausage, chicken sausage and pork sausage.  I feel like I NEVER have the right spices...this past time I made it I added cumin, cayenne, cardomom, allspice, salt and pepper.  Be creative!  One thing you don't want to sub is milk from a box...like unsweetened coconut, almond or cashew milk!  You really need a can of coconut milk for this one to work.