Bulk Barn <3

March 25, 2011 By Leanne Vogel July 20, 2015

Gosh yesterday was fun. A couple of ladies from work and I  headed to the new Bulk Barn during our lunch hour. I couldn’t wait to get there. So we walk in and there’s candy to the left, baking goods in the back, gluten free to the right and so many baking supplies tacked to the walls, I nearly shed a tear. I was amazed by the assortment of gluten free flours. They have every type imaginable, except almond flour. Doh! I was blown away by the amount of organic products – hemp, chia, quinoa, millet, amaranth, flax… but no carob powder! And the sugar free dried fruit was unreal. I could have spent hours in that corner filling up my cart with a never ending supply of each type. But I didn’t. I stuck to my plan [somewhat]. I was really excited about the Jennies carob macaroon but it was SO stale. This wont stop me from buying it again though, generally they’re so good! Okay, you’re all probably wondering… how much did she spend? Did she go over her budget? [organic food with astrisks] Items you don’t see because I ate them all:

• Wine gums [Holy moly sugar will mess you up when you haven’t had it in a long time. Never again.]- $0.46
• Crystallized ginger* – $1.73
• Natural mango slices* – $0.89

Total = $39.29 I was over by $9.29 which for me, is absolutely amazing! I deserve a pat on the back for this one. $40 goes a LONG way at Bulk Barn. I’m so impressed with how much I was able to get. Bulk Barn is awesome. I can’t wait to go back [and more importantly, can’t wait to bake with my new ingredients this weekend!] Something you may not know about me – I was once a rice cake addict and could easily go through a bag a day. I thought rice cakes were a healthy food that promoted weight control and curbed snacking rages. Boy was I wrong. Rice cakes are completely devoid of everything. Evidence? Nutrition stats: 35 calories, everything else has a value of 0. blah. So, a couple of years ago I decided to cut rice cakes from my life and move to whole grains. Any time I was feeling the urge to snack on a rice cake I would either grab a plate of fresh veggie sticks or heat up a small bowl of precooked quinoa, rice or millet. It was a huge adjustment but I’m so happy I did it. Not only do we save money by eating whole grains instead, I’m also getting more daily fiber, vitamins [specifically B vitamins], minerals, and whole foods goodness. Best of all, I stay fuller longer! So why the heck did I buy these yesterday? I think I just got a bit carried away. I was hungry and excited and had the best intentions of just keeping them in my car last night for snacking on the road. Oh I snacked alright. I had 4 rice cakes in the span of 30 minutes. Within seconds of finishing the last one, my stomach hurt SO badly. I’m sure if my stomach could have talked it would have said “Darn you Leanne, why do you gotta go and fill me up with this junk? First the wine gums, now this? Common’ now!” Minor setback, lesson learned. Today I’m trading in my rice cakes for some homemade cinnamon and flax socca toast. Now we’re talkin’ What’s your favorite thing to get in the bulk section of your grocery store? Cashews! Do you eat rice cakes? Have you ever tried to rid your diet of a problem food? What steps did you take to get over your cravings?