At Home With MrsC

Raising a family, making a home.

Organic

Organic Food Shopping at Earth Origins Westgate

by 1 Comment

A friend once asked me when and where I do my grocery shopping. My short answer was, “On many different days, and in many different places.”

I know, this does not sound convenient at all. But I’m rather particular when it comes to groceries, so I prefer to get certain things from certain places. The challenge, usually, is working the different shopping trips into my (already complicated) weekly schedule. But I’d rather do that than work with produce and products that I don’t really like. Makes sense?

I might be a little too excited to shop

One of the newer places I’ve started going to is Earth Origins Marketplace + Cafe in Westgate, Alabang. I’ve just started switching some of our fridge and pantry items to organic and free-range, and Earth Origins has proven to be an ideal one stop shop for the things that I need. 

Why the change? Basically, it’s for numerous health reasons. My joints are upset that I’ve been holding on to all this baby weight for the last twelve years, for starters. And then there’s the issue of our fussy skin and the never-ending eczema problem we have to deal with at home. I’m also slightly freaked out over how often we get news of family or friends getting sick or passing away.

Improving the way we eat is one of the best ways I can think of to address all of these. Food can heal, you know? I really believe that. And, even if I grew up in a doctor’s house, I don’t believe in the whole, “May gamot para dyan” mentality. Neither does my family, actually. We understand that prevention is much better than having to find a cure. And so, here I am, trying to put that into practice.

There’s a lot of wonderful organic produce in Earth Origins! And you can borrow a bayong while shopping, too!

Okay, back to Earth Origins. I first read about this store online, back when the only branch they had was in Greenhills. And then, at last November’s Mothers Who Brunch event, I found out that they opened a store in Alabang.

Some people have asked me about this wondrous place, since (as you’ll see on my Instagram) I’m there A LOT. I come to Earth Origins to eat and to shop. I’ll be writing about the cafe soon, but for this post, I’d like to focus on the marketplace. I’m a firm believer that wellness begins at home, and whenever I have the chance to shop at Earth Origins, it makes it easier for me to transform our home into a healthier one. 

Like I said earlier, you can get almost everything you need at Earth Origins. They have fruits. They have veggies. They have rice, and other grains like Adlai. You can buy meat, poultry, and eggs there, too, along with wild-caught fish and seafood. For breakfast, they have organic sausages and bacon. There’s a wide selection of snacks and drinks in the store, and even sauces, condiments, and spices. Guys, they even have all-natural home cleaners and personal care products. And organic wine. Yaaaasss WINE!

Lots of goodies in these freezers. I recently got a bag of wild caught yellowfin tuna and pan seared it for dinner at home.

When you shop at Earth Origins, you can be sure that you are taking home products that are:

  • Organic and all-natural
  • High quality
  • Free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides
  • Hormone-free and antibiotic-free
  • Non-GMO
  • Preservative-free
  • And responsibly grown and raised

Everything here is pure, simple, and ideal for those who wish to live and be better. Promoting a healthy lifestyle through healthy eating is really what this place is all about. It’s truly what I need and want in my life right now.

I know that I’m not exactly the poster child for healthy living, but I am trying. Small, sustainable steps towards positive change, that’s what I’m after. And I think I’ve been doing okay so far.

I thought I’d end this post by sharing some of my favorite things from Earth Origins. Obviously I haven’t been able to try everything from their shelves yet, so I’m sure that I still have a lot of fantastic products to discover beyond these. Like the organic wine. Lol.

This is Pao, one of the friendly faces you will find among the staff at Earth Origins

Okay, here are my Earth Origins must-buys:

Organic Lettuce and Salad Veggies

Let’s be honest, organic produce is a little more expensive than the typical veggies you can get at the market or grocery store. But, for me, some things just have to be bought organic. Lettuce is one of them because you eat it raw, and the leaves are exposed to any fertilizers and pesticides used when they’re grown. 

Earth Origins has an awesome selection of lettuce, and other salad veggies like kale, red cabbage, beets, carrots, and cherry tomatoes. Trust me when I tell you that they are pretty affordable for organic produce. Bonus: They have an awesome selection of bottled homemade salad dressings too. The Summer Herb Vinaigrette is my favorite.

Cold-Pressed Fresh Juices

Come in the morning if you want to try their bottled cold-pressed juices. These disappear pretty quickly. There are three kinds – Red, Orange and Green. I don’t actually remember what’s in each one, but I know the Red juice has beets and apple, the Orange has citrus fruits, and the Green contains Kale. Sorry, kulang info! But I can tell you that they each offer unique health benefits, so there.

Amala Natural Laundry Powder and Fruit & Vegetable Wash

All-natural stuff for the home

These two, I really cannot live without. I’ve written about my eczema issues before, and how commercial laundry detergent is really bad for my skin. I love that I’ve found an option that is gentle, and smells amazing, too. The scent reminds me of clean baby clothes, actually.

As for the fruit and vegetable wash, I use this on the non-organic produce that I buy. I’d truly like to believe that this makes a difference, and that a lot of the harmful chemicals and dirt that might be in my fruits and veggies get washed away when I use this product. 

Organic Sausages and Bacon

I’ve posted this photo before, but it’s worth sharing again. Better-for-you bacon! Yassss!

I love breakfast, and I love having sausages for breakfast. Bacon, I can actually live without, but not sausages. My boys, they love bacon, and they love that I’ve started buying it again. I’m so happy that Earth Origins has a nice selection of organic breakfast meats. It makes me feel a lot less guilty about our indulgent weekend breakfasts at home.

Free-Range Chicken

Organic baked chicken, and a colorful side salad. All ingredients from Earth Origins!

I don’t buy chicken from the market because I feel uncomfortable about the way they are stored and displayed there. Usually, I go for trusted chicken brands in the supermarket. I recently got some free-range chicken thighs from the Earth Origins freezer, though, and I have to say I’m happy with it. I really think free-range chicken tastes better, which is why I like to use it for dishes that don’t require a lot of seasoning, like simple roasts. 

Don’t forget to bring reusable shopping bags when you go to the store

I’m already looking forward to my next Earth Origins shopping trip because, as I said, there are still a lot of things left for me to discover there. I’ve never been so enthusiastic about overhauling our food at home, which is a very good sign. I hope I can keep this going!

So many things to choose from

Do you guys shop organic, too? Where do you get  your stuff from, and what do you buy?

Change Is Coming (To My Diet)

by Leave a Comment

Guys, I’m turning 35 this month. 

I know, I know, I know, 35 is not old. But believe me when I tell you that there are days when I feel old. This morning, for instance. I woke up with really sore leg muscles from nonstop jumping with my goddaughter, Luna. Not to mention, my right knee has been clicking lately, my back achey, and my plantar fasciitis is back with a vengeance. Ugh.

We had so much fun jump, jump, jumping and play, play, playing with this little tabachingching yesterday!

When asked what I can do about my aches and clicks, our trusty family doctor had only one piece of advice: Lose some weight. Yes. Okay. Yes. Fine. 

No, I won’t be jumping on the Keto bandwagon or going Bulletproof anytime soon. I know myself well enough to understand that the only thing that will work for me is a sustainable and permanent lifestyle change involving more balanced meals, more whole foods, and a lot less snacking and fastfood.

The change has to be slow but steady. It has to be something I will actually enjoy learning about and doing, something I can do constantly without feeling kawawa, and something that does not involve elimination or deprivation. And it has to start from me, at home.

The first step was an assessment of my fridge and pantry. While I’ve successfully kept our canned and processed items at a minimum, I realized that we could use a little extra fresh produce. Of course, if I buy more that means I need to cook, serve, and eat more of these fruits and veggies. They don’t last forever, after all, and there’s nothing more frustrating than having to throw away forgotten food. I hate it when that happens, actually. It makes me feel like some sort of failure. OA, but true.

So, after assessing came meal planning, budgeting and shopping. Now, many people think that eating healthy is expensive, but it really isn’t, especially when you’re cooking most of your meals at home. I’ve been able to see that for myself. It’s just a matter of choosing ingredients wisely, making the most of what you have, and knowing where to go to buy what you need at great prices.

Most of the time, you will find me food shopping at the wet market or palengke. There are some things that I can’t bring myself to buy there, though, and some things that I just can’t find there. Lettuce, for example. I feel like you should always, always get organic lettuce. Same goes for veggies and fruits eaten raw and unpeeled. Chicken and eggs, too. Free-range is the way.

For organic ingredients, my (new and official) go-to place is Earth Origins Marketplace + Cafe in Westgate Alabang.

I first found out about Earth Origins at last November’s Mothers Who Brunch event. They generously provided the delicious veggies that were served during the event, plus more goodies for us to take home. After that, I found myself coming back several times to eat, and each time I was there I would browse through the shelves, chillers, and freezers of interesting produce and products.

I keep coming back for this Korean Style Fried Cauliflower at Earth Origins!

Eventually, I fell in love with the place. When I did, I knew it was the start of something new for me. The start of something good, dare I say. Change is coming to my diet, yes it is. Slowly but surely, it is.

This past week was officially the beginning. You can see by my Instagram posts that I’ve been trying very hard to serve and eat vegetables with every meal. For some extra encouragement, I picked up a couple of bags of fresh goodies from Earth Origins last Wednesday.

So far, here’s what I’ve been able to make with my haul: Three bright, colorful salads. A crisp and tangy cucumber side salad. And a really, really, super yummy baked chicken and chorizo lunch that the boys absolutely loved. Oh, and we’ve had organic bacon and bratwurst for breakfast, too, also from Earth Origins. Winning!

Proud of myself for whipping up this delicious and beautiful Saturday lunch!
Better-for-you bacon! Yassss!

I still have several fresh ingredients in my fridge that I will be cooking up in the next few days, plus a pack of chia seeds for my homemade granola. I’ve pretty much immersed myself into this – Researching, experimenting, cooking, and eating. It’s been fun (and yummy!) so far.

The boys are happy with what we’ve been eating, thank goodness. And I feel like we’re all feeling good after a week of eating more fresh, organic food. Hopefully my joints and legs also start feeling better soon. I think I’m extra motivated to keep going because I’m not just doing this for me. More importantly, I’m doing this for them, too. Food is my love language, after all, and this kind of food is loaded with oh so much love.