Sunday, February 26, 2012

Paleo on 100 Dollars a Month - Seasonings

I am done with rewarding food!  New readers might not remember all the reasons I am not a fan of Guyenet's food reward hypothesis.  One of "the dominant" reasons is that I know through my past locavore food challenges that a few days without herbs and spices and you really never miss them.  Oh, except curry, and I think there must be a special curry rule.  The lack of seasoning really doesn't hold me back when my hormonal signalling says "feed me!!!!!!!"

In January when I did autoimmune paleo, I gave up all prepared herb and spice blends and sauces because they contain peppers.  This did not kill me.  I can do this again.  Its nice that I don't have to.

Actually, I have more choices than in January.  Here's what is currently in my spice rack for this challenge, and all free:

cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, dill seed, fennel seed, black pepper, chili powder, Penzey's Forward spice blend, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, summer savory, sage, lemon grass, lemon balm, mint, tarragon, shiso, lavender, za'atar, marjoram, parsley, chives, rose hips, lemon peel, orange peel, garlic, olive juice, sauerkraut juice, wine vinegar.

I grow about a dozen types of peppers, so there will be a blend for every dish if I want it, but I will miss cumin.   I checked the prices at a couple of places.  The store where I can buy in bulk has outrageous prices, and other cheap places require the purchase of very large packages.  The best price I found was 69 cents, which seemed pretty high to me.  We'll see.  Personally, if I can afford a splurge, I would prefer to do it on macadamia nuts or an avocado.

I have one more store I might check, but it is far away and I don't get there that often.  While I am there I can stop by Penzey's.  I obtained one of their paper catalogs, which is where I got the coupon for the cinnamon and the spice blend.  It wasn't a gift with purchase, just a gift to get you into the store, and it worked.  I walked out of the store with a big bag of stuff and 40 dollars less.  I split up several packages with a friend and got some of the best vanilla extract and cocoa powder around.  Maybe I shouldn't go in that store in March.....

One rule I do know, people don't give away chocolate or vanilla, except after Halloween

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