Co-op Love

Sometimes I'm not that good at prepping and packing lunch for the week. This was one of those weeks. My schedule was kind of thrown off by my birthday celebrations last week and this week is my dad's birthday so things have been kind of cray.

Luckily there's always one place I can depend on to get quick vegan and gluten free lunches- my local co-op. I visit Mountain View Market Co-op a few times a month to get specialty items (like my gluten free oats) and for quick, tasty meals. I try not to eat out too often during the week but sometimes life happens, right?! The best part about eating at the co-op is that they have options. I've noticed that even while some places offer vegan alternatives they can be limited. Which is fine, I don't want to complain because I made the choice to eat this way, but it's such a relief to find a place that truly caters to my lifestyle. There are a few different ways you can get a meal at the co-op.

Firstly there is the Kitchen & Cafe. They have a full menu of juices, smoothies, and both hot and cold sandwiches. My favorite sandwich so far is the Pesto Panini. It comes with the options of chicken or mushrooms, dairy cheese or vegan cheese, regular bread vs. gluten free, and a side of chips or fresh fruit. ALL THOSE OPTIONS GUYS. I get the vegan/gluten free stuff minus the vegan cheese because I find it kind of overpowers all the other flavors sometimes. Essentially my sandwich ends up being a pile of mushrooms covered in pesto and arugula and it's amaaaaazing. Ordering from the Kitchen can take a little longer since everything is made to order and sometimes a line forms during peak lunch times, but it's totally worth it!

I'm not sure if this looks appetizing but it's from the Salad Bar!
P.S. I didn't realize I put that much dressing on until after the photo, oops.

The second and quicker option is the Hot Bar and Salad Bar. The Hot Bar is a recent addition that I think was inspired by the popularity of the Salad Bar. Every week the Hot Bar features both a vegan and animal protein main dish that is accompanied by gluten free and vegan sides. Today they had tofu and chicken curry with rice and cucumber/cabbage salads on the side. The last time I got food from the Hot Bar I had vegan BBQ tofu, sautéed herbed potatoes, grilled zucchini, and vegan baked beans. Literally everything I've ever tried from the Hot Bar is delicious and I love that they experiment with different kinds of cuisine. They definitely like to mix it up so you're not stuck eating the same thing all the time. Today I got there a little before the Hot Bar opened so I opted for the Salad Bar instead. The Salad Bar has a HUUUUGE selection of veggies and both meat/meatless toppings. For lunch today I got spring mix with onions, carrots, olives, cucumber, broccoli, and artichoke hearts. Then I topped it with tempeh, lemon garlic couscous, vegan shredded cheese, sunflower seeds, and vegan caesar dressing. All that fresh food for like $8. This was also the first time I've tried tempeh and I can definitely dig it.

Lastly there is a small to-go section in one of the fridges which is obviously the quickest way to get food. This option varies a lot and isn't always reliable but it's understandable since they put so much time and effort into the Kitchen and Bars. I've seen vegan burritos, side salads (lentil, green bean, kale), hummus, falafels, veggie tamales, and sandwiches in this section. A lot of them aren't always vegan/gluten free but that's what the bars are for! There's been a couple of times when I've grabbed a tub of hummus and a bag of carrots from there for lunch when I'm really pressed for time so it definitely serves a purpose, but the other options are just like way better when time allows.

Basically, I love my co-op. I can't afford to shop there for everything all the time but I make sure to visit when it's financially viable for me to do so. I have a yearly membership (only $20?!) which affords me discounts every once in a while and also allows me to vote for board members. I've never done so but at least I have the option, lolz. They try to use local and organic ingredients when they can which I think is SO important. I feel good about buying meals there, and it doesn't hurt that it's always delicious! It's a small health haven in our "quasi-food desert" and I'm so thankful it exists! 
Do you have any local options like this where you're from?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Confessions of a #GIRLBOSS/Saint

Image
Forgive me, Internet, for I have sinned... Okay. Confession time. My first two blog posts were made at work. I KNOW. Who am I!? I'm really not a terrible employee. I get all my work done on time and it's done correctly. It's just that sometimes there's not a lot of work to be done. So lately instead of mindlessly browsing the internet I'm trying to be a little more productive in my time spent online. Hence the start of this blog! (Disclaimer: I realize the risk of putting this information online, but I've made the commitment to be completely honest on here. While I do sometimes feel guilty for using my work time to do non-work related things, I'm not really provided with a lot of opportunities to move up or fill my time otherwise. So here we are.) Over the weekend I started reading Sophia Amoruso's #GIRLBOSS and let me tell you, I'm only 50 pages in and I'm already really fucking motivated. She definitely tells it how it is- no sugar coatin...
Read more

Drawing a blank

Image
Drawing. I have a love/hate relationship with it. It's one of those things where if I feel at all pressured to do it, I simply won't. P.S. I'm really a toddler. Jk, but for some reason I've always had that (toddler-like) approach to it. I think all of us love to draw when we're little, and it totally makes sense! We finally learn how to hold a pencil, control our extremities,  and it keeps us occupied for like 10 minutes which has parents everywhere rejoicing. It involves dogs/flowers/dinosaurs/other "kid stuff" and probably tons of colors. It's a skill set above coloring (finally, am I right kids?!) that we can master before learning cursive. Anyway, what I'm getting at here is that I loooooooved drawing when I was a kid. Aside from reading and eating Cheetos, it was like my main thing. Fast forward to approximately 10 years later: I went to college and majored in art and I was like forced to draw all the time. I hated it. Something a...
Read more

Weekend Adventures

Image
Happy last weekend before school starts, guys! Even though I'm not in school any more, it's hard to avoid those back-to-school vibes when you're living in a small college town. The dynamic of our town definitely changes when school starts back up again. The campus traffic is definitely worth avoiding in the mornings, coffee shops are packed again, weeknight events are hard to come by, and bars are kind of the worst. I don't really go to bars that much anyway, but there's a notable (and miserable) difference.  Anyway, here's a couple of (horrible iPhone) photos from this weekend: The Pioneers of Prime Time TV opening for Courtney Marie Andrews at Art Obscura last night! If you ever have a chance to see The Pioneers of Prime Time TV perform, you have to see them. The two man group is absolutely enchanting and the violinist has the voice of an angel. They don't have their newer stuff up on their Soundcloud, but rest assured that it's also...
Read more