Ideals vs. Budget

I suffered a consumer dilemma today at Whole Foods buying trash bags. I want to buy more environmentally sound trash bags. The Seventh Generation 55% recycled plastic trash bags were $5.49 for 30 trash bags. The compostable trash bags were $5.99 for 12! I want to buy the compostable ones. This burned me inside, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't pay $6 for only 12 trash bags. I bought the Seventh Generation bags, knowing that they were still made of virgin plastic, but needing some compromise between my ideals and my budget.

The other day I had similar dilemma buying eggs. I ran to the organic food grocery store near my house for eggs, and outside the cooler where the eggs are kept, a chart was taped to the freezer door. The chart detailed the treatment of the chickens at all of the places the eggs came from. I checked out the chart noting that only three of the available dozen or so brands of eggs could state that they didn't snip the beaks off their birds. I scanned the cooler for the three brands that left the chicken beaks intact. $8.50 for a dozen eggs! I stewed over this fact. I wanted to buy them, but I couldn't bring myself to spend $8.50 on a dozen eggs when I struggle so hard for my money. What to do? I compromised and purchased organic fed eggs for $4.50.

I see the internal battle with myself to choose the small organic products that I desire and admire vs my ability to financially stomach big organic. One step at a time I hope.

Canned Sardines

I had my second sardine sandwich this week. Yum. I think I found a new canned protein friend.

I really liked canned fish when I was little, my sister reminded me the other day. I used to eat kippers straight from the can with a fork.

My first sardine sandwich was the result of a google search for sardine sandwich, and it came from this blog. It was one side sardines mixed with sauted mushrooms, onions, and garlic, and then a little olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. On the other side of the bread was melted cheese. I heated both sides in the oven.

The bread I was eating was too thick, the cheese wasn't strong enough, but the sardine mixture was delicious. I also tried to eat this sandwich with lettuce which was a big flop because the lettuce was wilting between the halves pathetically. I pulled out the lettuce and tried to eat as much sardine as possible.

My second sardine sandwich was much more of a success. I ate it on untoasted sourdough bread with lettuce and mustard. This can of sardines was packed in tomato sauce, which I've read is common for sardines that come from Mexico or if they are packed in Thailand. I still added some olive oil and lemon juice to the mix, which was a good call because the lemon seemed to balance the acid in the tomatoes to make a more mild flavor.

On the downside, these sardines were cheaper and more gritty than the previous can I purchased.

I was worried about the mercury content being high in sardines like tuna, but I read on the internet that the sardine's low status on the food chain makes it far less of a risky fish to eat. They contain less mercury because their lives are shorter, and they don't eat other fish who contain mercury like predatory fish such as tuna.

Also in terms of the food chain, sardines are incredibly sustainable. When you eat predators, you are eating a larger chunk out of the food chain, but since sardines are bottom feeders, they reproduce faster, and there are more of them to eat. Eating bottom feeders impacts bio-diversity less.

Cheap, low mercury levels, non-perishable, environmentally sustainble, high in omega-threes and delicious. Oh sardines, I think this the beginning of a beautiful friendship.