Thrive Market Haul | How I Saved Over $60 on Healthy Groceries

Recently I heard of an online discount shop that specializes in healthy, non-perishable foods: Thrive Market. I signed up under a free trial to see how good their prices really are, and I found that they do have some great deals. Plus, you get free shipping on orders over $49. 

I decided to stock up on some of my favorite staples, and try out some new things. Let me show you what I got!

SNACK FOOD

Kettle Chips: Honey Dijon | Jackon's potato chips | Nature's All freeze dried blueberries and raspberries | SeaSnax | GimMe seaweed snacks | Go Raw Ginger Snaps Super Cookies

The Kettle Chips aren't the healthiest, but we buy them occasionally and they were a very good price. They were 17 cents cheaper than on Amazon, but if you bump up to the 8.5 ounce bags on Amazon, it's a better price per ounce. But you have to buy a 12-pack.

These potato chips were pretty expensive, but they were fried in coconut oil! In fact, they're only three ingredients: organic potatoes, organic coconut oil and sea salt. I felt good about giving them to Helen. She loved them. They were $5.53 cheaper than a stand-alone bag on Amazon.

These freeze dried berries are another favorite with Helen. I like to keep some in my purse for emergency situations. They were $1.24 cheaper each than on Amazon.

I love that these "cookies" are made with sprouted sesame seeds (read more about the importance of sprouting nuts HERE). Helen asks for these often when we're out. These were only 3 cents cheaper than Amazon, but on Amazon you have to buy a 6-pack for that price.

These are my favorite seaweed snacks that I've find so far because they're made with extra virgin olive oil instead of sunflower oil. I need to order some more. 45 cents cheaper per package than on Amazon. 

You can actually get the GimMe seaweed snacks 57 cents cheaper on Amazon if you buy a pack of 12.

PANTRY STAPLES

Vital Proteins collagen peptides | Bonito Flakes | Real Salt | Pacific Bone Broth | Bar Harbor Fish Stock | Native Forest Coconut Milk | Simply Organic Peppercorns | Bionaturae Tomato Paste | Unbleached Parchment Paper

While I don't think this is a replacement for quality Homemade Chicken Stock, it's nice to have some of this "Pacific Bone Stock" on hand for emergencies. Plus, there's only three ingredients! It's the best store-bought broth that's widely available that I've found. However, I found that this particular item wasn't the best deal on Thrive. I found it cheaper at my local health food store. But it's still $1.78 cheaper than on Amazon (where you have to buy a 12-pack).

I'm somewhat of a salt hoarder. When I find a good deal on salt, I stock up. This was a great deal on Thrive, so of course it went into my shopping cart. $3.15 cheaper than Amazon.

I've heard that Vital Proteins is a really good quality "gelatin." I got the collagen peptides because they dissolve in cold water. This was a whopping $14 cheaper than on Amazon!

I have yet to use these Bonito Flakes, but I plan on making fish stock. $1.38 cheaper than Amazon (where you have to buy a 6-pack)

As I've mentioned before, I really like Bionaturae tomato paste. It comes in glass bottles, and it's easy to store leftovers in the fridge! Amazon savings: $1.68 (and you have to buy 12 bottles to get that price!)

I had never seen this Bar Harbor Fish Stock before, but the ingredients looked good (wild-caught haddock!), so I got some. I have yet to try it out. Amazon savings: 38 cents (and you have to buy a case of 12 on Amazon to get that price). 

I also got a can of Native Forest Coconut Milk. I like that the packaging is BPA-free. This was actually 36 cents more expensive than Amazon, but you have to buy a case of 12 to get the deal on Amazon.

CONDIMENTS AND MISCELLANEOUS

Dr. Bronners Citrus Castile Soap | Coconut Aminos | Primal Mayo | Kalamata Olives | Capers | Sardines | Herring Fillets | Pickled Sushi Ginger | Fermented Cod Liver Oil | Water Kefir Grains

I am a huge fan of capers. They are delicious with shrimp scampi or on a roast chicken. This jar was $2.56 cheaper than on Amazon. Helen loves olives - she would probably polish off half a jar if I let her. $5.33 cheaper than on Amazon. 

This mayo was from another brand that I had never seen before. I was excited to see that they used avocado oil instead of cheap "vegetable" oils. Plus they used organic cage-free eggs. We have tried it and it's awesome. Though it is quite expensive. You can't find it as a stand-alone item on Amazon.

For my Asian cravings: Pickled Sushi Ginger ($1.31 cheaper than on Amazon, where you have to buy a 12-pack) and Coconut Aminos ($6.29 cheaper than Amazon, where you have to buy a 3-pack).

I bought these Cod Liver Oil Capsules for my sister. I personally take the liquid form, but these are great if you can't stand the taste of cod liver oil. They were $8 cheaper than on Amazon!

Reuben likes to have canned herring in his lunches sometimes, and these looked like good ones (ingredients: herring fillets, cracked pepper, salt). 35 cents cheaper than on Amazon, and again, you have to buy a 12-pack on Amazon. These wild sardines were also 35 cents cheaper than on Amazon.

I've been wanting to try water kefir for a while, and this was a good excuse to get a good price on the grains. I'm still learning the process, but I have high hopes of making delicious water kefir! You can't find this product on Amazon.

Lastly, I got a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Organic Citrus Orange Soap. Reuben uses this as his shampoo and body wash. It was $5.50 cheaper than Amazon.

TOTAL SAVINGS OVER AMAZON

While I was calculating this, to make it even, I didn't subtract the price if I could find it cheaper on Amazon if you had to buy a pack of multiples to get that good price. Make sense?

Total Savings: $64.02

Even if I subtracted the difference of the items that were more expensive on thrive, the total savings would still be  $62.52! Plus when you take into consideration that I calculated the prices on Amazon from packs of multiples, my savings are even greater. AND I received 20% off my first order, which saved me another $34.02. Pretty awesome. 

Now, the one annoying thing about Thrive is that you have to pay a yearly member fee, which is $59.95. However, seeing how much I saved on one order, I think it's worth the price. I personally won't be subscribing this year once my free membership expires because we're already Amazon Prime members. It's something to think about for next year, though!

Also, make sure to look at the size of the package before you determine whether or not it's a good deal. Thrive lists the sizes for their items, which is really handy.

If you would like a 2-month free trial of Thrive Market (and $10 off your first order!) you can sign up under my link HERE. If you choose to pay for a subscription, I'll get a commission! Also, for every subscription, Thrive donates a subscription to an individual in need.

Whew. That was a long post. I hope you found this helpful! 

Do you enjoy hunting for good deals online? 

Note: some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Buttered Side Up!

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

This post was first published on May 10, 2010 on Cooking for Seven. It is still one of my favorite things that I've photographed. And I adore this cake. Once I can get my hands on some rhubarb, I'm definitely making a pan of this...

As I looked at our nearly bare garden and spotted our healthy rhubarb plants, a sudden fancy hit me. Rhubarb upside down cake. We had made this recipe once before with success. So my sister & I quickly harvested the tenderest shoots.

Then, as we were prepping our ingredients, panic stuck. There wasn’t a stick of butter in the house. Amanda & I looked at each other and shrieked.

Thankfully, Grandma lent us a couple sticks of butter and our cake was saved! And it was definitely worth the trip to Grandma’s.


Notes:

• We of course substituted whole wheat flour & a natural sweetener in this recipe. Even with all whole wheat, the cake was very tender.
• We like to serve this with a warm vanilla custard. You can use the recipe for vanilla sauce found here & increase the milk to 3 cups.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

A tender, slightly tangy cake. Perfect with whipped cream or a vanilla sauce.
Adapted from Taste of Home | PRINT
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

2/3 cup maple sugar or sweetener of choice,
3 tablespoons butter, melted,
2-1/4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb,
4-1/2 teaspoons maple sugar or sweetener of choice,
6 tablespoons butter, softened,
3/4 cup maple sugar,
2 large eggs, separated,
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract,
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour,
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder,
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/4 cup whole milk,
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar,
Whipped cream or vanilla custard, optional,

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl, combine the sugar & melted butter. Spread in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with the rhubarb & sprinkle with 4 1/2 teaspoons of maple sugar. Set aside.

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter & 3/4 cups of maple sugar until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks & vanilla extract and mix.

3) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low, slowly add half of the flour, the milk, and the other half of the flour, beating well after each addition & scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

4) In a clean, medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into the batter. Gently spoon over the rhubarb in the pan.

5) Bake in preheated oven until the cake springs back when lightly touched, about 50-60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla custard.

Seaweed Snacks, Sprouted Wheat, and a Messy Kitchen

Fresh oatmeal honey bread! I participated in the Joy the Baker x King Arthur Flour Baking Boot Camp. It was fun and I got fresh bread out of it.

Seaweed snacks! Helen LOVES these. Which reminds me, I need to buy more...

I made my own sauerkraut! Helen (and her cousins) adore it. I need to start another batch. And I think I'll get some of these glass weights to make my life easier.

A shot of the ingredients for my Leek and Asparagus Tagliatelle. Sometimes I like the photos I take with my phone just as much as the ones from my "big camera" (DSLR).

I love brown eggs. Reuben's family's chickens started laying. I am so pleased to have a source of good eggs.

I sprouted wheat, dehydrated it and ground it into flour. I'll have to make a tutorial for you guys sometime...

Fry bread! Smothered with buttered and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. I've eaten this my whole life. It is amazing. This is another one I'll have to share here on Buttered Side Up once I figure out a good recipe.

Easter Egg! Helen was so proud to have found (with help) an egg.

I was a day late, but I just had to color an egg.

Dinner rolls! I made these for Reuben's family's Easter get-together. They turned out really well, despite a clumpy flour scare. You can get the recipe HERE.

Ah, what food blogging will do to your kitchen.

I've been trying to get the kitchen clean first thing in the morning. It makes me happy and more likely to want to cook.

What have you been up to lately?

Note: some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Buttered Side Up!

Homemade Chili Powder Recipe

As I've mentioned before, I first started getting interested in health when I was a teen. I was passionate about recreating "junk food" with healthy ingredients. My sister and I would fry our own potato chips in coconut oil. I would bake desserts, but substitute whole wheat flour and natural sweeteners.

Making my own spice mixes was a pretty obvious choice. If you read the label on the ones found at the supermarket, they often contain MSG or mystery "spices" - which could be MSG in disguise. 

It's so easy to whip up a batch of homemade spices. And they will most likely be fresher than the premade variety.

Also, I try to source ingredient spices. I'm slowly converting my pantry...

This recipe is for a mild chili powder. It may still be too spicy if you are very sensitive to heat; you can simply decrease or leave out the cayenne pepper. If your prefer a spicier chili powder, increase the amount of cayenne pepper.




Mild Chili Powder
PRINT

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Shake well before using.

Creamy Leek, Asparagus, and Bacon Tagliatelle

Writing definitely does not come easily to me. Sometimes it is SO difficult for me to write up a recipe. I'll have my photos all edited and inserted into the post, only to have them sit in a draft for days because I cannot think of how to begin.

I've struggled with this for over 6 years of blogging. 

I love telling you guys how much I enjoyed a dish, but often times words fail me. Thank you for coming back time and again to read my awkward posts. Thank you for the encouraging (and challenging) comments that you leave. 

Now let me try to describe this awesome pasta.

Before cooking this dish, I had never worked with leeks. I had to look up a video to learn how to clean and chop them. This charming vegetable comes into season in the early spring, so I thought it would be a good choice to share a recipe here on Buttered Side Up that included them. Asparagus is also in season, so I picked up a bunch at the grocery store. Then I realized that they would be a lovely addition of green to my pasta.

The resulting combination of creamy, salty, starchy and fresh made for one delicious meal.

The beauty of this pasta is that it can easily be customized to your preferences. I really like green peas in carbonara. I've never tried it myself, but the recipe I based this pasta off of calls for pancetta. And you don't HAVE to use Tagliatelle - use whatever pasta you have on hand! 

If you decide to make my pasta, make sure to share and tag me on Twitter, Instagram, or leave a comment with a link to your post!

NOTE: If you like crispy bacon, make sure to only add the bacon to the pasta at the end of cooking. I didn't do this, but I definitely will next time.

Creamy Leek, Asparagus and Bacon Tagliatelle

adapted from Blogging Over Thyme | serves 3-4 (depending on how hungry you are) | PRINT

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 ounces bacon, finely diced
• 1/2 of a leek, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup (7.5 ounces) asparagus, cut on the bias
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• salt, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces Tagliatelle pasta

Directions:

1) Get a large pot of water going for the pasta. In a large cast iron skillet set over medium-low heat, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove to a bowl and set aside. 

2) Turn heat up to medium. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Once melted, add the leek and asparagus. Season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Remove all to a bowl and set aside.

3) Cook pasta according to package instructions, making sure to generously salt the water.

4) Meanwhile, pour the cream into the skillet (set on low heat) and whisk until hot. Slowly ladle half of the cream into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return to pan and cook, whisking, until slightly thickened. Stir in the parmesan until melted. Add the vegetables, pasta and bacon. Serve immediately with extra parmesan.