Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Think Positive!

I sincerely hope that you find today's picture totally boring compared to those I usually choose.  But Tuesday morning is now my designated grocery shopping morning, so thought I'd show you where I shop for most groceries.  The Kroger Company now owns stores in just about every section of the US, but the "Marketplace" concept was developed just a few years ago.  This particular store was the prototype for the future and it is truly something to behold.  This picture was taken this morning and what you see is about half of the total length of the store.

Why am I posting pictures of my grocery store???  Because I have turned the corner and and in all things am choosing to see what I do have or can have instead of what I don't have or can't have.  Yes Sharon, that's all well and good, but what does that have to do with grocery stores??  Since I am the queen of listmaking, let's think positive this way...............

1)  I have moaned, groaned and am openly confessing the sin of envy towards all of you who are within 25 miles of a Trader Joe's.  I love Trader Joe's and rightly so.  My 250 mile (one way) trip to the one in Nashville last Saturday confirmed that it is still everything I remember and I loved meandering around in there until Mr. B gave me "the look."   Every one of you knows "the look."  I don't need to say any more.  But you know what?   In my own community, I have two Earth Fare's (owned by Whole Foods), two Fresh Market's, a farmer's market every day except Sunday and Monday, numerous health food stores AND my Kroger Marketplace.  I don't believe I'm exaggerating terribly if I tell you that the Fruit/Produce section combined with the Organic/Health Foods section of my Kroger are larger than the entire Trader Joe's in Nashville.  There is NOTHING you will not find at my Kroger.  In addition, you get wide aisles, state of the art lighting, Starbucks, a very nice eating area with a wonderful selection of foods, and friendly customer service folks all over the store.  I have no complaints.  Grocery shopping is a pleasure and I am thankful.

2)  My second area of positive thinking is to approach my Hot 100 Challenge from the viewpoint of what I CAN have instead of what I can't.  Yes, it's pretty restrictive to say that I will eat nothing with white sugar or white flour between September 23 and December 31, but as I walked through the store today, I found myself searching for and focusing on those things I can enjoy.   It wasn't the least bit difficult to find lot of those things.  I picked up a mango and my mouth watered.   Raw Sugar Snap Peas have become my potato chips.  Who needs cookies when they can chomp down on something called a Honey Crisp?  Yes, there's a lot out there to try and by george, I'm going to try it all. 

3)  This summer has been so brutally hot that I've not been able to exercise as I normally do resulting in a noticeable difference in my stamina when I do exercise.  Cool days are finally here, but I find myself feeling a bit negative when I realize I have work to do to catch my body up to where I know it can be.  So my third area of positive thinking is to just DO IT!  That's the only thing that will help.  My 10-day weather forecast shows nothing but bright yellow sun and I'm finding opportunities to walk, hike and bike.  I've already got 12,300 steps on my pedometer today, so I'm really thinking positive on this one!!

This entire post was composed in my head while in the grocery store this morning.  Perhaps, this is why I came home without three of the things on my list.  LOL!   So it only seemed fitting that today's picture would be of my favorite grocery store.  Wish you could come go with me next week.  We could have lunch at the Sushi Bar.  Or maybe you prefer the Olive Bar.   Think I'll stick with the Wing Bar.   Of course, there's always the Soup and Salad Bar.   Maybe I'll just have a Luna Bar.

19 comments:

  1. I envy you for even having ever been in a Trader Joe's. No such luck in Canada. When I was in PA this summer, there was one a few hours away from where we were, but the family wasn't going for it!

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  2. Great post, Sharon. A lot of anguish can be avoided if we make the choice to reframe things, or look at them in a different way. I think framing things in the positive it almost always better than concentrating on the lack.

    I still LOVE Trader Joe's (I've only seen them while traveling) and I am loving Honeycrisp apples. They are my new "treat".

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  3. What a great post! I'm saying a big ME, TOO!

    I just bought my first bag of HoneyCrisps! They are magnificent--sweet, crisp & tart! How does that happen? chuckle. I told my husband yesterday that those apples could be my new addiction.

    We'll see what the impact is on the glucose, but MUST be better than cookies, right?!

    We're on fire now!

    Deb

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  4. The second point of yours hits on something I've found to be really true - that if you focus on what you CANT have you are constantly reminded of it, whereas when you focus on what you CAN have it's just a lot easier. One of my "get back on track" strategies has always been to try for 5 (or 7 or 9) servings of fruit & veggies daily. If you're eating that much produce there is less other stuff going in, but the real reason it works is because you find yourself working in ENOUGH - focusing on the POSITIVE for a change. I've done it with nutrients (calcium, some others) too & it's basically become one of my philosophies of how to make change easier is to "focus on the positive".

    ...I too have great shopping options & yet I still miss Trader Joe's terribly...

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  5. Yes, it is a BSF study that I'm doing. I hadn't actually heard of them before, b/c I was never in an area that had them. I think it'll be something that will really help me, and I'm looking forward to it. It's going to really challenge me to stay very consistent with doing my Bible Reading and homework, b/c it's all to tempting to not do it b/c I'm too tired!
    I love going to the Kroeger store where I'm at, and do like the health food selection that it has. I was in a smaller area before that had a Kroeger and didn't have nearly the selection, so I'm enjoying being able to have more of a variety. They are in the process of building a Trader Joes where I'm at, but I'm not sure if I'll change much, b/c there are just certain things that I like to have.

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  6. We don't have Krogers in my area. But it seems like all my online friends do. The nearest trader joe's is 25 minutes from me. Close enough to go to but not close enough to shop at regularly. I have fallen in love with Whole Foods Market, which is similar to TJ but a lot further from me. :/

    I gave you an award. Check it out, when you can at waitandweightless.blogspot.com

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  7. Love the attitude! Whooohooo!! Yes, it is much more fun to focus on what we can have, and what we do have. Reminds us we are fulfilled and not missing anything. ;) Now I feel like shopping...... lol

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  8. The shopping is so unexciting here. But that will change when TJs arrives! I love your attitude and need to start thinking the same way:)

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  9. What a great change in thinking! YAY!

    Polar's Mom
    www.polarspage.blogspot.com

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  10. Hi Sharon...even though I only live an hour from you, I'm so envious of your grocery stores. We have Ingles, Food City and Wal-Mart. They're fine, but oh how I would love to have a Kroeger's. As for Trader Joe's I've never been to one...can you believe that? I may have to join you sometime...lunch sounds great! LOL And what about that hike? Are you up for it? I don't know if I could keep up with you since I'm so new to hiking, but I'm willing to try!

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  11. Love the post! Found a link here from Kenz's blog. Can't wait to catch up. I'm in the Hot 100 challenge too. I'm from NE Ga, and I'm well familiar with the GSMNP. Vacation spots for most of my growing up years. I'll be back for more!!! CathyB

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  12. Your Marketplace Kroger is a truly superior offering to the Kroger I knew from my college town. It was open 24 hours, and Krogering could get a little rowdy after the bars closed.

    Anywho, you are lucky to have many choices to find a wide array of fresh foods.

    Really, I think TJ's is over-rated (along with being over-priced). They are a very generous donator to our local food pantry, though, so GO JOE!

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  13. Great post, and great attitude! It is better to look at what you can have rather than what you can't have.

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  14. I haven't had a honeycrisp yet this year. I'm jealous of that! Ooh, that sounds like a wonderful grocery store. I do like a good grocery store!

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  15. We have a Trader Joe's here in Pismo Beach. It is usually a busy place, as they all are. Sorry you forgot to get a few things on your list. LOL I'll meet you at the Olive Bar!

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  16. I've never been to a Trader Joe's, or to a Krogers, or eaten a Honey Crisp... oh poor me! Just kidding!! We don't have either of those stores here in my neck of the woods, Southern Oregon.

    I think you will do just fine with your short goal of no white sugar or white flour. I haven't had either since March of 2009... yet I am still alive n kickin'! When I do want things like cookies... just bake them myself, with recipes leaving out the ingredients-which-shall-not enter-my-house-now.

    My current favorite being sugar-free zucchini chocolate chip cookies (even the chocolate is sugar free). If you have the time, it's fun to find healthy substitutes.

    Last Christmas I found lots of holiday-ish recipes, and didn't feel like I was missing a thing (well, almost.. but it WAS doable).

    This is going to be fun doing the Hot 100, and on New Years Eve we can review our successes!
    Loretta
    =^..^=

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  17. Thanks for becoming a follower of my blog -- I've reciprocated by joining yours!

    I love reading about grocery stores. When we travel, I often skip the attractions and wander through local supermarkets. Even in France, I visited as many different grocery stores as possible. Know what shocked me there? Their frozen food aisles are loaded with frozen pizzas!! Who'da thought? I laughed at your comment about coming home without three things on your list -- just did a huge shopping at TJ's on Monday and forgot to get their wonderful Cranberry-Walnut Salad dressing which was at the top of my list. Since our closest one is 22 miles away, I'll wait a couple of weeks before heading back for it.

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  18. Love the attitude of gratitude! You are seeing the glass as half full or maybe even overflowing!

    I prefer to focus on all the great things I can and do eat and I know for me it makes a huge difference in my over all attitude.

    I have also found that reading positive posts on other blogs helps to boost my attitude! Thanks for being so positive and motivational.

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  19. I love the "I can" approach. It is so much more motivating than the alternative!

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