VitaCost, Kosher Vitamins, InstantPot Haul

So my parents are here! They flew in on Thursday to join us for the Passover holiday. They'll be here for two weeks. Knowing they were coming, I ordered a lot of things that you can't get here. And I mean, a lot. I think this time I outdid my siblings. I ordered lots of clothes for spring/summer and next winter, a sturdy water bottle (to make sure I stay hydrated every day), lots of earplugs and some other stuff. 

Check out what I hauled after the jump!

First things first- let's talk spices. Most spices are plentiful here but there are many that I've never come across here in supermarkets or in the Shuk. Since I've been cooking a lot more than ever, I wanted to take the opportunity to stock my spice cabinet. I have never seen sage nor tarragon here and many of Isa's recipes called for red chili pepper which I haven't really seen either, so those went into the cart. Those three spices are made by Frontier (the green capped bottles in the right side of the photo) and come in sturdy, glass containers. Behind those herbs is a nice size container of chili powder (I've run out!) and a huge container of granulated garlic powder. On the right side of the photo, I have a package of granulated onion powder (this does not exist here!), some regular paprika and some smoked paprika. I only know of one place that carries smoked paprika by weight, so I took the opportunity to buy it in a container. As for the turmeric... A whim, I guess? In an earlier delivery, I received two jars of Better Than Bouillon Kosher Vegetable base, mustard powder, another small chili powder (I forgot I ordered it-- it's going to my sister). some dried pintos, and cayenne, which I've also never seen here. I think that this all adds up to a pretty well-rounded spice drawer!

On to the supplements. I know the only supplement Dr. McDougall recommends is one for B12. That said, I've been taking iron for a long time because my ferritin levels were rock bottom last July. I was recently retested and I didn't seem to have such a marked improvement. During my periods, I started to take it twice a day. Seeing as everything is more expensive here, I thought I'd stock up on Solgar Gentle Iron for when I finish what I'm using now.

Readers of some of my early posts will know that when I made the transition to fully vegan, my hair started falling out like crazy. I'm happy to report that about eight months later, I'm finally seeing some hair growth at the top of my head. Furthermore, I had my hair cut and colored yesterday and my hair dresser agrees with me that it's not gotten any worse and that what came out during the washing is pretty typical of the clients she sees. Woo hoo! Even so, I figured it couldn't hurt to help it along by supplementing with Biotin. I started taking it today and I'll keep you posted on that.

The last supplement that I bought was probiotics. Lately, my stomach has been giving me issues. Not pain, not bloating, just a lot of gas. I'm fine after my breakfast so I know that it's not the oats but that leaves me with the corn or the potatoes. I'm eliminating corn from my diet in hopes that that's the culprit and not my precious potatoes. That said, I decided to try a probiotic to help things along. I accidentally bought the wrong probiotic (I already ordered a different one that I'll try when I finish this bottle. The brand is UP4 and it's the one that is specifically made for women to help with UTIs. I don't have those but it should help with digestion as well. I'm going to start taking them today and do a review of them at the end of the month so stay tuned for that.

Last but not least, I bought an extra liner and a couple of extra sealing rings for my Instant Pot. The extra liner should make cooking easier and it'll be good to have an extra sealing ring for Pesach.

That's all for now.

To health!