What FOOD items do you buy from Amazon.com?

[RegGuheert]

We have started to purchase a few food items from Amazon.com. What we have found is that the listed prices on some items are *slightly* more than the prices for the same items at our food co-op, BUT the co-op does not honor the prices in their catalog. The bottom line is that the actual price is often lower at Amazon.com. Plus, the minimum purchase for free delivery at Amazon is $25.00 versus $400.00 at the food co-op.

 

If you place items in your Shopping List (under Your Lists at top right), Amazon will keep all of the items you purchase handy and will keep track of when you last bought an item.

 

Here are some items we have purchased from Amazon.com:

 

- Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce

Actually, there are quite a few tomato products from Muir Glen and Eden Organic that we may purchase in the future.

 

- Maple Extract

 

Some items we are considering include:

 

- General Mills Wheat Chex

However, we are currently able to get this from Wal-Mart for $2.58, so it's still too expensive...

 

- Bob's Red Mill Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Plus a few other products from Bob's Red Mill

 

So, what food items do YOU purchase from Amazon.com?

[meet me in paris]

 

Coffee. We're on the auto-ship program, so it's another 15% off, plus free shipping. It's the best price anywhere.

[Snickerdoodle]

Tea.

[mooooom]

it's the only place I can get it that isn't in those little packets - even the local health food stores don't carry it anymore. And dog treats - we buy organic ones and they are sooo much cheaper than in the pet stores. I always make sure I am spending $50 so that shipping is free.

[Blueridge]

We've been very impressed with these dates:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NWIQQI/ref=oss_product

[secular_mom]

Vanilla beans

Cocao Powder

Coconut Oil

Goji Berries

Himalayan Sea Salt

 

We upgraded our free shipping at Christmas time, and went ahead and paid for it. We don't have to have a minimum purchase price now, so if we 'need' something we can just go ahead and order it then instead of having to wait. We LOVE it, and will probably pay to renew next year. But, I can't STAND my local HFS- it's just way too small, they never have the odd items I'm looking for, the lines are way too long and the customer service is hit and miss.

[lisamarie]

tea and poptarts for my DH.

[kewb]

I have purchased Odwalla Bars and Annie's Mac and Cheese a few times. Never any problems. When they have a good deal on something and I have the funds I stock up.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I always feel nervous about buying food online. I wanted to get my supplements since they were cheaper, but I always wonder if they could be tampered with. :001_huh: I don't really know where they are coming from KWIM...

[Debbie in OR]

Grade B Maple Syrup

Wheat Chex

Organic Decaf Coffee

[ConnieB]

- Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce

Actually, there are quite a few tomato products from Muir Glen and Eden Organic that we may purchase in the future.

 

 

 

Ok, I have a question about this....there have been several threads on this board, and on others, about the dangers of eating foods from cans. I haven't reacted much because, well, we love tomato based products so we have to use canned tomatoes because my gardening skills are zilch and fresh tomatoes are too expensive most of the year and my canning skills are only slightly higher than my gardening, like maybe non-existant instead of zilch, lol. We don't use much other foods in cans, as I hate the taste of veggies from cans and will resort to frozen if fresh aren't available but never cans.

 

So....is buying ORGANIC tomatoes in cans somehow ok? I thought it was something the CANS were doing, not the tomatoes?

 

These are also about twice the cost of the tomatoes (non-organic) that we use, so I'm wondering if that's really necessary if the can is going to make them bad for you anyway?

 

And, I was reading an article online that talked about which organics to buy and which to pass up and tomatoes was on the pass up. It only talked about certain foods absorbing the pesticides and others not.....apples I recall was one that they recommended buying organic, but tomatoes not necessary. I would think that the skin of tomato would be just as thin as that of an apple wouldn't it? We eat the skin on both.

[EmilyK]

I'm interested to see what people say. We are amazon prime and do a fair amount via subscribe and save. That said, we cancel the subscriptions any time if we decide we aren't into it.

 

For us, I think the convenience is worth it even if it isn't the rock bottom price. They seem to have a lot of the same items as costco.

 

I set it up for a 6 month reorder so we have plenty of time to decide if we really want to reorder.

 

I've been getting:

--pastas

--muffin mixes

--instant coffee (mount hagen)

--wolfgang puck soups

--couscous

--maple syrup

--ito en teas

--tea bags

--deodorant

--power bars

--baked beans

--dried cranberries

--kitchens of india products

--coconut water

--asceptic milk

--vitamin d and omega 3

--nature's path cereal

[secular_mom]

Buying organics is NOT just about the health benefits of the foods, it's also about limiting the amount of pesticides that are impacting the environment. So, many people do their best to buy as much organic produce as possible, even if they aren't all on the dirty dozen list.

[RoughCollie]

I buy Knorr gravy mixes from Amazon. They are $ per packet there, and $2 per packet at the grocery store.

[melissel]

So far, only cereals, and I can even find some of them cheaper elsewhere. For example, Target carries the granola cereal we like more cheaply than Amazon. Amazon does have the Erewhon cereal I like at the best price, but that's really just an occasional treat for me, so I can't justify buying a case! I've been able to find the other things I'd buy at Amazon more cheaply at Vitacost (mainly, alternative flour for my GF baking).

 

Ok, I have a question about this....there have been several threads on this board, and on others, about the dangers of eating foods from cans. I haven't reacted much because, well, we love tomato based products so we have to use canned tomatoes because my gardening skills are zilch and fresh tomatoes are too expensive most of the year and my canning skills are only slightly higher than my gardening, like maybe non-existant instead of zilch, lol. We don't use much other foods in cans, as I hate the taste of veggies from cans and will resort to frozen if fresh aren't available but never cans.

 

So....is buying ORGANIC tomatoes in cans somehow ok? I thought it was something the CANS were doing, not the tomatoes?

 

These are also about twice the cost of the tomatoes (non-organic) that we use, so I'm wondering if that's really necessary if the can is going to make them bad for you anyway?

 

And, I was reading an article online that talked about which organics to buy and which to pass up and tomatoes was on the pass up. It only talked about certain foods absorbing the pesticides and others not.....apples I recall was one that they recommended buying organic, but tomatoes not necessary. I would think that the skin of tomato would be just as thin as that of an apple wouldn't it? We eat the skin on both.

 

The can is the problem, not the tomatoes--it's the BPA in the can liner that is dangerous, and that's in both organic and conventional canned tomato products. I don't think there are any producers who can tomatoes without a BPA lining, which is why the recommendation is to buy the tetra-packed or glass-jarred tomato products.

 

As for the "dirty dozen," I think the idea is that some fruits/veggies absorb more pesticide and retain it after washing than others do, for some reason, though I've never been able to confirm whether the testing they did was pre- or post-washing. Does anyone know?

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

Just recently purchased some gluten free products from Amazon. I am very pleased with the quality (I'm newly gf) and the quick shipping (I ordered enough to get the free shipping). My area is woefully bereft of gf products, so it is not a matter of price, but ability to obtain.

[melissel]

Buying organics is NOT just about the health benefits of the foods, it's also about limiting the amount of pesticides that are impacting the environment. So, many people do their best to buy as much organic produce as possible, even if they aren't all on the dirty dozen list.

 

Also a good point.

[Sputterduck]

I didn't know they had food! I just looked at their almond butter and it's crazy expensive. I think I'll just stock up when I go back to the states...

[melissel]

Just recently purchased some gluten free products from Amazon. I am very pleased with the quality (I'm newly gf) and the quick shipping (I ordered enough to get the free shipping). My area is woefully bereft of gf products, so it is not a matter of price, but ability to obtain.

 

Also check out Vitacost for some of these. Amazon had a better price (barely) on big bags of Pamela's mixes, but Vitacost beat Amazon quite a bit on the sorghum flour, and since I needed to buy from Vitacost anyway (restocking on supplements), I was already paying the shipping cost. And Vitacost almost always has a 5% or 10% coupon and gives you back 4% in ebates.

[athena1277]

We mainly buy GF foods from amazon also. Some things are hard to find, even with stores like Whole Foods nearby. Of course, right now they are out of what we want to get. :glare:

[RegGuheert]

Ok, I have a question about this....there have been several threads on this board, and on others, about the dangers of eating foods from cans. I haven't reacted much because, well, we love tomato based products so we have to use canned tomatoes because my gardening skills are zilch and fresh tomatoes are too expensive most of the year and my canning skills are only slightly higher than my gardening, like maybe non-existant instead of zilch, lol. We don't use much other foods in cans, as I hate the taste of veggies from cans and will resort to frozen if fresh aren't available but never cans.

 

So....is buying ORGANIC tomatoes in cans somehow ok? I thought it was something the CANS were doing, not the tomatoes?

 

These are also about twice the cost of the tomatoes (non-organic) that we use, so I'm wondering if that's really necessary if the can is going to make them bad for you anyway?

 

And, I was reading an article online that talked about which organics to buy and which to pass up and tomatoes was on the pass up. It only talked about certain foods absorbing the pesticides and others not.....apples I recall was one that they recommended buying organic, but tomatoes not necessary. I would think that the skin of tomato would be just as thin as that of an apple wouldn't it? We eat the skin on both.

These products are *exactly* the same ones we were purchasing (and sometimes still do purchase) from our health-food co-op. The prices are about the same, but as I mentioned, the Amazon price is what-you-see-is-what-you- get while the food co-op price can be anything, and it is often higher than the catalog price.

 

The reason we are buying organic tomato products has less to do with organics and more to do with the extra ingredients (on the label) that you find in tomato products in the store that we do not want in our food.

 

As far as the dangers of the BPA linings in the cans, we currently have our heads firmly planted in the sand on that issue, since we purchase many products in cans. I'm pretty sure I do not want to read those threads. :tongue_smilie:

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

Also check out Vitacost for some of these. Amazon had a better price (barely) on big bags of Pamela's mixes, but Vitacost beat Amazon quite a bit on the sorghum flour, and since I needed to buy from Vitacost anyway (restocking on supplements), I was already paying the shipping cost. And Vitacost almost always has a 5% or 10% coupon and gives you back 4% in ebates.

 

Thank you for the recommendation. While I really like the stuff I bought, I really don't want multiples of the items. Since I'm newly GF, I want to try stuff without being committed to 12 packages of one item. It gets a little overwhelming to see all the products, too. Add to that the fact that some items are advertised as "gluten free" when I think the regular store-bought items are naturally gluten free (like corn tortilla chips).

[melissel]

Thank you for the recommendation. While I really like the stuff I bought, I really don't want multiples of the items. Since I'm newly GF, I want to try stuff without being committed to 12 packages of one item. It gets a little overwhelming to see all the products, too. Add to that the fact that some items are advertised as "gluten free" when I think the regular store-bought items are naturally gluten free (like corn tortilla chips).

 

That's the beauty of the Vitacost option. Most things are not in cases or lots--you can buy single packages. That's how I've been experimenting with baking (I'm newly GF too).

 

I agree that it's overwhelming. I'm going the route of just cooking with whole foods from scratch, for the most part. I like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice, so we're eating those a lot. I found a bread recipe and a basic muffin recipe that I like, so I'm sticking with those. I just don't eat the other things (or, that's my goal, at least--I sometimes get caught off guard and end up eating the sub sandwich or pizza that everyone else is and just accept that I'll pay for it later).

 

As for things being labeled gluten-free that are already, you'd be surprised at how many random things have some association with gluten. Vanilla, for example. You'd think it was just a vanilla bean and alcohol, but some alcohols are are rye- or barley-based, so they pose a problem for celiacs. Some blue cheeses have their mold started on bread. And cheap corn chips can indeed have wheat in them, or are made in factories with wheat products and haven't been tested for levels of cross-contamination.

 

To add to my fun, I can't have oats either. Breakfast is difficult these days :glare:

 

Good luck!

 

ETA: Oh! I also forgot to say that while the Pamela's all-purpose baking mix is expensive, I do keep it around for quick bread fixes. It makes a good, fast biscuit recipe (especially yummy when you mix in lots of parmesan or grana padano and rosemary) and excellent pancakes. I still haven't gotten in a rhythm with making my own bread yet, so sometimes if I'm craving bread, I'll whip up some biscuits to go with dinner. It makes life a lot easier. This is the one I buy:

 

http://www.vitacost.com/Pamelas-Products-Pancake-Baking-Mix-Gluten-Wheat-Free (you can also buy the smaller bag to test it out).

Edited April 11, 2010 by melissel

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

That's the beauty of the Vitacost option. Most things are not in cases or lots--you can buy single packages. That's how I've been experimenting with baking (I'm newly GF too).

 

I agree that it's overwhelming. I'm going the route of just cooking with whole foods from scratch, for the most part. I like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice, so we're eating those a lot. I found a bread recipe and a basic muffin recipe that I like, so I'm sticking with those. I just don't eat the other things (or, that's my goal, at least--I sometimes get caught off guard and end up eating the sub sandwich or pizza that everyone else is and just accept that I'll pay for it later).

 

As for things being labeled gluten-free that are already, you'd be surprised at how many random things have some association with gluten. Vanilla, for example. You'd think it was just a vanilla bean and alcohol, but some alcohols are are rye- or barley-based, so they pose a problem for celiacs. Some blue cheeses have their mold started on bread. And cheap corn chips can indeed have wheat in them, or are made in factories with wheat products and haven't been tested for levels of cross-contamination.

 

To add to my fun, I can't have oats either. Breakfast is difficult these days :glare:

 

Good luck!

 

ETA: Oh! I also forgot to say that while the Pamela's all-purpose baking mix is expensive, I do keep it around for quick bread fixes. It makes a good, fast biscuit recipe (especially yummy when you mix in lots of parmesan or grana padano and rosemary) and excellent pancakes. I still haven't gotten in a rhythm with making my own bread yet, so sometimes if I'm craving bread, I'll whip up some biscuits to go with dinner. It makes life a lot easier. This is the one I buy:

 

http://www.vitacost.com/Pamelas-Products-Pancake-Baking-Mix-Gluten-Wheat-Free (you can also buy the smaller bag to test it out).

 

thanks for the link. The site is a bit hard to navigate for me, but I like that I can buy just one thing. My dh just told me he saw "a lot" of gf products at a store in a neighboring town, so I may make a trip over there and grab some items.

 

I do like the Pamela's flour you linked. I made pancakes this morning and everyone liked them! I'm going to make some cookies this evening. I'm really missing my pastry.

[melissel]

I'm going to make some cookies this evening. I'm really missing my pastry.

 

I totally hear you. I haven't gotten past that part quite yet :( Good luck in your search!

[littleWMN]

I also buy GF items from Amazon.

[TX Bluebonnet]

I buy Cherrybrook Kitchen cookie mix, pancake mix and brownie mix for my ds. He has food allergies and these mixes are milk, egg & nut free.

[kalanamak]

I get De Cecco spinach egg noodles and the not-de Cecco WW pasta elbows...both are much cheaper than locally.

[Sandy in Indy]

I buy GF bread mix and have it on auto-ship--so it's discounted and has free shipping.