Buying Organic Produce through Misfits Market

Buying Organic Produce through Misfits Market
   If you haven't heard of Misfits Market, it's a subscription service for groceries. They reroute items rejected by grocery stores for whatever reason – this might be a potato that's smaller than ideal or an apple that's a funny shape. Nothing wrong with them, but stores only want the most perfect specimens.
   When I started with Misfits a few years ago, it was strictly organic produce, but it has expanded to include all kinds of groceries now, including meat, dairy, snacks, and pantry items.
   I got produce boxes every other week for about six months before I had to cancel it. Long story short, I lived in South Dakota (where they didn't deliver to at the time) and worked in Minnesota (where they did), so I had boxes sent to the office. But delivery started becoming erratic, and I wasn't in the office every day, so I cancelled the service in spring of 2021. I was very sad!
   Fast forward to last week. I really only go to the grocery store every 3-4 weeks, but I would run out of produce between trips. I checked to see if Misfits had started delivery to South Dakota yet, and they had!
   So I ordered a box of all organic produce, especially items that are more difficult to find organic here in the dead of winter in northeastern South Dakota. I focused on some items included on the "Dirty Dozen" list of produce with the most pesticide residue – like strawberries, apples, and bell peppers that I want to be sure to buy organic.

My Produce Box
   My box arrived right on schedule, and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. The produce I got back in 2021 would often be obviously "imperfect" in some way – nothing inedible, just funny-looking.
   This box, though, was nearly perfect. I got:
  • 1 nice big pineapple
  • 2 avocados that are still green and a few days from ripe
  • 2 mangoes – maybe smaller than "normal" mangoes
  • 3 bulbs of garlic
  • A bag of Honeycrisp apples with no imperfections
  • A bunch (three stalks) of perfect broccoli
  • 1 big cauliflower that had only the most minimal brown spots
  • A bag of perfect carrots
  • 3 perfect romaine hearts
  • A package of almost perfect strawberries – just a few a little underripe
  • A bag of mini sweet peppers - a couple small ones and a couple curvy ones
   All that near-perfect organic produce was around $60, counting shipping.
How I'm Using It
   Now, if you're like me and want to use a produce box to make healthier food choices, here's where Misfits is great.
   First, I wash it (I wash all produce I eat the skin of, even if I grew it in my own garden), and then, I peel/chop/cut everything that will keep that way.
   So I left the pineapple, mangoes, avocados, and apples alone, but I cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets. I cut the ends off the carrots and peeled them. I shredded the lettuce into bite-sized pieces, and I topped and cut the strawberries into quarters.
   Taking the time to do this means I have everything ready to use when throwing together a meal, and most important (for me at least), I'm only getting the cutting board, knife, and peeler dirty once.
   To use it, my goal is simply to use something from the box in each meal. This gets me constantly thinking about how to incorporate veggies and fruits into meals.
   The day after I got the box, I had an apple with peanut butter for breakfast. For lunch, I made a salad with romaine, cauliflower, and carrots and topped it with some leftover chicken-bacon-ranch mixture from our wraps the evening before. I snacked on strawberries. And for supper, I roasted broccoli, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage (which I already had) and tossed it all into some mac and cheese.
   Voila! I went from hardly eating any fruits and veggies the previous several days to getting all those great nutrients.

Can You Benefit from Misfits Market?
   If you're in the same boat as me and need a little inspiration to eat more fresh produce or if you have limited access to organic produce in your area, Misfits Market might be a good fit for you.

If you're ready to give Misfits Market a try, feel free to use my code: COOKWME-VF3YHB – it will get you and me both $10 off.

Questions You May Have
   Since I have found the Misfits Market website to be incredibly frustrating, I'm going to answer a few of the questions I had and save you the digging around I had to do.
What kind of produce do they have?
   This was one of my biggest concerns. I didn't want to sign up and find out they had a very limited selection, but I was surprised. I have gotten all the vegetables common to a small town in the upper Midwest, plus other items that are a bit more "exotic" or seasonal, depending on where you live – like mangoes, bok choy, multi-colored carrots, and more.
   They won't have all items all the time, but there has always been an ample selection for me to choose from. No complaints on that score.
What does the subscription cost?
   As of this writing, in March 2023, there are two subscription plans – $35-40 a week and $40-45 a week. It appears that for both of them, you must order a minimum of $49 per box.
   I can't explain that. It makes no sense to me, but that's what I'm seeing. I'm only vouching for their produce. Their website has never impressed me.
   There are taxes and shipping charges, too. My first box ended up being $66.00.
Can I skip weeks?
   Yes, it's easy to skip weeks. In fact, all you have to do is not fill your cart up to the $49 minimum.
   Be careful with this since they do automatically add some items to your cart. For my second box, it was about $10 short of that $49, but I can't guarantee that there wouldn't be enough to reach your minimum and process. You're probably safer to go in and request to skip a box.
Am I guaranteed to get everything I order?
   No, items go out of stock and get removed from your box. I had zucchini on my order, but when the box shipped, I received a notification that the zucchini wasn't included, and I was not charged for it.
   This doesn't bother me, but if you're absolutely counting on receiving an item, it could be inconvenient.
Is Misfits Market really cheaper than buying at the store?
   I don't have access to a lot of organic produce, and I don't pay all that much attention to produce prices at the store, but I paid $5.53 for 2 pounds of  Misfits Honeycrisp apples, and I think they're $7+ for organic at my store. I also paid $1.37 for a pound of carrots, and I believe conventional carrots are around 99 cents a pound at the store. These savings are offset by the shipping charges, but then, the convenience of having it delivered to your door is worth something, too.
   Overall, if you're accustomed to buying conventional produce, you're not going to save money, and there may not even be a huge difference on organic once you factor in shipping, but if you're like me, expanding your choices for organic produce and having it delivered adds value beyond the price.

If you have a question I haven't answered, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer. 
And if you're ready to order your first Misfits Market box, check out my code up above to get a discount.

2 Types of Diets to Use with Caution

2 Types of Diets to Use with Caution
Do you have any health goals for the coming year?
The beginning of a new year seems to be when many people focus on making changes, especially to their diet or weight.
When you're setting weight loss goals, you may consider popular fad diets as the method to get there. You may have had success with them yourself or know someone who did, but be careful about the plan you choose.
Here are two that have been popular but you need to be extra careful with.



Keto
Many people claim to lose weight with a keto diet, and it may not be inherently bad. However, you need to be very careful how you go about keto.
In general, any diet that cuts an entire food group is going to leave you lacking in nutrients, and keto cuts not only grains but many fruits and vegetables as well..
We were created to thrive on a balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. To cut any one of them completely forces our bodies to work in ways they weren't intended to.
But the biggest pitfall with keto is the food choices.
I personally watched two people go through keto for several months, and they did lose some weight. What bothered me, however, was that they would eat pork rinds with Cheez-Whiz without a second thought but turn down apples and carrots.
If you know even the basic fundamentals of nutrition, you understand that fried pork skin and fake cheese are not good for you, but apples and carrots are. 
If you don't want to eat apples and carrots because of their carb count, that's your choice, but please, replace them with something that has nutritional value, not fake food.
If you’re doing keto, prioritize healthy low-carb foods rather than fake food.

Low-Fat
Again, the problem is cutting out an essential nutrient and likely replacing it with something fake and unhealthy.
You can eat a healthy low-fat diet if you’re careful to cut out the bad fats and make sure to get enough high-quality fats.
Avoid anything labeled “fat-free.” These foods have usually just had the fats replaced with something fake, and your body likely can’t process those fake ingredients.
Your body truly does require fat to function properly.
Essential fatty acids are necessary for every system in your body. You need them for healthy skin and eyes, preventing arthritis, and reducing the risk of blood clots. They activate the thyroid, reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and aid the reproductive system. They are especially necessary for normal development and function of the brain.

Long story short – reaching a healthy weight is a great goal anytime, and if you are making it a priority going into the new year, please do it the right way with healthy, real food.
Don’t cut out entire food groups or nutrients. You may lose weight to start, but you’ll probably put it back on as soon as you end the restrictive diet. Plus, you’ll harm your overall health in the process.


Share your story
Have you tried any fad diets?
What were your results? Did they last?
Looking back, do you think your diet was healthy?
No shame here – we learn from our successes and mistakes.



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