I realize a lot of people travel to San Diego and stay beach side in places with kitchenette's, so I thought I'd do a nice long list of places I shop, near the coast in San Diego. It's like we are on vacation here most days... so fortunate! Pssss: San Diego public service announcement to visitors- drive in the slow lanes- the two on the right, until you're more comfortable with the speed on I-5. Thanks! If traffic is jammed, most main west bound roads lead to the beach. Just saying... :) Getting back to business...
Here is Jen's question: "I moved to the San Diego area back in October from the Midwest and am trying to find a good source for grass fed meat; in particular bison"
Bison sources in San Diego:
1. Costco: ground bison , refrigerator section, Sold in packs of two, total of 2.5 pounds for $16.99 each. So $6.80/per pound
2. Ralph's: Great Range bison steaks. Individually packaged, refrigerator section. About $11-13/per pound depending on the cut.
I've also seen bison at the following places Sprouts, Whole Foods (La Jolla and Encintas), Costco in the freezer section as patties. I use bison more as ground meat. For awhile, Costco carried bison steak filets. It was fantastic! I've not seen any of those for a year or so.
Grass-fed Beef in San Diego:
I've been on a mission to find the grass-fed beef. I would love to buy a portion of beef, but could probably only have the freezer space for 1/8 of a cow or so.
Here's the order in which I buy grass-fed beef. Different sources yield a different flavor based on the grass, type of cow, etc. For ground beef, I always pay more for grass fed ( I notice that I feel so much better after I eat grass-fed). For steaks for fajitas or beef stew, I buy lean cuts of USDA grade high quality meat at Costco. I've got to face it. My budget will allow for grass-fed ground beef, but until I find a small enough share of a cow, I just go with lower priced, lean meats at Costco.
Grass-fed ground beef- San Diego Area
1. Trader Joe's -refrigerator section, $ 6.99 per pound
2. Trader Joe's - frozen $5-6, per pound (some of it is not local)
3. Sprouts- refrigerator section, $6-7 per pound (some of it is not local)
4. Sprouts- freezer section $6-7 per pound
5. Leucadia Farmers Market: A local farmer (I'll update with name soon..) $10/pound
6. Solana Beach Farmers Market: Da-Le Ranch. $10/pound. Nice variety of steak cuts $17-20.
Places I'd like to try this summer:
1. Primal Pastures- Temecula, CA with delivery service available
2. Cook Pig Ranch- Julian, CA- follow this local family on instagram for instant happiness
3. Possibly a meat CSA.
Okay, feel free to help Jen (and me) try some new grass-fed beef in San Diego County or ideas for shopping elsewhere.
Eating quality grass-fed beef has helped me feel better than I ever have in my whole entire life. So glad I broke free of the low-fat teachings of the 1980's-2012 and updated my diet to one that supports my health. The saturated fat profile and the nutrient dense contents has made weight maintenance easier and a whole lot more flavorful. I have no doubt I have the gentic profile that allows for saturated, well sourced protein sources. Glad to honor that! I must honor that for good weight maintenance and health outcomes.
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| Ground Bison in a Beach House meal- great fuel for coastal living! |
What's working now:
1. Buying and cooking grass-fed beef, bison, and other quality protein
2. Eliminating junk and processed foods (think snack bars) and putting the $$ to good protein.
3. Basic knowledge of how my body feels after I eat, genetics and saturated fat, listening to my bodies feed back, thinking about where my relatives came from and what they were likely eating.
What didn't work in the past:
1. Avoiding beef and cooking with fake soy meat, dry chicken breasts.
2. Using my grocery $$ to buy packaged food products and snacks.
3. Being so afraid of the red meat, saturated fat message. It didn't work well for me.
If you want to go out for a burger, Burger Lounge is great. They get all their grass-fed beef from a farm in Kansas. Best burger I ever had; even the salad was exceptionally good. They have gluten-free buns, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lori! So true. There are several Burger Lounges in coastal San Diego county. Also Pure Burger is right next to a Trader Joe's not far from Palomar Air Port. So, so fortunate to have good faster food here in SD!
DeleteOh how lucky we are here - all meat is still grass fed. I have a supplier who I deal with directly and he makes really happy grass fed beef. He's just won the New Zealand Beef and Lamb award for the best steak!!
ReplyDeleteLynda, I think of you EVERY time I'm buying meat in Costco (large warehouse store). I think it's super cool that your beef supplier won the award. Yum! Grass-fed beef is my most favorite protein. :) Enjoy the bounty. Another reason NZ is awesome!
DeleteWhere I am here in Canada I hadn't seen bison in a store until last week. The same store had wild boar bacon. I'm definitely going back to get some of both :)
ReplyDeleteSuzanne, I've never tried wild boar. One of these days. Let us know how you like it. I've seen it on menus at nicer restaurants.
DeleteWhat a great looking plate of food ....
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Lucky you all around. I cannot get any of this where I live and can't afford it either. That said I do eat chicken and eggs everyday and lots of vegetables, some berries. I eat lo carb under 65gm/day. Some protein powder ( J Robb) and skim + water a few times a week. :) There's always a way to eat better and feel better too
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your 'what works/not' ..I read all of them!