Grass Root: Organic, Vegan & Raw Cuisine in Central Tampa

Grass Root is an oasis for healthy eaters right in the heart of Central Tampa. The menu is full of delicious organic, vegetarian, vegan and raw creations. We enjoyed a dinner there last night with our two boys and had a wonderful meal.

I had a sprout wrap with a delicious dipping sauce. My husband enjoyed his vegetable wrap with a different, but equally good basil dipping sauce. The boys shared the most fabulous PB&J I've ever tasted on some kind of sprouted raisin bread.

The ice teas are exceptionally great (sweetened with organic cane juice). I've also heard the smoothies there are good. The one made from cocoa looked intriguing, for sure.

My only disappointment was the "cheesecake" made from cashews, especially since it was a splurge at $8. It didn't quite live up to the raw sweet potato pie we had there several years ago. Oh, well. Not every dish can be tip top, I guess.

Overall, it's an outstanding restaurant with ideals and practices I'm happy to support. The prices are reasonable, but keep in mind that you are getting quality, not quantity. While the furniture, building, and surrounding neighborhood are quite modest, it has a vibrant and inviting ambiance. The staff are very friendly and welcoming.

Grass Root has a restaurant in Lakeland, as well. They also offer catering and all kinds of classes and workshops related to health and nutrition.

Amazon's Subscribe & Save = Cheaper Groceries

I recently got turned on to Amazon's Subscribe and Save program as a way to get great prices on certain grocery items without having to chase down sales and coupons. Even better, the products are delivered to your door with no shipping costs as often as you need them!

Here's how it works.

1. Some products on Amazon (mostly the type of products you'd buy at the grocery store) have a box on the right-hand column that says "Save 15% with Subscribe and Save".
2. In that box, you choose how often you'd like to receive this product (every 1, 2, 3 or 6 months). You can easily cancel or edit this later.
   
3. Then hit "Subscribe Now".
4. You will then go on to confirm your shipping address, payment method, etc.
5. At the end, you will see your order total (notice the no shipping and 15% discount) and you will then select "Subscribe Now" to complete the order.
   
6. Once your order has been processed, you can go back and edit your subscription, or even cancel it with no problem. However, you still get the benefit of the free shipping and 15% discount! Awesome!
7. However, if you find a good price on a product that you use regularly, it might pay to use the subscription service because you've locked in that 15% discounted price and free shipping for all future deliveries under that subscription. Plus, it could be convenient to get certain staples in the mail on a regular basis without having to think about it.
   

I've been dipping my toe in the water with Subscribe & Save the past several months, and I'm now starting to really get into it. There are some money saving opportunities, especially if you buy discounted items or multi-packs. You have to be careful to compare prices to make sure you really are getting the best deal.

One example of when it pays to use Amazon's Subscribe & Save is Bob's Red Mill Organic High Fiber Cereal. This is the cereal I use in The Perfect Breakfast.

If you buy it as a 4-pack on Amazon, using the Subscribe & Save program, it comes out to $2.58 per bag. Compare that to $3.19 at Nutrition S'Mart and $3.35 on the Bob's Red Mill website. Since I rarely see sales or coupons for this brand, I'll take the discounts where I can get them!

For even more discounts, be sure to use your Swagbucks. I always buy $5 Amazon gift cards with my Swagbucks, which helps me save even more on groceries when I shop on Amazon. If you aren't familiar with Swagbucks, check out my blog post, Do You Use Swagbucks?