Terra Cycle

During my search to create a healthier diet for my family I have found another cause that is equally important... saving our planet.  Even though I am trying to get us away from packaged and prepared foods I am still looking for the easiest way to get it.  Being a stay at home mom to two beautiful boys I need some things to be easy.

Honest Kids has juice pouches similar to Capri Sun's but they are organic, contain no high fructose corn syrup and are delicious.  When trying to get my "points" so I can earn free rewards I found... TerraCycle.  This company is the best thing since sliced bread.

How much trash do you throw away that can be reused... or upcycled?  How about... a lot... When you sign up they send you free postage paid envelopes to include your "trash" and they will in turn donate money to a charity of your choice.  How can this not be great.  Then you can purchase the items made from your "trash" and feel good about your purchases.

Check it out for yourself... TerraCycle and their blog... do your part!!!

Food Rules

After all the documentaries that I have watched I am starting to think that becoming a vegan and fully aware of where my food comes from is a daunting task.  I found a book online a while ago and saved it at my local library... Food Rules by Michael Pollan.

This book outlines food rules that he has researched having to do with cultural rules and our Western diet.  I recommend it to everyone who is looking to improve their diet and the diet of their family.  He illustrates how our cheap, quick food is killing us.  Which is true... people who eat a traditional Japanese, French, or Italian diet have 50% less chance of getting cancer.

This book is not extreme... like many others I have found.  He lists some rules that are smart, make sense and are easy to follow.  The book only costs $11 and is a great investment.  Get it... Live it.

Farmers Market

I completely forgot to go to the Farmers Market last week... but I think I have the hang of things now.  Two kids in tow we hit the ground with such excitement.  My 2 year old loves to go... mostly because he gets to visit the reptile store.

I think I have my method down.

1. Bring your own bags... nothing cancels out a trip to the Farmers Market then a plastic bag.
2. Take a lap.  I always take one lap to see who has the best prices... and taste a few samples.
3. Start to shop.
4. Try something new.  I tried turnips for the first time and loved them.  You just never know.

I was able to spend $16 dollars this week and I got... a huge head of cabbage, beets, turnips, cucumbers and strawberries.  I know that it may seem like a lot but I am only taking $20 out of my weekly grocery budget to shop there.

I also found a great paperback book store and got my son 3 books for $3... not a bad day.

I also have a few tiny tomatoes in my garden and was able to enjoy some radishes... yummy!!

Happy Shopping...!!!

Back to the Farmers Market

I am back shopping at the Farmers Market.  My family deserves the best and they have the best.  It was so nice to walk along Grand Avenue with my youngest joining in on the fun.  We got a few things but we still have to go to Sprouts or Henry's this morning in order to supplement what I could not find.

There were strawberries everywhere... the sweet sweet smell of them was intoxicating.  Although they were a little to expensive.  So my oldest (2 1/2 yrs old) decided that he wanted one anyways and snatched one when no one was looking.  My little sneaky boy... I told him that he was wrong to do it but he enjoyed his spoils.

We bought some of the most delicious Apple Pumpkin Spread from Valley Center... that was 1/2 of the $16 I spent.  But I got some lettuce, cabbage, cilantro and dill all for $1 each.  I also got some turnips to try along with some delicious buttery avocados... 3 for $2... can't beat that.

The Last Supper

So my family is going to start our road towards becoming vegetarians by giving up red meat.  My husband informed me that we should have steaks.  So I went to the store and purchase two yummy steaks, sweet potatoes and asparagus.  He threw them on the barbeque last night and we sat down with the A-1 and went to town.

It was delicious.  I have never denied the fact that I love a nice bloody steak... and I still don't.  But this step is towards better health and better awareness of where our food comes from.  Since more cattle in the US are fed corn causing e. coli to breed and taint the meat I vowed to purchase grass fed.  But the cost of it is hard to justify so we are leaving it out.

I will admit that I haven't had red meat in a few weeks and last night I could not sleep.  My stomache seemed upset... could it be the steak?  Or was it the delicious strawberry shortcake we has for dessert.  We will see...

Our next step is chicken...!!

The Beautiful Truth

This is by far the most important documentary that you will ever watch.  I thought that I was just taking my family on a journey towards better nutrition but it turns out... I am saving our lives.

The Beautiful Truth focuses on the research of Dr. Gerson.  He created a diet (more like a way of living) that can cure cancer... what?  I thought there was no cure for cancer.  He has cured countless patients over the years and his daughter Charlotte carries on his work.

The Gerson Institute is located right in my own backyard... in San Diego.  I had the cure right at my finger tips and I didn't know it.  I could have cured my father, uncle, grandpa and everyone else I loved that died from cancer... but I just didn't realize it.

But I now have the chance to spread this new found knowledge on to my friends and ultimately onto my children to keep them healthy and cancer-free for life.  I am so excited to get started.  Even my meat loving husband has decided to give it a try.

Dr. Gerson believed in a few principles... the first is a vegan diet.  I know that this is the most extreme diet you can think of but I am going to gradually head towards that direction with my family and help guide you along the way as well.  Dr. Gerson also believed in coffee enemas... not sure if we are going to head towards that one any time soon... will more likely be the last step.

I hope that you rent or buy a copy of The Beautiful Truth... it focuses back on the companies and regulators that are mentioned in Food Inc. and The Future of Food.  I hope you find it as impactful on your life as it has been on mine... good luck!!

My Garden

So after watching all these documentaries about how messed up the food supply is in our country I have decided to grow my own food.

My family and I headed up to my mom's house in Valley Center to get things going.  We first stopped at Lowe's to pick up some seeds and starter plants... all organic.  Then we were ready to get dirty.  We are growing...

• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• basil
• cilantro
• parsley
• cabbage
• onions
• carrots
• brussel sprouts
• broccoli
• cauliflower

We are so excited... all in all we spent under $20.  The mulch and potting soil along with the raised garden beds are courtesy of my mom's boyfriend, Gary.  A special thanks to him for all his hard work.

Most of the plants we are starting from seed but we are so excited.  I will post the progress along with our bounty and some sort of cost analysis to see what we are saving.

Happy Gardening!!!

The Future of Food

I found another documentary that made me think twice about what I put in my cart.

The Future of Food

This documentary goes into more detail about the evil that is Monsanto and how they are the bullies of the farming world.  It talks about genetically modified food and how there are now patents on "life".  I cannot believe the things that they do and how people who are connected with them now are in such government agencies as the FDA.

It is alarming and shocking that by putting a patent on seeds could quite possibly put our farmers out of work and farmers in other countries.  Their scientists were so concerned with trying to solve our food problems that they didn't even notice that they were starting all new ones.

It makes you question the actions of these people... the same ones who told us that DDT was safe... so how safe is Round Up and the fact that the seeds are Round Up ready.  They actual alter the seeds to now resist Round Up and if a corn grub eats the corn it will die (even before the plant is even sprayed).  So if an insect can die from just eating these foods then what effects can it have on us.

Watching this movie has made me even more determined to shop organically.  My children deserve the best.  I am proud to say that we are starting a garden this weekend.  I will post the pictures of the process...

The next movie for me is The Beautiful Truth... take care and happy organic shopping!

Top 17 Foods to Eat Organic

I know that buying organic is hard... sometimes very hard.  It can become expensive but here is a list of items that are best purchased organic.  I look at this list as a good start.  Think of how you eat your food... do you eat the skins of apples?  Do you eat the meat of an animal that has been given grown hormones?

Just take a moment to review this list and make it a way to start the change!

1. Meat
2. Milk
3. Coffee
4. Peaches
5. Apples
6. Sweet Bell Peppers
7. Celery
8. Nectarines
9. Strawberries
10. Cherries
11. Kale
12. Leafy Greens
13. Grapes
14. Carrots
15. Pears
16. Potatoes
17. Tomatoes

After Baby

I have not been on here for a while now.  My second son was born 6 weeks ago and I am starting to get back into the swing of things.  I have not gone to the farmers market yet but I plan to start.

I have been shopping at Henry's and my local one has their produce marked with "locally grown" which I love.  I love seeing that I can make the right choices for my family and still shop smart.

I will be posting more as my shopping trips get more exciting...

2010

I have finally gone grocery shopping in 2010... with the holidays we were always at someone's home having dinner and being sent home with leftovers that we really have been able to survive on what I had in the fridge and freezer...

I unfortunately made a trip to Wal-Mart... bought some corn chips, cheese sauce and Crunch n' Munch... but I had a jewelry party at my house and needed some snacks. Plus in the 9th month of my pregnancy I really didn't have the time or energy to search out an alternative.

I did make a trip to Costco and was surprised to see the fruit roll ups (fruit leather) that I purchase for my son at Sprouts. They are organic fruit leather strips and he loves them. So I saved 50% on each of them and was so happy.

We did purchase hot dogs (which I don't think my husband will ever give up), his coffee creamer, bisquick (for pancake Sundays), mini cinnamon rolls (darn you pregnancy cravings) and a rotisserie chicken.

As I was carving the chicken my husband said that the reason why I was having a hard time carving it was because it was a "roided" chicken. I cannot disagree with him. Chickens these days are given supplements of some kind to make their breasts larger that many of the chickens can't even walk... but at $5 I just needed to have something for dinner.

I hate that I have to turn to the cost of things but with a growning family on one income it has become increasingly harded to keep to my original budget and motto. But I will continue to try.

I think that is all that we can do... try. I knew that this was going to be hard the minute I took this on but am willing to add organic fruits and veggies and grass fed beef and free-range chickens into my families diet.

I am going to start to include some simple recipes and tricks that I use to make my budget stretch...

Thank you for understanding that I am human and I encourage you to try to change just one side of your diet...!