3 Ways to Buy Organic Without Going Broke

- by Kate Willson

If you are anything like me, the idea of eating all-organic sounds like a really good one, until you look at the differences in the prices of organic products versus regular ones.

You might even find yourself wondering if the difference between the two is really worth the extra money. The United States Department of Agriculture defines organic as either food products that come from animals in which antibiotics or growth hormones have not been given, or natural food products that are grown without the use of pesticides, bioengineering or ionizing radiation, or fertilizers with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge.

Foods that are certified as organic come from processing plants and farms that have met the USDA’s organic standards. Even though organic foods are safer and contain more nutrients, many people don’t eat organic because they assume that it is too expensive.

But you can’t put a price on your health and well being, so you may want to look into how you can go organic for cheaper than you think. Read more »

BiG 2010 Green Smoothie Recipe Contest – Our Winner!

- by Stacey Terry

Continuing on from yesterday’s announcement of our green smoothie smiles winner, I’m going to jump ahead to the recipe contest and serve you up with some free yummy nutritious green smoothie recipe entries!

In honour of Believe in Green, for this contest we asked for recipes that were a little different.  We invited our green smoothie enthusiasts to make the most local and seasonal green smoothie they could depending on where they lived.

We wanted our recipes to be green in more than just the nutritious way.  By using ingredients that were local, this pollution-busting lawnmower pulp would also have a smaller carbon footprint with saved transportation and storage energy.

I kicked things off with the photo you see above, and here’s what I made:

Read more »

Part 3 of 3: School Dinners & Healthy Alternatives to Homeschooling

by Joanna Steven

Part III. The dreaded school menu, and healthy alternatives to home schooling.

The modern school system is not only flawed in the way it tries to educate our children, it is also flawed in how it feeds them. Many of us have watched, in shock and horror, Jamie Oliver’s attempts at reforming the school menus in the US. Not only are the schools resistant to change, many people don’t even understand where the problem is in the first place!

Curious, I took a look at the local elementary school’s menu. A banner at the top features “I love lunch” and “eat learn live” written on a black board. OK. Below, we can read: “Feeding our students high quality meals that are nutritious and delicious is our top priority. Chartwells’ menus are built to support the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and use recipes that taste great and are lower in fat, saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol and sodium and provide whole grains, fruits, vegetables and appropriate portion sizes for age. We analyze our recipes for nutrient content and food component into nutrient standard or food-base menu planning that comply with child nutrition guidelines for the National School Breakfast & Lunch programs. Our Balanced Choices Meal Program is a guidance system to assist students in making the most nutritious parameters and is highlighted on the serving line.”

Shouldn’t it be “no trans fat” rather than “lower in trans fat”? But, it could have been for the sake of having a neatly written paragraph. Let’s look at the menu itself. For breakfast, children have, on various day, a choice of pancakes, breakfast taco, a muffin, French toast with syrup, ham & cheese biscuits, sausage patties and the like. Yes, I definitely want my children eating this every day (no, I don’t).

Let’s look at the lunch menu. Cheeseburger on bun. Ham & cheese wrap. Chicken nuggets. I see some “brocolli” (sic) is included. To bad it is misspelled. Turkey Corn Dogs. Beef A Roni. OK! I’ve seen enough. I don’t want my kids eating all this, that’s for sure! And what happened to the “delicious and nutritious”?

You might think: “if only there were schools for healthy vegetarians!” I certainly thought that, which brings me to my second point. Read more »

Love Affair with a CSA…

by Eliza Ceci

Did you know New Jersey is called ‘The Garden State’?

People who are only familiar with the stereotypes of big hair, tanning and Sopranos lifestyles can’t believe it when they travel through our beautiful state and see miles and miles of beautiful and lush farmland. Some of my best memories as a kid were picking berries or peaches with the juice dribbling down my chin or the familiar yummy taste of sweet corn at summer dinnertime.

Seeing the lazy sheep in the fields always got me dreaming of having my own one day – that particular memory makes my husband very nervous, mostly I think in anxiety that I will ask him to move with me to a farm in the middle of nowhere! (He is not the type to live outside the comfortable pleasures of his favorite Italian deli two blocks away).

There is nothing like fresh-from-the-garden produce. Joining my local CSA has taught me Read more »

I Think I’ve Died and Gone to Whole Foods!

- by Stacey Terry

I don’t think we’re in Winnipeg anymore, Toto.

Yeah,  “The Strip” seems pretty lively, and yeah, Ceasars Palace looks impressive, and I do have to admit that there’s something wonderful about seeing the almost iconic lights of The Flamingo, but nothing… NOTHING… has widened this prairie gal’s eyes like a trip to Whole Foods Market.

In case you haven’t guessed it, I’m actually on vacation.  Well… it’s a working slash personal development slash relaxation trip!  I’m in Las Vegas (my first time here… previously I’d only ever made a trip as far south as South Dakota) with my good friend (ex-boyfriend heheh…), Glen, to attend a conscious growth workshop (CGW) hosted by Steve Pavlina.  I’m quite a fan of Steve’s work, and I’ve even had the opportunity to interview him for The Raw Divas, so now the opportunity to meet with him in person at his conference here in Vegas was an offer I couldn’t pass up.  Meet with people interested in bettering their lives, many of whom are vegans and raw food fans?  I’ll drink green smoothies to that!

But I’m meandering here… I want to get back on track because I’m really excited about talking about Whole Foods!!!  I have never, never been so excited about a grocery store.  Read more »