Eating Organic on a Budget

I used to preach that if you were committed to eating organic and local foods, then you could do it no matter your budget. 

Your committment would MAKE it work.

Sure, it costs more than most processed crap, but the payoff is in the health benefits.

When your not constantly paying those copays & deductibles for you and your family (now & in the future), you have a lot more room for your grocery budget.

Recently, I've found it harder and harder to maintain our committment to buying organic and local. 

It's frustrating when the resources just are not there or when they're available, the price tag is far beyond our student household budget.

Still, I maintain my mantra, "Food is Medicine."

So, what's a gal to do when her budget is tighter than tight and availability of local and/or organic meats, dairy and produce is extremely limited?

We've tweaked and re-tweaked our diet over the summer months and coming into autumn, we've gotten into a good groove. 

Part of that change has been swapping to a quasi-primal diet. 

I say quasi because we still have (very) limited grains in our diet and for the most part, they're all gluten free. 

Since eliminating most of those carb loaded, insulin spiking, sugary foods (oh, yes even that homemade whole wheat bread is spiking your insulin levels comparable to eating a candy bar), I've found that my kids are eating massive quantities of vegetables and their moods are so much better.

None of us get that blood sugar crash and my kids aren't constantly whining that they're hungry.

We're eating less, craving less and it's because we're eating nutrient dense foods.

Eliminating these items from our diet has not only shown increased energy and health, but also made a huge dent in our food bills.

I'm buying all organic meat and produce and still spending less than before.

So. tip #1 is Cut the Crap.

Literally, you don't need it. I love Michael Pollan's advice... "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants."

Could it be any simpler?

Your body needs protein, plain & simple.

Eat your protein whether it's meat, eggs, nuts, etc.

Add in some veggies and voila! 

You're done. 

and that's all your body needs.

Oh, you don't think it's that simple? That you're so ingrained (ha! Pun intended) into your food routine that no one will eat if they don't have their pasta or bready whatever? 

Think again!

Tripp is 4. Trust me, he's had his moments with eating.

But guess what? 

When it's not there, it's.not.there.

They'll eat, eventually.

And then, it becomes habit.

Tip #2 Look Locally

We made quite the transition moving to Starkville over a year and half ago.

We had a HUGE garden. I didn't really realize it until we moved and were renters with no garden space other than containers last summer, but we literally didn't even have to buy much produce year round. 

Our garden provided it for us and when it didn't we were lucky to have a lot of options to buy from local farmers who grew sustainably and loved their dirt as much as we did.

This year, we have found ways to get back into gardening just in a more "urban" way.

We've turned a flower bed into a small garden at our house (and it can easily go back to the mulch & weeds our home's owner had growing ;) ) as well as renting a ridiculously cheap spot in our local community garden.

We were unsure of our plans this spring when local CSA's were filling up, so we missed that opportunity.

We did have the pleasure of supporting the local farmer's market all summer.

And luckily, we've found a CSA for the fall. 

I was surprised at how affordable the local CSA's are and currently, my lovely husband is helping work in exchange for our share. So, for few hours a couple days a week, we get a beautiful, Bountiful Harvest share and all it costs is a little time and digging in the dirt. 

You can't get more budget friendly than that!!

It's also taken a little work, but we've finally found a local grassfed beef farmer and gotten our own chickens again. Even in the most barren of places, there are resources for quality, healthy, real food.

There's nothing more local than your own yard. You can grow your own or with a little research & a field guide or 2, you can forage for lots of yummy wild edibles.

Tip #3 Make a Gradual Transistion

Start simple. 

Replace just a few of your basics at a time with an organic option. 

Although we're grain free for the most part, organic grains are cheap and cost practically the same as conventional ones. These items are also generally available in bulk or generic brand options, giving you even more bang for the buck.

If you want to replace the things first that have the heaviest pesticide load, choose meat and dairy. These have the highest concentration of chemicals. 

Next, consider your produce. 

Above all else, to trim your budget in the produce department, Eat Seasonally.

First, stop buying canned ANYthing! Besides the processing, those cans are lined with BPA. Make the move to fresh and frozen. When fresh veggies are expensive and/or out of season, frozen provides a budget friendly and healthier alternative.

Then, consider the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 lists.

The dirty dozen have the highest concentration of pesticides and chemical residues and the clean 15 have the least. 

Eating organic produce on a budget can really benefit from this list! 

When you can't buy everything organic or from local farmers, this gives you the tools to avoid the most toxic fruits & veggies.

They have this handy dandy printable guide to keep in your wallet or you can download their app from the Apple store and have it on your iphone or ipod at all times.

Does it scare you that 98% of conventional apples are contaminated with high levels of pesticides??

Tip #4 Do It Yourself

 Whether this means making food from scratch, planting a garden or getting your own backyard chickens, there are ways to start taking control of your food & health that will make your budget smile.

No matter your setting or time constraints, there's always a way to make it work in a way that's doable for you and your family.

Get creative.

Meal plan.

Throw some seeds in the dirt.

Find one thing this fall to focus on and make the change to do it yourself!

Tip #5 Eat Nutrient Dense Foods

Remember that nutrient dense foods go a lot further than those that are devoid. 

Those whole wheat crackers might seem like a better alternative to their bleached white friends, but really there is very little nutritional value. 

Try replacing it with carrots or another favorite veggie that serves similar dipping, crunchy purposes.

Replace your spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash. 

Try this divine cauliflower pizza crust or replace your rice with a Sanders' family favorite, cauliflower rice.

Try Kale chips for a kid-friendly snack.

There are tons of ways to make your old favorites into more nutrient dense recipes and plenty of new recipes out there to try! 

Be brave and get creative ;)

Above all else, don't sweat the small stuff.

Do what you can and make small changes at a time.

And if you think your budget can't handle it (and I promise, if ours can, yours can!), read this for a little inspiration!

Dino-dilla

Because sometimes, you just need a dinosaur for lunch...

Eat up!

{this moment}...Alphabet Soup

{this moment}

A Friday ritual from Soule Mama, whom I love reading. A single photo – no/few words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Alphabet Soup

A Lunch Playdate

I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful group of mama friends.

Not a week goes by that we don't all meet up for something fun at one of our houses and we generally visit the park at least once a week...then there is storytime at the library, La Leche League and all the other fun events around town in which we all enjoy venturing together.

Thursday, we all went to our friend, Amy's house for a fun lunch date.

We each all made something quick, easy and healthy and brought it to share.

We had a wonderful assortment including a FAB Greek salad, noodles w/ peanut sauce (recipe to follow), hummus w/ carrots, pitas w/ feta & mozz served with homemade tzatziki & feta sauces, homemade chewy granola bars and peanut butter cookies. And Landon's extra sweet tea was a nice addition to our meal! 

The kids had a blast as usual and the mamas enjoyed chit chatting.
I especially enjoyed talking about one of my favorite topics...organic foods raised the way nature intended, specifically meats.

 Had I known the chopsticks were going to be such an issue, I wouldn't have let Tripp talk me into letting him take them. But nonetheless, he gobbled up his noodles.

Hen Hen was the lucky recipient of the other pair of chopsticks.

Charlie was smart about it.

He waited until all the big kids were done eating and off playing.

Then, he stealthily climbed up onto the table and helped himself.

Thanks Amy!

We had such a nice time!

Noodles with Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup of chicken stock

3 TB peanut butter

3 TB tamari or soy sauce

1 1/2 TB honey

3 cloves of garlic

2 tsp of lime juice

1 tsp sriracha or other chili paste, optional

1 tsp fresh grated/diced ginger, optional

soba, udon, ramen, vermicelli noodles (spaghetti works as would most any other noodle of your choosing)

Toppings: chopped peanuts, green onion or chives, julienned veggies, bean sprouts, etc

Mix all the ingredients for sauce in a small sauce pan and simmer/stir until combined. Meanwhile, prepare the noodles according to the directions and drain. I like to rinse mine under cold water briefly, so they aren't too sticky, but its optional as well. Pour sauce over noodles and stir. Serve with your choice of toppings but I highly recommend the chopped peanuts if nothing else :) 

Enjoy!

Muffin Tin Meals

AKA the Toddler Snack Tray

My kiddos have plenty of times that they are just too busy to sit down and eat. 

I often will make them a snack tray to leave out and they can eat as they please. 

This is not only a good way to eliminate meal time fuss, but also a way to get healthy foods into their growing bodies.

I have a small divided tray that I frequently use.

But many times, I will use a muffin tin.

Any sort of divided dish or even small bowls or ramekins would work well.

orange slices, cucumber sticks, grapes, organic wheat thins and avocado cubes in the center

There are tons of foods that work well for this, even if you are leaving it our for an hour or so.

The options are really up to you and your kiddos!

We generally try to include a nice variety and my oldest really likes taking on the task of deciding on what to fill each section.

This particular one is definitely more of a snack tray menu.

The boys had not really eaten their breakfast and this was the perfect way to tide them over until lunch.

Making it a muffin tin meal, is just as easy and a great way to appeal to a picky eater or for when there are multiple mouths to feed, each with their own taste preference.

Lunch is the time that we most often break out the muffin tins and generally include a heartier menu.

Boiled eggs are a favorite as well as using one tin for a dip of some sort like hummus, peanut butter or sour cream with an assortment of veggies or pitas and other dipping foods.

Even the pickiest eater can't resist a nice, colorful assortment that allows them to pick and choose which items they'd like to eat.

Foods we like to include on trays/tins:

apple slices

boiled eggs

carrot sticks
raw baby spinach leaves
pasta/quinoa/coucous

cauliflower

peanut butter balls

cottage cheese

avocado

grapes

orange slices

pears

kiwi

broccoli

beans/lentils/peas

cheese cubes

melon balls
nuts (although temporarily they are off until Charlie is just a little older)

cubes of grilled/baked chicken

pretzels/crackers/breads

cream cheese balls
berries ;)

dips: yogurt, hummus, sour cream, peanut butter, bean dip, salsa, etc

See? 

The list can go on and on...

And if you ever get tired of coming up with ideas or want to make your muffin tin meals really creative, 

Muffin Tin Mom will not disappoint!

Our Spring Equinox Feast

I was almost hesitant to plan a large Spring meal today.

Last year, we didn't do too much and the year before, we went all out celebrating the arrival of Spring.

And Spring is historically and physically associated with fertility.

It is the time of the year that new life is everywhere.

After our first, big Vernal Equinox celebration 2 years ago, I got pregnant with Charlie not long afterwards.

And BOY, was that a surprise!!

Seriously.

A big surprise.

I didn't want to dare tempt the Universe with too much attention towards fertility at this very moment, but we were travelling home on Will's birthday, I was sick the following day, and so we never had our big meal and cake to celebrate his 32nd year of life.

So, I thought...well, what the heck?

Let's do it big...

but hopefully, all that fertility energy of spring will manifest itself in other ways in our life that need it.

The Menu:

Deviled Eggs

Honey Lime Couscous and Avocado Salad

Broiled Lamb Chops over Organic heirloom Lettuce w/ Sesame Mustard Sauce

Challah

Strawberry Cupcakes  

The deviled eggs are easy to make and need little explanation in regards to their significance. An egg is the essence of fertility and life. In fact, dying and decorating eggs in most common thought to be an Easter tradition, but actually it originates in pagan celebrations on the Vernal Equinox...Ostara or Eostre (which is the original word origin for easter). 

This quick and easy appetizer or snack can be made in a variety of ways. I went with a more classic approach. I took the yolks from 6 boiled eggs (they didn't all make it to the final plate thanks to my helpers) and mixed them with a tablespoon or so of mayo, 2 teaspoons of prepared mustard, 2 pinches of dill weed (my special twist), salt/pepper to taste and then, filled the centers of the eggs. To serve, I sprinkled the tops with paprika. Tripp wanted his eggs plain as you can see in the pic above :)

The honey-lime couscous and avocado salad was meant to be this recipe with quinoa, but I didn't realize I was out of it, so I just made a pot of couscous instead. We pretended the couscous were tiny seeds and the presence of avocado is not only delicious, but also is an in-season food and adds a nice springy green coloring. This was YUMMY!

The lamb was my version of PF Chang's wok-seared lamb that they serve on a bed of iceberg lettuce. I broiled the lamb chops with a touch of sesame oil and salt & pepper. Then, I thinly sliced it and served it on top of some beautiful and tasty organic lettuce from Isis Gardens in Tupelo, MS at the North MS Green Festival that a friend and I attended. On top of the slices of lamb and lettuce, I drizzled the oh-so-delicious  sesame mustard sauce. 
If there were actual good sources for lamb around here, I would eat it (this) more often.
So.Good.

Oh, and let's not forget the symbolism...
Lamb is a traditional Ostara/Easter food and the gorgeous green of the lettuce adds fantastic color to remind us of the life returning back to mother earth as well as a tasty representation of her bounty.


And the Challah...Oh my favorite bread on this planet.
A few years ago, I made this for the first time and have been hunting down the recipe ever since. I can NOT find it anywhere on this wide world of webs! And, ya know, that particular challah could have been so good because we were using the fresh eggs from our chickens.
Nonetheless, today's loaf was perfection.
And guess what?!
I didn't bookmark the recipe.
And, now I can't find it anywhere including my history.
I think there is a conspiracy against me and challah.

Anyways, I think I remember everything, so here goes:

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

3 2/3 flour

1 t salt
1/4 cup sugar 

2 t yeast

I added the ingredients in this order to my bread machine and turned on the dough cycle. When it was all done, I divided my dough into thirds and braided it. It rose for about 45 minutes and then, I brushed it with and egg wash, sprinkled on the poppy seeds and baked it at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Y'all...this loaf was amazing!
My braiding skills have really improved as well.

My mom calls challah, egg bread, so in that, you can see the connection to our Spring feast. We also topped it with the poppy seeds for an added equinox bonus.

For dessert, I went with my favorite strawberry cupcake recipe.
You can't go wrong with these.
Seriously.
Yum.
Strawberries ripen in the spring and the color is a nice pastel for the season as well.
I thought they'd be a nice addition since I didn't get to bake my hubby a birthday cake this week.
We didn't stick candles in and sing "happy birthday" to Will, but I'm sure he didn't mind.

So, we welcomed Spring with a lovely meal and enjoyed this gorgeous, albeit more like Summer Solstice with regards to weather, first day of Spring.

Stay tuned for more to come as we welcome Spring with our Spring Nature Table, do a little Spring gardening and more!

Breakfast by Poppie

Pancakes in whatever shape you can imagine :)

Lil' Cookie Monsters

Boo. It's cold and rainy and it was icy earlier.

On top of being stuck inside again, the weather is not very appealing to taking the boys to the Dudy Gras Parade and Red Beans & Rice Cookoff today.

Kind of disappointing...

So, we've kept busy inside.

Tripp wanted to work on his "sewing"

We roasted hot dogs (uncured, ;) of course) in the fireplace for lunch.

Then, we were entertained by the 2 lovely men from Lowe's trying to install our new fridge.

Such a treat!

Will is working to meet a deadline for his Capstone project, so in an effort to keep the boys out of his office, I decided to bake some cookies.

I'm not sure what they enjoyed more...

the making of or the eating of the oatmeal crispies.

Now, I have some red beans & rice of our own going all that's missing is mardi gras beads from the parade.

Despite the yucky, weather, it was a tasty day around the Sanders' home.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I'm pretty proud of myself. 

I cooked a great supper 2 nights in a row.

Lately, I've been otherwise distracted and cooking, the way I normally do it, has taken a back seat.

Yesterday, I made a tomato-free version of Chicken Tortilla Soup. 

I didn't even miss the tomatoes.

So, so yummy...

Two nights ago I roasted a delicious whole organic chicken. 

With the remaining chicken and carcass, I made the broth for the soup.

I threw in some carrots, onion and garlic and filled my pot with water and let it simmer all day.

Another big pat on my back, because this beckons to the olden days (before child number 2) when I used to meticulously meal plan.

I'd incorporate every detail to use and reuse everything we had on hand for delicious meals.

I've had a twinge of guilt hanging over my head lately about being so wasteful.

I'm kicking my own butt back into gear.

Okay, 

Back on topic...soup!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

-pot full of chicken stock (yeah, I don't really measure)

-1 can of black beans

-1 can of white northern beans (if I'd really been on top of my game, I'd have used dried beans)

-1 cup of frozen corn (off the cob)

-2 carrots, diced

-1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

-3-4 cloves of garlic, diced

-1 diced pepper...I was going to use a red bell pepper, but it was past due :( I'd imagine any pepper to your liking would make a great addition to this soup

-2 cups of cooked rice 

-Spices...approximately (because again, I don't measure) 1 Tablespoon of paprika & chili powder

-1/2 cup of heavy cream (or for dairy free use plain almond milk or other df milk)
salt & pepper to taste

Also, if you're not tomato-free like we are (99.9% of the time, sometimes I must cheat), then a nice addition to the soup would be a jar of canned tomatoes from last summer's garden. What you don't can your own? Well, you should. Grocery store tomatoes are not real tomatoes. :) Or at least, that's the Sanders' family opinion.

Optional Garnishes: avocado, sour cream, green onions, cheese, tortilla chips, cornbread, cilantro...

After making my stock, I strained it and picked the remaining meat off the chicken. After sauteeing the onion, garlic and peppers, add  everything but the rice and heavy cream. Let it cook until the carrots are tender. Add in the rice and cook for another several minutes. Taste to adjust for any seasonings. Just before serving stir in the heavy cream. 

I garnished mine with avocado and crumbled up homemade cornbread. It was delish!!

And don't worry, I'm sure I'll eat another bowl soon and update this post with a lovely picture :)

What's Up, Doc?

Tripp loves raw veggies.

In fact, he'd prefer all his veggies to be raw.

He particularly loves eating raw carrots after watching an old bugs bunny movie several months ago.

He likes to walk around eating them and repeatedly saying "what's up doc?"

This however, is a new use for raw carrots...

A handle for his cup.

Joan Visits

I kept my friend Alisha's little girl, Joan, aka the love of Tripp's life, tonight while she and her hubby had a little date night.

She is such a sweetie and these kiddos had a blast. 

Between the jumping, running and incessant shopping, Tripp and Joan should sleep WELL tonight!

I'm pretty sure this was their first date ;)

 Charlie didn't think it was very fair that he had to eat in his high chair while these 2 had so much fun.

Oops...

ya' move

ya' lose!

Your pb&j roll-up, that is.

Lots of silliness...I told ya' they should sleep well tonight!

They needed a drink/snack break.

I can't imagine why!

Now, for some shopping. 

They filled that cart up!

You think it's instinct?

A lady making the man hold her purse??

He happily toted that purse and pushed the very full cart around for Miss Joan.

We had a blast with your sweet girl, Alisha!

She's welcome anytime :)

Smores!

The weather has been taunting us with teases of a snow day (or 2).

Seeing as how we're in Mississippi, I'm more concerned about ice and the chance our power would be out.

So, today I decided to cook.

and cook

and cook

then, bake something

and cook some more.

I made chili, chicken alphabet soup (and a ton of bone broth), a crockpot roast with veggies, baked some pumpkin bread, boiled enough eggs to satisfy Tripp for a few days and made sausage balls.

 

We've only been teased thus far with a fierce hour or so of snow and the remainder has been sleet.

But it's SO cold!

No matter how many times Will explains to me the reasoning behind it sleeting instead of snow even though the temps are in the 20's, I still don't get it.

(see what having children does to one's brain?!)

 

Tripp is a little disappointed, but maybe the predicted snow will come in overnight and he can build his snowman tomorrow.

To appease his disappointment, we made SMORES for dessert.

My child is deprived, I suppose, because he's never had them before.

He was elated that marshmallows were on the grocery list.

And he really thought it was the coolest thing to roast them in the fireplace.

He really is excited.

He just kept making horrible looking "silly faces" every time I snapped the camera.

mmm...tasty!

Stay warm, y'all!!

Hibachi!

One of our favorite places back home to eat is the hibachi/sushi restaurant. 

Tripp even requested it for his birthday dinner this summer.

And we went there for our anniversary dinner (with our kiddos in tow and again the night my parents kept the boys so we could go out alone to celebrate, lol! ).

Our first night in Savannah, we went to eat at Gayle and Keith's favorite spot for hibachi and sushi, Myabi.

It was YUMMY!

And even though they didn't have the first udon noodle on the menu, Tripp ate his hibachi grilled steak like he was starving without the slightest whisper about not having his beloved udon noodles. 

He was super happy about them having chopstick helpers and ate every bit with his chopsticks.

Charlie, bless his heart, ate

and ate

and ate.

Started fussing,

got his paci 

and then, passed straight out on Will's shoulder.

Baby was so tired after only a 20 minute nap (on the plane) all day.

This boy LOVES some food. 

Any food.

Sayonara,

Big Boy!!

I've come to the realization that my BABY is going to be 1 at the end of the month!

WHERE has the time gone? I don't want my sweet baby boy to grow up so fast.

But, he has to keep up with his brother. Therefore, he's determined to do everything as quickly as possible.

Let's check one more milestone off the list.

Today, we had some yummy ham fried rice and sweet potato wontons for lunch.

Charlie was pretty perturbed that no one gave him a spoon for his rice.

The second we did, he dug in!

My sweet baby is eating with a spoon and doing it like a champ! 

He's self-fed himself from the get-go, but today he fed himself like a big boy.

Making sure everyone is as proud as he is!

Cute, cute boy.

Grilled Cheese- Tripp's Way

It's a firetruck. 

With a carrot ladder.

It originally had another carrot ladder on top, but it was eaten before I could snap my pic.

His choice for wheels...sunflower seeds.

Fine Toddler Food Art, my friends.