15 tips for buying organic on a budget

http://deliciouslyorganic.net/15-tips-for-buying-organic-real-food-on-a-budget/

Where does your beef come from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBkwUt-bqIo&feature=player_embedded

Do one thing!

http://www.robynobrien.com/do-onething.html

Making the shift to a healthier kitchen was always such a daunting task to me, but sometimes, a simple step is all it takes to get started. I’m going to help you make it as easy as possible to take those steps and remember— not only have I been known to burn noodles, but I've got picky eaters, a limited budget and no time, too.

Find a Friend: But before you get started, the most important thing is to find a friend with whom you can begin to make these changes because change is not always easy, and you will need some moral support!

The first step is realizing that each of us is going to make the journey in our own way.

• Cut Artificial Colors? For some of you, the first step will be to turn a detective’s eye on the labels at the grocery store and choosing one type of additive to reject, such as aspartame or Yellow Dye Number 5.
• Eat Less Fake Food? For others, you may want to eliminate genetically modified foods from your diet. And for others, since according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, approximately 80% of all processed foods now contain genetically modified ingredients, you may want to start there and simply eat less processed foods.
• Worried About Biting into Biotech? Japan, all 27 countries in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and other countries all require mandatory labeling of biotech's proteins (also known as "GMOs" or genetically engineered organisms") since no long-term human studies were conducted to prove that they were safe. Want those same labels here in the U.S. so that we can make an informed choice, then head to the Do One Thing On Line page to learn more.
• Concerned about the Overuse of Antibiotics & Drugs in Food Animal Production? There are amazing online resources that can help you navigate the grocery store in your efforts to avoid meat and dairy products full of antibiotics and other drugs now used in animal food production.

This is not a one size fits all approach, and I understand that. The suggestions presented on these pages are simply meant to serve as a starting point. If you are worried about artificial food dyes, start there. Are concerns about genetically modified foods your biggest worry? Then start there.

So do what is going to work for you, avoid what seems like too much trouble, and trust in yourself and in the process. That’s the only way it’s going to work for you anyway, so why not start out by feeling calm and in control?

Below are some tips to help "clean up". (And for those who might ask, I do not represent or work with in any way any of these corporations or products, I simply value the integrity of their ingredients).

GF Pop Tarts

Pastry

1 1/2 c. rice flour

1/4 c. tapioca flour

1/4 c. potato starch

1 tsp. xantham gum

• 1 tablespoon evap. cane juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Earths Balance Butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons apple sauce

Filling options are endless!

I did all natural raspberry and pomegranate jam.

You could also do chocolate for a treat or...

Cinnamon Filling

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 -1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon , to taste
• 4 teaspoons rice flour
• 1 large egg , to brush on pastry before filling

Directions:

1. Make the dough:
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
3. Work in the butter until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it, with pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible.
4. Mix the egg and apple sauce, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything is mixed.
5. Divide the dough in half
6. Shape each half into a rough 3" x 5" rectangle, smoothing the edges. using a plastic bag over your hand to do so. You can also cut a piece of saran wrap the desired size of your dough rect. but I was out.
7. Roll out immediately; or wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
8. 
   
   Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8" thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9" x 12".
9. (Laying a 9" x 13" pan atop the dough will give you an idea if you’ve rolled it large enough.)
10. Roll the second piece of dough just as you did the first.
11. Press the edge of a ruler into the dough you’ve just rolled, to gently score it in thirds lengthwise and widthwise; you’ll see nine 3" x 4" rectangles.
12. Beat the egg, and brush it over the entire surface of the dough.
13. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each marked rectangle.
14. Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around each pocket of jam, sealing the dough well on all sides.
15. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle.
16. Cut the dough evenly in between the filling mounds to make nine tarts.
17. Press the cut edges with your fingers to seal, then press with a fork, to seal again.
18. Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
19. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries.
20. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.
21. While the tarts are chilling, bake these trimmings for 13 to 15 minutes, till they’re golden brown.
22. Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 25 to 35 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown.
23. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.
    

Why I Gluten Free...

6 years ago, I lived in ignorant bliss. I fed my daughter well, we ate a balanced diet, but I wasn't about to be the hippy serving organic, sprouted chia seed muffins or ripping the skittles out of her hand. Like the rest of us, I knew high fructose corn syrup was not so great and all those unnatural colors have to be... well... unnatural.

In 2005 I gave birth to a very healthy, 10 lb. 5 oz. baby boy. He was absolutely beautiful and continued to grow on my breast milk. He got bigger and bigger at a rate that would have him beating up his older sister in no time! Then... it stopped. He just stopped growing and went from being in the 100th percentile to the 75th, to the 50th, 25th and by the time he was 3 was in the 5th percentile. Nobody knew why. He also started bruising easily, had strange vomiting spells and complained of foot and hand pain. At age 4 he had been poked, prodded, scoped, medicated more than most 18 year olds and we still didn't have any answers. At this point, he was miserable - the vomiting spells had turned into full blown migraines. Nothing compares to your 3 year old hiding under a blanket, unable to look at light, vomiting every 15 minutes for 2 days. We spent thousands of dollars on medications, tests and ER visits. Eventually my sister and a good friend, both suffering from migraines themselves, suggested cutting out milk and gluten. I had no idea what gluten was, let alone where to find it. After taking the gluten and milk out, he made a major turn around.

Just to make things more interesting, when my third son was born it was very clear that he was allergic to several things. While his brother's intolerance is in his digestive system, causing inflammation and nerve pain, Baby #3 has an allergic reaction. This means that when he eats milk, wheat, all nuts, eggs (thankfully, he has since grown out of this one) he breaks out in hives and/or vomits.

Unfortunately for my budget, once you start educating yourself about food in the US, you can't avoid change. I could very easily feed my kids jello and prepackaged, "allergy friendly" food but I really believe that would just be putting a bandaid on the problem and encouraging the issues on a broader scale. It's not an option to eat real.

Below are some various facts, links and videos I find interesting and want to share.

- In 2007, approximately 3 million children under age 18 years (3.9%) were reported to have a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months.

- From 1997 to 2007, the prevalence of reported food allergy increased 18% among children under age 18 years.

- This increase is in all children under 18, it is not the old wives tale of 3 and under. Kids are being checked in to the hospital with new allergic reactions as teenagers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA&feature=youtu.be

http://www.robynobrien.com/

Do they really eat that?

Sometimes, when I am browsing the internet for "real food", allergy free options, people post the most ridiculous stuff. I think to myself "does her kid really eat that crap?"

(What feels like most of the time) After scouring the shelves for the best possible options at the grocery store, being sure to avoid pesticides, artificial ingredients and the ever evil HFCS, I drop way more money than I ever thought possible on groceries (!!), spend way too much time on my masterpiece of a meal only to have my kids give it one look and give the all too familiar - BLEGHH! It's heart wrenching... I say something dumb like "BUT IT'S GOOD FOR YOU!"... famous last words.