Easy Breakfast to get Coconut Oil in your Kids

Morning Smoothie in a Cars cup.  :-)

This was sooooo easy, the boys are devouring it so I had to share.

Morning Smoothie
Frozen organic mango
Frozen organic strawberries
Heaping tablespoon of virgin, unrefined, expeller pressed organic coconut oil
Raw milk (or organic milk if you haven't taken the RAW milk challenge :-) )
Chia seeds (and if anyone local wants some I have a ton I am willing to share)

Place in your regular size bullet cup, blender or food processor and blend away.  Serve.

So YUM!!!!

And a MUST make when your kiddos or you are sick.  MANGO is a cold fighter.  And coconut oil is an infection fighter.  Chia offers antioxidants.  Sooo cool.

Enjoy!

Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. A MUST read and print.

Go to www.foodnews.org  Enter your email address, first name and zip code and print off this guide.  Keep this in your wallet.  THIS IS A MUST TO HAVE with you at all times.  I did make a couple of changes.  :-)

If you can't buy the foods on the Dirty Dozen list organic....DON'T BUY THEM!!!  These 12 foods are produced using high levels of pesticides and other chemicals that are harmful to you and your children.  

Look at prices closing when you are shopping, if I can buy any of the Clean 14, in the organic bin and the price is not drastic, I still will buy organic.  I would rather support organic than conventionally growing any day.

Dirty Dozen+2 ---buy these organic or don't buy them at all...seriously.  Remember DownTown Farm Stand has everything and it is ORGANIC!  If you can't make it to DTFS Meijer has a pretty good selection of Organic, but I would rather support my local small business.
1.  Apples (worst)
2.  Celery (worst)
3.  Strawberries (worst)
4.  Peaches
5.  Spinach 
6.  Nectarines (imported)
7.  Grapes (imported)  (I have bee buying organic raisins since organic grapes are hard to find in the winter.)  (Note:  Organic raisins are delicious!  So soft and fresh tasting.)
8.  Sweet Bell peppers (Buy these when you can fresh, clean, slice and freeze for stirfry in the winter)
9.  Potatoes
10.  Blueberries (domestic)
11.  Lettuce
12.  Carrots (my addition :-) )
13.  Corn (I moved this from the Clean 15.  It is NOT clean if it is genetically modified.  So, I moved it to the dirty dozen.  It does have pesticides in it, when the seed from which it grew had pesticides genetically injected into the seed and covers the plant for the inside as the stalk and ears grow. Gross.)


Clean 14 ---lowest in pesticides, can buy conventional (not organic)
1.  Onions
2.  Avocado
3.  Pineapple
4.  Mangos
5.  Sweet Peas
6.  Asparagus
7.  Kiwi
8.  Cabbage
9.  Eggplant
10.  Cantaloupe (domestic)
11.  Watermelon
12.  Grapefruit
13.  Sweet potato
14.  Honeydew melon

Just remember scrub, scrub, scrub!!!!  I use a white dish pan, fill it half way with cool water, 1/2-1 cup white vinegar (Heinz brand or organic only!) and 3 drops of grapefruit seed extract.  Stir.  This makes a great spa for your fruits and veggies.  Scrub with a soft brush and rinse well.  Enjoy!!

Fruits and Veggies

You have to check out my friends blog at http://www.justtryingtolivebetter.blogspot.com/

I just washed all of our fruits and veggies in a vinegar water solution (2 tbsp white vinegar for every 1 pint of water and approximately 1 tbsp salt) in a white dish pan.  Scrubbed with a veggie brush and rinsed with cool water.  And needless to say I am grossed out!!!!  You should see all the yuck floating in the water!!!  I love this recipe!  And we will be eating very clean fruits and veggies!!  Look at these pictures, that water was crystal clear at the beginning!  Yuck!!

The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 (taken from http://static.foodnews.org/pdf/EWG-shoppers-guide.pdf You will want to go this and print off the card to carry with you.)

It has been said to me......"would you spray an apple with Raid, rinse it off, and then give it to your son to eat?"  NOOOOOOOOOOOO is the answer!!!  Well....this is basically what we are doing to ourselves and our families.  Conventional fruits and vegetable that were sprayed with pesticides, developed to kill insects, are what line the isles in the produce section.

OK.  Now we are going to talk about what fruits and veggies you should either buy organic or don't eat.  Along with a list of fruits and vegetables that it really does not matter if you buy organic or conventional.  Here we go.... 

Dirty Dozen (Conventionally grown foods you most want to avoid due to high levels of pesticides or buy Organic.)

1.  celery

2.  peaches

3.  strawberries

4.  apples

5.  blueberries

6.  nectarines

7.  bell peppers

8.  spinach

9.  cherries

10.  kale/collard greens

11. potatoes

12.  grapes (imported)
13.  carrots (my addition)

Clean 15 (fruits and vegetables that even when grown conventionally, expose you to fairly low levels of pesticides.  BUT STILL WASH THESE BEFORE CUTTING!!!!!!)

1.  onions
2.  avocado
3.  sweet corn
4.  pineapple
5.  mangos
6.  sweet peas
7.  asparagus
8.  kiwi
9.  cabbage
10.  eggplant
11.  cantaloupe
12.  watermelon
13.  grapefruit
14.  sweet potato
15.  honeydew melon 

I have actually seen Meijer, Marsh and Whole Foods sell their organic and their conventional at the same price!  But on average organic runs about $1.00-$2.00 more than conventional, depending on where you shop.  So, we have adapted the attitude, that if we can't buy the Dirty Dozen in organic......we don't buy it.