Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I use this recipe when I make cubed steak.  It is delicious!!!!!

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time:  20 minutes
Serves: 6

2 tablespoons KerryGold butter
2-4 ounces of fresh organic mushrooms
2 tablespoons of fresh organic onion, chopped or 4-5 dashes of organic dried minced onion
1-2 organic garlic cloves, minced (or the already diced up organic garlic from Meijer)
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons organic King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 cups of homemade chicken broth or stock
1 cup heavy cream (raw preferred, if not organic at least)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp organic pepper
1/4 tsp organic nutmeg

1.  Heat butter in a cast iron skillet.
2.  Cut the mushrooms into slices.
3.  Add mushrooms, onion and garlic to butter.  Saute until onions are soft.
4.  Stir 1/4 c + 1 Tbsp flour into the butter, mushroom, garlic and onion.
5.  Slowly stir in chicken broth.  Heat until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.
6.  Stir in cream plus 5 Tbsp flour and your seasonings.  
7.  Stirring constantly, heat till soup reaches consistency you are looking for.
8.  Use a submersion blender, and CAREFULLY blend soup to a smooth consistency while still in cast iron skillet.
9.  Spread over browned cubed steaks and bake at 350, covered with a baking stone for 1 1/2 hours.
10.  Enjoy!

Recipe:  From food.com

Homemade Yogurt Push Pops

Seriously, I am so eager for SPRING to really get here.  I am aware that the calendar hanging on my refrigerator says that spring is here, but when I walk outside I begin to doubt my calendar.  Or maybe it is global warming, who knows?  Anyway, in my STRONG anticipation of warmer weather, I created these sweet little babies and I vowed today to stop wearing long sleeved shirts.  That is, until the predicted 12 inches of snow fall on the ground overnight.  Grrrrrrrrr.......  Then my long sleeved shirts may, just maybe, will end up over my head again.  :-)

My boys sampled the push-pops today with delight.  And trust me, they were soooo easy to make.  So, I no longer have to buy their organic yogurt sticks, I can make them.

I made two different types.  Chocolate honey and strawberry honey.

Here's what you need.....
-Whole/Full fat Organic Stonyfield plain yogurt (buy plain so you can control the sweetness level)
-Organic Fruit (frozen or fresh, pureed in bullet, blender or food processor)
-Organic chocolate syrup
-Local honey (raw that you slightly warm till liquid or local that has been warmed to the temperature below raw, ask your bee keeper for specifics)
-Push pops (I bought mine here from Amazon)

Pour desired amount of plain yogurt into a glass bowl.  Add desired amount of chocolate syrup and honey, stir well.  Pour into your clean push pop container.  Place in freezer
or
Pour desired amount of plain yogurt into a glass bowl.  Add desired amount of pureed organic strawberries and honey, stir well.  Pour into your clean push pop container.  Top with a slice of fresh strawberry.  Place in freezer.

I did not add the stick to the push pop until the yogurt was completely frozen.  This allowed for easier storage in my freezer.  When the boys wanted to try one today, we removed the push pop from the freezer, allowed it to set out for a little while and then stuck the push pop stick in the bottom of the push pop container.

Now, I will admit these were slightly more "icy" than the already made Stonyfield yogurt sticks we buy, I need to further research this to see what makes the commercial brand smoother.

Let me know when you try this recipe and what your family thought.  :-)

Aldi and Organic

I am elated to write this post!

Aldi is now carrying ORGANIC!  Today was the 1st day and of course I had to go and check it out.  I used to shop at Aldi when I first stopped working outside of the house to become a stay at home mom.  We reeeally missed my income and one effort to compensate was to shop at Aldi's.

Then after some time, we started to buy and eat organic and Aldi had nothing for me in the organic area.  So, we slowly left Aldi and went to Meijer.

Now I am thrilled to find out (Thank you Tammy!!) that Aldi has a new line called "Simply Nature."  And most of it is organic.  Still read your labels though.  Just because it says organic doesn't mean it is healthy for you and me.  And some of the Simply Nature is "natural" which DOES NOT mean organic.  Natural is just a pretty word for this still may have pesticides in it.

But as far as cheese and frozen fruit goes, Aldi's gets 2 thumbs up from me.  Here's why....

First, I could not believe that Aldi carries KerryGold.  When I can't find cheese made from raw milk KerryGold is my second in line (they also have amazing butter that I buy at Costco).  All KerryGold cheese and butter is made in Ireland from cows who are only grass fed.  Aldi carries two KerryGold cheeses.  One is 7oz of Blarney Castle for $1.99 (which is a smooth and mild Gouda) and the second is a 7oz Dubliner cheese with Irish Stout for $3.99(oh how I used to love Guinness!).  I can't wait to try both of them.  (Meijer sells a KerryGold cheddar and I believe it is $5.99 for 7oz).

Then, I still can't believe this one!  Aldi carries an 8oz block of Simply Nature Sharp Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese that is also organic for $3.49!  WHAT!?  Heaven.  And we had it for lunch today, it is delicious (kids did not care for it but I thought it was divine).  I am sure they will not complain when it is melted down for their cheese quesadillas.  :-)

On to the frozen fruit.  I usually buy my organic frozen fruit from Meijer.  Not any longer.  First, they are no longer carrying organic blueberries and second Aldi has Meijer beat hands down on price.  

Meijer sells a 10oz bag of organic frozen strawberries for $3.99.  Aldi has a 12oz bag of organic frozen strawberries for $2.39!!  Rock on!!  We use organic strawberries in our Kombucha and Christmas Jam, so this is going to save us a ton!  Aldi's organic frozen blueberries are $3.49 for 12oz.

I also splurged and bought the kids some frozen organic fruit bars for $2.69 (4 per box).  Ingredients do include organic sugar, guar gum and xanthan gum.  Fyi.  

They also carry organic yogurt (dairy has to be bought organic or don't eat it!!), pasta sauce, spaghetti, linguine, string cheese, olive oil, apple juice and chicken broth.  Comment below if you want specific prices or look at their ad online.

I also bought a jar of spaghetti sauce, chicken broth (I always have some on hand if I run out of my homemade broth) and string cheese to try.

Here is a "chart" for those of you who like charts.  :-)


                                                                                       Aldi                      Meijer
KerryGold Dubliner Cheese w/ Irish Stout 7oz              $3.99
KerryGold Blarney Castle Cheese (gouda) 7oz            $1.99
Organic Raw Sharp Cheddar 8oz                                  $3.49
Organic Frozen Strawberries                                         $2.39 (12oz)         $3.99 (10oz)
Organic Frozen Blueberries                                           $3.49
Organic Frozen Red Raspberries                                                                $3.79 (10oz)

Happy shopping!

Make It and Eat It Now Cereal

I am eating this as I type.  It was the easiest and quite possibly one of the most delicious breakfasts I have prepared, and it is raw (which means super healthy and good for you).  Got 3 minutes?  Then you can make a VERY healthy breakfast cereal for you and your family.  

Make It and Eat It Now Cereal
Organic apple (I used honeycrisp...our favorite! Any will work)
Soaked and dried almonds (can use anything here cashews, pecans anything soaked)
Organic Cinnamon
Raw milk or coconut milk (no soy...ever!)

Chop up your apple, place in a bowl.  Chop up your almonds, place in bowl.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and pour milk over the top.  Use as much or as little of the 4 ingredients you want.  And eat.  :-)  Soooooo, good!!!

Gonna admit, my 3 year old spit it out.  He is eating the other half of the apple right now, by itself, and seems quite happy though.  Lol

*Recipe from Nicholas Johnson who posted this as a comment on Just Eat Foods FaceBook page.  Don't know ya Nicholas, but a HUGE THANK YOU!!!  :-)

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!

Homemade Ranch Recipe (Powder, Salad Dressing and Veggie Dip)

Remember when it comes to spices and dairy...it's all ORGANIC here!

Homemade Ranch Powder
2 1/2 Tbsp dried minced onions (processed in food processor or blender to make a fine powder)
1 tsp dill (process/grind with minced onions)
7 tsp parsley flakes
3 tsp sea salt (Redmon's or Celtic.  Remember real sea salt is NOT all white.)
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass jar.  Remember this is the real stuff, no junk in here, so it may clump a little.   Just open your glass jar and loosen ingredients with a butter knife before measuring.


*I have started blending everything except the salt and garlic in my bullet.  Makes a finer ranch dressing in my opinion.  :-)

I bought this glass jar at Whole Foods.

Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing
1 Tbsp of your Homemade Ranch Powder 
1 cup mayonnaise (I used Hellmans but will soon be switching to homemade mayo)
1 cup organic buttermilk (You can buy this at The Downtown Farm Stand, Whole Foods and I just called Meijer to ask them to start carrying it...keep your fingers crossed.)

Mix ingredients together and chill before serving.  I used my Pampered Chef salad dressing Measure Mix and Pour.  It worked great.  This salad dressing is sooooo good.  


Homemade Ranch Veggie Dip (I haven't made this one yet.)
1 3/4 Tbsp of your Homemade Ranch Powder
2 cups of organic sour cream

Mix together and enjoy!

Homemade Cheddar Cheese Soup

Ok, so I will have to admit it......I Kerri, have not gone 100% can free in my house. 


Whew, that feels better to get that off of my chest.  I have tried and failed.  I should not say fail, there are less cans in the house, but there still are cans.  So, yes I still have a few cans of things in my pantry.  And half of them are BPA free.  I found the line Eden Organic.  All of their cans are BPA free.  Pretty cool, huh'?  But after tonight, there will be one less of the bad cans, for sure.


So, I was planning to make this cheeseburger pasta dish that we all love.  I went to the pantry and I could not find a can of condensed cheddar cheese soup.  I panicked, crap, this was the plan, now what was I going to cook?  Then I remembered a recipe I had found a long time ago and had done nothing with it, except for file it away in my binder labeled Healthy Recipes.  I am laughing, I am not sure cheddar cheese soup is "healthy" but my goal in starting this binder was to find ways to replace the foods we were eating with ones that were healthier for us, here not buying this soup in a can was healthier to me.  


So, anyway, I dug out this recipe, made it in no time and it is delish!


Here it is....


Homemade Cheddar Cheese Soup
3 tbsp organic butter (Meijer makes organic butter that we love)
3 tbsp unbleached organic all purpose flour (King Arthur is my fav)
1 cup organic milk
1 cup organic or at least rBGH free shredded cheddar cheese


Melt butter in a stainless steel saucepan over medium-low heat; add flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly.  Remove form heat; gradually add milk, whisking to keep smooth.  Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly until thickened.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Add salt. Sooo easy and sooo much better than from the can.  Enjoy!!

Basic Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream (eggs)

Ok, so seriously, our love for ice cream continues to grow.  I am having a blast experimenting with different flavor combinations and I am LOVING the fact that everything is made with organic dairy products.  That makes me one verry happy mommy.

So, here is a third, basic ice cream recipe.  A chocolate without eggs is in the works.  :-)

Basic Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
2 cups organic whipping cream
2 cups organic vitamin d milk
3/4 cup sugar
4 oz egg substitute
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup baking cocoa

Combine all ingredients in a large glass batter bowl with a whisk, it will take some time for the cocoa to incorporate, be patient.  Let set in refrigerator over night.  Make sure canister is frozen and ready to make ice cream. 

The next day...remove ice cream liquid from refrigerator, beat with an electric beater.  Place canister on deni motor base, place paddle in canister, cover with clear vue dome, turn on deni and pour chocolate ice cream mixture into rotating canister.  Set a timer, my recipes usually take 26-32 minutes. 

Transfer ice cream to a glass pyrex bowl and place in freezer (do not use a metal spoon to remove ice cream).

Let set overnight or for 4-6 hours.  Enjoy!!

Basic Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Well, I have had plenty of time to play with my new love, my new deni ice cream maker, and ohhhhh am I in love!!  So are the kids and hubby.  We now have ice cream every night after dinner.....if...........the kids eat their vegetables.  Works great as a reward for eating what their bodies need.  :-)

I do not like my ice cream to be so over the top creamy that it gags me when I eat, so this has become my go to for ice cream.  Then I just tweak it to make other flavors.  Those recipes will come under a different post.

Enjoy!!!

(If the print friendly does not work, you can either copy and paste this recipe into Word or copy the http address and paste it into the printer friendly web page that opens and print from there.  Sorry, I working on this problem currently.  :-) )

When using a deni ice cream maker, remember your liquids cannot total more than 4 cups.

Basic Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups organic whipping cream
2 cups organic vitamin d milk
3/4 cup sugar (make from sugar cane not sugar beets)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (not imitation)

Combine all ingredients in a large glass batter bowl, whisk until sugar feels incorporated into the liquid.  Place in refrigerator overnight.  Make sure your canister is in the freezer, so your ice cream canister will be ready to make the ice cream tomorrow.  (My canister lives in my freezer, that way it is always ready.  :-) )  The canister needs at least 8 hours to freeze before making ice cream.

Ok, so it's the next day.  Take your ice cream canister out of the freezer.  Shake it.  If you do not hear any liquid, you are good to go.  If you can hear liquid sloshing around, back into the freezer your canister goes.  Place your canister on the motor base, place stir paddle inside canister, then cover with the clear cue lid.  Take you ice cream liquid out of the refrigerator, whisk again.  Turn ice cream maker on, and pour ice cream liquid into canister while the canister is turning.  Cover with top and set your timer.  Mine usually takes 26-32 minutes. 

You can eat the ice cream now or let it sit in the freezer overnight.  We prefer the over night method.  Ta Da!!  You are done!  Enjoy!
 

Homemade Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

About a month ago I invested in a new appliance.  An ice cream maker.  But not like the one you are thinking of, not the one I have sitting in the garage collecting dust.  You know the one that requires you to walk down into your basement, scoop out a bunch of softener salt, carry it back upstairs, empty out your ice cube maker and then lug everything out into the garage to make the delicious treat you are yearning for...homemade ice cream.  Nope.  This beauty can sit on your counter top or store away in your cabinet.  The canister stays in your freezer so it is always ready to make you a cold, creamy treat.

I found mine at Amazon.com  The brand is deni and Amazon is the cheapest place we found it with free shipping.  Target also carries it, but for $10.00 more.

So, as I was flipping through the recipes that came with the ice cream maker, my eyes landed on the one that would be my first, adapted of course to make it organic...Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream.  Oh my!  We all love this recipe.  This recipe is not for the weak at chocolate heart.  If you do not care for rich, silky, deep chocolate with loads of peanut butter flavor, this may not be your favorite.  But stay tuned, I am working on a light homemade peach recipe.  There's something for everyone here.  :-)

Homemade Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
1 cup organic half and half
1 cup sugar (from cane, not beet sugar)
4 oz. egg substitute
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla (not imitation)

1.  Combine cocoa and sugar in a mixing bowl, processor (I used a food processor and it worked great) or blender and mix.
2.  Blend in peanut butter and eggs.
3.  Add cream, half and half and vanilla.
4.  Beat well and chill thoroughly.
5.  After it is well chilled remove canister from freezer and pour your chilled, liquid into the canister and make some ice cream!  It took mine 26 minutes until the ice cream was finished.

I will say, for us, the recipe tasted better after we let it sit overnight in the freezer in an air tight glass storage bowl.  I am thinking to add pretzels and maybe a few marshmallows to this recipe next time.

Enjoy!!

Why Organic?

A friend of mine suggested I write this Blog post (thank you LE).  She has a HUGE point.  The majority of people do not even know what Organic is, let alone what "Natural", "All Natural" "Non-GMO" "USDA Certified" "Fair Trade" or  "DfE certified" mean and what "Conventional" means.  So, I am going to attempt to explain each of these terms.  So, here we go.


1.  Organic-  Organic foods are produced without the use of the following...
-Genetically Modified Organisms in seeds or any ingredient (GMO's)
-Synthetic pesticides
-Synthetic herbicides
-Artificial preservatives or additives
-Antibiotics
-Growth hormones
-Irradiation (a process where our food is actually exposed to radiation to sterilize our food.  Which actually depletes the food of vitamins and nutrients.  There is a movement occurring right now where we are asking for foods to be labeled if they have been irradiated, that way we know not to buy this food.  Seriously, you are just wasting your money when you buy irradiated food, the nutritional value has been altered so much, you may as well save your money for something else. And right now unless you buy Organic you do not know if your food has been irradiated or not.)

Consumer Reports has found that 77% of non-organic produce items in the average supermarket contain pesticide residues. The beef industry has acknowledged that 94% of all U.S. beef cattle have hormone implants, which are banned in Europe as a cancer hazard. Approximately 10% of all U.S. dairy cows are injected with Monsanto and Elanco's controversial genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone, banned in most industrialized nations. Recent studies indicate that an alarming percentage of non-organic U.S. meat contains dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Organic farms and ranches use far less fossil fuel than conventional farms.  Twenty-four billion pounds of chemical fertilizers are applied on non-organic farms in the U.S. every year not only pollute our drinking water and create enormous dead zones in the oceans.

Organic farming categorically prohibits the use of sewage sludge (sewage sludge is just that, sewage used as fertilizer which animals in turn eat and live in, which are then butchered for our consumption).


On an Organic farm slaughterhouse waste is not allowed.  This is also just like it sounds, waste...intestines, flesh, hair, blood, bones, veins, etc from a slaughterhouse is fed back to animals.  Are you freaking kidding me here?????  This practice has given rise to a form of human mad-cow disease called CJD, often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. Animals on organic farms cannot be fed slaughterhouse waste, manure, or blood.


Organic farming prohibits intensive confinement and mutilation (debeaking, cutting off tails, etc.) of farm animals. In addition to the cruel and unhealthy confinement of animals on factory farms, scientists warn that these CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) produce enormous volumes of manure and urine, which not only pollute surface and ground water, but also emit large quantities of methane, a powerful climate-destabilizing greenhouse gas.



Consumers are concerned about purchasing foods with high nutritional value. Organic foods are nutritionally dense compared to foods produced with toxic chemicals, chemical fertilizers, and GMO seeds. Studies show that organic foods contain more vitamins, cancer-fighting anti-oxidants, and important trace minerals.



So, do you see why Organic food costs more than conventional food?  Because Organic food is actually food.  Conventional food, is beginning to look more like McDonald's food to me.  It is something that you can eat, it will fill your belly....but what is it doing to you and your family?  And are you really getting any vitamins or nutrition from it?  Yes, some. 

Cost-many people have explained to me that they cannot buy Organic because of the price.  From what I have seen in grocery stores there are times where Organic food costs the same as the conventional product setting right beside it.  And I know people who have a very tight budget who live on Organic food only.  I will blog more on this later...ideas and tips on living Organic on a tight budget.  Also, a different way of thinking is this...if the foods we are eating today are giving us high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc...isn't that going to cause us to pay more later in life when we are going to the doctor getting help for these problems.

So, do we spend more money now and eat Organic or spend less right now, eat conventional and have poor health and high doctor bills later that we can't afford?

Only food that is labeled USDA Certified Organic is really 100% Certified Organic.  See below under Miscellaneous for a definition of USDA Certified Organic.
Tell me if I am wrong....but isn't this how ALL food should be made???????????


2.  GMO/Non-GMO- You are hearing these 2 terms used more and more each day.  GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques, also called DNA splicing.  In a nutshell, this is where humans try to play God and alter the way food is supposed to be.  Which is not good.  I am not a fan of cloning and I am DEFINITELY not a fan of GMO.

For example....corn....Monsanto's triple-stack corn—which combines Roundup Ready 2 weed control technology with YieldGard Corn Borer and YieldGard Rootworm insect control—is the market leader in the United States.   So, now farms do not simply spray their crops with poisioness weed control chemicals, they are now created inside the seed that then grows into a corn stalk, that then produces corn that we eat or the animals we serve at dinner eat.  So.....we are eating the Roundup Ready 2 weed control chemicals, the Corn Borer and Rootworm insect control chemicals.  READY to go cook some corn??  And it does not have to happen like this!  Look at Organic farms...they are producing corn in great volume that is safe and delicious.  (Side note....Meijer has their own line of Organic frozen sweet corn that is delish!!)

Genetically engineered ingredients are now found in 75% of all non-organic U.S. processed foods, even in many products labeled or advertised as "natural." In addition, the overwhelming majority of non-organic meat, dairy, and eggs are derived from animals reared on a steady diet of GM animal feed. Although polls indicate that 90% of Americans want labels on gene-altered foods, government and industry adamantly refuse to respect consumers' right to know, understanding quite well that health and environmental-minded shoppers will avoid foods with a GMO label.   Sick...sick....sick!!!  Don't you want to know what you are spending your money on and eating?  I do!


Non-GMO is a label you are starting to see on foods.  This means simply the ingredients in that food have not been genetically modified.  All Organic foods are non-GMO.   But not all non-GMO foods are Organic.3.  Conventional Farming-
Look at the definition of Organic...all the things that are not allowed in Organic farming are allowed in Conventional Farming.   The agriculture industry is estimated to use over 800 million pounds of conventional pesticides each year.

The example I was given when I started my Green quest was this...."Would you spray an apple with Raid, rinse it, wipe it off and give it to your kid or eat it yourself?"  I would hope that your answer would be a big NO!  This is what we are doing when we buy conventional fruits and vegetable, just to start with.  Let alone all the other food we eat that are drowned in pesticides before we serve them at our tables.

The major challenges and issues faced by society concerning conventional farming include:
Environmental and social costs
Damage to fisheries
Increased health risks from pesticides****
Increased ozone pollution and global warming from heavy use of fossil fuels


4.  Natural or All natural- Does not mean Organic.  Food labeled "natural" does not contain any artificial ingredients, coloring ingredients, or chemical preservatives, and in the case of meat and poultry, is minimally processed. 

Meat from animals treated with artificial hormones can (and is) labeled "natural," as is meat injected with saline solution (claimed to add flavor, which it does, but it also adds considerable weight to a product sold by the pound). Food containing "natural flavors" such as processed proteins that you may or may not consider desirable can legally sport the label "natural."5.  Fair Trade- Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers and gold.  Simple terms, you know you bought something that a 5 year old child did not make or prepare for you. 

6. Design for the Environment (DfE) Certified- The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows safer products to carry the Design for the Environment (DfE) label. This mark enables consumers to quickly identify and choose products that can help protect the environment and are safer for families. When you see the DfE logo on a product it means that the DfE scientific review team has screened each ingredient for potential human health and environmental effects and that-based on currently available information, EPA predictive models, and expert judgment. To learn more about the Design for the Environment EPA partnership program please visit: http://www.epa.gov/dfe/

Wowgreen products are DfE certified.  And I can say that I love using and selling all of the cleaning products wowgreen offers. 

Misc info
1.  Irradiation-cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde (found in finger nail polish).  Many non-organic spices contain irradiated ingredients.  The USDA and large meat companies have promoted the use of irradiated meat in school lunches and senior citizen facilities.





2. Consumers worry about rampant e-coli, salmonella, campylobacter, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and fecal contamination in animal products coming out of the nation's inhumane and filthy slaughterhouses. The Centers for Disease Control have admitted that up to 76 million Americans suffer from food poisoning every year. Very few cases of food poisoning have ever been linked to organic farms or food processors.

3.  For all these reasons, millions of American consumers are turning to organic foods and other organic items, including clothing and body care products - part of an overall movement toward healthy living, preserving the environment, and reversing global warming.

4.  USDA Certified Organic-   This is a 21 page document that shows what is required for a food or product to have the USDA Certified Organic logo placed on it (if simply clicking does not open this link use CTRL click to open it).  It is a very rigorous process to go through.  So, if you have thought to yourself, "well, how do we know it is truly organic?" this document will show you the steps that a farmer or producer have to go through to use the green and white logo USDA Organic.

So, if you believe in voting...keep in mind you are voting every time you go to the grocery store, with your money.  Start small.  Change your milk, yogurt and cheese then move to your veggies and fruits.  Click here to see my posts on what fruits and vegetables are highest in pesticides.

If you feel the desire to start eating Organically just take it one step at a time.  And I am currently working with Meijer to get even more organic food in their grocery store.  They have a great start right now on the choices of organic foods to choose from, but they still have a long way to go.  I will be posting in the future what organic products Meijer carries. 

Also, The Downtown Farm Stand has nothing but organic in their grocery store and restaurant.  And of course, don't forget my favorite place when you are in Indy, Whole Foods.  If you stick with the 365 organic brand at Whole Foods, you definitely DO NOT spend your whole paycheck.  Whole Foods is not perfect yet, they still sell conventional foods...but one day I hope this will become 100% organic.  At least, for now I can buy my organic foods there at a good price.

I have to really share my heart as I am writing this, as I am adding the finishing touches to this post, my brain keeps telling me..."No one's going to read this, no one's going to change the way they eat."  I hope and pray that thought is very wrong.  And I pray that there is a movement in our hearts, that we demand better quality of food on our tables and even in our restaurants.

I would love to hear any feedback or requests for future posts from you.

What's In Your Milk???

I just want to make sure everyone saw the Channel 13 piece last night on Dairy Farms, if not here are my notes. The piece discussed dairy farms, milk and meat.  Click here to see Bob Segall's full piece.


Currently, the FDA is testing our milk for 6 antibiotics, if the levels of these 6 antibiotics are too high the milk is rejected, unable to be sold in stores. Now the FDA is asking that our milk be tested for 26 antibiotics. THIS is wonderful news for those of you who drink milk or your kids drink milk. Why, you ask is the amount of antibiotics being increased? Because the USDA has a list called the FSIS Residue Violation Information System that consists of 160 pages of dairy farms where cows sent to slaughter had high levels of drugs in their meat. Meaning meat inspectors are finding unsafe levels of antibiotics and pain killers in meat. And...this is very scary... milk inspectors are not even currently looking for all of the drugs that are being used on dairy farms (i.e. they are testing for 6 and dairy farms are using hundreds of antibiotics and pain killers in their livestock). In Indiana 16 dairy farms are on the FSIS list for violations. 16!!


Unfortunately, the new testing is not going to happen for several months. So... as I have been preaching....buy organic milk that has a label that reads NO antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides. Yes, organic is more money, but if you buy Meijer Organics the price is not horrible, and you know that organic milk is safe for you and your family.


And for my harsh closing...if you can't buy organic milk, please stop drinking milk. I know that is harsh, but after seeing the levels of pain killers and antibiotics that are being passed onto to us through milk...THAT IS UNSAFE and unacceptable!!! Buy your kids organic yogurt or cheese for their dairy needs. Our kids need dairy to build bone, we all know that, but what we don't want is all the other crap being put into our kids bodies.


I know many of you don't want to go organic but you have to in the area of dairy foods. At least until our conventional dairy food is cleaned up.

I believe God is definitely in Organic

Last summer I took my kids and my in-laws to the Living Lightly Fair here in Muncie.  As I was browsing the booths, I found one particular booth where I wanted to buy something.  As I was paying for my purchase one of the owners and I began to chat.  I shared with her the movement that had been happening in my life for the past 9 months (then) and that I had started a blog and I gave all the credit/glory to God.  She asked for my blog address, and I gave it to her. 

As we were ending our conversation, she made a comment along the line of, you never hear a believer in God also being someone concerned about organic, or that organic and God never go together.  And that, should be a topic I blog about.  That is not exactly the way she worded it, but it has been almost a year ago that she and I had that conversation, and I have to think hard to remember what I had for breakfast this morning.  :-)

So, obviously, I have thought about that conversation since......a lot.

For me, being a follower, believer, lover of Jesus Christ, it makes my brow furrow with confusion on how God/Jesus could not be in organic.

Organic is everything that God and Jesus is.  Pure, untainted, whole, healthy, perfect and very good for us!  God does not want us eating all the crap that we put into our bodies on a daily basis.  Look at the Garden of Eden.  They ate from a tree every day...from a tree!!!  Not a prepackaged box, full of pesticides, MSG, bleached flour, artificial flavoring and coloring.  Or a can lined with bpa and aluminum.  Everything was pure.  Right down to the fact that Adam and Eve were naked and neither one of them thought a thing about it.  Modesty or even the word naked did not exist to them.  They were what we call naked and they were fine with that.  Very fine with that.  They and almost everything around them was.....pure (I can't say everything seeing that the serpent/satan was far from pure).

The health of our families and of our country is on a fast forward track of destruction.  Cancer is rampant, Alzheimer's is on an increase, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity it at an all time high.  Now, you can argue with me that we have better technology to find this stuff now, better doctors, more testing, etc etc...I agree our technology is better, but the fact is...what we are eating has gotten worse.  Unless you are someone who reads the labels of everything you buy and buy organic.

God does not want us to fill our bodies with harmful ingredients that can be found in about everything we eat.  The bible says that "our bodies are our temple."  So, we should treat them like they are a temple.  A very important one.  Seeing that they are the only one we get.

So, in a nutshell and in my opinion...God is very much in organic.  And God is very much a supporter of us eating and farming organic.  Organic is the way things should be.  What we eat should be in the purest form.  I love how one fitness trainer suggests trying to limit eating anything that comes in a "package."  You want to eat things that come in their original package....fruits and veggies.

Something to chew on.....today is April 22, 2011 Good Friday and it is also Earth Day.....coincidence???  I don't think so.

What do you think?

Homemade Organic Easter Candy--YUM!!

Candy Nests (from mother nature network)

Ingredients:
1 9-ounce bag of organic chocolate chips (ex. Sunspire Fair Trade organic)
1 cup (or more or less, depending on your love of coconut) organic coconut
Organic jelly beans (I buy at Whole Foods)

Directions:
1. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove (or put them in a heatproof measuring cup, and set that in a saucepan filled with some water). Or you can microwave them for a minute or two.


2. Add the coconut to taste, and stir together with the chocolate.


3. Take a cookie sheet and cover it with parchment paper. Using a spoon, put a dollop of chocolate-coconut mixture on the parchment.


4. Add three jelly beans in the middle and press them down…like eggs in a nest.


Put in the fridge until they are set.


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!!