Cascadian Farm Organic Goodness

We all know eating a diet filled with fruits and vegetables is essential to good health. But many people are still not convinced that organic is worth the extra price. It's important to realize that chemical residue from non-organic foods can accumulate over time in our fatty tissue and effect our immune and endocrine systems - scary. Since organic foods (the green and white USDA organic label assures it is 95-100% organic) are produced without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, all you get is the nutritional benefit and great taste. That being said, with organic produce typically costing 15% more than conventional, price is still a real issue for many families. That's why I wanted to find out which fruits and veggies are critical to buy organic. According to the Environmental Working Group, the twelve non-organic fruits and vegetables below consistently contain higher levels of pesticide residue (even after washing) than others.

Highest Pesticide Residue

1. Strawberries
2. Bell Peppers (green and red)
3. Spinach
4. Cherries
5. Peaches
6. Cantaloupe (Mexico)
7. Celery
8. Apples
9. Apricots
10. Green Beans
11. Grapes (Chilean)
12. Cucumbers

Have you been searching for holiday gift ideas that are outside of the box? Wouldn't you love to give a gift that is Eco friendly, handmade and lovely? Did you know that you can find these gifts from the comfort on your own home? It's true, you can with Etsy. Etsy is an online community that spans 150 countries and enables people to connect with others who make a living making things. This is a fabulous community full of creative individuals who not only sell lovely items but have a fabulous story to go with them. You will find something unique for everyone on your holiday gift list.

Would you do your holiday shopping on Etsy?

What are your favorite Etsy shops?

If your family is like mine, groceries are a major part of your budget. We only purchase organic and Earth friendly products, so it is essential that we take several steps to stretch our grocery shopping budget. Here are the ten steps that my family takes to make our grocery shopping trips as healthy and sustainable as possible. 

1. Create a Grocery Shopping Budget: When you have a set amount of money that you can spend on groceries it takes the guess work out of "how much did I spend?". It gives you the option to make better choices and to decide what grocery items are sustainable, healthy and affordable. We try to only go grocery shopping twice a month, so we divide our monthly budget in half. Just remember to save enough money from your budget, so when you half to stop to pick up fresh fruit, veggies, bread and milk in between grocery trips, it won't effect your budget...

The next time that you are out shopping and the clerk asks you the inevitable question, "paper or plastic?" consider making an Eco friendly decision by choosing neither. Plastic bags are everywhere. So much so, that they have literally become part of our environment. They litter and contaminate our landscapes, water ways and endanger wildlife. 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed annually, which is more than 1 million plastic bags per minute.