March is Meatless Month: How to Save Money on Organic Vegetables and Fruit

March is meatless month, which means it's time to load up on those veggies and fruit.  That's the best way to get all of your vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system and stay healthy.  And let's face it, it's much more fun than swallowing a handful of supplement pills, tablets and drinks.

These days most of our produce is covered in not one, but multiple pesticides.  Many times the pesticides are absorbed into the fruit or vegetable, so they aren't removed by a simple washing in your kitchen sink.  In order to avoid these harmful pesticides, organic is the way to go.  Some produce is safer than others when it comes to pesticides, and considering that not everyone can afford to go completely organic, here are some tips to making the healthiest choices on a budget.

 1.  Shop wisely in the produce section:  Put your money towards organic on the fruit and veggies that are highly contaminated with pesticides, and save your money with the "non-organic" produce that is the least contaminated by pesticides.  Also, try to shop in season and watch for sales! 

*Click here for a printable guide to keep your purse!*

Here are the top 12 items that you should buy organic:

(starting with most contaminated)

apples

celery

strawberries

peaches

spinach

imported nectarines

imported grapes

sweet bell peppers

potatoes

domestic blue berries

lettuce

kale/collard greens

Here are the top 15 items that for non-organic:

(starting with least contaminated)

onions

corn

pineapples

avocado

asparagus

sweet peas

mango

eggplant

domestic cantaloupe

kiwi

cabbage

watermelon

sweet potatoes

grapefruit

mushrooms

You can view a full list of most to least contaminated produce here.

2.  Become a locavore: Shop at the local farmers market.  Not only will you know where your produce came from, but you know it will be fresh.  You will also be supporting your local farmers instead of large corporations.  Sometimes if you go towards the end of the market hours, you may score some great deals.  Most farmers don't want to drag home the leftovers, so they will be more willing to work a deal with you on some fresh local produce! Go here to search for a local farmers market near you.  You may even find a unique vegetable that you've never tried before!

source

3. Grow a garden: Section off a small area in your yard and plant seeds or small plants.  You can start simple with tomatoes, peas, and peppers.  If you don't have a yard, consider balcony gardening - just a few veggie producing plants will save you some money on your grocery bill.  Try growing some fresh herbs too - basil grows very well.  This can be a fun educational project to do with your kids too!

4.  Sign up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture):  This program is becoming quite popular lately.  Basically, a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. You can purchase a share or membership, and in return receive a box of seasonal produce weekly or bi-weekly throughout the farming season.  Sometimes you can choose from different size boxes, depending on how much produce you need for your family.  This program helps support your local farmers by providing cash flow early in the season to cover farming expenses, and you receive fresh local-grown fruit and veggies that will benefit your family's health.  It also helps you to cook more fresh foods and try new things that you wouldn't normally purchase.  Go HERE to locate a CSA farm new you.

**Happy Meatless March**

FREE Whole Foods Event at Tustin/Jamboree Store - Japanese Cuisine Cooking Class 3/8

FREE COOKING CLASS!

Every Thursday, Healthy Eating Specialist Gerrie will demonstrate how to make delicious dishes featuring foods that are nutrient-dense, plant-strong, low sodium, oil-free, sugar-free and made with whole grains. Recipes and samples are provided with this class.

On March 8th, the theme of the class will be Japanese Cuisine.  The cost of this class is free, however you must make a reservation because there is a limit of 40 spaces.

Location:

2847 Park Ave., Tustin, CA 92782

In the District at Tustin Legacy

Time:  6 pm

Date" 3/8/2012

Go HERE to register for this FREE class.

Other free classes:

3/1 - Thai Cuisine

3/8 - Japanese Cuisine

3/15 - Irish Cuisine

3/22 - Indian Cuisine

3/29 - Chinese Cuisine

Kids Healthy Cooking Class at Whole Foods Tustin on Jamboree

 Whole Foods always has an event calendar packed with free and low cost activities, hands on demonstrations, and classes.  At the Tustin Whole Foods on Jamboree, there is a Kids Club Cookery held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 3:30 to 4:30pm.  The cost is only $5 and it's a fun learning experience for your child!

Location address:
2847 Park Ave., Tustin, CA 92782

In the District at Tustin Legacy

Date:  March 21st at 3:30 pm
Space is limited to 40 so make your reservation ASAP!

Children of all ages are invited to come join Gerrie Adams, Healthy Eating Speicalist, as she leads participants in choosing their own fresh foods to complete a food pyramid, and then turn those selections into a healthy, kid-friendly, delicious dish!

Reservations are required 24-hours in advance.
Register at the Customer Service Desk or pay online.

Check out the events calendar at your local Whole Foods Market.

Eco-Friendly Option for Keurig K-Cup Brewers: Ekobrew Refillable Cup

For coffee lovers, the Keurig brewer is a dream, but it's K-cups are far from friendly for the environment.  

Introducing the ekobrew cup....  it's a reusable/refillable K-cup for the Keurig brewer.  It's 100% BPA free plastic and eco-friendly.  Plus, you will save lots of money by using your favorite coffee to refill the ekobrew cup.  It's priced very affordable at around $12, which is cheap compared to how much you will spend on all of the regular K-cups!  Note:  Ekobrew is not compatible with the B30, B130, B150 and B155 so check your model first.

Be green and brew affordable Starbucks at home in your Keurig with the ekobrew cup!

Friday's Favorite Five

Every Friday I will post 5 of my favorite things that I've come across.  They may be anything from decor ideas to clothes or unique items on etsy or a must-see website.  Who knows... maybe it will inspire you!

1-  This baby banana bendable training toothbrush is the cutest toothbrush I've ever seen!  It's bendable and soft, made of high quality silicone, and dishwasher/freezer friendly (perfect for teething!).  

2- I love these ceramic owl banks with a vintage flare.  These owls are made to order on etsy by fruitflypie.  This would be perfect for an accent for a pop of color.  The etsy shop is filled with vintage inspired ceramics - owls, frogs, mushrooms, etc.

3- Use coffee filters as wall art.  I came across this idea here.  All you need are coffee filters and flat thumbtacks.  I wish we didn't have plaster walls, so that I could do this!

4- Here's a fun DiY project that is on my TO DO list:  plastic spoon mirror.  I came across this idea from Country Living magazine. We go to the local frozen yogurt place for a sweet treat all the time, and always bring home their (biodegradable) spoons.  Now I have something to use them for.... and I suppose eventually my mirror frame will slowly disappear as it biodegrades!  ;)   I will do a how-to post on this once I complete the project so stay tuned!

5- Now this is the perfect gadget for anyone who prefers to eat corn OFF the cob.  It's a corn kerneler!  I love how the corn kernels are collected inside the ring.  That's so much better than trying to saw them off with a knife and watching the kernels fly everywhere except your plate.  But my kids love to eat the corn on the cob so that saves me a lot of trouble.  

S'mores Cookies Recipe - Or Heart Cookies if You Don't Like Marshmallows

This year, my daughter and I made some sweet treats for Valentine's Day.  For our first baking session, we made s'mores cookies... and they sure tasted like "some-more" ... This is the recipe that we used, and below is detailed pictures of how we made them:

After making the dough and letting it chill, we rolled it out to 1/8" flat and used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the cookies.

Next, we put the cut out heart shapes onto a greased cookie sheet...







...and baked them at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes.



Next, top each cookie with a marshmallow and pop it back in the oven for another 3 to 4 minutes to soften.


Remove from oven, and with WET FINGERS, flatten the marshmallows so that they spread over the top of the cookie.

After the cookies and marshmallow tops have cooled, melt your chocolate ganache mixture and dip the cookies.

Like so....

Let the dipped cookies dry on a wire rack for several hours.  They were best after sitting for 24 hours. 

Use any leftover ganache over top of vanilla ice cream and reward yourself after all of this hard work!  (It was sooo good!)

If marshmallows aren't your cup of tea, skip the marshmallow steps and drizzle the chocolate ganache over the cookies.  They will look like this when you're done....

 Happy Valentine's Day!