Staples - Help!

This is a good one for experienced guys to answer and comment on!  I am new to Organic living, just recently doing much research on the effects of pesticides on fruits and veggies, GMOs in our corn and major food products, hormones and antibiotics in our milk, eggs and meat.  And refined sugar....the real 'crack' of society. ;)  So....not willing to give up all these things.....  Because I believe they CAN be good for my family in moderation and using the right ones. 

Doing more research (remembering I am on a tight budget) I have the following questions:

Are there any organic farms that deliver eggs in the HRM area? There must be more than Compliments brand eggs!
Where is the best place to order meat? Sobeys questionable organics chickens for $20 from Ontario...yes something besides this as the only option. lol.
What is the best economical flour (besides the white stuff - healthy stuff!) to use in baking and cooking?
What are some good uses for Coconut milk....is there benefit in the natural occurring sugars? If anyone has looked it isn't that expensive at all....with a coupon I bought some for $1. 
What is an economic sweetener?  Honey, applesauce?  Can these be used in place of white sugar or will the baking be mushy? Cane sugar can be pricey but is this all there is?

This is an open discussion and one that would help out tremendously. 

So if you know some suggestions to one or all the questions feel free to comment on my blog or facebook.

Thank you! :)

Use up those bits!

That's what some British people say anyway....

So you are coming to the end of the week.  You need to use those veggies!  If you don't get the food box, you can still do this with what you have.  For those who get the food box weekly this is a good thing to do to save waste.

Say you eat at someones house, your kid has a birthday party and you could not get to all that goodness and you don't want it to go bad.

Here's what I did:

Pan Roast

Who doesn't like a good pan roast?

I used the bits I had on hand so please adapt it to what you have.

3 cloves garlic chopped up
1 yam chopped
1 sm Zucchini squash chopped
6 small potatoes -chopped into chunks
half red and yellow and green peppers - slices
a few mushrooms - sliced

I usually add onion but i ran out!
(You can also roast some cut up chicken or sausage or use as a side dish.)

Drizzle all over with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) - if you think it will be too dry only add a tiny splash of water or it will be mushy!
Add Rosemary, thyme, sage, some parsley if you have or you can use whatever herbs you love! I have a love relationship with Rosemary!

Mix all together, call it a day, roast in oven at about 375 depending on your oven for about 45mins to an hour.

The kids can even eat it with ketchup if you want.  Who cares, look how many veggies they are getting lol

Pasta and Swiss Chard

Pasta and Swiss Chard (adapted from Martha Stewart)  

A note of caution....do not eat this on a first date.  Eat it after years of marriage because your breath will stink! (just kidding...we should all be courteous and brush lol! - honestly this packs a punch, i brushed twice. ;)

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 small garlic clove (if you LOVE garlic use two...i did)
• Bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 3 tablespoons butter (or olive oil for healthier version)
• 12 ounces gemelli, fusilli, or other short twisted pasta
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 bunches green Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 pounds total), stalks cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (keep stalks and leaves separate)
• chopped tomato
• 1 to 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar (or balsamic dressing - 1tbsp)

 Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Chop garlic fine. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add crumbs and cook, tossing, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a bowl, and set aside; wipe skillet clean.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserving 1 cup pasta water, drain pasta, and return to pot. Set aside.
3. While pasta is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add chard stalks and 1/2 cup pasta water; cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add leaves, and cook until tender, 4 to 6 minutes more. Add chopped tomatoes. Stir in vinegar.
4. Add chard mixture and remaining tablespoon butter to pasta. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Thin with pasta water, if desired. Serve topped with breadcrumbs and additional Parmesan.

You could add meat to this like chicken.  It was light and tasty! (I feel she uses a bit too much butter so I mostly used some oil)

Sausage and Kale Soup

Believe it or not I have never eaten Kale until this meal. I have heard about the health benefits and it was in the food box.  It used up all the Kale and it was so so yummy.  My little guy even ate some.  He is 2 and I have a hard time getting him to eat veggies.

 

1-2lbs pounds mild italian sausage or lean turkey sausage

1 tablespoon oil

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

4 medium potatoes, diced

8 cups chicken broth (trust me use the low sodium kind or soup will be too salty)

1 bunch kale, chopped

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

12 slices baguette

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (optional)

 

 In large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and onions. Cook until softened. Crumble and cook sausage until browned and cooked through. (i suggest draining if too greasy)  Add potatoes, broth, kale and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for one hour.

 

Serve with baguette. This was delicious!!

Avocado Corn Salsa

Avocado Corn Salsa
(taken from  whatscookingamerica.net)

Ingredients:

2 small to medium ripe avocados, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely diced*
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced hot green chile peppers
Sliced olives (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
(I omitted chilies and olives and it was STILL delicious.) Preparation:
In a medium bowl, gently combine avocado, corn kernels, tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, chile peppers, olives, and salt.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to be served.
Yields 1 1/2 cups

 This stuff is addictive with tortilla chips....great way to use up avocado and tomatoes.

I will be making this again for sure!  There is none left and as a matter of fact there was none left after less than 30 mins lol.

Enjoy!

 

Video Discussion

Oh....I can't help myself.  Who can tell me what is wrong with this video?  I would like to open discussion in the comments if you have any ideas.  So please comment! It seems like what they are saying makes sense, it makes people feel better.  There are SEVERAL things wrong with the message in this video.  It is not a bad video but it certainly needs additional info regarding the products they just advertised as 'guilt free' and financially fit.

I will follow upon the next post and also include a recipe.
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/video/finfit-5-cheap-foods-healthy-123000669.html

Welcome Foodies!

Welcome to my blog.  Here you will find recipes for seasonal organic cooking.  I have started to receive a weekly, organic food box which I will be cooking from so the blog will be mostly seasonal.  I will also be posting frugal tips on saving money in order to buy organic and local.  I will also include posts on how to have fun on less money.  The thing I hear often from people is that eating healthy is too expensive.  Although some products can be pricey (especially here in Canada), if you use simple, yummy ingredients it works.  I did an experiment.

I bought 5 days of non organic produce and fruit.  $40
I bought a weekly food box for a family of Organic produce seasonal and fruit $55 including delivery.  The contents are posted early so I can plan my meals for the week around what is in the box.

I also did a grocery run for a week.  I purposely stayed in the fresh aisles as opposed to the middle aisles. (I bought some things like lunch items and cereal) and we had more food for a longer period of time.

I did a grocery run and skipped a lot of produce.  We were more hungry, our food didn't last long and i found the kids wanted to snack more.  Yes, it was about $25 cheaper for the week but by the end of the week I was wondering what we were going to eat.  No one had energy.  Not exactly a lifestyle that was good for a man who works a physical labor job and for children that are growing.  And myself...I have several health issues.  Mostly hormonal and other...but it has to do with my body.  I HAD to start asking myself what I was putting into my body and the bodies of my family.  If you put junk in front of kids, they will eat it.  If you put healthy foods in front of children they will eat it.  They copy what you do! It is not easy.  I still have cookie monsters in my house and that is okay.  Diets are a lie.  I am trying to make small changes and build.  Like making more of my own products, and introducing new veggies one at a time. This is not a blog who will suggest giving up a million things you love....like cheese, an occasional treat etc....this is a blog about change, about living and having fun with it.  This is not about dieting.  This is about understanding what is IN our food (and it is outrageous!) and saying NO to chemicals, pesticides, hormones and the like.

I hope you find here something you can identify with.  It is hard for families to make ends meet, especially on one income.  I truly believe in doing what you can when you can. Feel free to comment and share.

Healthy journey beginnings!