First Go at Organic

In an effort to be healthier and after some research on going organic on a budget, Andy and I (okay, I have...Andy's just along for the ride) have decided to try to begin introducing some organic stuff into our lives (thanks, Liz, for the inspiration!). We don't have the income to go 100% organic but we're making a conscious effort to put better things into our bodies.

In my research on going organic, this document from the Environmental Working Group has helped us to create our priorities regarding which foods to definitely get organic and which foods not to worry much about. I also appreciated this blog post because it gave a list of the top things to buy organic. Armed with my information, I headed to the Farmer's Market yesterday morning to check out the produce and talk with the family that sells organic meat and eggs a few Saturdays a month there. (Before I go on, I should clarify the word "organic". I'm less concerned with making sure that things are USDA certified organic and more concerned that the products are simply grown or produced without the use of pesticides, herbicides, and hormones.) Unfortunately, that family was all out of ground beef for the season, and eggs that day, but did direct me to Hansen's Outlet, which is just a few blocks from our apartment and sells all kinds of great food! There I got ground beef, eggs, and cheese. The man working was so thoughtful and helpful and really took the time to explain a lot of stuff to me. Hansen's is famous around here for their milk, and the man working said that they go through as many as 300 gallons a day! After going to Hansen's I made my way to HyVee, our local grocery store to check out their organic section (it's nice that organic is becoming so much more trendy...it makes finding quality food less impossible) and found milk (the most delicious milk I've ever had) and some yummy produce for reasonable prices. Once I got home, I showed Andy all my delicious finds and he thought I had gone crazy. I turned many of my ingredients into a delicious beef, cheddar, and potato pie that I found in the latest issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray . It was so fun to make and I was really excited that the majority of the ingredients were organic. In Andy's words....we've created a monster!

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11