• Top Fruits & Veggies to Buy Organic (Frugal Friday)

      Organic produce can get pricey, quickly!    We know that our health is worth the investment but, thankfully, we don’t have to buy ALL our fruits and veggies organic.    Check out the list below to learn which ones are worth the extra dough.  I recommend you print out this list (or bookmark it on your smartphone!) so you can have it when you shop. The Dirty Dozen may have 47-67 different pesticides on EACH serving, according to the Environmental Working Group.  Yuck!!  I honestly don’t buy the produce on this list at all anymore unless I can get the organic version.  (Did you see my post last week…

  • Free Kindle Recipe Books – Gluten-free & Yogurt!

    I LOVE free books!  Right now, you can head over to Amazon for some free Kindle downloads! Gluten-Free, Hassle-Free: Planning and Cooking Simple Gluten-Free Meals and Dinners Made Easy: Yogurt Recipes From Stonyfield Farms Remember that you don’t need a Kindle to read these! You can read them on your computer or smartphone, for free! Thanks, Surviving the Stores!

  • Pumpkin Bread Recipe (Tasty Tuesday)

    Last week, we looked at how to make our own pumpkin puree. This week, I want to introduce you to a delicious pumpkin bread recipe! Ingredients 1 cup real butter, softened 3 cups organic sugar 3 free range organic eggs 3 cups flour (your choice) 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 16 oz fresh pumpkin puree Directions In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture until just moistened. Stir in pumpkin. Grease two 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in.…

  • MSG-Free Soup Plus A Printable Coupon

    MSG (monosodium glutamate, also known as yeast extract and a myriad of other titles) is not a friend to our bodies. It’s a taste enhancer that is found in lots of our foods (not just Chinese buffets), but it’s also a known neuro-toxin!   Dr. Russell Blaylock (a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi) exposes some of the dangers of MSG in his book, Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills, including weight gain, brain damage, chest pain, allergic reactions, seizures, and many more unpleasant side effects. Why do I share all that? Your favorite soup is most likely harboring MSG. Sad, but true. After reading label after label…

  • Move over, Strawberries!

    You might remember my oh-so-sad post lamenting about how many pesticides (14!) were on the average strawberry. I’m not much for lamenting, but allow me a brief moment – apples are now the most toxic fruit in America.  The USDA tested 700 different apple samples and found residue from at least 1 pesticide on 98% of them. Worse, 92% of apples contained pesticides even after being washed and peeled.   What to do?   Buy organic.   More expensive in the short run, but MUCH LESS expensive in the long run (think, savings on health care costs!) I’ve kept my eye on organic apples prices lately, and the best deal…

  • The scoop on eggs

    Not so long ago, you only had to choose between white eggs and brown eggs.  I picked white, because they were the cheapest.  Now, store shelves are stuffed with different egg varieties.   If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between cage-free, free-range, and organic eggs and if they’re worth the price variations, read on! Factory farms, where chickens are raised en-masse, are pretty scary places.  New Yorker writer Michael Specter, on his first visit to a chicken farm, describes his experience: “I was almost knocked to the ground by the overpowering smell of feces and ammonia. My eyes burned and so did my lungs, and I could neither see…

  • How to Cook a Pumpkin (Tasty Tuesday)

    I love pumpkin season!  Fall is all about pumpkins for me and I get so excited when I see them in the stores!   (My own attempts to grow them failed miserably this year; maybe it had something to do with the drought.  Very thankfully, we are not relying on our personal garden for food.) I love cooking with pumpkins!  Pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pies, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin lattes!  So many things you can do with pumpkins! Since food loses so many of its nutrients when it’s processed, I try to make what I can at home.  Pumpkin puree definitely qualifies! Want to learn how to cook your own…

  • AWESOME service for new parents at Whole Foods!

    I want to give a shout-out to Whole Foods and let you know about an AWESOME service they provide for new parents! After your baby is born, Whole Foods employees will do your grocery shopping for you, and bring it out to your car – FOR FREE!! One of my friends just had a baby (well, a lot of my friends just had babies), but one particular friend used this service at Whole Foods and it was a fantastic experience for her. They brought out all her groceries to the car and loaded it up for her. Then, they even DELIVERED two bags of items that they were out of…

  • Preventing Illness – Vitamin D

    Vitamin D can be one of the most powerful vitamins in our arsenal to beating the flu before it starts.   As reported by the Daily Telegraph, studies show that Vitamin D is used in a complex process that prepare our “T” cells for immune system battles.  A deficiency in Vitamin D can hinder our T cells from doing their thing. Our pediatrician recommended the following doses: When healthy – Kids: 800IU  Adults: 4000 IUs When sick – Kids: 1600IU   Adults: 8000 IUs NaturalNews reports that 40% of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D and that we cannot get enough Vitamin D from diet alone.   Exposure to the sun (without…

  • Blueberry Scones (Tasty Tuesday)

    Blueberry Scone Deliciousness I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE blueberry scones. Apparently my little guy does too.  We made a batch this morning and he devoured them.  When I asked him if we should share them, he said no!   Once I clarified that I meant the recipe and not the scones themselves, he was all for it. He’s working on learning how to share… learning to share food is something I’m still working on! These scones came out soft and delicious – no hard bricks here!  (unlike the last recipe I tried…) Blueberry Streusel Scones: 2 c all-purpose flour (Substitute your favorite type here) 1/3 c organic sugar (Substitute your favorite…