One Step at a Time

It's been a while since I've posted.  As I'm still trying to hone in on the focus of this blog, I've taken a break to let my mind consider where I want this to go.  However, there have been lots of ideas brewing in my head and this one, I just wanted to go ahead and share.

When the thought occurs to you that you'd like to have a more healthful home with fresher, organic, or higher-quality products in your pantry or refrigerator, it oft times feels like "I must do this all at once!"  The overwhelming feeling that you must rid or clear your pantry or fridge of all-things-evil can consume you and rob you of any of the joy that does come with gradually transitioning your kitchen into a place of healthy, domestic bliss.  I've come to realize changes do not happen overnight, and often times, the best changes may take place over a long period of time (think, falling in love with your spouse, being pregnant, learning a language ... all of those things take time but are well worth it!).

One area that I've wanted to redo in my kitchen pantry are the types of products I let reside there.  In this case, my spices.  Since I've actually cooked more now this past year than I ever have in my life, all the spices I've acquired over the last few years are actually starting to run out.  Never in my adult life have I ever come to this point!  Beforehand, I moved too much to keep up with my spices and would start over, or I will willingly admit that I ate many boxed mixes of foods or convenience foods out on the go, and spices weren't much of a mainstay.  However, now that I'm a full-time stay-at-home-mom (SAHM for the savvy online mommas), I cook a lot more.

I've come to learn that organic, non-irradiated spices are the best quality.

From OrganicConsumers.org:

"'Virtually all conventional spices sold in the United States are fumigated [sterilized] with hazardous chemicals that are banned in Europe,' [Thomas Fricke, cofounder and president of ForesTrade, an organic spice company in Brattleboro, Vermont] says. 'And they may be produced in a manner that is destructive to the ecosystems where they're grown.' This includes cultivating spices on clear-cut lands and treating them with pesticides.

As a consequence, spices may be contaminated with pesticide residues and with genetically modified ingredients; almost 10 percent are irradiated as well."  

Thus, as I run out of my irradiated spices, I'm opting to replace them with organic, non-irradiated spices instead.  So far I've replaced my Vanilla, several times, with Simply Organic's Vanilla or Frontier co-op's version.  You can find Simply Organic coupons here.  There are also coupons for Frontier co-op products (spices, extracts, etc.) in the Fall 2010 Healthy Clippings booklet, available at Nutrition S'mart in Tampa or Wesley Chapel.  

In the Tampa area, I've found these products at Sweetbay Supermarkets, and Nutrition S'mart.  As I live about 30 minutes away from the closest Whole Foods or Greenwise Publix, I do not get to shop there often, but I'd be almost 100% certain they carry these lines as well.

So, unless you've found yourself winning the lottery, or are on a crusade to clear out every non-organic spice you have in the pantry, give yourself a break and gradually redo your pantry with non-irradiated, organic spices as you see the need.  Your pocketbook & mental and physical health will thank you.

Photo Credit

And then, be like me, and try to win a set of 50 organic spices & seasonings!  All you need do is submit a picture of yourself using a Simply Organic or Frontier co-op picture by November 15.  Sounds easy enough!  The link also includes $1 off a Frontier product!  SWEET :D

Saving money, being healthy

Photo Credit

If you're like me, you're interested in making the healthiest choices for your family at the lowest cost.  Short of making your own cleaning products--which I'm totally interested in but haven't tackled yet--one of my favorite brands to use in the home is Seventh Generation.  I love that they offer various types of products: paper, baby, kitchen, all-purpose, etc., and that they regularly offer coupons!

If you are not part of Seventh Generation nation, go check out their website. You can print each coupon twice in the given time period, and they refresh them periodically, so you should always go back to their website and see what coupons are new!

Now, if you really want to maximize your savings, wait to use these coupons for when the products go on sale at your local grocery, discount, or health food store!  (Tip courtesy of Meli @ Purely Saving!) You'll feel so good knowing you're using products in your home that do clean without dangerous chemicals!

CSN $65 gift-card giveaway!

One easy way to help nourish your home, whether you're a novice or an old-pro, is to make sure you have the right baking & cooking materials!  It can be really hard sometimes to weed out the good from the bad, but CSN Stores are offering a major giveaway on The Healthy Home Economist's blog!

The Healthy Home Economist writes:
"CSN Stores contacted me about doing a $65 Gift Certificate Giveaway to be used on any of their 200+ website network.   One of the websites, Corelle, particularly struck me as this is obviously high quality cookware that any Mom who spends a lot of time preparing nutrient dense meals for her family and friends would love to use in her kitchen."


I'm all about giveaways and I enter them frequently!   Who wouldn't want extra cook or bakeware for their kitchen?  I can see a saute pan or perhaps an extra baking sheet I could use!


So go to the The Healthy Home Economist's blog to enter for your chance to win!  There are several ways you can enter: subscribe to her blog/RSS feed; follow on Twitter; Facbook; YouTube; Google Friend Connect; tweet about the giveaway, post about the giveaway on Facebook or your blog!


Go, and do it today!  The giveaway ends Saturday, September 18 at midnight!

Going organic?

Often times when people think of living and eating in a more healthy manner, the first thing they tell themselves is, "Well, I MUST buy organic!  That is going to be SO expensive!"  or  "I don't know how So & So does it. They must have deep pockets, because have you seen that organic stuff? It's expensive!"
Trust me, we've all been there.  Feeling super overwhelmed about the prospect of finding and being able to afford all organic.  Wondering if we'll see dramatic impacts on our health.  Also wondering if we'll look ridiculous trying to ensure foods meet our organic "standards."

Well, I have good news!  At least when it comes to produce.  A while back, one of my favorite companies, the Environmental Working Group, created a list of "The Dirty Dozen."  If you follow any kind of health blog or news, you've probably heard this list come before.  The EWG ranked the fruits & vegetables most contaminated with pesticides in the dirty dozen list; in other words, the produce you WANT to buy organic.  They also have a list of the "Clean 15," which are fruits & vegetables with the lowest pesticide count, meaning you could go either way (conventional or organic).  You can even download a pocket guide here or find an app for your iPhone!
You better believe I carry one of these reference lists in my wallet.

One easy way for me to remember, when I can't scramble into my wallet to find the list, is to think of fruits or vegetables with thin skins as generally containing more pesticides if conventionally grown, and fruits & vegetables with thicker skins having more protection or barriers from pesticides if conventionally grown.  This isn't true in every case, but considering that peaches, blueberries, apples, nectarines, cherries, potatoes & imported grapes are on the dirty dozen list, I generally feel safe with this assumption.

Now, if knowing that some of your favorite fruits & vegetables are high on the pesticide list isn't enough to sway you in trying to buy organic or locally-grown, consider what pesticides might actually do:

"The growing consensus among scientists is that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and early childhood.  Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides." 

(EWG's Shopper's Guide available @ FoodNews.org)

Furthermore, a recent report from Pediatrics shows that there may be a link between pesticides found in children and the incidence of ADHD.  So, while sometimes it may not seem affordable, convenient, or just feasible to always get organic, it is still worth the consideration.  And if you can't, rinse your produce thoroughly!  Children have enough obstacles to deal with; preventing ADHD is just one wonderful way you can help them on to a better life!

So, if you buy organic, where do you get your produce?  At the grocery store?  Through a CSA (community supported agriculture)?   A co-op?  Your own backyard?  Do tell!

Where to start?

It's hard to be perfect, isn't it?  A lot of times we find ourselves stifled in a new endeavor, because before we move forward, we want to make sure we have everything perfect.  Sometimes, you just have to let go and start doing.  Go ahead, get your hands dirty, and figure it out as you move along.

And figuring it out is where Nourishing Newbie comes into play.  I'm learning, along with the help of a few good friends, new ways to provide more nourishing foods for my family's health.  I know we can't be perfect and that's not ultimately my goal.   My goal is to learn how to do things a bit more traditionally, and in the end, more nourishingly!

Whenever I figure out something new, I tend to want to share it with everybody!:  my husband, my friends, or even a perfect stranger I meet in a waiting room.  Blogging about it is an easy way to get a message across too.  On Nourishing Newbie the goals are moderation & improvement, not perfection, so you'll find how-tos, thoughtful considerations, and beginner tips all geared towards the novice.

There are so many view points on what you should and should not eat that it's hard to keep up!  I plan to help sift through it all and post my thoughts on what has worked for my family & friends.

Nourishing Newbie is about taking that first step towards living a more healthy life.  It might feel treacherous at times but it's so worth it!  So come along and join me on this journey!