Our budget is pretty tight right now after recently having to replace our home's furnace and most of the parts that kept our family's van on the road. We are saving money by not eating out and by making meals from scratch, but I am spending more on many of the foods we buy.I am buying better quality meats and poultry now. No hormones or antibiotics or preservatives. Eggs are from cage free, vegetarian fed hens and we bought a half beef from a local farmer.
I can't afford to buy all of our produce organic, but I try to buy the "dirty dozen" from organic growers. I remind myself, "We'll pay now or pay later."
A recent meal is pictured above. Polska Kielbasa (I bought several packages to freeze after a recent trip to Whole Foods), onions, organic potatoes and carrots and organic beef broth. I threw it all in the crock pot early in the day and we all enjoyed a hot, tasty meal that night.
I am thankful that we made these changes to our diet last year and it hasn't been nearly as budget busting as I thought it would be.
Yes! I too can't help but think on the long-term ramifications of the chemicals on our veggies and fruits to our bodies and brains. . . and plastic too. Did you know plastic has actually changed human DNA? It is true! So every little bit we do to reduce the chemicals getting into our bodies, the better. But this is also the world we live in, so we can't expect to be completely plastic free or all organic--unless the world changes around us to make cultural expectations and consumer options different. . . . I do the same thing you are, trying to do organic where it counts most, regardless of the "price."
ReplyDeleteThose adorable "cutie" mandarin oranges at Costco? They taste like poison to me now. Seriously, you can taste the chemicals that get into the thin skin. Once that happens, when you can really understand what you are putting into your and your kids' bodies, it is much easier to fork out a little extra for organic!