Day 31 - Must be good to be a GMO apple part 2

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." unless it is an GMO apple.

If you read my post Day 9- Must be good to be a GMO apple you know about the experiment I am doing. Today it is the 22nd after I took the first picture (equals another 3 weeks). The apples have been already 4 weeks old when I posted the first picture. Too bad I don't have an organic apple to prove that apples generally don't last this long. So, to sum it up the apple as of today is 7 weeks old (almost 2 months!!) Is that a little concerning or what? 

I hear from people that GMO is not concerning, it is not harmful, there is no evidence that organic produce is better than GMO. I hear that the FDA would never approve anything that is harmful, I hear that all studies on GMO are safe...blah..blah..blah...Then WHY in the world wouldn't companies/government allow the labeling of GMO produce/food in the US? Germany for example is requiring labeling. I found a German article that states that in Germany there has been a mandatory labeling regulation in place since April 18, 2004!!! It includes all products that have been genetically modified even if the modifications are no longer traceable in the end product. This excludes the mandatory labeling for meat, eggs, and milk products of animals that were fed with genetic modified foods....I admire that! Why wouldn't it work for our country? Why would we automatically assume people would stop buying GMO foods since the majority is buying GMO foods already. I feel it is important to have a choice. GMO foods have been linked to allergies and cancer. I know that all is unsure, but why take the chance? I personally take a pretty firm stand when it comes to labeling. You might think I am a radical - but I rather take appropriate actions now and admit that I was wrong later instead of taking the chances - I am waiting for solid evidence/solid studies!!

 

German article from Wikipedia.de

"Seit dem 18. April 2004 besteht innerhalb der EU eine Kennzeichnungspflicht für gentechnisch veränderte Produkte. Sie schließt ein, dass alle Produkte, die eine genetische Veränderung besitzen, gekennzeichnet werden müssen, auch dann, wenn die Veränderung im Endprodukt nicht mehr nachweisbar ist. Ausgenommen von der Kennzeichnungspflicht sind Fleisch, Eier und Milchprodukte von Tieren, die mit gentechnisch veränderten Pflanzen gefüttert wurden sowie Produktzusätze, die mithilfe genetisch veränderter Bakterien hergestellt wurden. Ebenso Enzyme, Zusatzstoffe und Aromen, da sie im rechtlichen Sinne nicht als Lebensmittel gelten."

 

 

"Die Regulierung der Gentechnik ist außerhalb der deutschsprachigen Länder und der EU allgemein häufig weniger strikt. In den USA und Kanada ist Kennzeichnung z.B. freiwillig."

The above statement says that the regulation of genetic engineering outside German-speaking countries and the European Union is generally less strict. In the US and Canada the labeling is voluntary.

I have been reading up on GMO foods and it is truly hard to find some unbiased internet resources, because everything is backed up by high paying companies, just like Monsanto.  Just like "Marketplace, a program of American Public Media, has provided a soapbox to opponents of organics with a recent report titled "The Non-Organic Future." This poisoning of public radio programming -- and news that's assumed to be unbiased and fair -- aired on a program that has received substantial sponsorship from Monsanto, the corporation responsible for producing roughly 90% of genetically modified seeds around the globe."

But I do frequently check on Institute for Responsible Technology - Most Comprehensive Source of GMO Health Risk Information on the Web. 

"Our website has become one of the most respected resources for online videos, podcasts, blogs, and reports for accurate and up to date information on GMOs"

 

I came across this very interesting article on that website, that I would like to share with everyone. It's titled GM Toxic Chemicals found in pregnant women and fetuses.

"When U.S. regulators approved Monsanto’s genetically modified “Bt” corn, they knew it would add a deadly poison into our food supply. That’s what it was designed to do. The corn’s DNA is equipped with a gene from soil bacteria called Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) that produces the Bt-toxin. It’s a pesticide; it breaks open the stomach of certain insects and kills them.
But Monsanto and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) swore up and down that it was only insects that would be hurt. The Bt-toxin, they claimed, would be completely destroyed in the human digestive system and not have any impact on all of us trusting corn-eating consumers.Oops. A study just proved them wrong. Doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found the corn’s Bt-toxin in the blood of pregnant women and their babies, as well as in non-pregnant women. (i)(Specifically, the toxin was identified in 93% of 30 pregnant women, 80% of umbilical blood in their babies, and 67% of 39 non-pregnant women.) The study has been accepted for publication in the peer reviewed journal Reproductive Toxicology."

Don't want to bore you with details, but if you would like to read more click on the title and it will get you to the website and the article. I find it interesting and I don't feel this is some sort of conspiracy. It's just someone asking the questions that we never dare to ask or receive vague answers.

WISDOM OF THE DAY

The Idaho Farm to School Program works towards having Idaho-grown food served to students in Idaho Child Nutrition Programs. Child Nutrition Programs are buying fresh food directly from local farmers as a way of improving the quality and taste of their meals. These Farm to School Programs have a dual mission: they motivate students to improve their eating habits and health through improving the quality of the food served in schools, and they support local farmers.

Farm to School program come in many shapes and sizes unique to the communities that build them. After exploring the resources and existing programs, contact your state Farm to School lead for additional information and assistance specific to Idaho.

Leah Clark
208-332-8684
lclark@agri.idaho.gov

 

Day 30 - Quality of dining & tracing your food

Dinner

I just love organic food. I get excited every day when I think about what possibilities we have for dinner. When we started eating organic food, I was terrified and wondered how long we can come up with ideas on what to cook and what to buy. Now that we got the hang of it, we come up with the greatest recipes. I always have a tasty lunch for me at work (which consists of leftovers form dinner with a variation) and in the evening we get together for fine dining.

Home grown Aruguala

I have always been a big fan of Arugula lettuce. When I used to live in Germany, I spend few months in Italy and had many Italian friends. We always ate Arugula sometimes simply with olive oil and good balsamic vinegar and some fresh mozzarella cheese. Arugula has this spicy hint to it and tastes so crisp and fresh. I was worried that our garden Arugula might taste as bitter as my last year's lettuce. I cut it as suggested, took the outside leaves, washed it good and added it to regular lettuce (organic) from the store.

We made some spaghetti (Winco bulk $1.60/lb), fried the spaghetti with some garlic and olive oil in the pan, added Veggie Patties - Bocca Bruschetta Tomato Basil Parmesan ($2.69 at Walmart) and added our delicious Arugula salad (Tomatoes, Onions, Balsamic Vinegar/Olive Oil dressing). It felt like dining at a fine restaurant. Had some jazz playing in the background - one can easily forget we sat on our porch in Boise, ID.

Today I got back from the grocery store and purchased a bag of little golden potatoes and I noticed a little label on the package. It stated you can trace your food back. It is called Harvest Mark. I have never heard of anything like this and sat down after dinner to inspect the little label. They promise you can type in your label code and trace back your produce. Somewhat the same idea as a tracking number for UPS, just backwards. Unfortunately my tracking number did not bring up the farm it came from, it merely stated that it is a Kroger product. I heard good things about Kroger, but was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to see what farm it came from and other valuable information. They stated that if I don't see any info on there, I should just email them - that's what I did! I am looking forward to hearing back from them, because if it turns out that it actually work, I would love to buy more products that support the Harvest Mark. 

 WISDOM OF THE DAY

Tracking produce?

Less than 5 percent of US growers have advanced bar code traceability systems. Canadian growers have almost 100 percent traceability. That is being remedied with The Produce Traceability Initiative, an industry-backed drive that has the backing of the FDA.

The goal over the next three years is to introduce a standardized approach to the tracking of produce, and to achieve supply chain-wide adoption of electronic traceability of every case of produce by 2012. 

- This article is from 2009 http://www.am-fe.ift.org/cms/?pid=1000857

 

Day 29 - Conscious, creative eating and updates on our garden

Since we didn't go grocery shopping on Sunday, just like we do every week - we now need to be creative with the food we have at home. Skipping our weekly grocery shopping will not bring us through the week, therefore we will have to run to the store at least once or twice to get some food, but essentially we are saving at least $60 for this week. We are out of bread, vegetables and fruits and some snacks. 

Last evening I had to come up with some dinner ideas. Here is what we ate:

Salmon patties, black beans, wine leaves (filled with rice) and orzo. We don't buy organic fish but everything else was organic. This was the first time for me making and eating orzo. I think I overcooked it but it was soo delicious. I think orzo is one of the best food options for children. They are tiny, it's pasta, little sticky, kids think it's rice, and the colors are fun. We only had two more salmon patties left and figured Amelie will probably enjoy a natural chicken/veggie hot dog instead. And she did. Here is a picture of Amelie eating dinner. 

I always talk about how well she is eating now (with some exceptions) but I am now providing the proof. 

 

 

 

 Yesterday evening I finally got to work on my weed-overgrown garden. The weeds are just too persistent and too happy to grow next to our veggies. Why not? We take good care of the garden and once they get settled and are not removed, they will invite all their other weed friends and hang out until they get kicked out for vegetating.

We spend about 2 hours pulling weeds. The garden looks nice and well-arranged now. Looks like we will be eating Agricola salad tonight. Currently it is a race which vegetable will be edible first. It's the vegetable countdown. I assume they will all be edible at the same time. I have used cilantro and parsley in the past weeks. It is sort of cool, you look at the recipe and realize "Oh, I need cilantro.." So, I grab the scissors, walk outside and cut some cilantro from the garden. Convenient.

 

Arugula lettuce (left) - regular lettuce (right)

Amelie understands that the garden will bring us fruits and vegetables. Yesterday evening when she hung out with us in the garden, she spotted a strawberry and got so excited: "Mommy, mommy, I found a strawberry. Can I please have it?" It made me so happy. She always offers her help in the garden and I do view this as a educational family activity.

WISDOM OF THE DAY

To harvest Arugula, pick off the outside leaves at the base of the plant. Leave the center growing point intact for the future harvesting. To use Arugula in cooking, add fresh leaves to salads, it goes great with Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar. It can also be put on pizzas or added to soups.

Day 28 - People ask me why...

I have been writing this block for 4 weeks! Every day! And I will continue for another 337 days! I am pretty proud of our family to make the change. 

People have started asking me why we are doing what we are doing....

I guess I didn't clarify, therefore I will take the opportunity to write about it today. Here are 10 reasons why we switched to organic food and why I am writing this blog.

1. This blog has been created to share OUR experience switching to an organic diet. What we learn, how we cope, how we feel and what difference it makes.
2. It is NOT intended to persuade nor convince my readers. I DO NOT view people differently who eat non-organic food. I don't really care what you eat!!
3. This blog is intended to keep a diary for our own purpose
4. It is for people who always wondered what organic food is about
5. It NOT intended as a diet
6. And it is an "trial and error" approach - trying to eat better
7. We are not mainstream and therefore we take a drastic approach and ask where our food comes from and what we put on our plates
8. We enjoy quality food - and it just tastes BETTER
9. We intend to EAT healthier
10. We want our daughter to grow up healthy  and since researches and studies are uncertain and vague we will try to provide the best food possible.

 

I don't know what my readers think when they read my blog, because I don't get very much feedback/comments on here. All I  see is that people are reading...

I think a lot of people view us as fanatics, but we are only trying to be responsible parents. If you watched Food Inc. and various other movies, if you learned a bit about the "secret" world of food and food production - you JUST CAN'T CLOSE YOUR EYES AND PRETEND EVERYTHING IS GOOD!

WISDOM OF THE DAY

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.

Read more here

Day 27 - BBQs, stomach and back to organics

This weekend we attended two bbqs. Needless to say none of them were organic, and that's ok. The first bbq we attended was catered and had bbqed chicken, pulled chicken/pork, potato salads..pretty much your everyday bbq food. It was really good and I am not sure if I overate, or am not used to non-organic food anymore or a mix of both. The first one was on Friday and the second one was on Sunday. After each of them I had a acid reflux , the food traveled back towards my throat and for more than 8 hours it felt like I had a rock in my stomach. My stomach didn't process the food and was just resting in my stomach, I felt really heavy, uncomfortable and very bloated. I felt throwing up. ( I never did) Don't misunderstand me, the food at both bbqs was great, but I am not reacting well to it anymore. And at both bbqs, after I finished eating I had the crazy urge to eat more sugar or junk food. It took me the entire weekend to readjust. I felt really crabby all Sunday afternoon. 

 

I made some healthy & tasty snacks for Amelie on the weekend that I wanted to share with you. We all love strawberries and I wanted to make a good use of all of them before they go bad. And yes organic fruits and vegetables are going bad real fast. I guess that's the natural way, that I forgot over the years. You just can't have an apple for months looking fine, or can you? :)

Well, I bought these Popsicle containers at the dollar store to make organic fruitsicles. I don't know if the popsicle are doing their job, because it didn't really stick to the fruit mixture, it might have been too early. I pureed organic strawberries,  and mixed it with organic milk and added the no-hormone whipping cream and a teaspoon of unrefined raw organic sugar. I ate one and they were very good. I am surprised how easy they were to make.

fruitsicles

 Amelie is being potty trained and we are rewarding her with treats. In the past we gave her Dora/Curious George candies, now that we don't give it to her anymore, we found organic fruit sticks. She really likes those. I always try to come up with healthy rewards . Next time she will successfully go to the potty, she will be rewarded with fruitsicles! She doesn't even know she is being rewarded with fruits...healthy stuff..harharhar...evil parents...:)

Natural Burgers, black beans, Mac & Cheese

This Sunday we didn't go grocery shopping, because we still have plenty of food and I really like to push ourselves to save even more money than we already did by switching to organic food. I discovered the bulk cookery. I love the bulk sections and love making up my own recipes. I stumbled upon natural burgers and purchased them. I made them for one of our lunches on the weekend. They are wheat/grain burgers with no meat at all. I was worried about Amelie, but she discovered dipping them into ketchup and finished the whole thing. Tom didn't care for them too much, but didn't mind it. I liked them but if I make them again, I will add more vegetable or additional ingredients to them. They were a little plain, but super handy and not bad considering the easy preparation. Add water to the mix, stir, form patties and fry! Done. :)

Day 26 - Whole Wheat-chocolate chip-blackberry pancakes

 

I love weekends with the family and I love experimenting with food. We started the morning with whole wheat chocolate-chip-blackberry pancakes for breakfast.The recipes is super easy. It's a bulk pancake mix (organic), I add milk to make it a nice dough and add the chocolate-chips and in this case the blackberries. One can add any fruits but blackberries and chocolate..hmm..(raspberries are great too). Fry them in the pan on both sides about 3-5 min. and done!

Here is the final product

I generally add peanut butter on top of it. Tom puts honey on his. I purchased a really great pumpkin/peanut butter which is super expensive, but I like is so much that I eat it on almost everything. It's called Naturally Nutty and cost $10.25 in our local bakery. I was able to afford only one. On their website you can get it for a lot less but then they add on the shipping charge, if I can get enough people to buy some with me and spend $80 total the shipping is waived. Here is the website for the wonderful pepita sun seed butter . I am considering making this myself - I looked at the ingredients, bought them and am now trying to figure out how I can put them all together and make them taste as good. I know it is a secret recipe  and most likely can't reproduce it but I will try my best. 

Franzi and me

Today was the day, I had my friend Franzi coming over to show me how to bake cookies. She is a great baker and makes great cakes and pastries. We followed a recipe but modified it with the organic agave syrup and instead of regular flour we used whole wheat flour. This was our first time making cookies with agave syrup. We tried really hard, and I wanted to thank Franzi for taking the time to teach me how to make organic whole wheat chocolate-chip cookies.

Here is the outcome! A giant cookie! hahahaha

 Well, people liked it despite the flat appearance. You can def. taste the syrup and to me it is not a pleasant taste. I can live with it but would probably prefer organic unrefined sugar in the future. I am back to zero on the cookie baking..and maybe there is a spell on me and my oven..hahaha..

I think the first time I have to do, is find a recipe that included whole wheat and then I will be able to follow the recipe 100%. I will keep you posted.

 WISDOM OF THE DAY

Unrefined sugar

When it comes to choosing sugar, there is no doubt that unrefined raw sugar is the best choice. It contains minerals and nutrients that are stripped from refined white sugar and regular brown sugar. Raw sugar contains roughly eleven calories per teaspoon and has the same vitamin and mineral consistency that is found in the juice from the sugarcane plant. These minerals include Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium.

Day 25 - Young children and organic food

Hello friends! The weekend is coming and it looks like it is going to be a beautiful one. 

I love how people are sharing all sorts of things/ideas with me, from the time they started reading my blog. For example, our friend Jeni. She just posted the cutest video on my facebook page. I am doing some organic/non-organic (GMO) testing myself with apples (if you read my GMO apple post). Watch out for my upcoming post on June 30th - you will be shocked!!!

  

What a cute little girl! I hope Amelie will be interested in doing  a project like this is if we still have an access to organic food in the future. We always tell Amelie when she is eats something: "Wow, these organic strawberries taste good, huh?" Not for the reason of being snobby or judging  organic or non-organic food - I feel she needs to know that we prefer organic and she will learn to differentiate between the two, one of these days. I think having a garden and harvesting our vegetables (once the time comes) she will understand the importance of quality food. I personally don't want to judge or tell people they need to switch, I  am merely trying to observe the things I am learning while adapting to an organic lifestyle. And no - it is NOT A DIET - if the weight loss comes with it...great..but it's not the reason. (This is a clarification for my dear friend Bella :) )

Lately we have been pushing it and expect her to eat the exact food we are eating without any modifications. Well, she does better and I try to make it fun for her by making chocolate chip pancakes (wheat)  or any other fun food ideas and she doesn't complain, but when it comes to eating quinoa or couscous she really is not falling for it. And the fights at the dinner table are heated, well not really heated fights but  there is a lot of bartering....it can get tiring. But I think it's also a kids thing...at times I give her yogurt that she asked for two minutes before I give it to her and she just looks at it and says...NO! I don't waaant it! At the same time she is eating a lot better than expected. We have dinner EVERY NIGHT as a family. We rotate who makes dinner or how it fits in our schedule, but dinner together is a must. In the past Amelie used to sit in her high chair and threw the food around or didn't eat much anyway, now that she adapted to our routine, she has become more conscious about eating what mommy and daddy are eating - hence we are saving a lot of time and money because she is eating the SAME stuff as we are. We don't give her some food we know she won't even touch, (more for us) but otherwise she eats what we eat. 

Yesterday I found this book at the library and I absolutely love it. Therefore I ordered it on Amazon today for next to nothing! This book contains really healthy and super fun recipes that not only kids will love. I am excited to get started this weekend.

I think the main reason we started this organic lifestyle is due to our daughter. She is our number ONE and I know it benefits her and I can only hope that we are setting a good example for her. I would also wish that she understands the difference when growing up and makes a good choice in the future.

Today we are going to a big BBQ and provided will be non-organic meat. We are doing really well adhering to a balanced and organic diet in our personal life and sometimes it is  unavoidable to always eat organic and since we are carnivores we will def. enjoy it!

WISDOM OF THE DAY

Organic food and children

Why are children at greater risk? First, they ingest more food and water per pound of body weight than adults, so any exposure is greater in proportion to their size. Second, these chemicals may be more harmful to developing organs and bodily systems, including neurological and reproductive systems, than they are to mature bodies, as most pesticides work by disturbing reproduction in pests – and unfortunately, these chemicals also disrupt hormones and reproduction in wildlife and human beings. Children may be much more at risk than adults for pesticide exposure, and may suffer greater harm to health and development from exposure research and analysis has shown in the past 3 decades. Yet standards for safety and tolerance limits for these chemicals rarely include adequate consideration of the risks to children.   Until very recently,  the established food safety standards for food chemicals were for healthy adults. 

- http://www.intmedsolutions.com/blog/organic-foods-and-children-why-organic-matters-the-most-for-kids/

Day 24 - Vegenaise & quinoa my new friends

I have blogged about Vegenaise few posts ago and finally got around to buy a jar. I love the taste/use of mayonnaise but can't eat it without getting sick. We cut mayonnaise completely out of our diets years ago, but at times mayonnaise is required for certain things. The jar of Vegenaise was about $3 and equals a regular size of a jar of mayonnaise. It smells similar but tastes a little different. And it has no eggs! Yesterday was the first time I tried it. I mixed salmon with Vegenaise and put it on my Cilantro-Spinach tortilla. Added a little spinach and cheese...and YUM! Today at work I forgot to pack some tortilla but were still able to eat some salmon with melted cheese mixed with Vegenaise and some spinach added for nutrients. It was really good and I was able to enjoy the Vegenaise even more. I highly recommend it to people who have issues with mayonnaise but still need some sort of mayonnaise-supplement.

I am sure if I would serve Vegenaise at a potluck nobody would be able to tell the difference.

Boise's weather is finally catching up with the season! We are enjoying the hot weather and the garden is def. benefiting from all the sunshine. I replanted some plants, but they died because of the extreme weather conditions and also due to my not so skillful replanting. But the kohlrabi, broccoli, zucchini, peas and cilantro are looking real good! We were even able to eat ONE strawberry (well Amelie was the honorable one)...hahaha. Strawberries are not doing too well, but I guess one has to have a lot of plants in order to benefit from them.

Organic quinoa

Tonight our dinner plans were quinoa. The first time I read about it was in Anna Getty's Organic Cook Book. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about it. The weekend we visited Tom's parents, Tom's mom taught me a little about the interesting little plant - which is used as a grain but has nothing to do with a grain. Weeks later, my co-worker Stefanie came to me and asked me out of nowhere if I ever had quinoa and let me taste her deliciously prepared quinoa salad. She even gave me the recipe. (Thank you Stefanie) I finally got some organic quinoa at the Co-op. Luckily Stefanie told me how she prepares hers which saved me a lot of time and headache. I put the quinoa in the rice cooker added some water and ta-daaaa...perfect little side dish done!

Salmon patties with cheese & quinoa

I added some cucumbers, sea-salt, pepper, olive oil, olives, a little lemon juice, black beans, fresh onions and done! (ingredients all organic - besides the sea-salt) We purchased some inexpensive frozen salmon patties. I didn't have many expectations, but those patties barbequed on the grill...wow! Full of flavor, topped with Tillamook (white aged cheese) - you got a real good meal. The quinoa and the salmon complimented each other so well. I am def. going to make this dinner more often.

WISDOM OF THE DAY

What? How do you pronounce quinoa? That's how you pronounce it: KEEN-wah

Though not technically a grain, quinoa can substitute for nearly any grain in cooking. Actually the seed of a leafy plant, quinoa’s relatives include spinach, beets and Swiss chard. Due to its delicate taste and rich amounts of protein, iron, potassium and other vitamins and minerals, it is quite popular. It is also a good source of dietary fiber and is easily digested.

Quinoa is an ancient crop that grows in poor soil, dry climates and even mountain altitudes. It is native to the Andes, but is also grown in South America and the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Although it can grow in arid conditions, it thrives best in well-drained soil. You should be able to find quinoa in health food stores and larger supermarkets.

A quinoa grain is flat and has a pointed oval shape. The grains exist is several colorations, including yellow, red, brown and black. When cooked, quinoa expands to about three or four times its size. It also has a unique texture; the grain itself is smooth and creamy, but the tail of the grain has a crunchy texture. 

-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-quinoa.htm

Day 23 - Restaurants on my mind..

What if you are tired of cooking and want to feel spoiled and have someone cook for you? Well, you go to a restaurant. But there are not very many healthy/organic ones here in Boise.

I am surprised that there are only so little organic and health conscious restaurants. I am sure it is not easy to maintain an all organic kitchen with the prices and quantity needed to keep the prices low for customers but still..we don't have much to chose from here in Boise. I would love to go on an organic restaurant trip. I am excited to go on a trip anytime but making it like a hobby to test, find and review organic restaurants/cafes. 

Well, I have been looking for some healthy organic restaurants here in Boise, because we already went to two of the restaurants I wanted to check out. Now there is one or two I would like to try.

One is called: Zen Bento - here is an excerpt from their website.

• SALMON: 6 ounce North Atlantic salmon filets.
• AHI: 4 ounces of sushi grade Ahi.
• TOFU: 5 ounces of organic tofu. Need we say more?
• VEGGIES: Broccoli, green and red cabbage, yellow squash, zuchinni and carrots comprise our veggies. Our veggies are hand cut and steamed with no added seasonings, oils, butter or preservatives. Natural.
• RICE: Each Bento has approximately 10 ounces of Japanese steamed rice (also known as “sticky rice” or medium grain rice). We offer both white and brown rice. Of course, the brown rice is known for having more nutritional value due to the added fiber. Calories are the same. The Zen Salad has approximately 4 ounces of rice.

It sounds pretty good. They state they do not use MSG and state on their website: Although the goal was to provide a healthy alternative to the typical fast food routine, Zen Bento did not advertise itself as a "health food establishment", for fear of the negative image it might generate. Rather, Zen Bento opened its doors and offered its product and let the public decide if  they liked it.

There are two locations in the area.

1000 North 10th Street
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 388-8808

42 East State Street,

Eagle, ID

(208) 938-4277

I will check them out and post about it. 

I received a link from Ashley (thank you Ashley) to an interesting article.

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/menshealth/photos/10-dirtiest-foods-youre-eating#0

The title of the article is: 10 Dirtiest Foods You're Eating

I appreciate all feedback, posts, and links/articles people have been providing me with 
for the past weeks. I want to thank everyone who is showing interest and taking the time to read my blog.
THANK YOU!

When it come to our finances and eating organic food, we are doing really well. I went to the doctor yesterday and they checked my blood pressure (it is not an all around check-up just a basic) and I was told that my blood pressure is REALLY good. When I asked what does that mean..and she just said: "Well, let me put it this way - it's a better than good". I am so happy because I know that few years ago, it wasn't so good. I don't know much about it but I want to say that our diet is contributing. I will learn more about my stats once I go to my other doctor for an annual check up, which is beginning of July.  

WISDOM OF THE DAY

I guess reading this now, makes a lot more sense. I must be really sensitive to even a little bit. Now that I have been paying  attention to what I eat I have not got sick for over a month! The Consumers Union, the advocacy group behind Consumer Reports, recently tested 484 raw broiler chickens - the kind that show up in the supermarket coolers - and found that 42 percent were infected by Campylobacter jejuni, and 12 percent by Salmonella enter-ides. Campylobacter jejuni: A bacterium that typically infects the bowels. Now the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning. Campylobacter jejuni is most often spread by contact with raw or or undercooked poultry. A single drop of juice from a contaminated chicken is enough to make someone sick. Disease caused by Campylobacter jejuni is called Campylobacteriosis.

Day 22 - Soups & organic hair/skin products

Yesterday my friend Diana, who is by the way very organic conscious as well, brought her home made organic cabbage soup to work. I ate it at lunch! Wow. I think soup making is a skill and that soup was just right on. Perfectly seasoned, full of vegetables (I can't even tell what was in there, because there was so much) and still organic. I really like the little cherry tomatoes in the soup. Well, that def. encourages me to make more soup. I am excited to try some soup recipes as long as they require easily accessible ingredients. I hate when recipes are asking for things I can't even pronounce. Most of the ingredients that are foreign to me are foreign to our state/area, plus it's for a SOUP!!! not some luxurious three course meal. 

Anyway. I had the Perfect Soups book checked out from my local library and returned it now to look for some other soup books. I love the way the book was setup, step-by-step instructions with photos. I like it that way!

I also have been a little experimental and made organic whole wheat pancakes with spinach, onions and zucchini the other day. I liked it, Amelie ate it and Tom "pretended" liking them. But I thought it was a good idea to eat them as a side dish with our organic chicken drumsticks.

The package of 6 chicken drumstick was about $4.00 compared to buying a 20 pack of non-organic chicken drumstick for $4.00 or less. But the difference is the TASTE! Turns out Tom does not like chicken drumsticks as much as I do, but when we both took our first bite we were amazed how yummy they taste. Tom said, "I never liked the chicken you bought at Winco (but he still ate it), but these are really good". I ate two and the third one smelled funny. The chicken was purchase last week and I believe it should have still be good. When I opened up the package to prepare the chicken it smelled a little funny, but who really likes the raw smell of chicken?

I was not worried or concerned. And I did not get sick or nauseated as I generally do when I ate non-organic chicken. But once I took a bite of the third chicken, there was the smell again. This was the first time that organic food grossed me out a bit. But the most important thing to me is that I don't get sick and that the taste is good - and naturally the quality. Like I mentioned the first two drumsticks were amazing!

I am now three weeks into blogging about our organic lifestyle/diet, but have wondered about some other things that come with organic lifestyle. In the past I used to buy bulk lotions/oils and shampoo at Co-op and the Dragonfly. Mainly because it was inexpensive and smelled so unique. I used to use almond oil for my skin and it complimented my skin so well. I also used to make my own shower gel at Dragonfly (which is more expensive than store-bought) but I used to be crazy about sandalwood and patchouli. (I know, I know..patchouli is an acquired fragrance)

On Sunday when we did our weekly grocery shopping, I looked at some hair/skin bulk products at Co-op. I purchased organic jo-joba oil and natural shampoo. The shampoo feels weird on my hair, but makes my hair feel soft as soon as it's dry. The oil smells good and keeps my skin smooth all day. I like to apply it to dry areas, like my heels and legs. It's too early to tell if they are any better than regular store-bought products, but they are way cheaper. I am looking for people who switched to organic skin/hair products and would like to see their point/experience. In the past I have tried to make my own skin/hair products from vegetables/herbs and natural products and they generally smelled awful and were hard to store, but they surely are fun to make.

WISDOM OF THE DAY

The question for me is why use organic hair/skin products? Conventional hair products contain petroleum-based polymers, silicones, synthetic chemicals and colorants that can cause scalp irritation, dandruff or even hair loss. Organic hair care products are only made with natural plant ingredients that nourish, balance and moisturize hair without harming your scalp or damaging the environment. I have discovered in my small research that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate are used in a lot of hair and skin products. This inexpensive detergent is commonly used in cosmetic cleansers, hair shampoos, bath and shower gels, bubble baths, etc. - It is probably the most dangerous ingredient used in skin and hair-care products. In the cleaning industry SLS is used in garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers, car-wash soaps, etc. It is very corrosive and readily attacks greasy surfaces. I don't know much about it and know that my hair has been o.k. all my life so I don't know what to think about all organic products, but I will give it a try for few weeks, mainly because it is less expensive than the items I use.

Day 21 - Pesticides...pesticides and did I mention pesticides?

Hello friends of healthy food! Well, earlier when I was doing a little research I came upon this website: What's on my Food? and realized that it is a pretty cool website. I have read about pesticides and the affects and know the vegetables and fruits that contain the most pesticides but this website has a search engine that provides all pesticides found on fruits/vegetables and even lists the name of the pesticides found. I researched the topic pesticides and came across some interestining things:

"Seven of the most toxic chemical compounds know to man are approved for use as pesticides in the production of foods! Who approved them? A multinational organization called The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)"  - http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/effects-of-pesticides.html

  

Pesticide residue is being measured in MRL and EMRL which stands for Maximum Residue Limits; Extraneous Maximum Residue Limits. According to Los Angeles Times an article on June 13, 2011 states that  "Of  700 apple samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 98% contained pesticides, moving the fruit to the top of the group’s “dirty dozen” list...Fruits and vegetables with the lowest pesticide levels include onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocados and asparagus." 

So, if you think about it picking five servings of fruits and vegetables from its dirty dozen list would result in consuming an average of 14 different pesticides a day. Nice! Would you like to have some pesticides with your fruit or do you want to have it on the side?

Well, I find it disgusting that apples are one of the fruits suggested by many to promote a lot of health benefits, but yet if it is not an organic apple it is possibly harmful. At this point there is not much of evidence that sounds reliable to me and I will look into it a little more but at this point I am running into articles about a possible connection to ADHD ( attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and pesticides. 

Organophosphate pesticides are a potential contributor to ADHD in young children. Organophosphates are the basis of many insecticides, herbicides, and nerve gases. But most of the studies uncover only an association, not a direct causal link between pesticide exposure and the developmental condition. There is evidence, however, that the mechanism of the link may be worth studying further: organophosphates are known to cause damage to the nerve connections in the brain — that's how they kill agricultural pests, after all.

Not only are vegetables and fruits facing the problems of pesticides, but also herbs like cilantro/coriander. At least 34 unapproved pesticides showed up on cilantro samples analyzed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the agency's routine testing of a rotating selection of produce. Cilantro was the first fresh herb to be tested in the 20-year-old program.  Washing did not remove the unapproved pesticides found on cilantro samples tested by USDA. The cilantro results have captured the attention of both regulators and industry leaders, who said they would take action in response.


History of pesticides.
Since before 2000 BC, humans have utilized pesticides to protect their crops. The first known pesticide was elemental sulfur dusting used in ancient Sumer about 4,500 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. By the 15th century, toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and lead were being applied to crops to kill pests. In the 17th century, nicotine sulfate was extracted from tobacco leaves for use as an insecticide. The 19th century saw the introduction of two more natural pesticides, pyrethrum, which is derived from chrysanthemums, and rotenone, which is derived from the roots of tropical vegetables.

WISDOM OF THE DAY

Worldwide, about 3 billion kg of pesticides is applied each year with a purchase price of nearly $40 billion year. In the USA, approximately 500 million kg of more than 600 different pesticide types are applied annually at a cost of $10 billion. Despite the widespread application of pesticides in the United States at recommended dosages, pests (insects, plant pathogens, and weeds) destroy 37% of all potential crops. Insects destroy 13%, plant pathogens 12%, and weeds 12%. In general, each dollar invested in pesticidecontrol returns about $4 in protected crops.

Day 20 - Father's day, all organic cookery and shopping

Happy Father's day to all the great dads who make a difference! Especially my schatzi Tom, who is a wonderful and caring daddy to our daughter Amelie. To make a special day for him I decided to cook all day and give him a break from cooking. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with a bonus of organic chocolate chip cookies.

 Breakfast was organic scrambled egg sandwich. I am not a good cook and can never make eggs really good. I think organic food makes me a good cook. The eggs were fluffy and super good, I put hummus on the bread and decorated it with organic green onions.

For lunch Amelie requested a peanut butter sandwich with apples. I thought that I should try our new bulk wheat organic pancake/waffle mix. I still had organic chocolate chips left over from the cookies I gave up making. I mixed the pancake mix with organic milk and put some of the chocolate chips in it. Super easy fast lunch that satisfied the entire family. As Amelie requested I cut up some apples for all of us (organic apples) and put natural peanut butter we buy in bulk at Winco. Everyone enjoyed it and finished their plates with no complaining. (Who would refuse this lunch anyway??)

Dinner was a little bit more challenging. We had organic ground beef left, which was in the fridge for a while and needed immediate attention. I decided to make some Frikadellen (which is very similar to hamburger patties). Chopped up an onion, put in some organic oats, bread crumbs (non-organic), a little organic ketchup and mustard (non-organic) and mixed it together. I am always worried that the patties will fall apart and they generally do. Some say it requires eggs to keep it from falling apart and some state that eggs are not necessary. So, I did it without the eggs. I pressed them really really good together and handled them with care and no sudden moves in the pan. I fried them with olive oil, the only thing we use to prepare food in the pan. Well, they actually started falling apart but they made it all in one piece on to the plate.

We purchased only 1/2 lb of organic ground beef for about $3 and I got two patties for each of us and one for Amelie. In the past we purchased 1 lbs of non-organic ground beef, now we just have to buy a little less in order to keep the same price. I made two side dishes, organic Tabouli with fresh cucumbers and organic zucchini with organic garlic. Yum! Amelie generally does not eat zucchini and refused this time as well, but she at the patties and even asked from some Tabouli. For dessert and mainly as a reward for Amelie, I made us an organic vanilla yogurt with organic blueberries.The yogurt was purchased at Walmart - a big pot of organic vanilla yogurt. I crushed the blueberries in the yogurt, but Amelie ate everything except the "yucky stuff" a.k.a. organic blueberries...hahaha...

I noticed that I can cook a lot more and better from bulk. I really enjoy cooking, as long as I am not hungry. Once I am hungry I have to eat something little first in order to enjoy the process of cooking. Now that we have been shopping a lot more controlled and with purpose we established a little routine and are trying out a lot of organic bulk grains, pasta, flour and anything that looks appealing in the bulk section. I am desperately looking for glass jars or actually any containers with lids to put my bulk stuff in. If you have any let me know!! I already started three and am still working on some more. Here is the first look at my bulk pantry.

My bulk containers

I use chalk paint for them. Tape them off with masking tape and spray them. Once they are dry you can use chalk to label them. The benefit is that once you change your bulk you can change the label easily. 

First cookies that turned out!

My secret - cookie mix

 I made chocolate chip cookies for Tom.  Yes, I did! But I made them from a box! I am meeting with a friend this coming weekend, who is a great baker and she will teach me how to bake cookies. (organic whole wheat cookies) Until then I am o.k. with a cookie mix. I used a familiar one, which is Dr. Oetker, it is a German company that produces baking powder, cake mixes, yogurts, frozen pizza and pudding. The cookies were soo yummy. I added natural peanut butter to the second batch and Tom and I like those much better. The package was just about $3.00 - unbeatable price. It's hard to find good inexpensive cookies, organic so for now this is the solution.

Sunday is our day to plan for the upcoming week. And after we made plans and figured out lunches/dinners we went grocery shopping. First we went to Co-op and purchased just about what we purchased last week with $5.00 more than last time (mainly because I am trying organic shampoo and lotion from bulk). This time we did not go to Winco and decided to try Walmart. 

We purchased mainly organic items at Walmart. Winco & Walmart serve as an additonal store for things we either can't effort at Co-op, are overpriced or simply not available at Co-op. We spend about the same at Walmart as we spent last week at Winco. In summary we spent $5.00  more at each store this time, which equals $100.00 total for groceries for this week. I hope we can keep the bill down in the future and still continue saving money despite eating/buying organic food.

 WISDOM OF THE DAY

I would like to use an excerpt for today's Wisdom of the Day, from one of my favorite organic books "Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic - by Anna Getty" "In 2007 there were 21 major episodes in the USA involving beef products contaminated by E.coli, up from just 6 episodes in 2005. Several factors are thought to explain the dramatic increase: Perhaps a more virulent strain of the bacterium has emerged. Maybe the heat wave in the summer of 2007 increased the stress level of the cows. Or bacteria is getting into the distillers' grain which is fed to cows. Organic beef cattle are finished on pasture and grass-based forage instead of corn, which reduces stress on the animal and the frequency of E.coli"

Day 19 - Homemade soup

Today I tried making a homemade soup - Spiced Carrot and Orange Soup. I made it from this book. The instructions are easy and the soup was super yummy. I will be posting photos of the soup soon. It was actually so good that I decided to make this soup this week again. It is pretty inexpensive. Here is what you need: ( the recipe will be available in the recipe section.)

1 1/2 lbs carrots

1 onion

2 oranges

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tsp coriander/cilantro

salt & pepper

Chicken/vegetable stock

light cream

Preparations for the soup

All of the ingredients I used are organic and not too expensive. We got carrots for $1.99, onion for about $1, oranges for $0.90, vegetable stock $2.40, light cream $0.80. Equals just about $7 for the entire family (and plus another toddler I was watching that day). I think this is pretty good. We had some bread with it and were satisfied.

The final product - yummy soup

I am playing catch up with my blog, I somehow got busy with life and wasn't able to post. I am now writing everything from memory and can't remember what else we did on Saturday. Therefore this one will be short and from now on I will try to keep posting everyday.

 WISDOM OF THE DAY

 Not only do organic carrots taste sweet and even a little juicy the main reason our family will stay away from non-organic carrots is that according to the USDA Pesticide Data Program carrots in the US can contain up to 26 Pesticide Residues Found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program . You can check out the link here.

Carrots that are not organic may contain pesticides such as: Linuron (herbicide that kills weeds without harming vegetables), Trifluralin (Trifluralin is a commonly used pre-emergence herbicide. With about 14 million pounds used in the United States in 2001), Pyraclostrobin (Pyraclostrobin is an agricultural pesticide product used to kill fungi) and many others. The website also contains interesting health effects - not sure if that is reliable but an interesting fact, which I will have to research a little more. To me a good reason to adhere to an organic diet, not to fond of pesticides for dessert. :)

Day 18 - Sangri-La Tearoom and Drive-in Theater

Finally it's the weekend. Today we decided to start the weekend with eating out. One of the restaurants/cafes we wanted to try was Sangri-La Tearoom. Once we got there we were greeted by the nice staff and sat at one of the quaint tables in the yellow-green-orange painted room. Tom ran into a friend who was just picking up food for the band CAKE!!! Cake eats at Shangri-La!! How great to hear that a band was ordering food at the same place we were eating, I surely wished that they would have decided to dine in instead of having the girl who works at the venue, pick up their food. I don't believe that Shangri-La is all organic but it is vegetarian and healthy. Therefore the prices are decent and affordable for us. They have many good things on their menu just like: Pita sandwich, Hummus, Tabouli, Baba Ganouj, soups, Southwestern Wraps and many more. Shangri-La is famous for their good teas.

 We ordered a pot of Morrocan Mint Tea for only about $4, which came with tiny cups. We had to let it soak for at least three minutes indicated by the hourglass the staff provided us with.

Mint Moroccan Green Tea

It was really refreshing and minty. It became a little bitter after about an half hour but it was still drinkable. The tea was kept warm with a tea candle. This was really nice because we both were really hungry and the tea kept us sane while we were waiting for our dinner.

I ordered the Pita Sandwich (Dubliner Cheese, Hummus, spring greens, avocado, red pepper, cucumber and veganaise  on Pita bread). And Tom ordered a Southwestern Wrap (Black beans, corn, goat cheese, spring greens, tomato, cucumbers, mango-chile salsa on chile-tomato tortilla). It was so so good. We are still not used to small portions because we inhaled it just before the server could bring our glasses of water. 

We were still hungry and ordered Baba Ganouj with pita bread. I never had Baba Ganouj before and was intrigued. Baba Ganouj is a Lebanese dish of aubergine (eggplant) mashed and mixed with Virgin Olive Oil and various seasonings. It tasted like hummus. Tea, both meals, plus Baba Ganouj cost us $28 without tip. It's a little bit more than we wanted to spend, due to the somewhat small portions but super quality food. We enjoyed it a lot and are going to return one day. I think they even serve beer, would be nice if they have some quality wine, then you could hang out there and enjoy an evening drinking wine, with tea as an appetizer. Right after dinner we went to our favorite wine store, because they have wine tasting on Fridays. Even though the organic wine we purchased at the Co-op store was absolutely great, we will drink non-organic wine and get an organic wine once in a while. Wine is the only thing we are not going to change.

Baba Ganouj

Pita Sandwich

Southwestern Wrap

After that we headed to the Drive-in Theater and I wanted to make some snacks, but since we both felt full from the dinner at Shangri-La, so all we packed it some water, Chilli-Lime Almonds and the rest of the organic chocolate we had. During the movie I felt a little nauseous, a familiar feeling I know from the past. I haven't felt nauseous for over a month and am thinking that the organic diet is doing me good. I believe that the Almonds we brought along were just filled with things that my body is not used to anymore. I am going to research the ingredients and learn more about all the foreign ingredients. 

WISDOM OF THE DAY

What is Vegenaise? I personally can't eat mayonnaise, because I always get sick. I am not allergic to it or the eggs but nevertheless I always have to vomit 6-7 hours later. So, I only eat mayonnaise in very tiny portions and only if I have to. Yesterday on my Pita Sandwich was something called Vegenaise. I wanted to know more and here is what I have found: 

Vegenaise®, pronounced either Vegan-naise or with a soft g sound like vegetable, is a vegan spread similar in taste to mayonnaise. Mayonnaise requires eggs, so the company Follow Your Heart® created a new name for this mayonnaise substitute. With four different types available, Vegenaise® isn’t just for vegans. Folks allergic to eggs or or who want to cut their cholesterol intake slightly may also enjoy it. Follow Your Heart® is the company that produces the product, and it’s also the name of a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles which opened in 1971. The restaurant is located at the back of the Follow Your Heart® store.