The Organic Chowdown — The Dirty & Clean List

A lot of people, myself included, have started moving towards organic eating but sometimes its just not completely possible. I buy organic food from different venues but due to limitations such as availability and budget buying all organic isn’t possible.

Every year the Environmental Working Group releases two lists: The Dirty Dozen & The Clean Eating. These lists are based on the amount of pesticides found on fruits and vegetables, a guideline to reducing pesticide exposure in our diets.

The dirty dozen plus encompasses a list of the 12 foods with the highest levels of pesticides. The clean 15 list are the foods with the none to least amount of pesticides found. The “dirty” list are the foods that are best bought organically to reduce pesticide exposure but if not possible its best to clean these foods thoroughly before consuming them. The benefits of the fruits and vegetables with or without pesticides is greater than not consuming them or eating processed foods.

Check out EWG’s Dirty & Clean List

The Dirty Dozen Plus Foods:
* Apples * Celery * Cherry Tomatoes *Cucumbers *Grapes *Hot Peppers *Imported Nectarines
* Peaches *Potatoes *Spinach *Strawberries *Sweet Bell Peppers *Kale/Collard Greens *Summer Squash

These foods have thin layers or are foods that we eat with the peels.

• A good rule of thumb for when to buy organically is to see if the skin is thin or if you are eating it whole. If you have to peel away layers for foods like onions, avocados, and corn they are usually safe foods.

 

Buying organic foods on a budget can be a ordeal, check out your local farmers markets and stores like Kroger, Trader Joes, or other supermarkets to get the best deals. I buy most of my dried organic foods online check out my post and the discount code provided for $10 off your first purchase. 

 

Haul of Organic Foods from iHerb & Discount Code

I was recently running a little low on a few pantry items and had my eye on a few new products. I like to use iHerb.com to order a lot of my products because they are always reasonably priced and it gets delivered to my door. I realized quickly that some things were just way to expensive to be buying at my local grocers despite having such a wide variety in Chicago.

iHerb.com offers groceries, supplements, bath and beauty items, kids/babies products, and many other range of items. I recommend getting all your pantry items and supplements here! Scroll down to see the discounts offered and a code I have available.

Here is what I picked up for this order

**Everything Ordered is Organic**

1)Flax Seed Meal

2) Buckwheat Flour

3) Oat Flour

4) Apple Cider Vinegar

5) Extra-Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut Oil

6) Unsweetened Coconut Milk

7) Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

8) Dried Cranberries

9) CocoCardio unsweetened (Cocoa, beet juice, and hibiscus flower powder)

10) Salted Sesame Sticks

11) Coco Butter Chapstick

12) Gummy Multivitamins

13) Toffee Chocolate (not pictured)

— everything for $52.. how great of a deal is that? If you are interested check them out at iHerb.com. They offer shipping worldwide and the code supplied can be used worldwide as well!

Discounts available:

• 1st time users: Use code RIM717 to get $10 off $40 or more of items or $5 off for smaller orders
• Free 3 day shipping for orders of $40 or more (always!)
• Plus they offer discounts (automatically applied) of 5% over any order over $60.
• Free Sample of your choosing from their sample tab

** Disclaimer: I am not paid or compensated for this post. The referral code given is my generated by iherb.com which is given to every customer to use**

Homemade Fruit Yogurt Cups

I love yogurt with fruit and granola. Its perfect for warm days as breakfast or as a snack. Its fills me up, its healthy, and it satisfies my sweet cravings. I have a huge sweet tooth that I’m learning to satisfy with fruits instead of chocolate. I won’t lie though I will find ways to sneak in some chocolate chips into my meals every once in a while. 

As I was saying, I love yogurt cups and I’ve been eating those Chobani single serve cups for the last year or two and I love them. However, I am on a budget and trying to cut out sugar in my diet. Thus, my homemade yogurt cups were born. 

I bought a large container of plain non-fat Chobani greek yogurt for approx $5 at Kroger that will yield at least 10-15 yogurt cups. Plus I can use it for so many other things in my kitchen! 

Want it on the go for work or school? Mix the yogurt, fruit, and honey in a mason jar or small container for the day or have a week of them stored in the fridge. Have granola in a zip-lock bag so you add ig when ready to eat and still have the crunch.