The Case For Buying Organic

Most of us are aware of the ongoing debate of organic vs. non-organic. I hear from other moms all the time: 'we can't afford to eat organic' or 'that's just a load of hooey'. I, for one, believe that to make sure my children can be the healthiest they can possibly grow up to be, I must start somewhere. I started by taking baby steps: every time I went grocery shopping I would try a new organic product. This went on for about a year, and now we drink organic milk (tastes WAY better), eat organic fresh fruits and vegetables, honey, pasta, tomato sauce, tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream, juice, and the list goes on. The more people buy organic, the more the market swings in that direction and the prices come down.

I look back about 5-6 years ago, when my son was a toddler, as a single mom I couldn't even fathom buying organic. It was so expensive! "6 DOLLARS FOR AN APPLE!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!"  But now it's approximately 1 dollar for an organic apple (or cheaper if you buy in bulk from online distributors, such as SPUD.ca). It's simple economics, supply and demand if you will.

I borrowed an interesting cookbook from the library a few weeks ago, titled Everyday Flexitarian. This is a wonderful cookbook. It can be broken down for Vegetarian and Meat-lovers alike in a single recipe. In the forward, the author, Nettie Cronish, explains why it is important to eat organic. (She gets her information from the Organic Consumers Association):

• Organic foods contain higher levels of beta carotene, vitamins C, D and E, and essential minerals.
• Organic foods are free of food additives (such as colour dyes), flavour enhancers (like MSG), artificial sweeteners (like aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup), contaminants (like mercury), and preservatives (like sodium nitrate).
• Organic animals are drug free: they are not given antibiotics, growth hormones, arsenic or genetically modified vaccines; they are not fed slaughterhouse waste, blood or even manure (chicken manure is reportedly used sometimes as a supplement to a cow's diet), thus eliminating the risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, aka mad cow disease.
• More than 400 chemical pesticides are used in conventional farming, and residues remain on or within the cell walls of produce even after washing. Children are especially vulnerable to pesticide exposure.
• Organic food is not genetically modified.

Now, if money were not a factor would you choose organic or non-organic foods? Now that we know what is lurking at the supermarket, can we really ignore the facts that things like dyes, aspartame, HFCS and nitrates are going into our children's mouths? ONLY WE CAN INITIATE CHANGE. Nothing will change unless we do it first.

Do it like I did, in baby steps. Here is my 3-step guide to getting your family eating healthier, more beneficial foods:

1. OBSERVE:  Next time you need to go buy groceries, just observe. See what kinds of organics are available at your local supermarket and what the price difference is. Some supermarkets such as Loblaws (Superstore, Extra Foods, No Frills, etc.) are actively trying to keep the price of organics within a reasonable range of the non-organics. They do this to encourage people to buy organic even if it's not in their budget. For example, today at my local Superstore regular bananas are $0.77/lb and organic bananas are $0.97/lb. Only a few cents difference! Even if you're buying a crap load of bananas, it's only a $1 difference for 5 lbs of organic bananas.
2. ACT:  Once you know what is available, buy it. Start with just fruits, or just vegetables. It can be daunting when you realize just how much organics are out there. If you start small it will be easier. Organic apples are the best fruit to start with, and any other thin-skinned fruits as they soak up pesticides like a sponge. Even washing only gets rid of the stuff they spray on right after they're picked. The chemicals they spray on fruit while its growing is ingrained into the cell walls forever. Yum...
3. MAINTAIN:  Once you're on a roll, all you have to do is maintain. If you run out of ketchup, go buy some organic ketchup. Heinz even makes organic ketchup now.

See? Once you get going, it's as simple as 1, 2, 3. My family eats about 60-70% organic now. We will eventually be moving into the organic, grass-fed meats department. But this is our final step in the organic process. Look for this logo on certified organic Canadian products: 

Another great step to take is to plant a garden. I have a 10' x 10' plot in our local community garden (that's 100 square feet of gardening space!) and I purchase organic seeds online. This helps cut down our grocery bill in the summertime. The other day, I pulled at least 5-6 lbs of green and yellow beans, 2 lbs. potatoes, 8 large beets, a handful of fresh peas and a nice handful of cilantro (ALL  FOR FREE!). We had a feast to say the least. I encourage you to start your own organic garden, either in your own backyard or find a community garden in your town or city. The internet is full of information for brand-new gardeners. Even if you don't have a green thumb, you can grow a garden, trust me: the sun and the rain do most of the work.

Follow my blog here and I will continue to post tips for buying organic and also delicious recipes for you to try in your own kitchen.

Oatmeal & Cornflake Cookies

1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix well.Use a cookie scoop and roll in crushed cornflakes. Flatten with fork. Bake 350F for 12 mins. Only do 12 to a pan, they spread. These are so good! Everyone in our family loves them!

Meatball Stew

So I was trying to figure out what to take to my SIL's the other night for family dinner and this is what I made. It turned out awesome and delicious. 

Meatball Stew:

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 2" pieces

5 new potatoes, quartered with skins on

1 cup vegetable (or beef) stock

2 cans tomato sauce

2 tsp. thyme

Salt and pepper to taste 

18-20 handmade or store bought meatballs, thawed

Sauté onions, carrots, celery in Dutch oven over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, except meatballs and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 mins or until potatoes are fork tender. Add meatballs; heat through. Serve hot with garlic toast or crusty rolls for mopping up the sauce. Makes approx. 6 servings.

Would also be good with some fresh cremini mushrooms, quartered instead of green beans. 

Cabbage Roll Soup

This recipe started out as me wanting to make cabbage rolls, then I couldn't use the cabbage because the leaves weren't whole for rolling them up. So I decided to make soup instead. It has all the same stuff as you would find in a good cabbage roll but in a delicious, warm-you-to-your-toes soup!

Cabbage Roll Soup:

2-3 Tbsp EVOO

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 lb. ground pork

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 head green cabbage, cored & chopped

6 cups Low Sodium Organic Vegetable Broth

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 cup cooked long grain white rice

Heat a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add EVOO, onions and carrots. Cook 5 mins then add the ground pork, cook until no pink remains. Add garlic and cabbage, stirring to keep the garlic from burning for 3-4 mins. Once cabbage starts to release it's juices, put the lid on and let it cook on low for 5-10 mins, it will really cook it down and look nice and translucent. Now add the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste. I usually add some Epicure seasonings such as 3 Onion Dip Mix or Hot Artichoke Dip Mix at this point to bump the flavour. When ready to serve, add the cooked rice and allow to heat through 1 min. Spoon into bowls and serve. Yummy!

Extra options: add a can of diced tomatoes for extra oomph.

Born Safe, Born Naturally, Born at Home: My Home Birth Story

My husband and I's home birth story starts nearly 10 months ago when a tiny little '+' showed up on a home pregnancy test, just 8 days before our wedding. I immediately turned on my computer and applied with every midwife within a reasonable driving distance. I did a BIG happy dance when I was accepted with one of the midwives in the city. All of our tests came back normal and healthy so I was a perfect candidate for home birth.

My husband has 2 boys and I have a boy, both from previous relationships, so this was our first child together and we were rooting for a girl. At my 20 week ultrasound, the tech confirmed that we were indeed having a girl.

Everything went very smoothly throughout my pregnancy, no morning sickness, textbook heartburn and swelling, but nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until I was 38 weeks, and my blood pressure shot through the roof. I was sent to the nearest hospital to test for pre-eclampsia. After two hours, it was determined that I did not have pre-eclampsia, but rather, I was just doing too much. My midwife heard of all the cleaning and organizing and meal-making I had been doing and shook her proverbial finger at me. However, my midwife needed the approval of the Obstetrician on duty at the hospital to release me, and he was in surgery performing C-sections for four hours before I finally had enough and checked myself out. During those four hours, two resident doctors came in to check on me, and tried to convince me to stay and be induced. Their reason: simply on the basis of my high blood pressure... I politely declined the first time, then not-so-politely declined the second time as well. They tried scare tactics such as 'you could have a stroke,' to which I replied that anyone on the planet, at any given moment could have a stroke. So, being the rebel that I am, I signed the 'Against Medical Advice' release and drove myself home.

Another week went by before early labour set in. Three days of tiny, little, ignorable contractions (this was definitely the most frustrating stage). And finally on Monday, April 29, just before dinner, the REAL contractions started. My mom came over to make dinner and my sister-in-law came over after work to help out with the kids.

The midwives came to check me and I was 3cm dilated. I laboured long into the night and at 3am, the midwife suggested we go to the hospital, as my contractions weren't all that strong, consistent or close together at that point, to get a dose of a labour-enhancing drug. I cried, because I really didn't want to go to the hospital. I liked being in my house, surrounded by my things and my family. I asked her to just give it another hour, to see where things went and when she checked me again a little bit after 4am, I was finally 10cm dilated! She told me to go have a couple of pushes on the toilet, then we could get comfy on the bed for the finale. I hobbled over to my master bathroom, sat on the toilet and after the second push I felt her head come way down. I freaked right out, thinking she would fall out right into the toilet, so I hobbled back to my bed, screaming 'SHE'S COMING!'. I leaned back against my husband, one midwife braced one of my legs and my mom braced the other.

And then I pushed through two contractions and SHOT MY DAUGHTER OUT LIKE A CANNON. Lol the midwife was telling me 'Don't Push!' but it was like stopping a freight train, my beautiful little girl was born at 4:35am on April 30th. She was perfect and healthy, with ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes. Thanks to the skills of my amazing midwife, I didn't tear at all. She was 7 lbs 12 oz and 20" long. It was immediately decided that she looked like my husband.

A few days before I went into labour, I watched a VERY interesting documentary by Ricki Lake, called 'The Business of Being Born.' It will totally change how you view hospital birth, home birth, doctors and midwifery. I highly suggest watching it, even just for the educational benefit of it.

As far as hospital vs. home birth goes: every woman should make the decision that is right for her. But, seriously, I had my son at a hospital with a doctor and it was a completely different experience than having my daughter at home with a midwife. I totally enjoyed my home birth experience, well, as much as a woman in pain can enjoy things, I guess. I felt empowered. Kind of like: 'I am woman, hear me roar.' There is nothing that really makes you feel like a true woman than overcoming the pain of childbirth and having that perfect little present in your arms as your reward.

West African Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew, Red Beans, Jollof Rice & Fried Plantains

For dinner tonight, I got it into my head to make something different. I had come across the recipe for West African Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew from Recipes From a Pantry a few days ago and, well what can I say? It inspired me. I headed into town to a local African market to pick up a few things and I was on my way.

Here is how it turned out: PHENOMENAL! My husband gobbled it up and so did my mother, who happened to be over for supper. So, here are my versions of the original recipes. I tweaked them, as I usually do.

Clockwise from top: Jollof Rice, West African Red Beans, Fried Plantains, West African Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew

West African Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew:

2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. oil
8 chicken thighs
1 sweet onion, sliced very thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, roughly chopped
2 Bay leaves
1 cup water
1 - 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 Maggi cube (*sold only in ethnic/African stores)

Preheat oven to 350'F. Season sweet potato chunks with 1/2 tsp of the ground coriander and 1/2 tsp. of the ground ginger, salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp. oil. Mix well and bake for up to 30 minutes, turning once. Season chicken with remaining ground coriander, ground ginger, salt and pepper. Heat remaining oil in a pan, fry chicken until cooked through, remove from pan and set aside. In same pan, add onions, garlic, peppers and bay leaves, fry 1 minute until fragrant. Add water, simmer until onions are soft, stirring occasionally  Add diced tomatoes and Maggi cube. Simmer 15 more minutes. Add chicken and sweet potato to the pan; simmer another 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Makes 4 servings.


West African Red Beans:
(original recipe here)

1 cup dried pinto beans, thoroughly rinsed
1 1/4 cup onion, chopped, divided
1-2 Tbsp. oil
1 - 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste

Soak the beans overnight in 2 quarts of water, or you could quick soak them by putting the beans into a heavy pot and cover with 2 quarts of water, bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the beans soak, uncovered for 1 hour. Bring the pot of soaked beans to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add 1/4 cup of the onion and simmer, partly covered, about 1 hour, or until the beans are tender but not mushy. Drain the beans and set them aside. In a large skillet, heat the oil, saute the remaining cup of onions until soft and translucent, but not brown. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Stirring frequently, simmer the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the beans and cook, uncovered, for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Makes 6-8 servings.


Jollof Rice:
(original recipe here)

1/2 large onion, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
1 Tbsp. oil
1 Bay leaf
2 Tbsp. water
2 1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 2/3 cups basmati rice
1/2 can coconut milk
1 1/3 cups water
1 Maggi cube
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan, add onions, garlic, bay leaf and 2 Tbsp. water. Stir fry 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, fry for 30 seconds and add the rice; stir until completely coated. Transfer to rice cooker, add coconut milk, water and Maggi cube. Mix well, adjust seasonings. Cook until done, fluff with a fork. Makes 4 servings.


Fried Plantains:

2 large ripe plantains
salt to taste
oil for frying

Peel and slice the plantains, add to hot oil in pan, sprinkle with salt. Cook until brown on bottom side, flip and cook until brown on other side. Drain on paper towel; serve. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Bacon Corn Chowder

I adapted this recipe from one I found on Gen Y Foodie's blog (link here). I changed up the seasoning and added chicken, basically. So props to Dara a.k.a Generation Y Foodie ;) Oh and P.S. it makes more than you realize, I had so much leftovers. Easy to double or triple this recipe for crowds.

Chicken Bacon Corn Chowder:

Photo is courtesy of Gen Y Foodie's Blog

1 onion, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 lb. smoked bacon, diced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into very tiny pieces
1 Tbsp. EVOO
2 cans whole kernel corn (1 kernel and 1 creamed would be yummy too)
1 lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2" pieces
4 cups low sodium organic vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups Half & Half creamer
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. VE Seasoning for Hot Artichoke Dip
1 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup fresh chives, diced

In a large soup pot (once you have removed the stickers on the inside & green army men that my son had in there... lol) saute onion, bacon and celery in EVOO on medium heat 5-6 minutes. Push everything to the outside edges of the pot (creating a hole in the centre); add the chicken. Cook, stirring, JUST until chicken no longer pink in the middle. Do not overcook the chicken or it will be tough. Add corn, potatoes, stock, salt, pepper & seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes (or until potatoes are fork tender). In food processor (or blender or whatever you have), puree 1 1/2 cups of chowder with 1 Tbsp. flour. Whisk back into pot. Add half and half and chives, Cover & simmer 10 more minutes. Serve hot with garlic toast on the side. SERVES 6-8.