First up- the winner of the Canadian Neal Brother’s Contest…
I didn’t have many people comment on the GMM, so your chances of winning were MUCH higher than usual! ;)
Congrats to Heather! Heather please email me your address and we will get this wonderful Neal Brother’s package sent to you! :) Thank you for everyone who made a comment on the Green Monster Movement!
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Yesterday, we did a quick grocery shop to stock up on some food we ran out of over the weekend.
The organic grapes were on sale so we got 2 big bags! I think these are the first grapes I have bought all season because they are just so darn expensive. They are totally splurge worthy though. I had a huge bowl last night. Sadly, I don’t think they will last long in this house!
- Organic spinach on sale
- Nature’s Path Flax Plus Cereal (my new obsession)
- Almond Breeze in Original
- Kraft Light Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Mary’s Organic Crackers
- Twelve Grain Tortilla Shells by Country Harvest
- 4 tomatoes
- Bananas
- Bag of avocados
- orange + yellow pepper
- Cantaloupe
- Red + green organic grapes
- 3 Zucchini
I have been asked whether I buy exclusively organic produce when I shop. The quick answer to this is no.
The more lengthy answer behind it is for a couple reasons. 1) We used to buy everything organic that our grocery store carried. Since starting up Glo Bakery however, we made many cutbacks on our spending. One of the first things that went was organic produce. The only things I tend to buy organic now are spinach, kale, apples, and tomatoes (all high risk for pesticides that I eat every single day!). I also try to buy organic tomato sauce whenever possible. However, I don’t tend to buy organic peppers, zucchini, avocados, or other produce items (especially if it has a thick skin that is not eaten) simply because of the cost.
We also buy some organic produce like grapes when it is on sale. Otherwise, everything else you see is just regular produce. And 2) Our local grocery stores don’t have a large organic section so there are many products that they simply don’t carry organic, or they do carry it, but they are never fresh. No thanks!
I am thinking about purchasing a local CSA for the fall season, but I need to look into it more and research the costs.
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Today’s question: Do you buy any organic produce on a regular basis? Why or why not? If so, what types of things do you buy organic?
Buy organic meat if you’re not a vegetarian. That and organic dairy products is really important due to growth hormones. The veggies you mentioned (high risk for toxic pesticides) are also important, but personally I feel organic meat and dairy is a priority.
Nice haul! I do mostly like you, and buy organic produce for the stuff with very thin skin, like tomatoes, blueberries, apples, spinach. Or the stuff I eat every day. The rest is nonorganic, because of the price.
I do the same thing pretty much! I eat apples, spinach and bananas everyday, so those are organic without question. Mostly everything else is just regular. I hit up our local farmers markets to save money and support the local community as well! It is hard being a college student, but at least I am spending my money on organic produce and not beer & pizza, right?! Haha!
I buy organic apples and spinach but that’s about it that I make the decision to buy. If I buy it at Costco or our local market (not grocery store) I don’t have a choice – it’s usually organic!
I am about half and half on purchasing organic produce. I don’t make a big deal out of it because the regulations aren’t as strict as I’d like to see anyway so I don’t think it is worth it most of the time. And money is tight so that’s that. I would LOVE to do a CSA but we haven’t had the budget for it at the moment. Hopefully if I land a new job, we can!
Freeze some of your grape and throw them in your GM, one of my fave additions.
Hi Angela, I tend to spend alot on groceries. I tend to not spend alot other places to compensate. I know you and your husband are trying to cut back. If you dont mind I was wondering how much you spend on groceries. I usually spend $60 a week and its just me. My excuse is that I have a digestive disorder and need to be careful about what I eat.
Thanks :)
i normally do not buy organic produce unless it is on sale, or the only option. i have a tight budget!
-muffy
I try to buy organic when it is available to me. Though not everything I buy is organic because like you my store has limited organic items. I guess the one thing that I always buy organic is spinach.
Stop by my blog I am giving away a copy of Entertaining in the Raw this week!
It depends on where I am. I make trips to many stores, so I will usually buy whatever is cheapest wherever I am, be it Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Costco, or my local supermarket. My husband is a thrifty shopper, so its hard to talk him into buying everything organic if we don’t need to. If I shop without him I tend to throw more organic items in my basket though…sneaky :)
I buy organic sometimes, but usually it’s only when the price is similar, the same, or even less on rare occasion (a couple weeks ago organic peaches were on sale for less than regular ones!). I buy the PC Organics spinach and baby carrots on a regular basis since they’re basically the same price as non-organic and I find they actually stay fresher longer and look better from day one. For other things I just find that the cost of some items is too high, especially when I’m trying to eat on a student budget.
ugh, i hate how expensive grapes are! but i break down and buy them because they’re just so delicious! and i do buy organic produce on a regular basis. i try to buy everything organic that i can. but for example, if i’m really in the mood for something like a banana, and only the conventional ones are ripe, it’s not to say i won’t have one! but fruit with really thin skin and other high-risk produce, i try to always eat organic. i think life is too short to be a TOTAL and complete stickler about it though.
This blog is great! Very interesting about the organics. I know the ADA goes back and forth enough lol. I’m always wondering which is really better. All those fruit and veggie pictures made me hungry! :-)
I think right now it’s just too expensive. I’d love for organic to become the norm, so that prices would be comparable.
I don’t really think about organic when I go grocery shopping. I shop mostly at Trader Joe’s, and there isn’t a huge variety for each different vegetable. There’s one type of broccoli, pepper, avocado, etc. One thing I purposefully don’t buy organic is bananas because of the thick skin/peel. And I buy SO MUCH spinach, that that extra $0.50 will add up to a lot over time. Maybe I’ll switch a few of my products to organic when I make more money!
No. Organic fruits and veggies are outrageously priced in the stores. Instead I shop at local farmer’s markets. They might not be certified organic, but are damn close.
I do pretty much the same thing as you do, but also I REALLY try to get peppers organic. They are SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE though :-( I hope that as more people buy organic the prices will come down so that more people will be able to afford organic. Fingers Crossed :-)
I started buying Organic milk (just the store brand) full time a couple of months ago. My reasoning is that it’s only an extra 10c a week and worth it to have less crap :) Plus it lasts longer so if there is a week where I don’t have as man bowls of cereal, then I don’t have to feel guilty about wasting it since it’s still goof the following week. However when it comes to fruits and veggies I really only buy organic if it’s on special. I do buy free range eggs (organic when on sale) and free range chicken/meat etc
One thing my mum told me was that you shouldn’t feel guilty spending money on good, nutritious food at the supermarket – think of it as an investment in yourself and it’s still cheaper than eating out! :)
I’m like most of you guys, I buy organic when it’s affordable and available. The only exceptions are the dirty dozen fruits and veggies – if I can’t buy them organic, I won’t buy them. I buy a lot of organic frozen produce because it’s usually cheaper and it doesn’t go bad. We also always buy organic dairy, eggs, and meat products.
I try to buy as much as I can organic, but not if it’s too costly. One of the benefits of summer is I can go down to the farmer’s market and pick out fresh organic veggies that are grown 5 miles away from my house.
Things like grains and cereals I haven’t been buying organic, but I always buy organic eggs and meat and make sure that they are antibiotic free as well. I’m hoping to get some chicken and eggs from the same farm I get my produce because I know that they are handled well and live a good life.