Trying to "Go Green" for my family

[Ufi]

Spending the money on food I might not eat has been a factor for me. I feel guilty about buying all these fresh fruits and vegetables and not eating them, which is incentive to eat them. Having made it a priority to eat them, there's less room to eat unhealthy food.

[nelie]

I shop at a lot of different stores. Whole Foods may be one of the best places for you to shop but you need to look around and see what you can get for the best price and where you can get it.

1) We have a Safeway near us that has a lot of organic and natural stuff. Sometimes the stuff is on sale to help make it really cheap. I got a carton of organic soy milk for under $1 last time I went.

2) Whole Foods has some GREAT bargains. Their store brand is awesome and often they will have some produce on sale for cheap. You can also buy bulk foods there which are really cheap.

3) Trader Joe's has some good stuff although I like Whole Foods more these days because its cheaper for what I buy.

4) Coop stores in your area? You may have some Coop type stores in your area or other health food stores that may have great bargains. Bulk foods especially.

[Shari926]

Hi Ami--The magic bullet is awesome for making baby foods. I used it with my daughter when she was starting with purees (she's almost 22 months now).

I don't live far from you (in Boca) and I also prefer organic food but find Whole Foods so expensive. The good news for us is that farmer's market season is starting soon (if it hasn't already). I sometimes go to the Boca one, the Delray one, or even the West Palm beach one. I'm sure there are plenty in Broward as well.

Also, the farm stand (looks like a barn) on Hillsboro (in between Powerline and Military) is very affordable if you can get there from time to time. I think they open back up soon.

These farm stands/markets aren't always organic, but I'd much rather buy local rather than some of the organic stuff that has been flown here from all over the world (since it tends to be fresher and doesn't hurt the environment as much through transport).

A final option is to try the local organic buying club (google it--I think it's called the south florida organic buying club). I did it for a few months. Every two weeks, you pay $42 and pick up a huge box of mixed organic produce. It's the same stuff you get at Whole foods, but fresher and cheaper.

Just my 2 cents...
Shari

[Shari926]

adding a couple of things...

There is a CSA in Boynton called Green Cay Produce (I think they have a waiting list). You'd have to drive up there either weekly or biweekly to pick up your box. It may be a hike for you, though it's right off the turnpike.

Also, they recently opened the Publix Greenwise organic market here in Boca. Check it out!

[painted lady]

also, i like buying organic/cage free eggs. they taste much better.

my mom made baby food when i was tiny... she would puree a lot (like a whole bunch of carrots or broccoli or a few cooked sweet potatoes) and then put the puree in ice cube trays and freeze it. each ice cube was the perfect size for a meal, just microwave or defrost and stir!

[zeffryn]

Ami - I did the same thing about 6 months before we had DS1, it was a lengthy process to convert our fridge/freezer/pantry over to organic/natural foods. I really hate to waste foods, so we did it a little at a time. When I would need to restock something, we bought organic/natural. The closest WF to us is about an hour away, so shopping there all the time just wasn't feasible. I was surprised at just how much natural food that my regular supermarket had and if they didn't have something, a simple chat with a manager would usually bring it in the store (especially if you mention a competitor that carries it). We buy organic chicken, beef, tilapia and eggs from a local farm and whatever organic produce our co-op doesn't carry, our supermarket does. Sure, I have to plan my meals in advance to make sure that I don't have to make several trips to several different places but that also keeps our budget in check.

Two of the best shower gifts that I received were things that I now use everyday. A copy of Super Baby Food and a Shaklee home cleaning starter kit. Super Baby Food has really been great in helping me to figure out how to feed my son in a natural, healthy way. I made about 90% of my baby food (and still do), but I always had a stock of organic baby food (I like Earth's Best and Beech Nut the best). I highly recommend picking up a copy, there are so many useful tips and charts. I've since bought it for every new mom I know and they have loved it just as much.

The Shaklee kit was great as well, because as good as our intentions are of feeding our family well....when we expose our babies to toxic cleaning chemicals, it kind of moves us back a few steps in the big game of health. You definitely don't have to go buy Shaklee stuff, but having the basics of healthy home cleaning (vinegar and baking soda will move mountains for you) is a must in my home. When my son was about 3 months old, we started making our own laundry detergent - we didn't do it for the cost, although it is definitely cheaper - we did it because his skin was breaking out with every detergent that we tried (yes, even Dreft). A lady at our local co-op suggested making our own detergent and his skin has been fine ever since. He would probably be fine with regular detergent now that he is older, but we do it now for the cost! It takes less than $10 to make an approximately 6 month supply. You can't beat that!

Anyway, just take small steps...large ones can get overwhelming (as well as expensive). I've seen far too many mothers try to be supermoms and do everything...and then burn out and bring their kids McDonalds everyday.

As for me and what I think about an organic lifestyle - I think it works. DS has only been to the doctor once (other than well-baby visits) in his 2.5 years on this planet (for a persistent cough when he was a month old) and has never had antibiotics. 3 out of 4 of his close friends have tubes in their ears and are sick ALL of the time...and these are the same moms that scoff at my son's diet (laughing at him LOVING tofu dogs and brussels sprouts- his two favorite foods). I am proud that my son has had a great start to life and I hope to pass my our food choices on to him. Also, remember that a good multi-vitamin is still essential. We use Shaklee's vita-lea (I'm really not in sales for Shaklee, I just love their stuff!)

[Ami12345]

Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions! I was using the south fl organic produce buying club (GREAT!) then I moved up to the FL pan handle, and now I order organic produce from offthevineproduce.com -- it is great and they deliver it right to my door! I even have 3 other ladies ordering too, so we split the delivery fee 4 ways =) As far as other organic goods I primarily shop at publix... and they have the greenwise products, so that's good. And I have been finding alot of local goods that farmers sell independently and also at a local health food store =) I became vegetarian back in September, so I don't eat meat but I do buy vegetarian eggs for my family and I try to buy free-range meat when I can... Also, I am really into the green cleaning products and bath products now... Burt's Bees Baby Bee Products are THE BEST!!!