Filled Up the Snack Drawer

I went to Trader Joe's and stocked up my snack drawer at work and also planned some meals for the week.

In my Snack drawer at work:

Organic pistachios
Hormone free bison jerky
Organic pumpkin seeds, salted, in shell
Valencia oranges
Tazo organic chai tea
Fair trade coffee to use in my french press (the greenest brewing system)

Delish.

This week i will be having
roasted veggies with parsnips, organic carrots, acorn squash, and pumpkin.
cauliflower pizza w/ jalapeno chicken sausage
Crustless quiche w/ organic spinach and white mushrooms.

Yay for planning and discipline, for without it i would fail.

Baked pumpkin

There are a lot of inexpensive baking pumpkins still at stores!
I roast pumpkin by cutting up a washed baking pumpkin around 2 lbs by cutting it up like cantaloupe slices after taking out the seeds. I will have between 8 and 10 slices that look like ribs.
I mix up 3 tbls of melted butter with 1/2 tsps of cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom. Brush this mixture all over the slices and drizzle with agave nectar. Cook at 400 for 15 min, baste with any drippings on your baking sheet, and bake another 15 min. Top with whipped cream if you feel like a little cheat.

Roast the pumpkin seeds at 350 for around 40min after tossing them in some olive oil, cumin, garlic salt, and a bit of chili powder. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

The price of health

Trying to eat healthy is expensive.
For every added feature, whether it be organic, fare-trade, local, antibiotic free, no human growth hormones, free range, grass fed, the price goes up and up.

Will there ever be enough demand to eat naturally, that the prices will start to go down?

Every time you buy something, you're voting. If you support organic and sustainable practices, I'd like to believe eventually we'll be able to see a difference in cost. Heck, we must be getting somewhere, as Walmart has an organic selection now.

When I get my CSA next spring, food is not going to be so tight. I can't wait to support a local farm that believes in organic practices and community involvement. I'd love to cow pool... any one interested?

K-cup waste

Coffee is something of a crutch for me. And let's face it, as Americans most of us could admit to having a habit. K-cups are so popular that I went to the spa, to work, and then to a friends house in one day and had 4-5 complementary cups (not my first choice, i prefer fresh Starbucks..Organic if possible).

K-cups are a problem. They produce waste that is unnecessary. Although they are trying to make them more recyclable, problems with locality and recycling are an issue as it is. My neighborhood doesn't take many recycling substances. A compostable cup would be best.

The solution... brew it the old fashion way. Try a french press, which doesn't even need a filter (it's the superior way.. most caffeine, less waste!).

If you must support Green Mountain and their mountains of nonrecyclable cups... Use their metal filter and brew your own coffee.

Natalie Dee on eating local, natural and organic.

She is on her way, maybe.