Organic Shopping

Wouldn't you like to know more about Organic Shopping? Here you will get the know-how on finding coupons, see reasons why buying packaged food is a NO-NO
and getting the real facts that organic food is not that much more expensive than conventional foods.

• How to find coupons on organicfoods?
• Comparison Shopping– Organic vs. non-organic
• Homemade vs. Package Food
• What types of organic products

Welcome – This is one of the most important pages you will read.
I wish for everyone to understand what to do and how to do it
when they go shopping.

Organic Coupons
Best Organic Coupon

Where to Look for Coupons

Before going shopping, you can visit the Websites of your favorite organic food manufacturers and sign up for their e-mail newsletters that may include coupons. 

You can also send e-mail messages to some organic food manufacturers through their Web sites and request that product coupons be mailed to you. Be sure to let them know how much you like their products when you go shopping and remember to include your mailing address. You can also call their 800 number (found on their Web sites) to request coupons from their customer service department.

Some of the organic and natural food manufacturers that have printable coupons available on their Web site or in their e-mail newsletters are Stonyfield Farms for yogurt, soy milk, smoothie coupons. See more below:

ONLINE:

The best deals on organic products are these Web sites:

Mambosprouts offers free subscriptions to a juicy coupon book packed with $20 worth of savings for tofu, PowerBars, and more. The more you shop the more you save.

Stonyfield has single-use e-coupons for many of the dairy’s products, as well as for foods from more than a dozen other companies, such as Spectrum Organic Products and Seeds of Change.

Alex's Coupon features links and savings for a handful of organic products like Bonterra wines. Search for “organic”.

Kashi Coupons - Here you can get a coupon on Kashi Vive Probiotic Digestive Wellness Cereal.

Organic Coupons
Best Organic Coupons

You can also visit the printable coupon Web sites

Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen and Amy’s among others, reward their customers with coupons printed on the box or tucked inside.

The "Go Organic! For Earth Day" campaign included money-saving coupons that are available in free booklets at participating retailers. Selected retailers sometimes will have organic food demonstrations, product samples, and educational materials. Organic recipes, coupons and a store finder to locate participating retailers in your area can be found on the campaign Web site Organic Earth Day.

Before you shop, here are some more links directing you to more coupons:

Organic Coupons
Best Organic Coupons

Organic Valley Coupons

Organic Valley recognizes the high cost of buying organic foods and they offer organic coupons for you to print and use at your local grocery. You can save $1 off milk, cheese, and soy products offered in your local grocery stores with their printable organic coupons. You also can print up to four organic coupons; you are not limited to only one.
Organic Consumers Coupons

Comparison Shopping – Organic vs. Non-Organic

Hereis a small sample of organic vs. non-organic prices that I have checked in a regular supermarket.

Cost of Fruit
	Organic	Non-Organic
Banana	.79/lb.	.69/lb
Apples	$4.49 – 3 lbs.	$3.99 – 3 lbs.
Strawberries	$4.49 – 16 oz.	$3.99 – 16 oz.
Oranges	$4.99 – 4 lbs.	$4.49 – 4 lbs.
Total	$14.76	$13.17
$1.59 (Difference in Organic vs. non-Organic Fruits)

(Wait for Organic apples & strawberries to go on sale – Quite often they do)

  

Cost of Vegetables
	Organic	Non-Organic
Carrots	$1.99/3 lbs., .89/lb.	$1.89/3 lbs., .89/lb.
Broccoli	$2.49/lb.	$1.99/lb.
Celery	$.99/lb.	$.89/lb.
Total	$5.47	$4.77
Only .70¢ Difference between organic and non-organic Vegetables

Editor’snote: Kellogg'sFroot Loops Breakfast Cereal: corn, wheat, oats, sugar, oil, salt, calcium carbonate, sodium ascorbate, ascorbic acid,red #40,yellow #6, blue #1, blue #2, natural flavors, vitamins, BHTpreservative. Notall cereals contain this much artificialcolor but most are preserved with BHT, a petroleum derivative.FD&C artificial colors and preservatives like BHT, BHA and TBHQ can drive some kids wild. Just maybe, Froot Loops aren't such a good way to start to your child's day. Please when you go shopping for your children's cereal don't buy these type of sugary types.

Here a good example of PotatoChips:

There are two kinds of potato chips I am going to talk about, The Herr's 10oz Kettle Cooked Potato Chips and the real KETTLE 16 oz. Organic Potato Chips. See below for the difference:

WholesomePotato Chips - Kettle

Ingredients:

Select Russet Potatoes, Expeller pressed high monounsaturated safflower and/or sunflower oil.

Ingredients:

Choice Potatoes cooked in vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following corn, cottonseed and soybean) and salt.

The difference between these chips is not only the ingredients which show the regular having oils which contain corn that has been genetically modified, but also the price (see below):

Wholesome Potato Chips - $3.99 16 oz.
RegularPotato Chips - $2.99 - 10 oz.

Ounce for ounce the wholesomechips are actually cheaper.

Check out Organic Cost

Note:
I have found the most expensive items were milk and eggs. Regular milk is about $2.99/ ½ gallon and Organic milk is about $3.29. Regular eggs are about $1.20/dz. and eggs (where chickens are cage-free) are $2.19.

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Homemade vs. Package Food

Here, I will explain how making a meal from scratch (don’t worry its not time consuming) is actually cheaper and just as simple to make, and, of course, so much better for you and your family’s health.

Many family eats prepackage food because its easier -- you just take it out of the fridge or freezer, combine the ingredients together or just put it in the oven and you have an instant meal. Well, I am here to tell you that all of that instant this and instant that is really hurting your family.

Please stop buying these type of foods.

For an example: BettyCrocker’s Hamburger Helper. Have you ever seen the HUGE AMOUNT OF INGREDIENTS that are in these boxes? And for what, so it easier to mix with hamburger and have it taste good?

Hereare the ingredientsin “Hamburger Helper”, Cheeseburger Macaroni:

EnrichedMacaroni (Durum Semolina, Durum Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate [Iron],ThiaminMononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Maltodextrin, Corn Starch, Salt,Whey,Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour,Niacin, Iron,Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Dried Tomato, Sugar, CornSyrupSolids, Dried Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes),DriedOnion, Modified Corn Starch, Whey Protein Concentrate, MonosodiumGlutamate,Dextrose, Dried Garlic, Sodium Caseinate, Mono and Diglycerides, CitricAcid,Nonfat Milk, Natural Flavor, Colored With Yellow Lake 5&6 andYellow5&6, Sodium Phosphate, Glutamic Acid, Calcium Silicate(Anticaking Agent),Egg, Soy Flour.

Justby glancing at theseingredients, I can see 3 potentialdangerous ingredients: we now have to deal with disodiumphosphate, a preservatives, MSG,a flavorenhancers and artificialFD&C yellow coloring.Such chemicals can be especiallytroublesome for those with learning problems. Also, the number of"natural" ingredients has grown to include corn, whey, tomato, sugar,onion, garlic,soy and egg.

Ifyou want to makenoodles and hamburger casserole WITHOUT THOSE AWFUL INGREDIENTS,this is all youhave to do:

First, shop for hamburger or turkey that is not injected with growth stimulants or added hormones, and fed a vegetarian diet. I buy “Nature’s Promise” from Giant, its only $3.59 a pound, Laura’s Lean Burgers or Jennie-O Turkey.

$0.75 off JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE sausage

Now here is the easy part, get it to taste good. Here is the sauce that is so simple and nutritious that you can add after the noodles and hamburger is cook.

After noodles and hamburger are cooked I add about 6 oz (more if you want) of organic tomatoes sauce (spaghetti sauce if you like) and add organic shredded cheese (any kind) and small pieces of broccoli to the cooked noodles. Add spices (oregano, basil, pepper, sea salt. chili powder or any kind. Mix well and then add the cooked hamburger. That is all there is to it.

Ingredients for the Entire Recipe

• 1 lb. cooked ground turkey or hamburger (w/o hormones)
• 1 pkg. Organic Macaroni & Cheese (cook according to package)Note: I use two types – Nature’s Promise or Trader’s Joe’s brand
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• shreddred cheese (any amt or any kind)
• 3 cups cooked small pieces chopped broccoli (optional)
• 6 oz. tomato sauce (organic brand)
  

• Cook Macaroni
• Brown meat in large skillet; drain.
• After macaroni and meat is done STIR rest of the ingredients to the macaroni
• Heat on low; simmer 5 min., stirring well.
• ADD cooked meat and broccoli (if you like); simmer 5 min.

Breakdown of cost is below:

Betty Crocker’s Hamburger Helper Macaroni & Cheese - $3.09Regular Hamburger or Turkey - $3.00/lb

Total Cost - $6.09

My recipe:

• 1 lb. organic hamburger/turkey - $3.59
• Box of organic Macaroni & Cheese - $1.09
• Chili Powder – pennies
• 6 oz. Tomato sauce - $.85

Bottom Line: Your dinner can cost less, preparation time the same and a whole lot healthier. What are you waiting. Let's go shopping!!

Shop Organic!! Shop Organic!! Shop Organic!! Shop Organic!! Shop Organic!!

Any certified organic plant product must come from fields that have remained free of chemical application of fertilizers and pesticides for at least three years, andmust follow USDA Regulations.

Foods grown on landsnotyet meeting organic standards may receive a "transitional" label ifthey follow the strict requirements for conversion.  Allcrops have specific regulations forpost-harvest handling; this results in a paper trail that includes thedate ofsale, purchase, and origin of the commodity.

1. Organic dairy products:

Milkfrom all dairyanimals, including cows, goats, and sheep, may be certified organic.Certifiedorganic products cover nearly the full dairy spectrum, including milk,cheese,yogurt, butter, cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream, and more.

Atno time may organicmilk be blended or otherwise come into contact with non-organic milk.Standardhygiene and dairy safety procedures are followed, includingpasteurization.Certification requires humane treatment of the animals, clean water andbedding, and access to the out-of-doors for pasture, exercise, andfresh air.

Toqualify for organiccertification, a dairy farmer must feed 100% certified organic feedproduced onland untreated with synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, orfungicides for at least three seasons prior to harvesting the crop.

Thefarm on which the herdis pastured must be certified organic as well. In addition, organicdairyproducts must be free of drugs, including growth hormones orantibiotics.

2. Organic meat and poultry

Organicprovisions requireanimals to be raised without receiving antibiotics, hormones, or growthstimulants.

Humanetreatment andaccess to the out-of-doors are stipulated, and the animals must be fed100%certified organic feed and must graze in certified organic pastures.

Allmeat and poultryprocessing must be done according to strict USDA standards in a plantcertifiedand regularly inspected for organic production. Animals designated fordairymay not be sold for slaughter.

Atthe packing plant,animals are isolated from conventional herds and fed organically. Fewplantsprocess exclusively organic products, so the entire line is cleaned toorganicspecifications before any meat or poultry product is run.

Organic Coupons
Best Organic Coupons

Check out my list of Functional Foods
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