last week i had the privilege of trying out these local (to me) towelettes from herban essentials. they smell so yummy i could eat them! they come in essences of orange, lemon, lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus made of 100% pure, organic, wild-grown oils from american farmers.

my favorite might just be the yoga lavender towelettes. you can use them for you hands, feet and mat, plus you can even place them over your face during savasana to help enhance and deepen your relaxation. now that’s what i call natural!

herban essentials uses only natural, steam-distilled or cold pressed oils of the highest quality. click here to find a store near you!

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by now, you probably know that i eat a whole foods, plant based diet (especially if you follow the dinner ideas posts or recipe page!). one of the ways that i make eating this way possible, is by following a few rules at the grocery store and farmers market. some may seem obvious, others a little wacky, but below are the top 10 tips i follow when shopping for grub.

buy whole ingredients. look for items that contain only one ingredient in them (squash, polenta, quinoa, soybeans). if you must buy items that have more than one ingredient, look for a short ingredient list (6 or less ingredients) that contain nothing but whole foods. basically, if you can’t pronounce or grow it yourself – then don’t eat it.

stay on the outskirts of the store. buy shopping the outer edges of the store, you’ll be much more inclined to pick up fresh ingredients, and steer clear of the packaged and processed foods.

buy a foreign ingredient. i seriously do this nearly every time i go to the store! pick up a new fruit or veggie that you’ve never cooked with before, and i promise you’ll find some new favorites.

go to the farmers market. do the bulk of your shopping at your local farmers market and use the grocery store to supplement it.

check the country of origin. most fresh produce and packaged goods will let you know where it came from. the closer the better!

look for color. the more colorful your cart the healthier you’ll be (and colored cardboard doesn’t count!).

shop organic. you, your family and our planet will be much healthier for it.

shop what’s in season. know what’s in season in your area and eat locally. watermelons should only be eaten in the summer, and butternut squash only in the winter.

minimal packaging. look for items that either have no packaging (fresh produce and bulk items) or come with minimal packaging.

10) look for alternatives. start noticing the alternatives that your local store or health food store carry. do they have almond milk? coconut creamer? earth balance butter? coconut oil? research the healthier alternatives and start using them.

do you have any favorite shopping market tips? i would love to hear them, i’ll meet you in the comments section!

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kale chips  | sweet potato chili | butternut squash and red onion pasta | pumpkin coconut bisque | basil cashew cheeze | vegan lasagna

nomnomnom! i get hungry every time i write these posts. my favorite recipe this week? probably this pumpkin coconut bisque. what was yours?

monday: vegan lasagna with basil cashew cheeze (i’m addicted!)
tuesday: sweet potato chili served with kale chips
wednesday: butternut squash and red onion pasta
thursday: southern fried tofu and waffles from the global vegan waffle cookbook
friday: pumpkin coconut bisque served with a seasonal salad, topped with roasted chickpeas

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!

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the highlight of my week? picking up our organic csa veggie box!

sure to inspire this week’s recipes are:

- 2 red bell peppers and bunches little green ones
- green beans
- cherry tomatoes and 3 large heirloom tomatoes
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 3 baskets of strawberries (can’t believe their still growing here!)
- 6 ears of corn
- 4 zucchinis
- 1 bunch of carrots
- 3 heads of lettuce

getting this box of local organic veggies every week is truly the most rewarding food we get. it keeps us in touch with the seasons, eating locally and cooking different things every week. use local harvest to help find a community supported agriculture farm in your area!

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buying organic (and local!) produce is extremely important to me. sometimes though, my wallet just won’t allow for it. knowing which items are most and least important to purchase organic has been a tremendous help to me (and our bank account!), so i thought you might be able to use the info as well. here’s a simple guide to what you should always buy organic, and what other items are naturally low in pesticides (usually due to their thick skins).

THE WORST for pesticides (buy these organic):

spinach, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, kale/collard greens, potatoes, bell peppers, celery and grapes.

always try to buy these organic, as their thinner skins allow for the most amount of pesticides to reside within.

THE BEST (lowest in pesticides):

onions, sweet corn, sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, eggplant, pineapple, sweet potato, melons and avocado.

when you’re in a money pinch, you can always rest assure that these veggies and fruits have the lowest amount of pesticides.

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first csa box of august! local organic veggies and a yellow fleshed watermelon – yum.

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yesterday, we picked up an extra csa box from our local honor stand, and i think i’m addicted. freshly picked organic produce from a farm i can see out our living room window. now that’s a farm to fork mileage i can be proud of!

for a california june, we got carrots, strawberries, raspberries, fennel, kale, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, cucumbers, parsley, dill and some beets. now it’s time to plan our meals for the week! do you have any favorite ways to use beets?

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LABELS. they are everywhere, yet there still needs to be more. they can be overwhelming, confusing and even misleading! today i’m going to introduce several labels that you should keep an eye out for and support. next week we’ll discuss some that can be a little misleading, or confusing. are you ready?
 

organic. certified by the us department of agriculture to meet standards that don’t allow the use of most conventional pesticides, genetic engineering, and routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones in livestock. visit the usda website to learn more.

fair trade. fair trade partnerships seek to offer better trading conditions to, and secure the rights of, marginalized producers and workers, especially in developing counties. certification by the fair trade labeling organization international guarantees that a product’s fair trade claims have been independently audited and verified.

local. there are no consistent standards for use of the term, which may refer to a region, a state or the immediate ridgeline or watershed. it may also be applied to product that are made locally but of imported ingredients.

clean. foods certified by organizations like scientific certification systems to have met voluntary standards in one or more areas of potential concern, including pesticide residues, food pathogens, industrial contaminants and heavy metals, and food safety procedures and practices throughout the food supply chain.

fair labor. currently two organizations certify safe and fair ag labor practices in the u.s.: scs certified and safe ag employer. criteria include equitable hiring, and employment practices, safe workplace conditions, workers right to organize, worker housing, child labor, and access to health, education and transportation services.

sustainable. sustainable food certification programs address an array of social and environmental issues that go beyond ‘organic’, including safe and fair working conditions, healthy and humane care for livestock, reduced pesticide use, reduced water and non-renewable energy use, and enhanced soil health. visit the food alliance to learn more.

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