Buying & Baking Organic.

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This post is more of a disclaimer than anything. I wanted to make it known that although I try to use as much organic stuff as I can, that doesn’t mean it’s always that way or that I am using or consuming 100% organic. Maybe you don’t buy or use anything organic, and that’s okay. Maybe you have been doing some research and want to start making the switch to organic products, and that’s great! This post is simply to say: it’s okay to not be perfect, but there’s nothing wrong with actively trying to be better.

I recently got into baking a lot more than I ever used to be. My mom is an incredible baker – she makes the best cookies, cakes, and biscotti of all time – but I didn’t really get into baking myself until I started preferring to eat homemade food over anything else. I like knowing exactly what goes into my recipes, and I like being able to control the quality of ingredients that are used. When my husband and I first bought our house and started cooking meals together, we never made it a real point to buy organic ingredients. Fast forward to us returning from our honeymoon in France, where the quality of food was obviously way better, and we officially decided to make the switch.

This isn’t a post to shame anyone or make anyone feel bad for not buying or eating organic. We don’t eat 100% organic (it seems nearly impossible to do so), we just make a conscious effort to get organic when and where we can. It is 100% true that organic food is noticeably more expensive, and it can be really hard to justify the higher price tag for things. Organic produce and products are not perfect by any means, but they are usually the better option. Especially when trying to reduce overall toxic load. Less pesticides, less antibiotics, less food dyes, and less additives means more room for feeling better about what’s going into our body. Personally, if I can find organic versions of ingredients, I am using them.

Sometimes it is hard to find organic ingredients or (with produce especially) sometimes there just are no organic options available. If you really need or want a specific item and the store does not have the organic version, maybe try a local farmers market instead. Even if it’s not organic, at least it was grown near you and should have decent nutrient content. And by all means, if at the end of the day you just can’t find the organic avocados and you are supposed to be making guacamole, nobody is going to judge you for buying the regular ones!

It might seem overwhelming at first when trying to make the switch to mostly organic food, but my biggest piece of advice is to start small. Just start with something – anything at all. Typically if there are certain things you consistently eat or have on hand at all times, it’s easier to start there. For example if you eat fruit on a daily basis, next time you go to the store to buy fruit, look for the organic section. Or you can start with dry boxed or canned goods like flour, sugar, pasta, etc. Don’t run to your cabinets and start throwing stuff away that you’ve already purchased just because it’s not organic! Remember, we are trying to be balanced – not perfect – and there is no reason to waste food you already have. Just make the switch next time you need to purchase those items.

As time goes on I will start adding links to things that are organic that we use, that you can buy in bulk or that you can find for a decent price. If you have access to a Costco, that is amazing because they have a pretty good variety of organic options for great prices. But even places like Target, WalMart, and Amazon have organic options most of the time. Stay tuned for updates!

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