What should I eat? Trip to the Courthouse Farmer's Market

In my post, Fat Loss- The Basics, I mentioned how pesticides have been linked to a distortion of estrogen in the body which can in turn effect your fat loss or maintenance goals.  Incorporating more organic or pesticide free foods into your diet does not have to be intimidating! 

Most grocery stores carry organic options.  Organic is going to be more expensive.  Until you get more savvy you might be surprised at the increase of your food budget, so here are some money saving tips: 

1. Shopping at organic specialty stores actually saves me money.
2. Trader Joe's is VERY reasonable.  They have an extensive amount of organic products, and they   carry my favorite brand of packaged lunch meats/kid friendly hot dogs- Applegate- for about a dollar less than what I pay other places.  http://www.applegatefarms.com/ . 

Here is little Bridget biting a package of Applegate pepperoni. Bridgey Bridge is my pickiest eater, but she enjoys meats with a ton of flavor. These are an easy protein source snack

3.  If you stay away from the prepared food by the deli, Whole Foods is actually not insanely priced.  They have a rep for being expensive (and the hot food/salad bar is pricey), but I haven't been overwhelmed by the price of their produce. Shop their deals; look for those little yellow tags. 
4. Buying produce in season is going to save you a ton of money.  Avocados are wicked expensive, but I've been buying them for about .99 cents at Whole Foods this week.  Asparagus and strawberries are in season right now!  You can go to any number of U-Pick it farms and load up!  What kid doesn't like having permission to get on his/her hands and knees and dig in the dirt?


Buy local.  This website can steer you in the right direction.  It offers a list of farmer's markets in your area, a list of local small farms, alternative grocery stores that offer organic products, coop programs, and online ordering options.  http://www.localharvest.org/.  Through Local Harvest I discovered Mom's Organic Market in Alexandria, Virginia.  Mom's  is an extremely well priced all organic alternative grocery store.  They even carry your bags out to the car without accepting tips!  Who knows what gems you might find near you!

The most entertaining way to introduce organic food into your life, however, is heading over to your local farmer's market.  It can be time consuming driving all over town searching for organic food, so I take my children to the market with me and try to turn it into a learning experience.  We go most Saturday mornings (before T-Ball)!  Not only are my children exposed to responsible farming and ranching practices, but they have fun selecting food that is good for them.  We all know cupcakes are fun. Why not associate healthy food with fun? 

Brenden picking out a beautiful head of lettuce for Mommy's green "juice".  It is so pretty!  I hate to blend it!

Brenden is not a fan of cucumbers.  Bridget (Bridgey) sporting a major "dorky" (as we lovingly call it) face. 

Brenden helps me pay for all of our farmer's market products!  The vendors know us!

In honor of the warmer weather here is a little salsa recipe!

Chunky Cucumber Salsa:
3 medium cucumbers (or 6 of the mini)
1 mango, chopped (or 1 frz. bag)
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, very finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T white wine vinegar
1 T fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 package Stevia/or liquid Stevia to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (if you want more heat)


Every day I post more tips and recipes on my Facebook page Cave Princess !  Come by and say hello!