Non GMO and Organic

You may want to consider there is no such thing as organic. I have my own garden, I use nothing that isn't natural, yet I cannot control the rain, I cannot control the wind.

I also cannot control the bees and have been known to have the occasional hot sweet pepper. If I planted those seeds I would in fact be growing a GMO.

People are making a fortune off of selling this stuff and so far no one has proven any benefit other than feeling better about your choices.

I don't do processed, well I keep some in my desk for the days I forget to bring my lunch, better than starving. Thing is organic is not the opposite of processed. Go to a farmer's market and don't turn your nose up if they can't swear nothing has touched their produce. Those that claim pristine produce are lying, and people buy it.

You know the funniest thing I have seen marketed, organic beer. There are some really stupid people who buy this substandard beer and pay twice as much for it! All beer is technically organic because you can't have much of anything in the wort or bad things happen. Yet here they are slapping the word organic on it and everyone things wow. They are laughing all the way to the bank. Now GMOs, all American hops have been cross bred to bring out specific characteristics. Going to stop drinking beer?

I am just saying use some sense here. Weigh positives and negatives. Like I said up there, eating a microwave meal is better than starving.

lisa O is incorrect, i'm afraid. pesticides go through the soil and into the flesh of the produce itself, it does NOT get peeled away.
i wish.
and while julie S has a point, one doesn't from there infer that there's no benefit to cleaning up one's diet. it may be impossible to avoid all poisons and pesticides entirely, but that doesn't mean one has to resign oneself to consuming them en masse, which is what you do at the regular grocery store.
trader joe's has the best prices on organic and non GMO that i've found, other than ferreting out your own local farmers and pouncing on them, which is your best bet. i have to do a degree of detective work and some to-ing and fro-ing to find which local providers i have that suit me the most, but it can be done. we don't eat 100% organic by any means, but i can honestly say that we eat very little mass-produced pesticide-heavy food.
putting more of your budget toward produce instead of meats is a great place to start. organic meat is still pricey, but a lot less pricey if you in on a cow or a pig with friends and buy from a farmer whose place you can visit, and whose farming philosophy you know.
buying nuts and grains in bulk can save you a lot too, and if you have a blend-tec or other super blender you can grind your own grain (which is awesome.) so is having a bigass freezer so you can stock up madly during the growing season.
good for you for your commitment to your family's health!
khairete
S.

Try doing all of your beans from dried product. That can save quite a bit of money. You soak them overnight and look up instructions/directions on cooking--- some should be cooked in two changes of water to eliminate the chance of gas. Beans are a good source of protein, which can help reduce the meat.

Also, things like grains/quinoa are good. Try buying the most basic ingredients (dried, bulk) and go from there. Buy herbs/spices in bulk too, from reputable suppliers.

If you do 'farmer markets', try to go out to the farms and hit the roadside stands. They are sometimes quite a bit less expensive. If you can grow your own food, great. If you can can it, even better. I have friends who have quite a huge garden; they rotate their greens crops throughout the year. I try to grow the foods I'm going to spend the most money on at the market-- things like chard and tomatoes are relatively easy to grow yet cost a lot at the store.

One thing I do is limit my organic purchases to the foods which get the most/worst stuff applied to them. There are other foods I buy organic because they do actually taste better. And there are some which you just shouldn't buy unless they are in season-- even organic tomatoes taste bleh in winter-- you have to roast them with a little sugar and olive oil. Better to buy a good can of tomatoes instead, it will cost a lot less for the same amount of product.

The homemade granola is a good idea. You can also do trail mixes ahead of time with bulk purchased/better ingredients than a commercial trail mix. And cutting down on prepackaged individual servings for some foods can also help the grocery bill.

Good for you for trying to eat organic and non-GMO!
I do the same thing...and it is important...for our bodies and the environment. The number of organic farms has increased bi-fold the last few yrs. We need to stop eating processed foods, etc...

There are 3 grocery stores within a mile of me. Each week, I circle the sale items from each store. I love Tinkyada brown rice pasta. So, if it's on sale, I buy 3 pounds. If organic, frozen veggies are on sale at the other store, I buy 3 bags.

Tonight, I made organic Wildtree Chili with beans over organic rice. I made enough for tomorrow, too. Although, tomorrow, I will toss in veggies and make it a veggie-bean chili !

I went to a non-gmo-organic wedding last year. All farmer/chef vendors were there. It was spectacular!!!!

When it's summer, I go to this farm... buys only non-gmo seeds. The produce is great !

responsibletechnology.com is great for info.

I limit the meat I eat by eating beans instead of meat. I soak them overnight and then pop them in the crock pot. Once they are cooked I measure out 1 cup portions, put them in ziplock baggies, and pop them in the freezer. When I want to use them I just remove a bag from the freezer, thaw and use.

I'm doing a month-long detox where if I'm not eating organic/non-GMO foods it pretty much defeats the purpose of the detox. So I recently decided to make the trek to Trader Joe's (further away than the 10 grocery stores around me) and holy cow it's SO MUCH CHEAPER than the organic section at the super market! I'm paying the same price or even less there for organic produce that I am for some conventional produce at the cheapo supermarket. Yes the meats are expensive but like you said, you can always just buy better quality and serve it less often. Other things that were the same price or cheaper than conventional groceries were cereal, granola bars, nuts, rice, quinoa and oats. I'm off gluten and sugar for my detox so I didn't look at things like grains, sugar and other baking supplies but I don't imagine they would be much different.

So...I know that TJs is very popular in CA - if you have one near you, I would suggest starting there to see what you can buy in bulk at a good price. I'm on a closed FB group for my detox and a lot of the other members mention being able to buy specialty items on Amazon. If you have Amazon prime and can get things like dry good in bulk for a steep discount, it might be worth checking out what you can get via Amazon as well.

Really the only way to make sure your foods are non-GMO is to buy organic. My suggestion is to try to eat as few processed foods as you can. Like you mentioned, rather than buying a granola bar, make your own granola. Instead of buying individual-sized yogurts, buy a big tub of yogurt and portion it yourself (add your own fruit if you like). Check into local CSAs. We belong to one that will even deliver to your house on a weekly basis, but there are those where you can pick up your order and those may even be a bit less expensive. I like CSAs because you are buying directly from the farmer, so what you get is about a week fresher than buying it from the grocery store, and often times, you get really interesting fruits/veggies that you don't often see in the grocery store!

In terms of protein, you might try grains or rice/beans instead of meat. Try buying these things in bulk at Costco (they are carrying more and more organic items now).

Organic milk is cheaper at Costco than at the grocery store, by about $0.50/gallon.

Another way I have reduced my overall grocery bill is by making my own laundry soap. I know that sounds silly, but it works just as well as Tide, at a small fraction of the cost. You'd be surprised how much you spend on cleaning products when you add it all up! So don't be afraid to look at those other non-food items when looking at your grocery receipts. There may be other significant opportunities to save money. If you'd like my tried-and-true laundry soap recipe (takes 5 minutes to make enough detergent to last you a year), let me know.

WOW B., there are a lot of contradicting opinions. I am more confused after reading them! I fully understand the frustrations of so many. When I got really sick 10 years ago, the doctors only knew how to prescribe drugs...not once did they ask me what I was eating. Thank god a good friend did! She introduced me to a healthier way of life. My whole world changed.

I am happy to hear that you are changing your diet as a preventative measure and not wait until you have to, that is commendable!

Here are a few things that I did, not sure if they will work for you, but maybe someone else reading this post can be helped too!
1. I shop at farmers markets whenever I can. Now I am back in Canada and we are limited in the winter, so i have to make different choices. In CA you have way more options open to you.

2. I talk to the farmers and I ask them how they treat their crops. "organic" labeling is VERY expensive. Most farmers will tell you they farm "clean". The ones at the markets don't have to produce mass amounts for "industry". They farm because they want to and they LOVE IT! Find those ones and buy from them. **I have found that family farms, ones that have been around for generations tend to have the best practices.

3. We are vegetarian now, but when we did buy meat, again, we bought direct from the farmers. We usually bought the "whole side" and shared it with friends or family.

4. Beans, lentils etc - we buy only dry - we soak and use them in everything.

5. Pretty much everything freezes. Even spinach! Now I don't recommend eating a spinach salad with thawed spinach, but I do turn it into spinach manicotti.

My family of 4 eats VERY well. We supplement with a very high grade nutritional line of products, we eat whole foods and lots of fresh. Our grocery bill for the month is about $1000. You can eat well for a reasonable price. Just be creative!

B.

I feel your pain...I really do!! Our local grocery will cut the organic meat prices in half on the last sale by day. I buy all they have and freeze it. I joined a group that sells baskets of organic produce twice a month and that cuts down on fruit and veggie prices they last about 10 days and are about 1/3 the price of grocery organics.

Most people I know think I am crazy, and that is okay...if GMO food is perfectly healthy then in 20 to 30 years no big deal...however if it isn't healthy/safe in 20 to 30 years my kids might not have as many health problems as others who consumed large quantities of the stuff.

do not buy organic fruits and veggies if you are going to peel them anyway. you are peeling off any pesticides that might be there.. also.. the fda collects random samples and tests for pesticides in regular food. there are action levels and limits ont he pesticides allowed in food.

There is nothing wroing with regular groceries. you could probably cut your bill in half by buying regular food.

Buy when/if things are on sale.
Then stock up.
And/or freeze it to store it.

With certain things, making it yourself, is not necessarily cheaper.
Then, make sure that whatever you make or buy, your family actually, will, eat it. If not, then it is not "cheaper" to make it or buy it. If your family will not eat... what you buy, you are wasting money. And time.

Per recipes that are "cheaper" or saves money..... it largely depends on, what ingredients you have to get, for it. And if you buy something for a recipe, is that one item/seasoning, going to be used frequently again and again, or JUST for the ONE recipe???? Because if so, you are wasting money, on buying that one special ingredient, for a recipe.
Also, it is about... choosing recipes... to make, that does not entail, buying lots of extra ingredients that you would normally not, use on a regular basis. Because, any extra ingredients that you buy for a recipe, that you do not use typically or regularly, is "extra" cost.
Find/choose recipes...that uses basic typical ingredients that you normally would buy AND that can be used, for many OTHER dishes or recipes. That way, you get more bang for your buck.

How one cooks, affects the budget.
For example, don't cook using exotic non-mainstream or specialty gourmet ingredients. Because, those cost MORE. BUT I will do so... if I find any said ingredients, on SALE. And I know, offhand... EXACTLY what I would use it for and cook with it. I don't just impulse buy.

Also per meats.... one pot roast for example, can be used for many OTHER things. NOT just ONE single meal. Stretching out... the use of it per other dishes you can make with it.
So, even if you buy meat AND buy it when it is on sale... you get a good price for it...and MANY meals, out of it.
It does not have to mean... you limit or cut out or stop, buying meat.
It is how you buy it, when and what you make with it.... making more than one dish, with it.

I don't eat 100% organic but I prioritize by eating organic "dirty dozen" vegetables, meats and dairy at the least. I would eat all organic if I would afford it. Food (and many other things) is really expensive in Tahoe. I get my organic ground beef, organic milk and organic eggs at Costco. Costco has also really expanded their organic food section. Your best bet for organic veggies as others mentioned is at Trader Joe's. I also don't eat processed foods. I make my own rolls, pizza dough, pancake/waffle mix, etc. from scratch. It is nice knowing what your are eating only has four ingredients rather than multiple preservatives, colorings, etc. Good luck!

Have you checked into farm markets? There is one aprox. 20 min from my home that offers local produce and Amish meats, so if you plan correctly (and don't mind the crowds) you can get some fantastic deals. I have a cousin that goes weekly, but that doesn't work for our family.
I'm not as worried about organic-I just try to keep processed foods out of our diet when possible.
Check interest too-tons of good ideas/recipies there for non gmo/non processed ingredients, organic, and make and freeze meals.

B.-

A good way to use more veg in your diet is to use recipies for foods which are typically veggie rich- i.e. mediterranean, chinese, indian, malaysian, mexican, dip into those cookbooks (or look online), and you will find some good/ tasty recipies.
things which come to mind and are probably already familiar to you are-
hummus, tabouleh, falafel, fasouli
stir fry with garlic sauce
brocoli with hoisin sauce
chana masala
alou papri
mango chicken
veg burritos

Any meat/ veg dish can probably work just as well with only 1/2 the meat. Try reducing the meat slowly if you think it would work better for you.

Best,
F. B.