Okay, now that we have your attention.. it’s not! :) [that line is from Baby Mama by the way, which we can't find a clip to, but it's amazing] As you know, we love all things organic and eco-friendly, but organic food and products can get a bad rap sometimes. It’s a “trend”, or it’s just a reason to charge people more, or it’s just marketing. It may be a trend at the moment, but it should also evolve into a lifestyle. Yes, organic products do cost more but as our good friend Quinn pointed out “it’s cheaper than cancer!” I know, I know “everything gives you cancer” but as the offspring of someone who has battled cancer, it’s nothing I want to tamper with anytime soon. Plus you only have one body, so why not take care of it?
Now don’t get me wrong, we’re known to down a pint of Blue Bell ice cream in less than 5 minutes, but for the most part we try to choose organic and locally grown products. We’re not trying to preach to you by any means, we just have gotten a lot of questions about our organic/eco-friendly choices so we thought we share probably too much a little bit of our reasoning behind it all.
RECYCLABLE PACKAGING
Why it’s important:
This is probably the easiest step you can take. Let’s face it, the world isn’t going to last forever, and by cutting down on what you’re adding to landfills not only extends the life of our planet, but it also allows you and your family to breath easy [literally, you're cutting down on our pollution intake.. go you!] So even if you’re not interested in the whole organic mumbo-jumbo you can at least try and select products that are packaged in recyclable material [paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum].
What we do:
We are both 100% on this one. No styrofoam or aerosol cans for us! Just paper, plastic, cardboard, and aluminum. San Antonio has an amazing recycling program where you can just throw any of the aforementioned items into your bin, no need to sort!
ECO-FRIENDLY AND 100% NATURAL HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
Why it’s important:
Let’s think about the items you use daily that continuously get thrown away: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, trash bags, dryer sheets, etc. Because products like these are always going to be in high demand, rather than cutting down more trees, you can choose paper products that are made with recycled.. PAPER! It’s a nice little circle of life thing that we have going on here. Some of our favorite products come from Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers. When it comes to cleaning products, you use them on every surface of your house, they’re sprayed into the air, and licked by you children and pets. Why would you want to use anything that was laced with chemicals? Or there’s laundry detergent. Since the day you were born your clothes have always been washed with Tide or Cheer or whatever, so your skin has built up an immunity to these chemicals literally since your first day on this planet. If you switch to a chemical free detergent for a month and then switch back to Tide again, your skin will feel irritated. Why? Because it’s not natural! You don’t need to rely on chemicals to do your dirty work, there are lots of amazing oils and natural ingredients in the world that do a much better job! Yes it’s a little more expensive, but all of these companies have tons of coupons you can print off straight from their website. Also, you don’t have to drive to weird hippie grocery stores to find these things. They’re at Target, HEB, Walmart, Kroger, wherever you shop! You probably just didn’t see them right away because you were distracted by the Brawny Man, weren’t you? Mmmhmm.
What we do:
We’re both pretty 100% on this one. Derek is more hardcore with his Seventh Generation toilet paper and paper towels, while I’m more hardcore with my Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent, dryer sheets, all purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, and dish soap. I sometimes cheat in the paper products department, while he sometimes cheats in the cleaning products department. But we’re on the right track!
ECO-FRIENDLY AND 100% NATURAL BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Why it’s important:
Your health and hygene are pretty important and beauty products can be the #1 contributer to high VOCs [volitile organic compounds], and off-gassing. Let alone all of the chemicals and artificial flavoring swimming in your products. Let me break it down for you. Why brush your teeth and freshen your breath with artificial mint flavoring which lasts a couple of hours when you can use a toothpaste with natural peppermint oils that work together to naturally keep your breath fresh for the whole day? For us, it really started to become one of those, “oh right.. that does make more sense” kind of things.
What we do:
As Derek obviously doesn’t require as many beauty products he’s as hardcore as he can be with his Toms toothpaste and natural shaving cream. I however, try to use as much as possible, since I’m the huge contributor to the air we’re breathing. All of my makeup [minus mascara and eyeliner], shampoo, body wash, face wash, toner, lotions, and potions are all 100% natural, chemical free, and 100% recyclable. We tried to do the whole aluminum free deoderant thing, which was great in that it left our white shirts white, but it made us smell like hippies. No bueno.
LOCALLY GROWN FRESH FRUITS, VEGGIES, DAIRY, AND MEAT
Why it’s important:
You honestly never know where your produce, dairy and meats are coming from and after watching documentaries like Food, Inc. You’ll look at such simple everyday foods, in a whole new way. Produce tends to be shipped across the country, all packed and bruised, covered in pesticides and injected with growth hormones. Meat is the big one for me. After watching Food, Inc. and Forks over Knives, I almost just want to give up meat entirely. Or at least red meat. I’m not going to go into the whole mistreatment of animals bit, but wouldn’t you rather eat the meat and drink the milk from a cow that was raised on a farm eating fresh green grass the way nature intended, rather than packed into a feedlot never even knowing what grass is? Alrighty then. Moving on.
What we do:
We love to shop at the local Farmer’s Market, Central Market, and Sun Harvest/Sprouts to get the freshest choices around. Even some HEBs are stepping up their game and offering organic and locally grown options. When we’re not cooking we love to eat at places like The Cove that offer organic and locally grown menu items [as well as an ah-mazing atmosphere]. Grass fed beef can be about $6/lb so we only splurge on special occasions, we tend to just avoid meat usually or opt for white meat which also has many organic options, as long as you avoid companies like Pilgrim and Tyson. Also here’s a fun fact! Organic milk, cheese, butter, and eggs have a longer expiration time! So maybe it is worth paying $1 more knowing it won’t spoil before you finish it. Places like Sun Harvest/Sprouts have Double Ad Wednesdays where both week’s ads are in affect for twice the savings. It makes buying organic cheaper than buying regular food! Crazytown, I know.
ORGANIC JUNK FOOD
Why it’s important:
If you’ve made it this far, it’s official: you’re an organic nut job. And we love you for it. Let’s face it, sometimes you need a little carb action. This is where we think about alternatives for pasta, cereal, brownies, and all of those other delicious snack items. If you’re going to munch and fill your body with artificial flavors and sugars, then at least do it right. There are several natural, preservative-free, additive-free, pesticide-free, as well as several gluten-free options for those of you who are like Derek and are allergic to wheat. If you’re going to be bad, and least be naturally bad.
What we do:
Annie’s is one of our favorite go-to companies for snick-snacks. Her cheddar bunnies, cocoa bunnies, and mac & cheese are delish. We have found the most amazing gluten-free brownies on the planet which definitely hit the spot. We aren’t as hardcore in this area because.. well.. sometimes you just want a bag of oreo cookies. But when we aren’t having crazy pregnant lady types of cravings we both try to keep some better snacking alternatives around our homes like organic tortilla chips with sea salt! Mmmmm…
So there you have it, our organic fixes. You can approach this way of life in any magnitude you wish, but once you start, you’ll be hooked for sure! I can’t even imagine cleaning my counters with 409 anymore. That’s just crazy talk. Are you guys as gung-ho as we are? Or do you think we’re crazy? We’d love to hear about your favorite go-to items.
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