Going Organic in SLC

My aspiring "Go Green" husband did me proud tonight.

Marc is in Salt Lake City for part 2 of his 3-part business adventures. He and Tera dined at the Red Rock Brewpub / Restaurant tonight, and I was given a surprisingly lively recount of the meal promptly following its conclusion (something I actually look forward to when Marc's on the road. Yes, I'm a foodie nerd).

For the appetizer, Marc wisely selected the Organically Grown Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella & Prosciutto, served with fresh basil and Dijon vinaigrette, which he proclaimed was the "best caprese salad" he had ever eaten. And he's eating a few to know.

What was even more exciting than his decision to choose the Organically Grown Tomatoes off the menu, was his beverage of choice: an organic beer! When I asked him if it was good, he responded with, "Yeah, it was great. It tasted just like regular beer."

I guess that's all you can ask for ....

Face It

The average adult uses nine personal care products every day, typically containing more than 100 unique chemical ingredients. A survey called Skin Deep, done in June 2004 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) —a leader in the drive to detox personal care products—found that:

• 89 percent of the 10,500 ingredients used in face and body products have not been evaluated for safety by either the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or cosmetics manufacturers;
• one out of every 120 products contains known or probable carcinogens.

The EWG’s Skin Deep survey found that dozens of products—including hair dyes, tanning lotions, nail polish, the works—contain chemicals that are known or suspected to cause cancer or birth defects, or affect hormone function.

So what's a girl to do?

I'm no different than the average woman. Let me count the products: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, face moisturizer, face wash, deoderant, foundation, blush, mascara, eye shadow, lip balm and/or gloss, hair gel, styling pomade, toothpaste, saline solution ... and if I hit the gym at lunch this ionized water stuff scented with "pure essential oils." That's 18 products on the average day! Oh, and nail polish. I'm so ashamed ...

I've made the switch to natural shower items and body lotion, but pretty much all my face and hair styling stuff is from Aveda. Which, compared to some of the other conventional brands isn't quite so bad (rated Moderate Concern by Skin Deep) ... but it's got its share of nasty toxic stuff. Although I should note that there are a number "low concern" ratings for some of my Aveda favs, including Rosemary Mint shampoo.

What got me to thinking about all this was the 2 hours I just spent at my local Aveda salon getting highlights and lowlights put in my hair. As I inhaled the burning fumes of chemicals being layered into my scalp I wondered ... am I reversing all the good things organic foods do for my body by dousing myself in color-coated beauty? So, I checked out the Skin Deep rating on hair color. While it's not exactly "natural" Aveda hair color treatments are #9 on the list with a Moderate Ranking, compared to the High Ranking of my previous box treatment by L'Oreal. Yet another fine excuse for spening $100 on highlights at the salon.

Check out Skin Deep and take a toxic tour of your bathroom cabinet. Find out what's known about the potential health risks from the personal care products you use everyday and learn about safer options.

World's Most Perfect Food is ...

Peanut Butter.

Ok, I admit it: I'm addicted to peanut butter. Sweet or savory, peanut butter satisfies. Marc first wooed me in the Sierra Trading Post breakroom some 6 years ago with his (now legendary) Tofu with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce and Spinach. Oh, how I loved that tofu.

I later adapted the recipe for backpacking
(using baked tofu, dehydrated veggies and quick-cook brown rice), which led me to the finalist round of the REI Camp Stove Cook-Off in Denver (see picture). Ultimately I was beat out by some lame fried dough thing stuffed with pepperoni. Apparently, the backpacking world wasn't ready for our bold combination of sweet and spicy. Or maybe it was the tofu. Either way, the dish has since been used to satisfy a number of hungry hikers.

I eat peanut butter several times a day as a condiment to so many things beyond your basic slice of bread. My favorite medium for eating PB right now is a crisp organic Jonagold or Braeburn apple. When I'm feeling particularly frisky, I sprinkle on some dried cranberries, too. Sadly, I have been out of apples for a couple days now, and tonight I resorted to dipping my baby carrots in the sweet treat. Let me tell you ... that was delightful!

We buy organic Marantha peanut butter in massive 32oz. double packs at Costco because:
1. Price is unbeatable ($6 for 4lbs. of organic peanut butter? forget it.)
2. We eat a LOT of it.

Sometimes, like this week, we are out of the super-sized jar of PB, so I am forced to buy the (what seems to be) puny jar of organic peanut butter from the store down the street. This smaller container seems to highlight just how quickly we go through the stuff. Although I have to admit, this new invention, Stirless Organic Peanut Butter, is ingenious. No more oil slicks down the side of the jar or dried out spots at the bottom. It's almost worth investing in the smaller size. Almost.

With only a single piece of Birdland Bread left in the bag (I'm saving it for my morning toast with PB and honey tomorrow ... have you ever experienced how delicious peanut butter tastes when paired with your morning coffee?), and all the baby carrots long gone ... I'm considering what my next move will be. Corn tortilla? That doesn't seem right.

Perhaps just a spoon would satisfy my PB tooth for tonight.

For the Dogs

Affrey is, in my mind, the best dog in whole world. She's smart, cuddly and incredibly cute, but she is not without her fair share of problems (aren't we all?).

For the past 5 of her 7 years, Affrey has suffered with chronic ear infection. We've been to see the finest vet dermatologist money can buy at CSU and she's been doused and shot up with every sort of concoction you can image ... and yet, she continues to suffer with itchy, smelly ear issues. In the last two months, the infection had gotten so bad, it started to impact a nerve in her neck that has her eye completely swollen over. Our new vet recommended Affrey get a deep cleaning on her ears to remove all the yeast and goo, so we could start a fresh at tackling her allergy problems.

So, last Wednesday, Affrey went under for her ear surgery. She came through it just fine and we celebrated her freshly cleaned pink ears with a designer dog bed from DogZooks. Now we start on the precarious road to what we hope will be long-term relief from her ear infections.
When Affrey was 2 yrs. old we went through the whole food allergy testing, trying strange dog chow like Venison and Potato or Duck and Sweet Potato. The vets at CSU determined Affrey was allergic to mold and various other Colorado allergens, but not common pet food. We were cleared to go back to the classic Iams formula, which she has been eating for the past 5 years (what an exciting life she has).

It wasn't until recently, when I started swapping dog allergy stories with co-workers, that I started to think Affrey's ear problems could be a result of her diet - not just the environmental factors. Several of my cube mates have dogs who have been diagnosed with yeast infection in the ears (just like Affrey), and have been going through a series of non-productive topical treatments (just like Affrey), when they started reading about the health implications of the preservatives and additives used in conventional dog food.

It turns out - most dogs with allergy issues are having a reaction to the added crap in dog food, not the protein source. One woman I work with said her Jack Russel's yeasty ears cleaned up within a month of switching to all-natural dog food, and the people at Pet Promise pet food have a thousand similar stories they've shared with me (although my office mate's experience holds considerably more weight with me at this point).

Newman's Own also makes an organic dog food, which looks kind of interesting. Their formula feature probiotics and Ester-C, as well as parsley to help with "doggie breath."

So, along with the rest of the Angelo family, Affrey is going organic, too. We've made the switch to Pet Promise Weight Management food and I'm hoping the combination of the newly cleaned ears and the clean, all-natural food will be Affrey's opportunity to live a happy life, free of head-shaking and ear scratching.

Pet Promise's food is about as clean as it can get for pets. According to their website Pet Promise promises that:

Our ranchers never feed their animals antibiotics or added growth hormones, and we refuse to use rendered fats, chicken meal, meat meal or byproducts in our foods. This insures that the ingredients you are feeding your pets are pure and beyond natural.

Sure, it's a little bit more expensive - $22 for a 16 lb. bag (I think Iams is $16 for 20 lbs.) but I think it's worth a try. Affrey is part of our family and she deserves to have food that is healthful for her and the earth.

We're all living here together, after all.

Dinner Dilemma

Last night, after work, I co-hosted a "man-friendly" baby celebration for one of my cube mates who's wife is expecting triplets (yikes!). We each brought snacks to share, had a cooler full of beer and plenty of hideous streamers to go around. I made a deliciously healthy (and organic) spinach-artichoke dip, served with organic blue corn tortilla chips, organic baby carrots and organic broccoli. A "green-eater's" perfect snack! But as I contemplated munching on the olive/cheese skewers, classic tortilla pinwheels and brilliantly blue-colored cupcakes, I wondered how tightly I should adhere to my organic eating principles. While I didn't actually "buy" the conventional snacks, am I still supporting the industry by eating the stuff? I'm definitely not doing my body any favors by eating the blue dye #7 (or my waistline, for that matter).

And here we are at Friday again. The night Marc and I commonly go out for dinner, drinks and general revelrie. There are only a handful of restaurants in town that feature "organic greens" on the menu, let alone an entirely organic meal. And organic wine? Forget about it - our wine rack is filled with our conventional favorites from Napa ... and I've yet to see Bonterra Biodynamic wine on any list around here.

So, what's an organic-eating girl to do? I'll continue my organic, all-natural buying ways for home consumption and for those rare happy hours or dinners with friends, I'll choose the most natural options available and enjoy it!

I ate the cupcake, by the way.

Correction

Contrary to my previous post (Old Mother Hubbard) we did not have Miracle Whip in our fridge. It was actually fat-free mayo. But it still had HFCS in it and is equally as nasty.

Shop 'Til I Drop

I took on my first official "organic" shopping trip earlier this week. I know what you're thinking, "geez, she hasn't gone shopping since the January 1 Organic Proclamation?" And the fact is, outside of a quick stop at my local Safeway and a pass through Whole Foods in the past couple weeks, I didn't really need to get much.

Nonetheless, I was sticking to my organic guns at the two aforementioned stores and chose to shop at Wild Oats in Boulder for my big stock up this week. It is markedly easier to buy organic items at Wild Oats or Whole Foods than it is at Safeway. Safeway had zero organic produce and their displays of "natural" boxed cereals kept luring me in. I remained strong and only bought a handful of items including organic milk, yogurt and I can't really remember what else (hey, you try remembering what you bought at the store 2 weeks ago).

Whole Foods was easier - lots of organic options (I just went in for some greens and the fixings for my Veggie Meatloaf with Checca Sauce) but you have to be careful: Those large, juicy produce displays can distract you from the tiny sign down below that says "conventional." And forget about the bakery area - most of the stuff is laden with white sugar. Although I did manage to get a delicious loaf of organic pumpernickel bread from the fresh counter. I was surprised at the number of organic grains they had available in the bulk bins, too.

Wednesday's big shop at Wild Oats proved that organic shopping is easy! Actually, easier than conventional/occasional organic because it limits the number of choices I have. I can focus on getting just those items I need and don't get drawn into impulse buys of crap! Plus - the produce was phenomenal! I did discover that organic cheese is expensive ... $6 for an 8 oz. brick of cheddar was an expense I couldn't justify. (Not right now anyway.) I opted for the natural cheese with no colors, dyes, added growth hormones, etc.

Everyone claims organic shopping is "way" more expensive than conventional. I'm not convinced of this yet. It's hard to compare my organic shopping trip this week to the typical cart-full of Safeway items because I stocked up on vitamins, supplements and dog food at Wild Oats. I typically spend about $100 on a big cart of food, and I feel like my organic experience is in line with this amount (when you don't include the non-food purchases).

And overall, I feel better about the food I bought. There aren't those impulse buys of HFCS-laden products filling up my cabinets. Instead, I'm stocked on lots of fresh produce, whole grains, nuts and all the good stuff we're actually going to eat.