For those outside on Tennessee you still may not know the devastation Middle Tennessee as well as surrounding areas have faced over the last week. It has not received much nationwide coverage until recently and it has been almost a full week since the disaster took place.
We live in Nashville and May 1st and 2nd are dates that will burn in our minds forever. Over the course of those 2 days we received just shy of 15 inches of continuous rain. the rainfall and rising of the local rivers all reach record breaking amounts. The Cumberland River with is the main river in Nashville and fairly close to our home crested at 52 feet which is 12 feet above flood level. A large amount of our downtown area was underwater, historic landmarks destroyed, neighborhoods under water, hundreds of water rescues, loss of power and lives. It has been shocking and saddening to watch so much of our beloved city destroyed. The economic impact this flood will have on our state and city is still unknown, but they are estimating the damages are around $1.5 billion.
Due to the flooding the CSA were planned on joining was affected and wasn't able to make it's delivery the first week. But we are so happy to hear that they are up and running again. So we will keep you all updated on our experience with a CSA. If you are a part of one tell us what you think about it. We are excited about the idea of eating seasonally and having fresh organic, local produce, eggs and meet delivered weekly. Our little garden was also damaged in the flood. It appears we still have one tomato plant standing but we will have to replant green papers, lettuce, and everything else.
I am so proud to see Nashville and the local communities ban together in this tragic time and re-build this city together. So many volunteers, so much good coming out of a disaster. I have never been so proud to live in Nashville than I am now and at this point in my life I am so happy to call Nashville my home. This is a true demonstration of a city taking care of itself, and I love it. We Are Nashville.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Tropical Traditions
I have mentioned Tropical Traditions a few times on the blog but i wanted to talk more about them. We get all of our coconut products from them from coconut oil to skin care products. Aside from selling great quality coconut oil at a good price their website is full of tons of resources from free coconut recipes to articles and research on coconut oil. They also have great specials all the time from 2 for 1 products and free shipping!
We use the expeller-pressed coconut oil for all of our cooking. it has been steam deodorized so the coconut smell has been removed, which makes it good for every day cooking. we use the gold label coconut oil when we want the coconut taste such as in smoothies or baking. we also use it on our skin! in addition to the oils we have ordered coconut flour (which we use in baking, to coat fish and chicken for cooking and even as a protein addition to smoothies). we have also purchased coconut lotions, deodorants, teeth cleaner and natural coconut insect repellent from them. all of which we love. so far we have been pleased with all of the products we have tried and we highly recommend them. they also have a great referral program.
Referral Program: Once you have placed your initial order, you are then eligible to earn free products by referring your friends or blog readers to them as well.
Plus when you take part in the referral program, you will receive the book Virgin Coconut Oil, How it has changed people's lives and how it can change yours! By Brian & Marianita Jader Shilhavy for free. The book contains interesting information about benefits that people have experienced in using the coconut oil in their daily health and diet plan, plus it includes 85 great recipes!
Here is how you get the book: When you place an order with them as a first-time customer, please select "Referred by a friend" and then in the box that says "How did you hear of us?" enter our sponsor ID number #5958808. By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive a complimentary copy of the book with your first order!
Doesn't get much better than that. give coconut oil and try. we hope you'll love it as much as we do. as i mentioned before coconut oil has so many health benefits from regulating thyroid to making your skin look great. if you have any questions about coconut oil please feel free to ask us.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Organic on a budget?
eating healthy on a budget can sometimes be a challenge. it is often the biggest excuse people make not to eat healthy, "i don't have the money", "i can't afford organic". and i'll be honest, i have made that argument many times especially when it comes to buying organic. a lot of people think it's overrated or a waste of money. and when you don't really think about what you are really eating, it's easy to turn the other cheek and eat whatever is the cheapest. and we have been guilty of that for a long time.
with our new lifestyle we are eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies which has been taking a toll on our budget. we avoided buying organic by planting a small vegetable garden and have been washing our non-organic produce really well(which reduces but doesn't eliminate pesticides) but our small garden hasn't produced much crop yet and it probably isn't big enough to sustain us through the summer. so we have skirted around buying organic, trying to hold on to as much of our money as possible. we shop at our local farmer's market whenever possible, but we have found it so hard to spend extra on local and organic produce sold in stores and pass up non-organic strawberries for 99 cents in the grocery store. i am slowly realizing that strawberries for 99 cents might be easy on our pockets now, but in the long run we are only hurting ourselves. the pesticides that soak into the produce we eat on a regular basis is so harmful.
Dr. Axe has a great article i just read which has helped convince me to grow more of our own food, buy organic for certain foods, and eat more local produce. Dr. Axe has included a list in this article provided by the Environmental Working Group of the "Dirty Dozen" & "Clean 15". this is a condensed list of the top foods that you NEED to buy organic and 15 foods that are "okay" to consume non-organic in order to save money. therefore you can still stay on a budget while eating healthy. you can read Dr. Axe's article HERE, and check out more info on the dangers of pesticides and why you should avoid them HERE for more in depth info, but here is the list:
WORST(buy these organic): celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, grapes(imported)
BEST (lowest in pesticides): onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mangos, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato, honeydew melon
another option for eating healthy on a budget is becoming a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). basically you pay a membership amount generally $400 - $700 for the growing season and in turn you will receive fresh produce from a local farm once a week. some CSA's offer weekly programs so you don't have to pay the whole fee upfront. we have looked into them before, but in the past they seemed too expensive. this of course is before we realized the dangers of what we were eating. when it comes down to it $400 for a weekly supply of fresh and in most cases organic produce over a 6 month period is a great deal. you can find out more info about CSA's and how to join one in your area HERE. we are considering doing a weekly payment option and getting produce, meat, and eggs. this in combination with our little garden should help us get through the growing season more healthfully.
with our new lifestyle we are eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies which has been taking a toll on our budget. we avoided buying organic by planting a small vegetable garden and have been washing our non-organic produce really well(which reduces but doesn't eliminate pesticides) but our small garden hasn't produced much crop yet and it probably isn't big enough to sustain us through the summer. so we have skirted around buying organic, trying to hold on to as much of our money as possible. we shop at our local farmer's market whenever possible, but we have found it so hard to spend extra on local and organic produce sold in stores and pass up non-organic strawberries for 99 cents in the grocery store. i am slowly realizing that strawberries for 99 cents might be easy on our pockets now, but in the long run we are only hurting ourselves. the pesticides that soak into the produce we eat on a regular basis is so harmful.
Dr. Axe has a great article i just read which has helped convince me to grow more of our own food, buy organic for certain foods, and eat more local produce. Dr. Axe has included a list in this article provided by the Environmental Working Group of the "Dirty Dozen" & "Clean 15". this is a condensed list of the top foods that you NEED to buy organic and 15 foods that are "okay" to consume non-organic in order to save money. therefore you can still stay on a budget while eating healthy. you can read Dr. Axe's article HERE, and check out more info on the dangers of pesticides and why you should avoid them HERE for more in depth info, but here is the list:
WORST(buy these organic): celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, grapes(imported)
BEST (lowest in pesticides): onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mangos, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato, honeydew melon
another option for eating healthy on a budget is becoming a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). basically you pay a membership amount generally $400 - $700 for the growing season and in turn you will receive fresh produce from a local farm once a week. some CSA's offer weekly programs so you don't have to pay the whole fee upfront. we have looked into them before, but in the past they seemed too expensive. this of course is before we realized the dangers of what we were eating. when it comes down to it $400 for a weekly supply of fresh and in most cases organic produce over a 6 month period is a great deal. you can find out more info about CSA's and how to join one in your area HERE. we are considering doing a weekly payment option and getting produce, meat, and eggs. this in combination with our little garden should help us get through the growing season more healthfully.
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