The Sustainable Table website offers up information on what foods are in season in your area, where Farmer’s Markets are located, Food Co-ops, shopping guides, and a rBGH-free Dairy map. In addition to saving money, enjoying healthier and better tasting food, eating food that is in season and local helps the environment.

By purchasing local foods in-season, you eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles, your food dollar goes directly to the farmer, and your family will be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Buying seasonal produce also provides an exciting opportunity to try new foods and to experiment with seasonal recipes. And it simply tastes better!

I shop the Farmers Market in my area regularly. In addition to finding fresh produce, I’m also able to find locally grown nuts, honey, breads, herbs, and plants.

While I’m there, I also pick up homemade tamales. Tamale breakfast is a favorite of my family.

Image credit: Michelle Smith

Post from: Blisstree

Why It’s Good To Eat Seasonally

And if the message of the movie resonated with you, you might also be interested in seeing Food, Inc, which opened in NYC, San Francisco, and LA yesterday on June 12.

Slow Food USA writes:

The movie touches on many issues, including violations of farmworkers’ rights; aggressive litigiousness on the part of large agribusiness; food safety; the role of industrial organic; and some straight up weird stuff like an irradiated fat slurry that goes into most hamburger meat produced in this country. The main theme, as the title suggests, is what goes wrong when corporations control the food system.

Along with the movie they have released a companion book with the subtitle: How Industrial Food is Making us Sicker, Fatter and Poorer–And What You Can Do About It.

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Did you see “Fast Food Nation”?

She’s listed offers on Annies Macaroni&Cheese, Green Mountain Coffee, Newman’s Own Organics, a variety of yogurts, cookies, and crackers. Visit the Stonyfield Farms website to register for the coupons.

STL Mommy has a number of coupon offers and giveaways listed here. Take a look, it will definitely be worth your time. Thanks STL Mommy!

Image credit: Stonyfield Farm Organics

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Stonyfield Farm Organics Coupons

Or, as my grandma used to say, you can’t burn the candle at both ends!

One tip for saving money while eating healthy is simply to serve a smaller portion of meat. Many people eat portions too large anyway, so instead serve a piece that is about as big as a deck of cards. She also recommends placing chopping up veggies in your dishes to bring them to life. Not only will they “bulk up” your dish, they’ll also be strategically placed in the food for those picky eaters among us.

Image: sxc.hu.

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With Money Tight, Healthy Food Still Needed

One cup of popped popcorn, eaten plain, contains:
24 calories
1 gram of protein
6 grams carbohydrates
1 gram fiber

Keeping healthy snacks on hand is important for the whole family, especially with childhood obesity on the rise. Sprinkling popcorn with herbs or other seasonings is a fun way to add flavor without adding extra fat and calories. Children love to mix and match a variety of flavors to create their own healthy popcorn creations.

My DH and I got to try a variety of Kernel Season’s popcorn spritzers and flavors, and we were delighted with the ones we sampled: so far, the kettle corn flavoring and the white cheddar.  We’re looking forward to trying more.  The spritzers can be used alone, or in combination with the sprinkle-on flavors.  In fact, the spritzers are a great way to get the flavors to stick onto air popped corn, so that you can control the fat content even more!

Besides being available for purchase online, these popcorn products are also available in many grocery stores and large retailers like Walmart and Target.  They are also being offered at more than 20,000 movie theater screens nationwide as a free shake-on topping!

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Kernel Season’s popcorn products

…has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Tilapia has higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids than 80% lean hamburger, cookies, bacon or sausage. Wow- this is really big news around my house as our favorite fish is Tilapia! My kids love it and so do I so we will have to revisit our choices at the seafood store.

We buy it because we love the taste but apparently it is also one of the least expensive choices out there as well. And it makes sense when you think about farm bred fish…

…tilapia is easily farmed using inexpensive corn-based feeds, which contain short chain omega-6s that the fish very efficiently convert to AA and place in their tissues. This ability to feed the fish inexpensive foods, together with their capacity to grow under almost any condition, keeps the market price for the fish so low that it is rapidly becoming a staple in low-income diets.

 to read more

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The commonly consumed fish Tilapia is potentially dangerous for heart patients