whole foods market

if i could go on date anywhere with my hubby it would be to whole foods in vancouver. there are only two in BC and vancouver is the closest. whole foods is one big organic grocery store. they have everything a normal store has but it is all organic, hormone-free, nothing is genetically modified, and they have a huge gluten-free section-my favorite. it is pricey- i will not lie -but it is cheaper than buying organic in the one isle at superstore because they obviously bring in more product = less money. i wanted to go there today but we were in langely and didnt want to make the drive. that is when we discovered nature's farm. almost identical as whole foods but not as cool esthetically-it is a lot closer and had pretty much the same stuff. HOWEVER (and here is my rant) i had to ask for a paperbag because by default they gave plastic ones which totally surprised me. anyways.

so while we were there i got myself a eco-friendly window cleaner cloth. i have seen these at norwex parties- which by the way norwex is awesome, chemical free, and lasts a loooong time...so this one is not norwex but it works amazingly. i just ran out of windex and was waiting to get one.

this is the other thing about going green that i think is misleading: you do not have to throw away everything in your pantry or closet and start fresh with green items. i think that is why a lot of people never do it. its simple. use what you have and when it runs out buy something that is green, like the window cloth cleaner. it was 10$ but will last me a long time and what, windex cleaner is like, 5$? it works out to save you money for sure.

a friend of mine gave me her recipe for cleaning household products that have no harmful chemicals in them and are way cheaper, here are a couple:

all purpose cleaner- mix in the order listed:
-mix 2tbsp of vinegar with 1tsp of borax
-add 3/4 bottle hot water and dissolve borax
-add 1/4 cup castile soap or 1/8 cup regular dish soap
-top up with hot water
-add essential oil of your choice to make it nice smelling
-all all these together in the bottle you will keep it in
done, easy!

floor cleaner
-fill bottle with equal amounts vinegar and water
-add 15-20 drops of essential oil of your choice
-you can spray/squirt it directly on the floor

see its not so bad. make sure to keep the empty cleaner bottles though that way you don't have to buy new ones. if you do need bottles, you can get them at the dollar store.

i will give you some more recipes in future blogs but i think it is good to start one small change at a time so it sticks.

so folks, if you have an opportunity to check out whole foods or nature's farm, do it. my theory is, since i am being more wise about what i spend money on, and not being a senseless consumer, i should have more money to spend on food right? so why not spend it on good food that is not modified in any way. did you know that since genetically modified (gm'd) foods were introduced 15-20 years ago, disorders such as: reproductive, autism, and digestive issues and allergies have risen 10%?

since i struggle with food allergies of my own, this just makes eating clean that much more worth it.

is it worth it to you?

cheers to being green