I know buying organic food is not cheap, nor easy to convert. It took my family the better part of last year to make the transition. And we are still not 100% organic. With the exception of cheese (I don’t get why organic cheese is so much more expensive), we are feeding our children mostly organic foods now. That being said, I’m always on the look-out for ways in which I can feed my babies organic foods, but for less money.
As I mentioned in our last post on How To Be A Modern Day Superhero, we will be writing several posts over the next few weeks that compare organic food options as well as the price of those options versus non-organic food. We’ve been busy researching prices on buying organic products, from price clubs to grocery stores and local farms (think ‘cow sharing’), as well as other options.
In the meantime, below is a list of tips for beginning the transition to organic eating. I know how overwhelming the transition to organic eating can be, and wanted to share my journey with you. But, I’d also love to hear from YOU. 
What are your thoughts about healthy eating? What has worked/doesn’t work for your family regarding food? Don’t be shy – there is no judging on PureBebe – we’re all in this together! We all have so much to learn from each other.
1) Start gradually, with whatever foods your children consume the most.
We started out buying organic milk and apple juice, the two beverages besides water that my kids drink the most. After a couple of months we started to buy organic frozen vegetables, yogurt and fresh fruits. Then the next phase for us was bread, peanut butter, butter, raisins, cereal, and other foods that my kids eat in massive quantities. Eventually we started buying organic meats, mostly chicken and beef. Since neither of our kids eat a lot of meat, it was the last thing we began buying organic (with the exception of cheese, as previously mentioned).
2) Next, tackle the dirty dozen list.
All fruits and veggies don’t have to be organic. As we have written in prior posts, it just depends upon how those fruits and vegetables store pesticides and whether the actual flesh of the fruit is tainted with chemicals. Bananas, for instance, have a highly impenetrable peel, which keeps the flesh of the fruit free from pesticides.
If your children love fruits and vegetables like mine do, start buying those fruits and vegetables that store the most pesticides in their flesh. Here are the “dirty dozen and clean fifteen” lists in case you need them.
3) When it comes to vegetables, start with organic frozen veggies.
As I mentioned above, organic vegetables were some of the first products that we began buying organic. When bought in small packages, organic vegetables are slightly higher priced than normal vegetables. However, I found that USDA Organic frozen vegetables bought from Costco (5 lb. bag of green beans, frozen mixed vegetables or fresh carrots), cost just about the same as buying 5 lbs of regular vegetables. I will provide a side-by-side price comparison in upcoming posts.
The other great bonus about buying frozen vegetables is that they last a long time in the freezer, which for a busy mom means less food to throw away due to spoilage. I usually take out a handful for just the girls, or a few handfuls for the entire family and either steam them in the microwave, boil them, or bake them in the oven (olive oil, pepper & parmesan crusted green beans).
4) Grow your own.
If you live in a warm climate, grow an organic garden! Tomatoes, lettuce, spices – whatever you love to eat. I don’t have the luxury of living in a warm year-round climate, so I plan to grow my own garden this summer and freeze as many fruits and vegetables as possible.
-Heather
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We started slowly with the organic route. We began by buying organic milk and yogurt. Then, we added veggies. We typically bought our meat from Costco, then we signed up for Heartland Home Foods (similar to Omaha steak in that they give you 6-months worth of food). The Heartland stuff is all organic, already trimmed, and vacuum-sealed in individual portions. I think we’re closer to being 75% organic now.
It would be so much easier if the food were cheaper, or if grocery stores would cut you a break, like with a frequent buyer program. If you buy 5 different fruit/veggies that are organic, the 6th is free.
Andy, that’s a fantastic idea and hopefully we’ll get there. With more demand will come greater supply, and hopefully more programs like the one you mentioned above (that would be a great way for a local grocery store to differentiate!). We are still buying our organic meats mostly from Costco, but I am looking into other options, like Heartland Home Foods and local farms, for pricing and information.