Just Say No to GMO

Today I want to talk about GMOs.  They seem to be everywhere these days and there are quite a few misconceptions out there.  There are also important decisions being made right now concerning GMOs and our food and we can make a difference so it's important we're all knowledgable about GMOs.

What's a GMO?

I’m sure many of you know this, but lets cover the basics.  GMO stands for genetically modified organism.  GMOs are created by gene splicing which is also known as genetic engineering.  This can happen with both plants and animals.  From the Non-GMO Project:

“This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.”

In other words, this isn’t combining breeds or crop selection.  GMOs could never naturally occur.

The Problems with GMOs

More than 60 countries have banned or heavily restrict GMOs, but not the US and Canada.  Why are so many countries hesitant to embrace this technology?  GMOs negatively effect the environment and small farmers.  In the limited studies that have been done, there have also been disturbing health implications.

Lets start with the environment.  Many of the GMO crops have been altered to contain herbicides or have herbicide or pesticide resistance.  These plants are now creating weeds that are resistant to the large amounts of chemicals used on the GMO crops.  This goes for bugs too.  GMOs have created “super” weeds and bugs in the same way overuse of antibiotics have created super bugs resistant to even the strongest drugs.

GMOs are also terrible for our farmers.  This whole subject is worthy of its own blog post but for the sake of today, lets briefly discuss GMO’s effect on farmers.  GMO seeds are highly controlled and considered patented property.  Even if farmers steer clear of GMO seeds, they have to deal with cross pollination and patent infringement.  Non of this is good for small business.

And of course there are the health repercussions.  Even if the other aspects of GMOs don’t bother you, this should get your attention.  In the limited studies that have been done on animals, GMOs have had alarming effects.  Liver and kidney enlargement and toxicity, pre-cancerous growth, cellular changes in babies, stomach lesions and changes to gut bacteria have all occurred in these studies. 

This stuff is scary!  While many are calling for more research, I don’t need it.  There have been no benefits to GMO use and the drawbacks are plenty!

Avoiding GMOs

So how do you avoid GMOs? There is a lot of information out today concerning GMOs and what is and isn’t safe.  The truth is, there are relatively few GMO crops that are being commercially produced today.  Unfortunately, there are tons of GMO crops (and a couple animals) that have been developed and could potentially be produced. Today, despite the short list of GMO crops, it’s important to know that GMOs make up the majority of each crop.  So if your buying soy beans for instance, you’ve got a 95% chance that it's GMO (unless it's organic).  For the items listed below, I make sure to buy organic or avoid it if I can’t.

GMOs currently on the market:

Soy

Corn

Sugar beets

Canola

Papaya
Cotton

Zucchini and yellow squash

Alfalfa

Other crops that could be contaminated, either from cross-pollination or potential approval for commercial production are considered “monitored crops.”  These include:

Chard

Table beets

Rutabaga

Kale

Bok choy

Mizuna

Chinese cabbage

Turnip

Rapini

Tatsoi

Acorn squash

Delicata squash

Patty pan

Flax

Rice

But I Thought _____ was GMO Too?

You may have heard that tomatoes, potatoes, pigs, rice etc. are GMO.  As of today, they aren’t in commercial production.  Both tomatoes and potatoes were developed but both failed and were withdrawn from the market years ago.  Golden rice is currently being tested in Asia but not available here or on any commercial market.  Oh, and the pigs did exist but the research project was shut down.  These days we need to worry about the genetically engineered salmon that is currently being reviewed by the FDA.  For more information on that, check out both the ocean conservatory and the center for food safety.

Packaged Foods and the Organic Problem

If you buy packaged foods (and who doesn’t buy even a few things), avoiding GMOs becomes more difficult.  Besides looking for the ingredients listed above, you’ve also got to watch out for a whole other list of sneaky ingredients made from those GMO crops. Below is a list of ingredients to avoid unless they are specified organic (and clearly some of these we never need to ingest!).

Amino Acids

Aspartame

Ascorbic Acid

Sodium Ascorbate

Vitamin C

Citric Acid

Sodium Citrate

Ethanol

Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”)

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Lactic Acid

Maltodextrins

Molasses

Monosodium Glutamate

Sucrose

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

Xanthan Gum

Vitamins

Yeast Products

Now lets talk about that tricky organic labeling on packaged products.  Did you know not all of the ingredients must be organic?  Unless the product specifies 100% organic, it can contain up to 5% of non-organic ingredients.  This may not be a lot, but it’s enough to let GMOs into your food that sports that organic label. 

So if you’re buying packaged products that don’t specify 100% organic, make sure you read the ingredient label.  All organic ingredients will be specified and you can determine of the non-organic ingredients are clear from the GMO list.  You can also look for any product (organic or not) that has been labeled with the Non-GMO Project’s seal.  They have independently tested the products and certified they are GMO free.

For More Information
You can check out these sites for reliable GMO information:

The Non-GMO Project

Label GMOs

GMO Myths and Truths

Peaches and Cream Smoothie

Can I just say how much I love local farms?  We just visited two different farms and picked strawberries, blueberries and peaches.  We also got to hold a baby lamb, chat with the farmers and teach the kids first hand where honey comes from.  All while soaking in the beautiful weather we’ve been having.

Besides the produce being much less expensive than in the store, we got to show the kids where our food comes from.  Oh, and support our local farmers!  I absolutely love this time of year in Florida!

I probably got a little caught up in the start of peach and blueberry season here because we picked an enormous amount of both.  Luckily, both freeze well and we love to use them in smoothies.

Peach smoothies have always been one of my favorites.  Unfortunately, everyone likes to add bananas as a filler and ruin that wonderful peachy flavor.  I love bananas but not in every smoothie ever made!

This smoothie was sucked down in no time- I think it might be a record over here (and that’s saying something).  It’s sweet and creamy and both kids were asking for more!

Peaches and Cream Smoothie

2 cups frozen peaches

3 dates

½ cup water

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp hemp hearts

Soak dates in water for at least 15 minutes.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and run until smooth.

Oh, and make sure you make enough for everyone!

This post is shared at Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday and Fresh Foods Link Up. 

Baby Spinach and A Big Move

So there's going to be a new member of the Spinach family.  We're all really excited!  Dakota's hoping for a little sister and Aidric is hoping for a little brother.  Unfortunately, someone is going to end up disappointed.

Now that I'm finally out of the first trimester and feeling better, I look forward to sharing some of my pregnancy nutrition and dietary changes.  I can tell you so far, I have felt far better than I did with my first two pregnancies when I was eating a SAD diet.

Oh and guess what else?  The Air Force has decided it's time for us to move again so we're head across the country.  Our family will be packing up next month and making a giant road trip to California.  I've got mixed emotions about the move.  I'm excited because we'll be living in Northern California, a great place to be for outdoor activities and eating local.  But we'll be leaving all of my extended family and that will be really hard on the kids.

Overall though, we've got some exciting months ahead.  I hope you'll join us on all of our new adventures!

Homemade Coconut Milk

We've been using a ton of coconut milk lately.  It's become both Andy and I's favorite milk for coffee since it's so thick and creamy.  I also use it for some of my yummy baking goods.  Andy likes to use about half a can in a giant cup of coffee so it can go pretty quickly.

This can get expensive.  I normally order our coconut milk online and it's much more reasonable, but at over $2 a can it adds up to a pricey homemade cup of coffee.

I attempted to make coconut milk a couple months ago and made the mistake of not soaking it before hand.  It came out a disappointing watery, chunky mess.  Now I've learned that the soaking is key.

This milk is fantastic and tastes so much better that the canned stuff.  I love how fresh the coconut flavor is.  And best of all, I'm avoiding the plastic can lining and additives, all for a lower cost!

Homemade Coconut Milk

1 cup unsweetened raw coconut shreds
2 cups filtered water

Soak coconut in water for 2-3 hours.

Pour water and coconut into blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes.  A high speed blender will work best for this.
Strain milk through a nut milk bag.

Store in a glass container for up to a week.

Avocado Deviled Eggs

If you've dyed your Easter eggs (or are planning to), you've got a lot of boiled eggs on your hands.  This year I'm being proactive about using them.  Instead of letting them sit in my fridge for weeks, I'm going to use them on Easter day!

We're heading to lunch with lots of family, including some relative visiting from Switzerland.  I'm bringing a couple of side dishes and dessert, but I decided I wanted to bring some yummy deviled eggs too.  An easy appetizer plus using up my giant stash of boiled eggs = awesomeness!

It's not that we don't eat boiled eggs.  The kids love them as a snack and we'll mix up some egg salad too.  But we dyed lots of eggs this year and I'm happy to lighten the load and make a little room in the fridge.  Plus, deviled eggs are super yummy.

And guess what?  These little eggy masterpieces skip the standard mayo and use avocado instead.  Avocados are much more nutritious than even homemade mayo and if you're comparing the store bought mayo, there's no contest!

Even if you'll be using your Easter eggs on Easter morning, there's still plenty of time to prep these babies.  They've only got a few ingredients and you can whip them up in a matter of minutes.

Avocado Deviled Eggs

1 dozen boiled eggs
1 avocado
1 large dill pickle, diced
1/4 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste

Peel and rinse eggs. Slice longways.

Remove the yolks and mash together in a medium bowl.

Add avocado, roughly chopped and mash in with the yolks.

If you prefer a smoother look, you can do this in your food processor.
Add salt pepper and dill pickle and mix.

Fill each egg with avocado filling.

Chill until serving and enjoy!

An Unconventional Easter Basket

Have you noticed the massive amount of Easter stuff in the stores?  We stopped at Target last weekend for a mattress pad (we've had one too many pee accidents on our new bed) and as we strolled the aisles, I was bombarded by the massive amount of Easter "stuff" for sale.  Dishes, towels, clothes, giant decorative bunnies... sigh.  And this wasn't even in the Easter aisles.

Luckily for me, the bedding was next to the Easter display.  Aisle after aisle of plastic baskets, eggs, grass and cheap plastic toys.  Oh and the candy.  Chocolate bunnies and eggs and candy of all kinds, yippie!  Kota was beside herself with all of the stuff we "needed." What, you mean the stuff that will be in the garbage next week?

How is it that this holiday became about chocolate bunnies and plastic chickens pooping candy eggs (you've seen those right?). 

Besides our food restrictions and standards, we try not to get caught up in the crazy marketing surrounding every single holiday .  Despite what marketers would like me to believe, I really don't need more stuff.  Especially toxic stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not sucking the fun out of Easter over here.  Kota has been practicing her egg hunting skills and has already asked if the Easter bunny will be coming to our house.  Indeed he will.  He'll just be dropping off some simpler treats.

This year, our littles will have baskets filled with homemade goodies and a simple craft.  No spending frenzy at the store, no cheep plastic toys, and no toxic junk food.  So what makes up our Ester baskets?

No grass!

We'll be using some of the wooden and wicker baskets that the kids already play with.  The Easter bunny likes to recycle right?  We'll also be skipping the plastic or paper grass that has no redeeming value.  Instead our little baskets will be lined with play silks.

The Treats

Like I said, the ridiculous chemical filled candy will not be entering this house.  Instead, we'll be enjoying some homemade treats.  First on my list will be a little breakfast treat (bonus: one less thing to cook in the morning!)- I’m thinking I’ll make these tasty little mini muffins.

The kiddos will also be getting a raw treat- these raw brownies, which they love.  They're simple to make and naturally sweetened with dates.

I've also dehydrated a batch of strawberries for their basket.  Talk about a simple Easter basket addition. Slice and dehydrate!

Finally, I'm planning to make some very special chocolate mini eggs.  I'll be using my dairy free truffle recipe and rolling them into mini egg shapes instead of balls.  This way my kids will get a fun chocolate treat without the sugar, dairy, soy and other additives that you'll find in the Easter aisles.

Getting Crafty

My kids definitely don't need more toys but we can always use more art and craft supplies.  Kota was running low on beads so I bought her some wood and shell beads to string.  These were under $5.  I'm making a simple felt book for Aidric with truck shapes.  The felt for is was under $2.  This is the only money I've spent on their baskets, everything else we had on hand.

I'm happy that we're keeping it simple this year.  We aren't contributing to landfill waste or filling our bodies with lots of toxins.  Hopefully some of this is rubbing off on the kids too.