Organic foods, Menu Plan Monday

Hubby went shopping with me. I sent him for organic lettuce. He came back with a big healthy looking head. Sadly, I knew it wasn't organic because of the size and healthiness of the head. I took him back to the produce department and showed him the sad looking organic lettuce.  Lettuce is not in season in New Jersey this time of year. I'd rather do without it and eat seasonally appropriate or frozen when perfectly ripe organic vegetables, but hubby loves his salad. He fell off the organic bandwagon and bought the better looking head of lettuce.
Aside from knowing how bad organic lettuce looks in the winter, another way to tell if something is organic is to look at the UPC label. Conventional produce has a four digit number beginning with a 3 or 4. Organic produce has a 5 digit number that begins with a 9, for example 94011 (organic bananas, ) And a scary thing to note is that genetically engineered food has a 5 digit number that begins with an 8.
Why eat Organic? Well, take that healthy stalk of celery that you decide to munch on for a low-calorie snack. No matter how well you wash it, you are ingesting 67 pesticides along with the celery. Yuk! Pesticides can build up in your body. We are only now beginning to see how these pesticides negatively affect our health.
Check out the list of the twelve worst foods to eat non-organically here: The Dirty Dozen
Organic food is more expensive and, out of season, not as attractive (just don't buy bad looking food!) But in season, it not only has less pesticides, it delivers more nutrition than non-organic food. This is because it is getting it's minerals from natural sources in the soil, instead of being grown in depleted soil which is chemically enhanced to sustain life.  It is more expensive, but as you cut out foods that are processed and have additives, you will find it all balances out in the grocery bill. As long as you don't take hubby shopping with you!
So this is my plan for the week, linked up to www.orgjunkie.com
Monday - Shopping Day, Rotisserie chicken (not too good this week)
Tuesday - Chicken Soup made from the left over chicken
Wednesday - Cuban Black Beans and Rice
Thursday - Oven Fried Chicken, Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes
Friday - Another attempt at a whole wheat pizza crust, last week's was not good
Saturday - Steak and Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans
Sunday - Spaghetti with meat sauce.