Sophie Uliano
Quinoa with White Beans, Spinach, and Mushrooms
Go green with this healthy dish. Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is extremely high in protein and has a lovely nutty taste. If you can’t find any in your local store, you can get this organic grain at the following site: whitemountainfarm.com.
Directions:
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add ½ yellow onion, chopped and 2 cloves garlic, chopped and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add 1 cup quinoa and cook for another minute. Add 3 cups vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add 2 cups cooked great northern beans, 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms, and 2 cups chopped spinach and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring well.
- Spoon into bowls, top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
One more fun way to save:
Gorgeously Green Soda
Instead of soda, I make my own sparkling water with my Soda Club Fountain (www.sodaclubusa.com), which is a wonderful green accessory for your kitchen. Then I add organic fruit juices and, if I want to be fancy, a sprig of lavender and some torn-up mint leaves. You’ll save a great deal of money, while helping to do away with your hideously unhealthy soda habit
Eat Green, Save Green
April 2010
You probably hear all kinds of price comparisons between organic and conventional food. It’s said that you can pay anything from 10 to 50 percent more for organic products, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t eat organically, even if you’re on a fast-food budget. It all depends on how and where you buy. Here are ten ways to save money while buying decent, healthy eco-friendly food.
Stick with Store Brands.
They are always cheaper, and if you compare the ingredients with the name brand alternatives there’s typically no difference. Lots of large grocery chain brands like Whole Foods, Publix, Safeway, ShopRite, and Wal-Mart, now offer organic foods.
Buy Less Meat.
This is probably the most important one because organic meat is considerably more expensive than its conventional counterpart. I buy it just occasionally and make it stretch further by buying cuts I can make into stews, or ground meat that I can use a little of in pasta sauces.
Go Bulk.
Buying cereal, grains, dried fruit, beans, nuts, and legumes from the bulk bins in natural or health food stores will save you a great deal of money. And you keep excess packaging out of the environment‑‑an added eco-bonus!
Cut Your Own Veggies.
Never buy cut-up vegetables in a bag. It’s way more expensive and not much of a time saver anyway. Instead, buy large uncut carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower to get more veggies for your buck. Use the leftover stalks in soups and pasta to save even more.
Shop in Season.
Buying organic asparagus, green beans or bell peppers in the winter will cost you a lot more. When your favorite veggies and fruits aren’t in season buy them frozen—they won’t lose any of their organic benefits.
Try Canned Fish.
Fresh fish tends to jack up the price of a weekly shopping trip. The healthy fish that are packed with omega-3s (wild salmon and sardines) are great to buy canned, especially if you are adding them to salads, pastas, and sandwiches.
Look for Bargains.
If you go to a grocery store that doesn’t have much organic food, you will see, ironically, many of their organic items (especially dairy) on sale. Find and frequent the stores that often have things on sale. It’s also a good idea to keep a budget book to track and compare prices. There are often huge disparities on organic prices between different grocery stores.
Work the Farmer’s Market.
A good time of day to go to your local farmer’s market is right when they are about to pack up. Oftentimes the farmers don’t want to haul back what they came to sell, and it will probably spoil in a few days anyway, so they will give it to you for next to nothing!
Live on the Edge.
Grocery stores are set up so that all the perishable foods are on the perimeter. The biggest price markups are always on the convenient, packaged, and processed foods located in the store’s inner aisles—staying on the outer edges of the store will encourage you to stick with more cost-effective and eco-friendly foods.
Download E-Coupons.
Coupons for green items used to be a rare find, but I’m happy to report that things have changed. Now you can cut and download coupons for all kinds of organic foods. Here are some good places to start:
www.wildharvestorganic.com
www.organicvalley.com
www.stonyfieldfarm.com
www.shopnaturesoasis.com
www.scojuice.com
Adapted from The Gorgeously Green Diet: How to Live Lean and Green by Sophie Uliano; Dutton Books; www.gorgeouslygreen.com