My Favorite: Vegetables

So here is another favorites post, where I basically try really really hard to choose my top five favorites....this time it's vegetables.

Disclaimer: in my mind, sweet potatoes have a category of their own, so they aren't going to be included in this list. Also, I won't include greens in this either for the same reason.

     1. Carrots
I would definitely choose carrots as my top favorite vegetable, because of how it has such a great flavor. Carrots are one of the sweeter vegetables, which I think is especially brought out in roasting them. Also carrots and hummus....need I say more?

 

     2. Cauliflower

Cauliflower is my number two choice because of its versatility. Cauliflower is amazing steamed, made into cauliflower rice, roasted, and even cauliflower mashed potatoes. It has such a buildable flavor which I think is key part in making it a "perfect" vegetable.

     

     3. Peas

I hate to generalize peas, but due to my indecisiveness I am going to. Sugar snap peas, garden peas, snow peas they are so delicious! Super sweet and so great to snack on. I could (and have) eat an entire bag of sugar snap peas, I think its the crunch that is just so amazing. Also, garden peas (frozen, not canned....never canned) are great in salads and also just right out of the bag, out of the freezer. 

     4. Brussel Sprouts

When cooked properly, brussel sprouts are to die for. They are sweet and hearty all at the same time. The key to brussel sprouts is to roast them, if you give me steamed brussel sprouts I won't touch them....but I can easily eat an entire pan of roasted brussel sprouts. They are packed with nutrition and always get so much hate from, as I'd like to call it, the "steamed brussel sprout" generation. But honestly, my discovery of roasted brussel sprouts definitely changed my life. yummmmm...

  

     5. Tomatoes 
Tomatoes are so sweet and juicy, and they are even better in the summer, and even better from my garden. I love just eating them like an apple, or slicing them up with some sea salt and black pepper, or even making a basil tomato sandwich with just a basil leaf in between two slices of tomato. Cherry tomatoes are also perfect because, like peas, they are great to just eat like candy.....right out of the carton.

 

So there it is...my top five favorite vegetables of all time. Hope you enjoyed!

My Thoughts: Organic or Conventional?

     Organic is a term that gets thrown around all the time in the food industry. So many studies are done to investigate whether or not organic is better, healthier, more sustainable, etc. First of all, many people don't actually know what organic is, or what it means, or how it's different than conventional food.

     Organic foods are produced without chemicals, pesticides, irradiation, or additives. In other words, they are grown about the same way, but without any types of sprays or treatments. This means that farmers have to keep very specific conditions, and use specific organic pesticides to grown their produce. Being an organic garden is something that has to go through a certification process, and isn't something that a farmer can just claim. All companies must be certified to used the word "organic" whereas anyone and everyone can use the word "natural". So organic and "natural"....not the same thing at all. ( I will discuss my anger with the word "natural" in a later blog post)

 (wait, so these are "natural"....?)

     Many people assume that organic is better for you, more nutritious, and more beneficial to your health. This can be very overwhelming to someone that is trying to eat healthier, because organic foods are definitely more expensive, and not everyone can afford to buy organic. So does this mean you should just not buy produce at all if you can't afford organic? Of course not! Something doesn't have to be organic in order to be healthy and nutritious for you. Also, it has yet to be proven that organic foods are better for you, or healthier than conventionally grown produce.

     So what are my thoughts on this subject? I think organic produce can be too expensive to buy, and I have no problem at all with buying conventionally grown produce. I'd rather it be organic, or locally grown, to reduce the amounts of chemicals going into my body....but organic is something that just isn't on my list of priorities when going grocery shopping. Although I do make sure that I wash all my produce completely to get as much chemicals and pesticides off as I can. Organic is something that I think gets blown out of proportion, and although it is important, it isn't something to obsess over.

     There is a list known as "The Dirty Dozen" which is a list of foods that pesticides are used the most on. When I start making actual money, and can afford to spend a little more on food, I will start buying most of these foods organically, but until them all I can do is scrub, wash, rinse, repeat. Also, notice that most of these foods you eat the entire piece of food, meaning focus on buying organic (if you can) produce that you eat the skin, rather than buying organic banana or oranges, where you definitely are not going to be eating the skins.

     Although I don't eat meat, if I did I would definitely spend that extra money to buy organic meat, because I think organic (or hormone-free) meat is much safer. Mostly because non-organic raised animals are typically injected with hormones, which I wouldn't want to be putting in my body, so buying organic would prevent this. I also don't drink cow's milk, but if I did I would also aim for organic milk, again due to the hormones that are used in non-organic milk.

Well those are my thoughts on organic foods. Hope they did not offend you. What are your thoughts on organic? Do you spend that extra money for the organic label? Let me know in the comment section down below!