A lot of people would like to go organic, but they think that it’s just too darn expensive. However, by being a little savvy you can save money and be healthier at the same time. Check out some inexpensive organic products and learn how to go organic on a budget!

Wild Oats
You may be surfing the Wild Oats site right now, wondering if organic can really be affordable? Yes, Wild Oats has truly made a difference when it comes to finding high quality organic products at a great price! True to their founding mission, Wild Oats still believes that everyone has a right to great-tasting, high-quality products from organic pasta sauce to organic spices. Their promise is to create a wide range of these items so that you and your loved ones can enjoy better products at a better price. My favorite products are definitely the Pasta Sauces! You can whip up a quick meal for your kids for under $10!

Acure Organics
It can be difficult to find inexpensive organic skin and hair care. In fact, you might have given up on it long ago. Acure Organics utilizes cutting edge plant stem technology to make a line of fabulous, everyday natural hair and skin care products. These active stem cells contain all the benefical markers that a specific plant carries amplified for even more results. I especially love the Triple Moisture Repairing Shampoo and Conditioner for Normal to Dry/Damaged/Curly Hair. This renewing shampoo and conditioner contains moroccan Argan oil and Argan stem cell to nourish hair at a deep level. Plus, most products are under $20! www.acureorganics.com

Threads for Thought
Threads 4 Thought was founded to create great fashion that evokes a lifestyle of shared responsibility for each other and our world. They continue to work towards that mission every day using sustainable materials to make products and work with factories that respect their employees and treat them humanely and fairly. Best of all, their products are super affordable, t-shirts featuring organic cotton start at just $10! www.threadsforthought.com

Make Your Own Organic Products
It’s easy to make your own organic products to save money! One suggestion that has saved me some cash is to utilize organic oils such as avocado, jojoba, coconut, hazelnut, walnut, palm, thyme and olive oil for multiple purposes. You can utilize oils on your hair and skin and also cook with them (just buy food grade). I also like to use jojoba oil as a base to make my own natural vanilla perfume. You just add a few drops of vanilla to about two tablespoons of jojoba, mix it up and you are all set! Also, try getting some thyme oil and using it around your house to fight germs! A little goes a long way!

The definition of “diet” is simple: a diet is what you eat each day. By this definition, there is no such thing as a diet food.

Foods that are sold in America are often times marketed as “diet” foods. I would be wary of these foods because often times they are high processed foods that use chemicals and preservatives, and unnatural ingredients, to keep them shelf stable for long periods of time. I’m not sure why anyone would want to include foods like this in their personal daily  “diet”.

Michael Pollan, an American journalist and the author of many popular food culture books, lives by the motto: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” As a dietitian, and an eater, I agree. Eat foods that make you feel good, not “diet” foods that don’t.

Here are some foods that make me feel good:

–Potatoes of all kinds

–Broccoli

–Beans

-Free-range meat

-Roast chicken

-Organic Eggs

-Pizza with homemade whole wheat pizza dough

–Coffee with organic sugar

–Homemade tortilla chips with salsa

These foods make me feel good and I eat them in moderation. I try to eat organic when I can. If I restrict what I eat, than I run into problems and end up eating too much in self-retaliation.

Diets don’t work; but balance does. I know it’s impossible to eat balanced all the time. Just try your best and call it a day.

There is little as satisfying as a fried chicken sandwich for lunch, so you can imagine my delight at discovering how easy it is to make oneself. With a few alterations to a childhood favorite, I also discovered one can have their fried chicken and no post- grease coma, too.

Serves 2:

Ingredients:

• 2 organic chicken breasts
• 1-2 juicy lemons
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• sea salt
• pepper
• gluten free flour
• Sourdough toast
• arugula

Place two chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag, and add the lemon juice, sea salt and pepper (to taste). If you have a meat pounder, that is the ideal tool, but a rolling pin will do; if you find yourself without either, a large glass bottle can be used in a pinch. Flatten the chicken breasts with your tool of choice to make them as even as possible. Let marinate for about 30 minutes.

In a flat dish or on a clean counter space, lay out some flour for a light dusting. Place a large skillet on medium heat and add the coconut oil to the pan. Let heat. When your chicken has marinated to your content, trawl the breasts through the flour lightly, making sure to cover both sides.

Place the chicken breasts in the heated oil, and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until completely cooked through. Remove from heat, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Toast 4 slices of bread, and rinse then dry a handful of arugula. Combine these with the chicken breast, and dig in!

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and although you may want to show someone special that you love them, you may also want to skip all the sugar. Yes, Cupid, you can celebrate Valentine’s Day without all the candy.

Here’s how:

Write a romantic letter to your loved one. The first Valentine was written by St. Valentine, a man sentenced to death for his beliefs. Just imagine what this soulful letter he wrote to say good bye to his loved ones contained. Follow suit and put your feeling on paper. You may find that this romantic gesture will mean more that any box of candy ever could.

Make a homemade Valentine card for your sweetie. Personally, I love a construction paper Valentine. But in case you want something more DIY-fab, check out these ideas for some very cute and crafty Valentines from kristaconway.com.

Celebrate without food. Go to the movies, take a walk together, play a game (adult or otherwise, wink, wink!) Go to the symphony, to a museum or even take a nap. Treat yourself and your sweetheart to a little pampering at a local spa. The sky’s the limit here. And yes, it can all be done sans candy!

Now you can see that with a little planning and a bit of creativity, you can have a very sweet Valentine’s Day — no candy in sight! Well, at least until you ask your sweetie to give you some sugar.

A tried-and-true natural treatment for flu and cold symptoms quietly awaits savvy sufferers.

For centuries, the black elderberry plant, Sanbucus nigra, has offered immediate anti-flu benefits to people all over the world. As a folk medicine, it likely dates back to aboriginal times.

The plant’s flavonoid essence, primarily gleaned from its flowers and diminutive berries, is believed to relieve the coughs, congestion, body pains, and nasal torment of colds and assorted viruses.

Because the elderberry is filled with anthocyanin — responsible for the red, purple, and blue colors of many fruits and vegetables – it also most likely offers anti-inflammatory effects, which can ease the aches, pain and fever of colds and flus.

Elderberry is most commonly taken in syrup and extract form, though it also comes in teas, capsules, juices, and even wines and cordials.

Elderberry is often vended under its genus name, Sambucus.  That word is derived from an ancient wind instrument and refers to the plant’s pithy stems, which can easily be hollowed and used to make a flute or whistle. It is also prime material for magic wands. In the Harry Potter series, the most powerful wand used is one made of Sambucus, dubbed the “Elder Wand”.

Fighting cold and flu symptoms aren’t the only magical health and wellness benefits ascribed to elderberry. According to herbalists at herbwisdom.com, elderberry can be used to promote “antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, improve vision, boost the immune system, improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsillitis. “

The University of Maryland’s Medical Center cites a study suggesting that use of a commercial elderberry extract, Sambucol, not only shortened the duration of the flu in patients but found nearly 90% experiencing a “complete cure” within three days.

The Maryland Medical Center suggests the essence of the elderberries might also stave off the worst impacts of an arriving bug. “A lozenge with elderberry extract (ViraBLOC) helped reduce flu symptoms when taken within 24 hours of symptoms starting.”

Scientists at the HerbalScience Group in Naples, Fla., have determined that the elderberry extract inhibits Human Influenza A (H1N1) infection. “Flavonoids from the elderberry extract bind to H1N1 (particles) and, when bound, block the ability of the viruses to infect host cells.”

The group has found elderberry flavonoids compare favorably with the known anti-influenza activities of medicines like Tamiflu.

While elderberry plants can be found throughout the United States, MedMD warns that raw and unripe fruit might cause nausea, vomiting, or severe diarrhea.” At the same time, the site reports, “The cooked elderberry fruit seems to be safe.”