To buy or not to buy, the organic question

I have recently been exploring more healthy options while on my path to a lighter me. It started with just the organic milk (which typically has an expiration date twice as late as non-organic) and has slowly progressed to whatever has an organic version conveniently next to the non-organic choice. This article on Oprah.com has a list that ranks the amount of pesticides in different produce. Another rule of thumb that has been passed on to me, is if you eat the skin or the skin is thin, you should probably consider organic. What I am still trying to find is the best healthy sugar substitute. This article at Time.com makes me consider a strategy that an Africa-bound friend of mine employed, black coffee. I just don't think I could do it. Perhaps I'll just go the organic route and use too much raw sugar, and just be confident that the calories are at least pesticide-free.

But to go along with the organic question, I have been searching for less Southern cuisine and for more healthier dinner options and tasty-guiltless snacks. With these goals in mind I have turned to Weight Watcher cookbooks (specifically the 5-ingredient ones that are next to the magazines in the checkout line), MarthaStewart.com which has an awesome option that lets you save, label, and categorize recipes you like. This has helped me select several healthy recipes and then my picky husband can scroll down the list and pick out something that he will actually eat. As I'm sure you know, with the years that Martha has behind her empire there is a lot to choose from, and the label feature has made her website my favorite for a recipe source out of comparable websites. My other favorite source (which spurred this blog) is my iPhone app for EatingWell.com. I'm able to select my favorite recipes and has full pictures with categories for poultry, meat, seafood, or veggies, or divided into type of meal (appetizer, lunch, dinner, etc.), or into time divisions (15, 30, 45 minutes). Also each recipe comes with nutritional facts! and labels like: high fiber, heart healthy, low carbs, etc. Planning dinner away from home is so much easier at the spur of the moment. Tonight was: "Cucumber & Black-Eyed Pea Salad" so good!

I'm off to eat my awesome salad and have some Starbucks Via coffee with Kroger granulated definitely not organic sugar! Please be sure to share any of your healthy eating habits!