Shopping for organic ingredients is not as hard as it once was. It isn’t as hard as it was a few years ago either. You can now find many organic ingredients at your local Target store.

Still there are a few tips to getting Organic ingredients.

The first thing I recommend to getting organic ingredients, remember the closer you have towards scratch the more quality control you have. Yes, there are organic TV dinners. Now take a look at the content. Organic does not always equate to being healthy for you.  Organic sugar and fat are just as bad for you calorie and health wise as the non-organic. You may be missing some of the preservatives and chemicals, but fat is fat and calories are calories.

If you are going to spend your money on organic, go for the good stuff. Make your food dollar count.

Like they tell dieters, shop the outsides of the store.  This is the area where there is the produce, the dairy, the meat. All of these can now be found in organic varieties. Instead of that organic prepackaged enchilada, pick up some certified organic chicken, herbs, produce and tortillas. Remember the fresher the ingredients, the more nutrients that are in the ingredients.

One of the things about eating better is learning to cook from scratch. You want to eat a natural, organic diet this is something that you should try to include. It doesn’t have to be fussy or gourmet. It can be simple and easy.

Today’s recipe is one that I have used for years. It is not hard. It can be easier than ordering pizza. And trust me it is a lot less expensive. Make sure you use quality ingredients, preferably organic. But no, push comes to shove, from scratch is always better than processed, so use what you have.

Pizza Crust
2 Cups warm water – about 110 degrees F.
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons yeast

Whisk these ingredients together in a large bowl and let proof. That is a fancy term for letting the yeast start to work. You will know it is proofing when it starts to get foamy and you can smell the yeast.

Then add

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 Cups Bread Flour
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

Mix thoroughly and start to knead. Knead it until it is smooth and elastic.

Divide it up. For me this makes 3 good size pizzas.  Grease your pizza pans with olive oil. Start to spread out your dough. Gotta get your hands in this one. Work one pan and then another. Go back to the first. Once it has rested for a few minutes it will stretch out even more.

This article is only for those of you brave enough to start poking around. You have to be brave in most houses to take a look through all those “cleaners” that have collected under your sink. You know the ones. Most households have a wide variety of chemical cleaners hidden under there. Do you even know how old some of those bottles are? Let alone what dangerous chemicals are in those bottles?

Let’s take a look at a natural cleanser that we have that we can substitute for some of those nasty chemicals. I guarantee it will be inexpensive, less toxic, get the cleaning job done and will leave your house smelling clean to boot!

After you have gone through all those bottles of cleaners and gotten rid of the ones that you no longer need, it is time to start looking for new cleaners. No, you won’t find them under your sink. Look instead in your refrigerator.

Lemons. In a pinch I have used the lemon juice that you can buy as well.

Lemon juice is 5% acid and antibacterial. This makes it a great cleanser.

Mix lemon juice with water and put in a spray bottle and you have a spot cleanser. You can use this on your counters, sinks, tubs and even your walls if you spot check it first.