Whenever I go to the grocery store, I always try my best to load my cart with socially responsible products.  Cage free eggs?  Uh, yeah why not?  Organic lettuce? Sure, throw that on in there.

The truth is, though, up until recently, I didn’t really know what these things meant.  They’ve just been over-marketed so that I think I’m doing good when really I may just be wasting money.  That’s why I formulated a mini label guide for all of your shopping needs.

Hint:  don’t waste your money on the “organic” Oreos!

“Organic”: Now these babies can be tricky.  In order to determine exactly what you’re eating, you have to read the package carefully.  There are 3 basic types of organic labeling that you may see in your local grocery store.
1. 100% organic:  This one is pretty straight forward.  If it says the product is 100% organic, then all of the ingredients, except water and salt, are grown and processed organically.
2. Organic:  Organic is simply the weak-sauce version of 100% organic products.  These products must contain 95% organic ingredients in order to obtain an organic label.  According to the USDA, all other ingredients must be on “the list” of foods that are unavailable in an organic form at the present time.
3. Made with organic ingredients:  This label is just a fancy way of saying “we’re just putting this on our label so you’ll buy it and think you’re doing something good for the environment.”  Under this labeling, 70% of ingredients must be made with organic ingredients, but the law leaves much for interpretation in how the product may advertise its organic-ness.  My advice? Go for the other two if you really want to make a difference.

Fair trade:  Fair trade is built on the principles of respect in trading partnerships, usually through higher wages and economic self-sufficiency for overseas workers.  However, there are no set guidelines for fair trade labeling like there are for organic products.  A fair trade inspection committee, known as FLO-CERT, inspects companies to make sure they have “a quality management system, transparency in all processes, and independence in certification decision making” before giving out a certification.  Although these are vague terms, free trade can be worth it if it has the official sticker on it.  If not, there really is no way to tell whether or not fair practices are in place.

Free range: In theory, “free range” indicates that livestock are allowed to roam freely instead of being in cages before slaughtering.  The USDA, however, does not have a set definition or any sort of regulation for free-range animals and for egg production.  Thus, free range labeling is entirely unregulated and really doesn’t mean much when it comes to your food.  Save your money on these are look for more meaningful labels, such as “grass fed” (see below).

Grass fed: Unlike free range, the USDA has actually formulated a substantial definition of what constitutes “grass fed.”  According to this definition, livestock must be grass fed for their entire lives – pasture included! That means there are no scary antibiotics or other chemicals in the food you’re about to put in your body.  Although some argue that there are loopholes in grass fed labeling, it sure is a heck of a lot better than free range!

So yeah, this is a lot of great information, but how does it relate to the environment?  It actually has everything to do with the environment!  As a rule of thumb, you can consider everything that takes a step back from our highly industrialized economy a step forward for the good of the environment.  In other words, the more natural our food production processes are and the less harmful chemicals, pesticides, and pollution are used, the happier our planet is!

In reality, I’d love to take my refund check and spend it in one go at the mall, especially since warm weather means I have to chuck my so-worn-they-belong-in-the-What-Not-to-Wear-dumpster sweater boots, and I don’t have ANY cute flip flops to wear in their place.  But, since I’ve been struggling all winter, I am going to use this money wisely.  And by use “wisely,” I don’t necessarily mean put it back into the bank.  We all deserve to splurge every now and then, and here are some of the best guilty pleasures your tax refund can buy.

1.  Upgrade your phone.

Am I the only campus coed who has never known the joys of an iPhone or Blackberry?  I recently lost my cell in a drunken stupor, and, though I had been waiting for the summer to upgrade, I figured it’s now or never.  Best buy of my life.  I got a refurbished 16-gig iPhone for under $250.  And it’s not just a phone– I can check the weather without getting out of bed or waiting for Weather.com to load on my slow-ass computer, I can check my email for last minute class cancellations while on my way to a lecture, and once I figure out these apps, I’m pretty sure I can load a calorie counter onto my phone to use in the dining hall.  How did I live without this baby?

2.  Buy a new wardrobe.

I don’t mean a new Juicy Couture bikini or strappy Jessica Simpson open-toed heels, but if you’ve got some extra cash coming your way, it’s not a bad idea to spend on some new work attire.  When you’re strapped for cash, it’s hard to shell out on a business suit for an interview you haven’t scheduled yet, but when you get a check for a few hundo in the mail, there’s no time like the present to invest.  That sleek blazer might land you the job interview, and that knee-length pencil skirt will make a great first impression when you start your new job.  Which of course will lead to earning more money, which you can then spend however you see fit.

3.  Embark on a summer journey.

Note that I did not say summer vacay. I’m not writing off putting this moolah towards a cruise–you totally deserve it– but there are other ways to travel this summer.  Use your tax refund to see the world while you build your resume by signing up for a summer abroad course or a volunteer program.  Spending the whole summer abroad will probably still cost a lot of money, but look into a week long intensive program in Europe, or check out programs like Habitat for Humanity or Teach for America.  Usually, these volunteer programs will house you, but you’ll have to foot the travel expenses.  If you can afford to get there, you’ll be rewarded with new friends, memories that last a lifetime, and an fabulous bullet on your resume.

4.  Get active.

Get physically active, socially active, or mentally active, and watch a relatively small investment go a long way.  Get private lessons in an area that you’ve always wanted to excel in, such as art lessons or vocal lessons.  Try out a personal trainer for a month, or get a year-long gym membership.  Buy a set of instructional yoga videos.  Doing something for yourself doesn’t mean you need to feel guilty later.  If you splurge on something you couldn’t otherwise afford, but it reaps a positive outcome, it can create a domino effect in your life.  By losing a few pounds (without really trying), you may double your wardrobe if you’ve kept some of last year’s suddenly-too-small jeans.  By de-stressing, you could add years to your life.  By getting better at something you could add to your appeal in the career field.  Spoil yourself now, and you’ll be doubly rewarded.

5. Eat gourmet.

Don’t go to Chez Expensif and order a $100 entree, but treat yourself to more from the grocery store than just store brand Mac n Cheese and cans of tuna.  Buy the ingredients to try that recipe your grandma passed down– that from-scratch casserole that calls for a pinch of this and a dash of that, stuff you have to buy a whole bottle of because you don’t carry ‘this’ and ‘that’ on the regular.  Buy fresh or organic products that usually make you salivate but that are never on sale.  You shouldn’t have to put a price on eating healthy, but when fresh fruit costs several bucks a pound, it’s easy to veer towards the greasy Dollar Menu when you’re paying with the change you just found in your couch cushions.

These are just a few examples of how spoiling yourself can come with advantages– and why it’s okay to blow through your tax refund.  Of course, depending on your financial situation, you may be opting to pay off your credit card bill, send in your rent check on time, or simply stash the cash in your savings account.  We do all deserve a break from time to time, however, so I hope however you’re spending your extra cash, it makes you happy.  So… what ARE you going to buy with the dough the IRS coughs up to you this spring?

I used to go to Indian restaurants just to order a fantastic, steaming-hot plate of paneer butter masala or mutter paneer. I couldn’t afford to do it often, because $15 is a little steep for just one dish, but it was worth it. Now, though, I can cook the same things in my own kitchen for the same deliciousness but a much smaller cost.

Why? Because I finally found out how to get and cook paneer!

Often called “cottage cheese” on Indian menus, paneer is just about as far away from American cottage cheese as you can get. It’s a solid, firm cheese that is made from thick curds, and it softens when cooked but holds its shape in cubes. If it sounds a little hard to describe, it is. Just trust me that it’s delicious.

It’s used in tons of (mainly vegetarian) Indian dishes, and it can be crumbled, grated, or cubed for rice pulaos, curries, or Indian desserts. In short, it’s the miracle food.

Most Indian grocery stores carry paneer in packaged blocks of about 12 ounces. You’ll find it refrigerated, and the price should be between $4 and $7 for a 12-ounce block. That might seem on the pricey side, but one block will be enough for at least three meals.

If the paneer you find is crumbly and doesn’t hold its shape very well, that’s okay—it’ll taste just as good. Once you get your hands on some, you can add it to curries or rice puddings or combine it with vegetables. The best paneer recipe I’ve found so far is here, although it does require picking up a couple of distinctively Indian ingredients (garam masala and kasuri methi). This is a great step-by-step recipe with clear photographs for mutter paneer, and this is a snack with a few simpler ingredients (you can sub regular flour for the chickpea flour).

Once you’ve tasted paneer, odds are you’ll be hooked. If a block is too much for you to use all at once, extra paneer can be frozen for months at a time and will still taste fresh and delicious when you thaw it and cook with it again.

Now that’s what I call a superfood.