The holidays are officially upon us and grocery stores are well-stocked. On prominent display are all of the pre-packaged foods – the ones that say they are designed to make your life easier – like boxes of instant stuffing and pouches of heat-and-serve gravy.

They may be convenient, but these semi-prepared stand-ins are usually replete with preservatives and other unsavory man-made fillers.  There is another way to enjoy your holiday feast.

Cooking organically and with natural products is one way to avoid the corn syrup, the pesticides and the partially hydrogenated oils. And, hey, you could also do some good for the environment because organic farms don’t put as many chemicals into the water supply and soil.  Not to mention impress your gourmet guests.

But there is one downside to organic and natural foods: they are often significantly more expensive than their conventionally-grown counterparts. So, what’s the best way to incorporate these fresher foods into your holiday meals, especially if you’re on a budget?

Tara Gidus, a registered dietician and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, pointed me to the Environmental Working Group’s “dirty dozen” list. These are the fruits and vegetables that absorb the highest amounts of pesticides, and are therefore more important to buy organic.

If you’re constrained by a tight budget, try to focus on buying organic when you purchase the following 12 “dirty” fruits and vegetables: peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, imported grapes, pears, sweet bell peppers, celery, lettuce, spinach and potatoes.

“These fruits and veggies tend to carry the most pesticide residue,” Gidus says. “Buy organic as much as you can.”

One way to go natural or organic this holiday season is simply to swap out your regular turkey or chicken for a free-range bird when you’re cooking your holiday meal.  On top of being kind to the animals, there is some evidence – though it’s not conclusive – that animals that are able to move around more are a bit leaner, Gidus said.  Plus, free-range poultry tends to have less chemicals because they are usually given feed without antibiotics, hormones or pesticides.

Instead of using processed sugar in your pumpkin pies this year, look for recipes that use agave nectar, a natural sweetener made from the agave plant, which is found in Mexico. If you can’t find recipes that use agave, as a rule of thumb, one-third of a cup of the nectar can be a substitute for one cup of regular table sugar.  This switch will also help to lower the glycemic index of your favorite pies and desserts.

Cooking naturally often means starting your dish from scratch. But, this doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out process. An easy way to bring a personal touch to your Thanksgiving table is to make your own cranberry sauce. It’s as elementary as turning on the stove, and it’s better than the stuff you can get in a can.

Cranberry Sauce:
1/3 cup agave nectar (or 1 cup sugar)
1 cup water
4 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
Simmer together and serve

Mash organic potatoes and help drastically reduce your pesticide consumption. Try mixing varieties of organic potatoes as well.  The changes could bring a whole new level of flavor to your buttery mash or smash.

And, last but not least, consider serving organic wines. These wines, though slightly more expensive, will help you avoid pesticides as grapes are one of those fruits that are routinely sprayed with insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. And organic vineyards have the added bonus of creating diverse ecosystems in which birds, bugs, bees and other animals can thrive.

Read more about Organic Wine, or look through our recipes section for more organic holiday dishes.