The healthy meal I make that sets the tone for the whole week
I’m nothing if I’m not a girl who loves a good routine.
I mean it when I say that I’ve got a routine for just about everything I do and I talk about the power of a good routine often on the blog and in my newsletter.
One of my favorite routines is venturing out to the farmers market every Sunday.
I love immersing myself in all the fresh, seasonal, colorful produce, discovering new crops and learning from farmers how to pick fruits and vegetables at peak readiness.
And each week my trip to the market inspires one of my favorite (and healthiest) habits: bringing all those whole foods together to create what I like to call my “Farmers Market Bowl”.
The bowl changes from week to week, and even more so from season to season.
There’s no specific recipe I design or formula I follow when making it.
It’s simply a compilation of random things in my fridge and pantry - usually a random mix of grains, legumes, fresh and roasted vegetables, and more.
I prepare each ingredient or group of ingredients based on what appeals to me and what I’m dying to dig into.
Some week's I’m inspired by a certain cuisine that brings the bowl together, while others I’m inspired by several and none of it really goes together at all!
It sounds simple and basic, I know.
But after years of doing it, I’ve realized that this simple and basic thing is actually not so simple or basic at all. It’s an easy-as-can be habit that sparks joy and sets the tone for an entire week of healthy eating.
And I highly recommend it.
It encourages you to cook more, follow your intuition and cravings, always have healthy ingredients on hand, eat seasonally (which means food is fresher, more nutritious and flavorful) and so much more.
A farmers market bowl can look like or be anything you want. Mine changes every single week. No recipes are needed. It can suit any diet or special dietary need. The options are endless.
You don’t even need to go to a farmers market to make bowls like this, either. Any grocery store will do.
And while we’re at it, your vegetables can be fresh or frozen, conventional or organic.
You do what works for YOU.
The farmers market bowl isn’t about where you shop, specific foods you need to buy, or anything like that…at all.
It’s about establishing healthy habits.
Shopping for yourself weekly.
Cooking more and ordering in/dining out less.
Eating more seasonally if you feel inspired to do so.
And preparing balanced meals utilizing whole foods more often, etc. to improve your short and long-term health.
And how all of it, week after week, can change and improve your whole damn life.
If you liked this article, be sure to sign up for Eat With: A Newsletter to receive this type of content and other health and wellness tidbits delivered to your inbox every week!
