Health is Wealth to me. And how good we feel has a lot to do (though not limited to) what we eat and digest on a daily basis. In this article I share my weekly farmers market and grocery food recipe sweep! It hopefully will give you an idea of how to combine ingredients, eat fresh, source local foods, and eliminate food waste. Plus make you feel more empowered to concoct recipes with what some might consider an “empty fridge and pantry!”

I am writing this in July in the Northern Hemisphere. Hence it is summer here, aka, the easiest season to eat fresh and local ingredients. Having lived in places like Joshua Tree and LA in California, Tamarindo Costa Rica, and Tucson Arizona I know the power of access to year round fresh food. However I also understand that most of us don’t have that. And those that do might not be able to afford the luxury it sometimes costs to eat that way. My hope is to give you a glimpse into reframing how you look at what is in your fridge, pantry, at farmers market booths, and in grocery stores.

What was in our garden/neighbors gardens ready to eat and share?

1. Basil

2. Cilantro

3. Oregano

4. Thyme

5. Mint

6. Peppers

7. Green Beans

8. Eggs

9. Honey (Yes we have a bee keeper friend!)

10. COMING SOON: Tomatoes, Radishes, and Carrots!

What were we able to get at the farmers market/made locally?

1. Onions

2. Eggplant

3. Tomatoes

4. Potatoes

5. Corn

6. Radishes

7. Carrots

8. Cucumbers

9. Zucchini

10. Sourdough Bread

11. Blackberries

12. Raspberries

13. Garlic

14. Beets

15. Kale

What did we supplement from our pantry/grocery stores?

1. Greek Yogurt

2. Grains: Couscous/Quionoa/Pasta/Rolled Oats

3. Dairy: Feta/Goat/Fresh Mozz/Cojita

4. Panko Bread Crumbs and Flour (Masa for Tortillas and Bob’s Red Mill for Fritters)

5. Kalamata Olives

6. Chickpeas

7. Lemons

8. Oils/Vinegars/Tahini

9. Peanut Butter

10. We also get Topo Chico’s, Coffee, and Herbal Tea

Looking at the above three lists of food might have some ready to head out to a restaurant or go get more food to actually have “something to make!” But below is the list of recipes that we made from the above lists. Note that the pantry items are also not ones you have to get every week and some farmers market items last longer than a week so we already had them!

The takeaway I hope is you have endless opportunities with what might seem like minimal ingredients!

Recipe One:
Rolled Oats, Greek Yogurt, Fresh Berries, Fresh Mint, Fresh Honey, Peanut Butter, and Cinnamon.

Recipe Two:
Homemade tortillas, chips made from the tortillas, homemade pico de gallo, veggie, potato, and cheese tacos. Plus ears of street corn (cilantro, cojita, seasonings.)

Recipe Three:
Greek Salad (Feta, Onion, Tomato, Cucumber, Olives, Peppers, Oregano, Olive Oil) with a slice of Sourdough Bread.

Recipe Four:
Roasted Veggies (Carrots, Radishes, Onions, Peppers, Potatoes, Beets, Green Beans, and Herbs), Homemade Beet Hummus (Beets, Chickpeas, Tahini, Lemon, Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper), and Quinoa.

Recipe Five:
Eggplant and Zucchini Bake with Homemade Sauce, Panko Bread Crumbs, Basil, Oregano, and Fresh Mozzarella. Served with Pasta, Sourdough, or a Salad.

Recipe Six:
Quinoa Kale Salad with Lemon, Peppers, Onions, Feta, and Red Wine Vinegar.

Recipe Seven:
Zucchini Fritters (Grated Zucchini’s, Egg, Flour, Feta, and Olive Oil), Greek Salad, Raw Veggies with Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt, Lemon, Olive Oil, Basil, Mint, and Grated Cucumber.)

Recipe Eight:
Veggie Burgers (Quinoa, chickpeas, flour, egg) and air fried potatoes/fries.

Recipe Nine:
Couscous, Roasted Leftover Veggies, Kale, Goat Cheese, and Herbs.

Recipe Ten:
Fried Egg, Tomato, Kale, and Sourdough Sandwiches. Served with berries drizzled in honey and sauteed beet leaf/stem salad with feta, cucumber, and oil/vinegar.

With primarily utilizing gardens and local farmers we made these ten plant based recipes in one week during a summer. In the winter you could focus more on crockpot type recipes with grain and bean bases, and in other climates you could utilize more tropical fruits!

As autumn rolls in we’ll see apples, squash, and more. When that starts to happen we’ll shift our recipes and what we make.

By eating what is in season and what is fresh to where you live I believe you’ll feel more strength and health in your body than you could have ever imagined. You can also see that it doesn’t take a lot of ingredients to have a lot of fantastic recipes!

Cooking and food bring communities together and keep us alive.

The right foods also make us healthier and have the ability to spend more time out of doctors offices, on medications, and instead be doing what we are meant to do in this world. For me that’s more time writing and creating videos about road trips and hiking trails, teaching yoga/HIIT/meditation classes, and volunteering with animal shelter, food banks, and environmental organizations.

It also gives my partner and I a healthy activity to do together. Shopping with farmers, sharing food with friends, and spending time in the kitchen together.

Do you want one of these recipes?
Just comment below and I’ll send you the full way to prepare it!

Thanks for reading.

To Your Health,
Mike