You guys probably know by now that a trip to the farmer’s market is always a highlights of my weekend. There’s nothing I love more than heading downtown with Adam and Phoebe, stocking my bag with seasonal fruits and veggies, flowers, jam, bread and usually stopping for a farm-fresh breakfast, too. A couple weeks ago, I picked up my first ever CSA box at our downtown farmers market. Do you guys know about CSA (community supported agriculture) programs? Basically, it’s a direct partnership with a farm – in my case, Johnson’s Backyard Garden – where you pay in advance for a share of its upcoming harvest. Everybody wins, since the farm is promised a consistent market, and the customer gets to take home a box brimming with beautiful, local, organic produce.

Since becoming a mom (can y’all believe it’s been almost a year?!), I’ve become increasingly focused on making our home a safe and nourishing environment in every aspect of life. In the last edition of our summertime series with Honest, I talked about how Phoebe’s bathtime ritual is a healthy and bonding part of each day, and today I wanted to spend some time looking at how our meals have become more plant-focused and nutritious without sacrificing an ounce of flavor. It all starts with (1) choosing the best seasonal produce (organic when possible), (2) looking for produce that’s not bruised or battered, (3) washing it right when you get home and (4) making sure it’s free of pesticides, pathogens, dirt and germs (thank you, Fruit + Veggie Wash!) Keep reading for my weekly routine…

Any meal is only as good as the quality of ingredients that go into it, so it’s crucial to start with fresh, mostly-organic foods that look as close as possible to the way they grew in nature. There are so many messages out there about what not to eat, and after tons of reading and research, I’ve finally decided that a diet that includes a little bit of everything (yep, dairy and bread included!) in its whole, natural state is what’s best for me. That means I try not to eat things out of a package and avoid ingredients lists that have words too long to pronounce, and it means that I get to be creative and come up with lots of different ways to prepare the seasonal veggies that I stock my fridge with after bringing my CSA box home. If you guys haven’t read The Honest Life yet, it’s chock full of more detailed info on why to buy organic, as well as some of the simplest and yummiest ways to prepare seasonal produce.

Once I get all my loot home, I clean everything in order to cut down on prep time on busy weeknights. I fill the sink with water and dump all my firm produce in to loosen any dirt that’s stuck to it. Then I take each item out and give it a few sprays of Fruit + Veggie Wash, rub well with my hands and rinse with clean water. I place leafy greens in a colander and spray generously, allow to sit for a couple minutes, then rinse. Now, I know what you’re about to ask: Can you skip this step and use just water? Sure, but I’ve been really impressed by the fact that the Fruit + Veggie Wash has been shown to be way more effective with getting rid of pathogens and bacteria that’s found even on organic produce, not to mention the fact that it inhibits browning and helps food last twice as long (check out these photos comparing veggies just rinsed in water with those sprayed with the Fruit + Veggie Wash… major difference, right?)

Taking the time on weekends to stock our fridge with high-quality, seasonal produce has totally changed our weeknight dinners. I’m always scouring websites and cookbooks for new, creative ways to use the abundant veggies in my CSA box – and I’m often challenged to cook with ingredients I might never have purchased otherwise! Even though we do eat all kinds of meat and fish at our house, I’ve noticed that we’ve just naturally been doing a lot more vegetarian dinners lately – comforting soups made with squash and sweet potatoes, salads brimming with roasted beets and avocados, this quinoa salad – we don’t even miss the meat! What are all of you doing with late summer produce right now? I’d love to hear in the comments, and this afternoon I’ll share what I’m currently doing with my bumper crop of baby eggplant and sweet peppers.

Interested in checking out The Honest Company for yourself? Sign up to receive emails about achieving the Honest lifestyle here, and hop on over to sign up for a free trial here! Camille Styles readers can enjoy $10 off a minimum purchase of $40 using the code HonestlyHealthy. Limited to first-time buyers (one per customer) and expires August 16, 2013.

*photos 1, 2 & 3 by Buff Strickland.

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Comments (9)
  1. 1
    maslindadesigns August 6, 2013 at 6:20 am

    Thanks for posting this Camille, its so refreshing to finally someone suggest a diet “with a bit of everything” instead of obsessing about the “bad” stuff. I live in an island in Greece and many people start growing their own veggies here. I hope ot be able to get the hang of it at some point! In the mean time l just try to shop and eat local and seasonal like you suggest

    Reply
    • Camille Styles August 6, 2013 at 11:00 am

      Agreed, I definitely would love to try growing my own next, too! I actually had one of the simplest and most delicious meals ever when I was in Greece… a platter of the ripest tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, pita bread and lots of greek olives. What could be better?!

      Reply
  2. 2
    kelsey August 6, 2013 at 8:48 am

    gorgeous shots! i love the farmer’s market too
    kw ladies in navy

    Reply
  3. 3
    Ivana @ Macarons and Pearls August 6, 2013 at 8:51 am

    Camille, thank you SO much for this honest and informative post! I have to agree with Maslinda: it’s so refreshing to hear from someone who is trying to eat a balanced diet, with a bit of everything, instead of all those extreme approaches (anti-dairy, anti-carbs, anti-gluten, anti-everything). After all, this very same approach is the secret to why French women don’t get fat (and I saw that first-handed, when I lived in Paris), and I’ve been following it, too. Recently, my dinners have been all about fruit and veggie salads, frittatas, and ratatouille, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m lucky to be able to raid my parents’ garden (this year’s tomato harvest will be epic 🙂 and I stop by farmer’s market three or four times a week, and it’s the best thing about summer.
    I’m just bummed that the Honest products aren’t available in Europe, and they don’t ship overseas 🙁 I would really love to give them a try!

    Thank you so much for being so inspiring, Camille!

    xx Ivana
    Macarons and Pearls

    Reply
    • Camille Styles August 6, 2013 at 10:59 am

      Thanks Ivana, what a sweet comment! It sounds like your diet couldn’t be healthier or more delicious… there’s definitely something about eating with the seasons that just feels so right, isn’t there?

      Reply
  4. 4
    Joanna Smiech August 6, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    Hi Camille – thanks for the great post! I would love to see more informative posts about organic information and healthier alternatives if you are interested in writing them 🙂 or if you have some links you can pass along. Specifically the effects of food, household products and environmental toxins on our health because too many people are getting sick every day and something has to change.

    Thanks again for your articles.
    Joanna

    Reply
  5. 5
    Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita August 6, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    I’m new here, but I loved this post, and the Honest Company. Your post pushed me over from thinking about it to actually ordering. Thank you!

    Reply
  6. 6
    Sadie August 9, 2013 at 6:56 am

    Love your dress! Where is it from? Thanks!

    Reply
  7. 7
    Jessica August 12, 2013 at 9:51 am

    The farmer’s market is generally the reason I hop out of bed on Saturdays! I have also just started using the Honest fruit and veggie spray, and I absolutely love it, it both cleans and helps get rid of any waxy finish (for those time I have to buy produce at the grocery store and not from the farmer’s market).

    Reply