It’s a new year, and we are all focused on health. How we can eat better, move better, feel better. I’m sure we’ve all made resolutions, or at least set some “intentions” for the year. I’m not a huge resolution person, but I do see areas where I can continue to grow. One of the areas I’ve been focused on in the last year or so is *obviously* food.
I have a long health and wellness journey, which I will probably get deeper into in posts later this month, but how and what I eat has changed SO much in the last 3 years. I eat more vegetables, drink more water, and I’m more mindful about what the foods I eat do for my body. When I’m focused on these things I feel good physically, mentally, and even spiritually. When my body is physically well, I can focus on other areas of growth and wellness. And an amazing bi-product of my food habits changing, is that its changed the way my kids eat too. They don’t always eat ALL the vegetables, but they aren’t only eating grilled cheese and chicken nuggets any more either!
Sometime last year, I started to become more convicted about where my food comes from, both for health and environmental reasons. Produce seemed like a good place to start. It seems obvious that organic foods and local foods are better than the alternatives, but that really didn’t seem feasible for our family. I felt like my only options were local farmers markets and Whole Foods. I love a neighborhood farmers market, but they are hard to plan family meals around. And don’t get me started on Whole Foods. I mean, I don’t know what jobs people have that they can buy all local/organic from Whole Foods! HOW DO THEY DO IT?? I also feel like shopping at Whole Foods is just a status thing that people can brag about, but that’s another rant for another day.
I started looking into the “ugly produce” movement to see if anyone delivered to Atlanta. I liked that these companies helped to reduce food waste. But there is still shipping/packaging which is less than ideal. Then I stumbled upon Fresh Harvest, a local Atlanta company that collects foods from farms around GA and delivers them with minimal and reusable packaging. If you’ve followed me on Instagram for a while, you’ve seen my love for them! They checked all the boxes none of my grocery stores could. Local? Check. Organic? Check. Smaller carbon footprint? Check. Budget friendly? Check. Convenient? THEY DELIVER TO MY DOORSTEP. And bonus points: they employ and feed the refugee communities in Clarkston, GA.
Ordering from Fresh Harvest has changed the way I plan my meals and how we eat. I’m able to buy more organic produce than I was before. I’m planning my meals are based on what will come in my baskets every week, so we are obviously eating more season vegetables. Every Tuesday feels like Christmas, because I never remember what I customized my basket to include! And I have the opportunity to try things I never would have even SEEN at our regular grocery stores!
If you are in the Atlanta area and looking for ways to eat better and do good with your food purchases, I highly recommend checking them out!
And if you want to learn more about eating locally and hang out with me, I’ve partnered with a local non-profit, Epikon: The Epicenter, and we are hosting a family friendly event on January 25 at the Fresh Harvest Garden! There will be garden tours, lots of learning, games and prizes! You don’t want to miss it!
