B00AFU6252 EBOK (5 page)
Authors: Jessica Alba
“Local, seasonal, organic—sounds delish,” you’re thinking. “Now where do I find all of this amazing food?” Here’s how I get more farm-fresh goodness into our kitchen every week:
- SHOP YOUR FARMERS’ MARKET.
The number of farmers’ markets has doubled in the past decade, so odds are good there’s one happening in your neighborhood. And most offer more than just produce—think meats, cheese, eggs, even honey and flowers.
Find yours by plugging in your ZIP code to
www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets
. - JOIN A CSA.
CSA stands for “community supported agriculture.” You typically pay upfront for a “share” of the farm’s harvest and then collect your bounty weekly throughout the season.
Find a CSA at
www.localharvest.org/csa
. - SIGN UP FOR A DELIVERY SERVICE.
We get a box of organic veggies delivered weekly to our home and even to my office from a local farm, and it’s been such a game changer! I love knowing I’ll always have fresh ingredients on hand, and Honor loves seeing what comes in the box each week. These services aren’t available everywhere, but they are becoming increasingly popular:
Search
www.localharvest.org
. - VISIT A U-PICK FARM.
Try picking your own berries, apples, or pumpkins (depending on the season).
Find a farm at
www.rodaleinstitute.org/farm_locator
. - STOP AT ROADSIDE STANDS.
Whether you’re running errands or taking a road trip, if you see local farm goodies for sale, pull over! Especially if it’s late in the day, these mini–farmers’ markets may give you an awesome deal on a dozen ears of corn or sell you a giant watermelon for a song. - GROW YOUR OWN.
I wish I could say we had a fantastic vegetable garden—I’m all black thumbs. But I have started venturing into the world of herb gardening and think it’s such an amazing way to teach my girls about caring for living things.
Synthetic pesticides, which are sprayed on most conventional produce, are among the top 10 chemicals associated with an increased risk for autism and learning disabilities. Pound for pound, kids ingest four to five times more fruits and veggies than adults and are more vulnerable to smaller doses of pesticides because their brains and bodies are still developing. I try to buy certified organic when I can, but it’s impossible to find (or afford!) organic produce all the time. So don’t sweat it; just use this handy guide to make sure you’re at least eating clean for those grown with the highest pesticide levels.
Dirty Dozen Plus
(Highest in pesticides; buy these organic!)
- Apples
- Celery
- Sweet bell peppers
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Nectarines (imported)
- Grapes
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Cucumbers
- Blueberries (domestic)
- Potatoes
- Green beans
- Kale/greens
Clean 15
(Lowest in pesticides)
- Onions
- Sweet corn
- Pineapples
- Avocado
- Cabbage
- Sweet peas
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Kiwifruit
- Cantaloupe (domestic)
- Sweet potatoes
- Grapefruit
- Watermelon
- Mushrooms
W
HEN YOU START
eating more locally grown food, you also have to eat with the seasons. At first, it sounds like such a bummer—no tomatoes in December? Why would anyone live like that? Well, here’s the thing—that December tomato? It tastes terrible. You know it does. It’s watery and bland, and you’re just eating it because it’s there. Forget nutrients. Forget flavor. But the tomatoes you eat in July and August? They are the best things ever—change-your-life delicious.
So seeking out more local foods means eating more of what’s in season—aka actually fresh and tasty—around you. That means you’re changing up your diet every few months, bringing in new foods right when you might otherwise start getting bored of eating the same old things all the time. And those new foods bring new nutrients, often just when our bodies need them most. There’s a very cool synergistic thing that happens between health and flavor when you start eating seasonally—try it out and you’ll see what I mean. Of course, what’s in season near you might be totally different from what’s in season for me.
Find out what’s freshest right now by plugging in your state and season at
www.sustainabletable.org/shop/seasonal
.
T
HERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO POINT
in trying to change your eating habits if you can’t also enjoy your food. You won’t stick with it, you’ll feel gross, and everyone who has to eat what you eat will be miserable right along with you. With Honest Eating, there’s no emphasis on calorie counting or nibbling sad little portions of prepackaged diet foods, because that takes all the joy out of cooking and sharing meals with loved ones. By skipping processed, toxin-laden foods, you’re going to remove some empty calories off your plate from the get-go. Losing or maintaining your weight becomes effortless, freeing you up to focus on how
good
your meals taste.
FOUND IN:
Canola, soybeans, and corn. These are the main ingredients in animal feed—and key grains in tons of processed foods, although the label won’t indicate if GMOs are present.
WHAT IS IT?
“Genetically modified organisms” are engineered into food crops to make them hardier—usually a toxic chemical pesticide is bred right into the grain!
WHY IS IT SKETCHY?
The health consequences of GMOs are largely unknown, but they’ve been banned throughout Europe. Personally, I’d rather be safe than sorry. GMOs are not allowed in organic food, so if you’re eating mostly organic, you’re already limiting your exposure.
S
O NOW, LET’S
get to the fun part: What to eat! These are my family’s favorite foods—and are all pulled from the actual list I use to stock our fridge and pantry week to week so we always have delicious, fresh ingredients on hand to whip up snacks and meals.
S
INCE WE EAT SEASONALLY
, the fruits and veggies we bring home vary a lot—although in California, we’re fortunate to have such a long growing season that many kinds of produce are available all year long. Here are some favorite ways to use them up. I’m a “pinch of this” and “dash of that” kind of girl, so play with your own proportions.
This season’s all about tender, earthy flavors.
Roast it! Just drizzle trimmed asparagus with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast at 450˚F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Full of “good” fats that are great for your brain, these are the staple of Honor’s diet—but they make Haven gag!
BABY SPINACHI like to slip some into Honor’s sandwiches and smoothies. Here’s a quick smoothie recipe: Blend a cup each of raw spinach, frozen blueberries (raw are okay, too), and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Great for breakfast; definitely tastes best cold.
Roast or boil these, then dice them and throw into a salad with goat cheese.
Steam, then lightly drizzle with sesame oil and black sesame seeds.
Roast florets tossed with a little bit of olive oil and a clove of minced garlic at 400°F for 15 minutes, or until they start to brown.
Shred a bunch of carrots; mix with a diced avocado, slivered almonds, and raisins; and dress with lemon juice and olive oil.
It’s a natural diuretic! Juice it with apples for a baby’s first drink (I do 80 percent celery and 20 percent apple juice for my girls).
Toss mixed greens, sliced avocado, sectioned grapefruit, and ribboned jicama with a simple lemon salad dressing; top with pepita seeds.
The darker the leaf, the healthier it is (romaine and red leaf top the list).
My familiy loves them in everything! Great in stir-fries, sauces, and especially roasted.
In my house, a healthy alternative to dessert.
Haven’s obsessed—she loves to roll them around on her highchair tray.