I have a busy lifestyle which doesn't allow for me to create labor-intensive meals often. I could carve out more time to play around in the kitchen, but more often then not, I want something simple, nutritious and delicious in record time. As well, I can't always buy meals and not just because it's financially draining, but I want to know whats going into my meals so I can keep the quality control in my hands.

One of my kitchen essentials that I LOVE TO DO is add seasonal, local vegetables and fruits to my meals. Sometimes, the produce can be ones I've never worked with before or sometimes they can be ones I haven't had in a while since their last season.

Why do I prefer seasonal, local vegetables?

1. In season local vegetables AND fruits taste better. They really do! AND they have more nutritional value. Basically, you are getting more bang for your buck financially and holistically. Think about when you juice. The closer you drink your juice after juicing, the more nutrients you are getting then when you store it.

2. How do you think those non-local veggies and fruits get here? They have to be driven in and refrigerated. Thus, losing some of the benefits off the bat. Sometimes, they are even put in hot houses to artificially ripen the produce before going on shelves.

3. Nature knows what it's doing. Summer produce, fall, produce and spring produce all have specific benefits one needs during those seasons. During winter, citrus fruits flourish and provide us with the extra dose of Vitamin C we need to stave off colds.

4. You are helping your local farmers. That is, in of itself reason enough. We want our hard working local farmers to stay in business, which, these days, is harder and harder due to larger competitors like Monsanto.

Back to the Bowls

A few favorite bowls I like to create have one starch, many veggies, and one protein. This helps to keep me satiated and satisfied.

BOWL #1 (ABOVE)
I loveeee potatoes. Love, love, love them! and for this bowl, all my ingredients (except the Sir Kensington's Ketchup) came from a local delivery system called Milk and Eggs. Milk and Eggs is easy to use with a fantastic website. Why so fantastic? They break down which farm the produce came from, their prices are decent and they have a ton of vegan options.

The only arduous process with this bowl is having to wait for the potatoes to roast. That's all! Having to be patient is your only trouble. Not bad, right?

This bowl has steamed brussel sprouts, mushrooms, kale, spinach and fresh cilantro alongside roasted potatoes topped with Sir Kensington's ketchup (check out my write up on Sir Kensington's).

BOWL #2

The above bowl has nutrient dense veggies like; kale, brussel sprouts, carrots, onions and watermelon radishes which I lightly sautéed in a small amount of coconut oil with a handful of organic black beans. I then placed them alongside Lundberg brown rice, an avocado and Secret coconut aminos. I choose Secret Coconut Aminos more often than not because it's low calorie, flavorful, versatile and contains 17 amino acids dressing. I choose Lundberg for my rice because they understand sustainability and quality. I purchased both through Thrive Market, a delivery system that provides discounted, quality brands in record time to your door. Use THIS LINK to get 20% off your first 3 orders!

The best part in making these simple, nutritious, delicious bowls is nothing you do will ever be wrong! You can mix and match, switch it up, stay the same, eat all potatoes if you want–it's up to you! The options are endless!