Eating “Better” (aka Local) in 2016

Ah. January.

The days of cookies, cocktails and creamy goodness are behind us and every where you look it’s “New Year, New You!” “Whole 30- this.” “21 Day Fix-that.” “No sugar!” “No carbs!” “No booze!”

For the last ten days, healthy eating resolutionist’s have been in full force showing images of their “clean eating” dinner plates on Instagram and posing for selfies with their icy protein shakes on Facebook.

All the while, I can’t help but giggle a bit.

Not because I don’t believe that their new intentions will make it to Valentine’s Day, at least not completely; but, because this year, I have zero plans of joining them.

I have before. I have done the “Dry January” thing. (Zero fun when your team is in the play off’s… let me tell ya.) I have vowed not to eat sugar or eat past seven in the evening. I have pulverized veggies on veggies into green smoothie concoctions all with the hopes of a fab bikini body come April... Err, I mean good health.

Part of the reason that I am not jumping on the dieting bandwagon is that I already know that this coming April, thanks to a baby due on the 16th, I will be the furthest thing from bikini ready. In fact, in the next three months I will probably put on more weight than I ever lost with my best lived resolution.

Surprisingly, even to me, is that I am totally cool with this for many reasons. However, I think the biggest reason actually has nothing to do with baby.

After giving body image, dieting, and food way too much thought over the years, I am now finding myself almost completely content with what I put in my body.

In my home, we do our best to make nearly everything from scratch.  And, because we grow much of our own food– and you can’t grow a Big Mac- things tend to run pretty healthy without even trying.

So, I happily eat a cupcake at a friends wedding shower because I know it’s something I don’t do every day. Not to mention, my friend is worth celebrating. A super indulgent meal won’t kill me because I balance the week out with plenty of other healthy meals. Wine is special, not something to regret, but rather meant to be savored with a good meal and better company… even if it’s just a good book.

But, come on. What fun is January without a new goal?

So, Adam and I put our heads together and decided that this year we will start working towards a long term goal of ours: To grow, or know someone locally who grew, all the food that we consume.

We have talked about doing this for years now and have found that in the summer this isn’t too hard.

But, in January?

It’s a little more challenging.  So, we just don’t try as hard as we do in the summer.  Eating totally local takes a back seat and I have been known to buy things like the mixed greens flown in from California every week at the store without batting an eye.

The reality is that greens like these can be grown in Indiana, even in January. You just have to look for it.

Fortunately for us, we didn’t have to look too far.

Less than two miles from our home is Greener Side Gardens. Owner, Alan Davidson grows organic produce that is found at our local farmer’s market in the summer, but he also has a great green house allowing him to grow fresh, local produce all year round.

Adam and I reached out to him and he said we were more than welcome to come pick our own kale and he bagged up some super fresh spinach for us.

This has been such a treat to have in early January.

I have been loving my lunch salads tossed with chopped hardboiled eggs from our hens. We have also used some of Greener Side’s kale alongside some of our free range chicken meat and homemade broth in a warm, hearty yet veggie packed soup this week.

This soup is inspired by similar recipes that feature ground turkey, but I am a big fan of using things that we already have in the kitchen so some shredded chicken leftover from a night we cooked a whole bird worked great.

The kale, onions and carrots are great winter veggies and can easily be found this time of year despite the chilly temperatures. The tomatoes and peppers were preserved this summer so the whole soup fit right in line with our local intention.

And, if your intention is to eat healthy it’s packed with vegetables, good grains and is perfect for you too.

But, if eating locally is something you would like to give a try in 2016 as well, check out resources like eatwild.com to see what is available near you.

For my Indianapolis friends and readers, farmersmarket.com is also a good resource. It is a new online service where you can order local groceries of your choosing and pick them up on Market Day. Currently, products are available at Moody’s Meats in Fishers but more and more market locations will be opening throughout the year.