How often have you purchased your veggies from the farmer’s market and two weeks later a lot of them are still sitting in your fridge?  You throw them out and think about the dollars that are now going down the trash. 

The best way to avoid this is to think about what recipes or dishes that you plan to cook in the upcoming week.

Here are a  few solutions to help you stop throwing your farmer’s market money away!

1. Go early

If you go early, you’ll avoid playing bumper carts with all the other shoppers who also stopped at the farmer’s market at the same time you did. 

Getting there before the mid-day and afternoon rush also allows you more time to find the best produce. If you go later in the day there’s a good chance that a lot of produce will be picked over and won’t look as fresh.   

2. Shop in season

I know, I know, this one should be a given, but it’s not.  We all buy a lot of food that we think we’ll eat and we get home and wonder why we just don’t want it anymore. 

Our bodies have an innate desire to eat foods in season.  I’m more likely to eat those bags of lettuce in the spring/summer than I am in December.    

3. Know where your produce comes from

What’s the point of shopping at the farmer’s market if you can get the same produce for pretty much the same price at your local grocery store? If you don’t see signs explaining the origin of the produce, ask the vendors where it comes from. 

4. Prep your produce when you get home

If you touch your produce when you get home, you will be more likely to use it later.  If you go ahead wash and store your lettuce leaves appropriately, you won’t find them wilted and brown two weeks later.  This is also a great time-saving trick that helps you on those days when you’re in a hurry.

How do you save time and money when you make your farmer’s market runs.  Let me know in the comments.  

There’s nothing like hanging out with your bestie—especially when you’re sharing a meal.

But what if she’s made a commitment to eating more vegetables and you’re, well, more excited about going to that new seafood restaurant you just discovered on Yelp.

Here’s how both of you can continue to enjoy great meals together and vibe over some plant-powered goodness at the same time.

Share your own veggie tales!

We’ve all said that we want to feel better about what’s on our plate.

If you recently cooked or tasted a meal that you were proud of, say the carrots were perfectly roasted,  your butternut squash soup tasted divine;  whatever successes and even failures you have, share them.

The point is that whenever you’re talking about vegetables, you’re sending your brain a message that it needs to follow through, and find a way to eat more of them.

Get together and plan a veggie-centric meal

When you’re around a bunch of hard-core meat-eaters, sometimes eating a veggie-focused meal by yourself can be a lonely affair, but planning a get-together and making vegetables the star can change that.

Trying something new, no matter how it turns out, will give you and your friends some bonding time and a new food adventure that everyone will remember.

Start by preparing the vegetables and letting everyone choose what she wants to cook, or you can host a plant-themed dinner party and ask everyone to bring their own dishes.

Don’t be surprised if your friends start planning the next veggie get together without any prodding.

Acknowledge her successes

Give her a fist-bump for the little things.

Eating an apple during an afternoon snack or making a smoothie on a Saturday morning deserves to be celebrated just as much as any other wellness goal.

Often our biggest obstacle to eating well is our belief that we don’t have enough time to do it.

When a friend takes a few minutes out of her day to show her body some love, let her know that you’re proud of her.  Also, ask her how she did it.  I bet she’ll be happy to dish on the changes she’s made in her life.

Let her know it doesn’t have to be all or nothing

There a lot of pressure in the plant-based world to do vegetables 24/7.

But studies show that making small changes in the way you eat can be more successful than suddenly eliminating an entire food category.

I’ve had friends make New Year’s resolutions on January 1 and by January 15 they were eating less healthy than when they started.

Support your friend whenever she eats meals that are lovingly produced by her own hands, or if she orders food that isn’t overly processed.

What are some of the ways you’re supporting your friends as they jump-start their veggie habits? Let me know in the comments.