Whenever I can, I go to our local farmers’ market on Saturday morning to buy food for the week. There is the obvious benefit that the food is organic, healthy and fresh, but there are some other benefits you might not have thought about. First, there is something special about eating with the seasons. Right now is peach season and they are amazing… but they will be gone in a few weeks, to be replaced in the fall and winter with citrus fruits. Secondly, you learn the names of the people who raise your food – and they will recognize you after a few weeks of shopping with them. The farmers’ market becomes a social connection, created through food, that Is sustaining in a different way. Finally, the experience of the market itself is so different from the stress of the work week – bright colors, happy people, music, food trucks, etc.

Now what exactly did I buy? When I get home, I put all of the food out on my kitchen counter and take a photo. The task of taking the photo is just fun for me (I love the colors and how beautiful it looks) but, to be honest, I started doing this so I could remember what I bought. So the next thing I do is make a list from the photo.

First one home starts cooking! I use a program called Paprika 3 to plan the week. It includes a browser to look for recipes, a weekly planner to list when I’m (tentatively) planning to cook each recipe, and a shopping list. Even better, the app is shared with my significant other so we both have all the info.

So, what are we cooking this week? After trying different combos in the browser such as “okra and sweet peppers recipe” or “papalo recipe”, here is what our menu looks like for this week. There is never a week that we follow the menu exactly – and I think that’s really important. This is the destination, but not the journey! We swap evenings, trade lunches for dinners, whatever works for the week. Note also, that since we aren’t on call this weekend, we are cooking a lot on Sunday to have leftovers during the week.

Need anything else? I make a separate shopping list for the missing items in the recipes (if they aren’t in the pantry already) and go to pick them up at a nearby grocery store.

If it’s going to be a busy week, we get ready. Most of cooking is the preparation, right?  When you walk in the door exhausted at 7:30, it’s hard to have enough energy to cook. That magically changes if everything is already cut up and ready to throw in the bowl or pan. We’ll make stock from all the leftover vegetables peels and ends and spend some time cutting things up to have them ready.

I hope this helps! It’s true for anyone who is busy, but medical students and residents have a particularly hard time finding the time to eat well. Give this plan a try… it will not only give your body the kind of food it craves (and needs)… you’ll be surprised at how it refuels you in other ways, too.