Happiest of Wednesdays to you all! Local farmer’s markets are in full swing and I couldn’t be anymore excited about it! I told my husband that I will be taking our daughter weekly, if not twice a week, to our local farmer’s market. I just love the concept of them and knowing I am purchasing the best produce for my family from local farmers makes me feel oh so good inside!
If you haven’t ventured to your local farmer’s market yet and have been buying fresh, whole foods at your local grocery store, that is a great start of introducing nutrient rich foods into your’s and your family’s diet. However, those fresh foods you are buying from the grocery still have to travel quite far to get on those shelves. Luckily, with local farmer’s markets we have the option to purchase fresh foods that were practically grown in our backyards and support a local family. Will you be able to find everything you need at the farmers market? Probably not, but there are still benefits of shopping local!
The quality of produce, eggs, meat and anything else you find at the farmers market will be much greater than purchasing those items at a store. All produce you will find at the market is in season so there is absolutely no genetic modifications needed to grow them this time of year. Many items will be cheaper than in a grocery stores, too. When buying in season produce, they can be sold at a cheaper price at a farmers market because of the amount of production the farmers have and less expenses go into the food because they aren’t being “forced” to be grown with modifications. Another amazing benefit is knowing that you are supporting a local family and their business. I’d much rather give my money to a deserving family in my community that is working their butts off to supply us with amazing quality and organic foods.
This last weekend I headed to our local farmers market and found a giant zucchini for $1. $1.00! I snagged that bad boy because large zucchinis are great for baking or chopping them into small pieces and storing them in the freezer for smoothies. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with mine. Make brownies of course. These brownies are completely paleo and your family or kids won’t even know there is a vegetable in them. Head to your local farmers market, snag a cheap zucchini and make these brownies!
- 1 cup zucchini, shredded
- 1½ cups enjoy life chocolate chunks, divided
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- dash of salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 baking dish.
- Place 1 cup of chocolate chunks in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 total minutes stirring every 30 seconds. You could also melt them using a double boiler.
- Add the coconut sugar and using a hand mixer mix until the sugar is fully combined. Add the eggs and mix again until combined. Add the tapioca flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and ¼ cup chocolate chunks.
- Transfer the brownie mixture to the greases pan. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chunks on top. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy!