There is a passage in the book of Proverbs that I have always found fascinating. It is the chapter about the virtuous woman who is physically and mentally strong. She capably runs her household and is full of wisdom and gets things done.

The verse that I have always found fascinating is verse 14:

“She is like the merchants’ ships; she brings her food from afar.”

Love that.

The verse is talking about carefully planning and purchasing food. That is inspiring to me because I am not always 100% consistent in planning out our meals each day. Secondly, I like to think that she enjoyed unique and interesting foods and ways to prepare them. Even though this takes place before the birth of Jesus Christ and storefronts such as Trader Joes and Williams-Sonoma, the mere mention of she is “like the merchant’s ships” tells me that her menus were varied and went beyond the weekly repeats. So, she is still inspiring to the modern woman, no?

Ways we can be “like the merchants’ ships” and bring our food “from afar…”

1. Carefully plan ahead. I know I do much better when I write down my meal plans for the week. It allows me to create a better shopping list and also always me not worry about “what’s for dinner” when I get home each day.

2. Schedule eating-out time. I’m talking about challenging yourself to reconsider fast food. Make it an adventure by trying out a new restaurant or an old favorite. The thing to remember is to make eating out a looked-forward-to event.

3. Purchase foods with less processed ingredients. Now THAT takes careful planning. Your local Walmart has many great foods that can be considered an adventure. Take olive oils for instance. There is always a better-best option. Instead of just olive oil, try the extra virgin olive oil, first cold-pressed. As nature intended it.

4. Pay attention to ingredients. I used to carelessly purchased granola-type bars each week so I could always have food on hand. When I started looking at the ingredients, I was shocked at how many unpronounceable items were in there. So, I made that conscious choice to stop. Now I bring apples and slices of almond cheese to work as a snack. Simple ingredients. Planned ahead of time.

5. Shake it up. Shop somewhere else. Conduct your own retail safaris. I am bound and determined to try out the local Hispanic grocery stores. When a friend turned me on to Hong Son Oriental Market in Rogers, I discovered a great deal on shallots and it is now my bi-weekly stop. Who knows what other culinary surprises await me! And of course, I will share them all with you!

I hope you found this helpful. I know I intend on slowing down and enjoy the process more when it comes to planning, shopping, and preparing food from now on.

After all, isn’t food one of the main things in life that sustain us?

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