Where to Find the Best Ingredients in Kansas City

If you’re like me, then you feel inspired by simply seeing advertisements for farm-to-table food. Or, better yet, you get the butterflies while flipping through your favorite cookbooks and food magazines (talking to you, Paleo Magazine). It’s easy to feel inspired to cook healthy meals when we’re exposed to top-notch food bloggers and trending Paleo cookbooks on the reg, but it’s also easy to feel overwhelmed when choosing your recipes for the week and noting the 30+ ingredients that you’ll need to create them. Fortunately, Kansas City has markets and stores that provide the kind of produce and meats that cooks should be looking for:

1. Brookside Farmer’s Market & City Market

These two farmer’s markets, respectively located at 63rd and Wornall and in the heart of Kansas City’s Rivermarket, are where I get my produce and meats from March until October. You can count on organic, locally grown vegetables, in addition to grass-fed and grass-finished meats. Many of the farmers are willing to answer any of your questions or concerns regarding food, and some of them have wonderful recipe suggestions! Not to forget, buying locally-grown food supports farmers and also is better for your health.

2. Local Pig

618 Guinotte Ave

Located in the Westbottoms, this is one of Kansas City’s best places to buy pasture-raised meat. The company believes in humanely-raised meats and supports local farmers. When farmer’s market season is over, this is your go-to for vegetarian-fed chickens and some dang good bacon. This is a great Saturday-morning-post-workout stop for the afternoon’s barbeque meat, and you’re bound to leave with some extra goodies in your bag, like local barbeque sauce or a spicy meat rub.

Whole Foods, 51st & Brookside Blvd

Every time I step foot into this Whole Foods I think, “is this real?” The produce selection includes organic forms of practically everything, and if you’ve been looking for a grain-free flour blend, you’ll find a variety of options. It’s magic. Not to mention, their Kombucha selection is the best, and they sell Eating Evolved chocolate (hello, coconut butter cups). The salad bar is always stacked with organic vegetables, and they even offer hemp seeds and turmeric to dust over your greens.

Cosentino’s Market, 14 West 62nd Terrace

I believe that Brookside is fortunate to have a family-owned grocery store like Cosentino’s in the neighborhood. The staff is incredibly kind and helpful and the produce is always fresh. They also have a great fresh fish selection (wild-caught salmon selection on fleek). The friendly atmosphere makes shopping at Cosentino’s both enjoyable and inspiring, and after a first visit, you’re bound to start shopping there on the reg.

Sprouts, 95th and Nall

My beloved Sprouts—where I did much of my grocery shopping in college because of the affordable prices yet great produce. It might not be Whole Foods, but you can count on finding practically everything that you’ll need here, and for a cheaper price! Great Kombucha selection, fresh, organic produce and wild-caught fish are always available. Additionally, Sprout’s sells their own brand of coconut milk that makes for some great non-dairy whipped-cream if I do say so myself.

Regardless of where you choose to shop, what matters most is what you’re shopping for. Find a way to fit more seasonal produce, wild-caught fish and humanely-raised meat into your life and you’ll see a difference in every aspect of your well-being. Feeling good is worth each head of organic broccoli—believe me!