While we were in Atlanta this weekend I wanted to make sure to get a trip to the Dekalb Farmers Market in. The name is a bit misleading because it is actually a 140,000 square-foot market that features produce, meats, cheeses, dry goods, bulk products, wine and more from around the world. It is most definitely not a farmers market.
It’s a foodie paradise and we spent three hours there yesterday. Luckily, my parents and Brandon share my enthusiasm for DFM because it took some serious commitment to be there that long.
Before shopping we stopped in the cafeteria for lunch.
They offer an amazing buffet filled with delicious ethnic dishes. Starting with the tofu and moving clockwise…honey ginger tofu, lentil salad, butternut squash, walnut and goat cheese gratin (my favorite thing on the plate), zucchini, bok choy, mushrooms, carrots and Afghan rice (which I will definitely be making at home soon). Such a good lunch!
We grabbed coffee from the coffee and pastry bar after lunch and got busy shopping. Two hours and a full cart later we were finally ready to head to the check out.
You won’t believe the total price of everything in the cart…$108! Incredible. I won’t even try to list everything but we got a ton of bulk items, cheeses, meats, produce, coffee, homemade granola and much more.
What I do have to share are my bulk purchases…starting at the left and going down each row…white chia seeds, green lentils, whole wheat couscous, masala tandori powder, quinoa, dates, black beans, sundried tomatoes, millet, ground flax, cinnamon, oat bran, red lentils. I think it’s safe to say that our pantry has been restocked.
What are some of your favorite items to buy in bulk? Every time I buy bulk items, I can’t believe the price difference.
We arrived back in Charlotte just before 9 last night and were both in the mood to chill on the couch. We picked up a pizza and a Red Box and opened a bottle of wine.
I made a salad with mixed greens, figs, maytag blue cheese and walnuts (all from our shopping trip) with homemade honey dijon balsamic.
And a big ol’ slice of pizza + I split another slice with Brandon. We ordered it from Portofino’s – it’s my favorite “traditional” pizza in Charlotte.
We watched The Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey and I enjoyed the movie. I think it really helped that I actually watched it and didn’t multi-task through it (I am the worst movie watcher ever!) but I would definitely recommend it.
I went to a 90-minute hot vinyasa class this morning and to say that it was rough would be an understatement. I paid dearly for my weekend. Although I was fairly miserable during the class, I felt so much better after 90 minutes of sweating my life away. Also, I wore the heart rate monitor so I will do a post on that soon. I want to wear it again for another class just to get a comparison.
I made a great breakfast once I got home and cleaned up. Plain Greek yogurt with bananas, the homemade granola from DFM, figs, peaches and almond butter.
I’ve spent the rest of the day hanging around the house, baking banana zucchini bread and cleaning up a little. It’s been really rainy today so perfect weather for a relaxing Labor Day. Off to prepare for a yoga class that I’m teaching later and prep for dinner!
:-O That is my “Oh my gosh” face at all the wonderful items you bought! There are so many ingredients that I want to try but don’t want to buy a whole bunch in case I don’t like it. Bulk is so the way to go!
I like to buy granola and coffee in bulk.
I am so jealous of your trip to YDFM!!! Of all of the things that I miss about living in Atlanta, the farmer’s market tops the list (along with heavenly burgers at the Vortex and the original Flying Biscuit). I used to spend so many Saturdays wandering down all the aisles and brainstorming recipes and ingredients. My favorite section was the cheese counter! I am glad that you had a great trip!! I am also very curious to hear about the experience with your heart rate monitor in hot vinyasa.
My grandmother was ahead of her time. She used to drag me there as a kid, trying to convince me how fantastic it was. I am almost ashamed to have behaved so blah about it then! But alas I was a small child who only loved Cheetos and gummy bears. What I would give to live in Atlanta now!
That tofu looks amazinggg!!!
I LOVE the DFM and definitely don’t get down there enough… hmm maybe I’ll go this week when Caroline’s at school…. the cheese and spice sections are my favorite!
Oh my goodness I need to fly to Atlanta just to visit that market! I get so much satisfaction out of buying items in bulk. Favorites include nuts, dried beans, and dried fruit. Have a great week!
Wow, that place sounds amazing! I love buying from bulk bins because the price difference really is incredible! I always get my spices, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast and cereal/granola from my co-ops bulk bins.
I can’t watch a movie without multitasking either. It feels like a waste of time just sitting there.
I love, love, love the Dekalb farmer’s market. I so wish we had something like it in Charlotte! Looks like you had a great weekend 🙂
Oh my gosh! That IS foodie heaven! What a dream!
Have an amazing week…looks like it’s a great workout week for you! LOVE all the yoga in your week! Happy Tuesday!
We finally have Trader Joes in Kansas City! I have attempted a few shopping trips but always with two young kids in tow and am not able to look around as much as I’d like. What are your top 5 must haves that I need to try?
You’re such a sweetheart, I love your day. Bakin bread and cleaning and chilling. The bulk shopping looks great! Lincoln lawyer was great! My mom & i got it from red box as well a few months ago 🙂 Love it when you just stumble across a movie that ends up being really good. Good movies are rare.
I used to love going to the DFM! Jealous that y’all hit it up during your recent ATL trip!
DFM is definitely a great place to get the top of bulk and great prices for sure.