I’ve always worked. I’m not complaining. I’m thankful for that. It does present challenges regarding cooking for one or two people, though. Eating out has often seemed faster and easier, although not better, and certainly not better for us.
Recently, I’ve been working on simplifying my life. It started with being more green and less compulsive “jumping in the car” to run for this and that. I believe that this has saved me a lot of money, although I still buy whatever I want, especially with respect to groceries. I also really try to support my small, local businesses. I used to keep a list for Menards or Home Depot. When I had a free afternoon or evening, I’d treck over there (driving, of course), and wander around, ultimately only finding about half of the items on my list and typically spending at least $100 on items I didn’t really need. You see the problems here? My little hardware store is less than one mile from my house. The guys there are so helpful. They are the best I’ve seen. They always have what I’m looking for. I stop there about once a week for a couple of things.
Living in the city. Ahh. I had never lived in the city, until about 5 years ago. This makes a huge difference. I live less than 5 miles away from work and most of what I need. I feel very European! I can bike or take the bus to work and most places I need to go. I try to fill the tank of gas in my car less than once a month. I know that this, alone, is a huge savings, and of course, green. It’s also easier for me to hop on my bicycle than to fight traffic, find a parking spot, and avoid going to the gym. Super bonus. I also buy shoes and clothing on the internet. I have two baskets on the back of my bike, so need to plan for groceries, but also have them delivered, if I need a bunch of stuff or bigger items.
I’m not always perfect about staying out of my car. I seem to have “seasons” where I’m driving for several days in a row, but I find that I’m less happy when I spend time in my car. I truly smile when I get on my bike, almost every time. I enjoy seeing, hearing, and smelling things that you don’t even notice in a car. I often stop and snap a picture of a garden or patio that I think is cute. I don’t usually ride when it’s colder than 60 degrees or so.
The bus. I love having the bus as an option. On the weekend or in the evening, it’s not as convenient due to limited routes. However, I seem to be able to work around that easily enough. I recently met a fella on the bus that lives near me. He hasn’t had a car in 20 years. I was impressed by that! I’m not on the bus for very long, so usually don’t read, while on the bus. I read at the bus stop while I’m waiting. I’m a people watcher. I love to watch all of the different types of people on the bus and often pray for some or all of them. I’ve also been on the bus, when I’ve needed prayer and feel as if I’ve gotten it back. It’s an interesting community of all ages, races, and types. I really love to listen to young people on the bus. When I do that, I look outside, so as not to be too obvious. :-)
When I have something to do in the evening, I often drive. I have to run home at lunch to feed and let me dog out. As I’ve noted, I recently look a class by Lori, one of the chefs at Lucia’s. She had a really interesting and similar approach to recipes. Use only the best, local, if at all possible, and in season, always. She also spoke to “small batch” cooking, as I now call it. I used to love leftovers! I do not anymore. I don’t cook that way. I make all of my own salad dressings and have gotten pretty creative with this. I recently purchased a label maker, which is critical for this method. I keep most jars that groceries come in with their lids. Then, I have a bunch of different sizes and feel very green. I use them to store cold and pantry items, along with canning jars. I’ll be sharing some of these tricks.
This makes me think that there are two kinds of cooks: recipe followers and hippies. Recipe followers are diligent about obtaining each and every ingredient and chasing all over to get exactly “what is written”. This is also how most restauranteurs operate. They need to deliver a consistant product. No excuses! The hippies, myself included, use recipes for inspiration only, as Samantha once said. I often look at 3-10 recipes for one thing and pick most of what looks good to me.
I’m not at all a picky eater, but have really tried to reduce my meat intake, to preserve my fragile, diabetic kidneys. I often substitue beans and or nuts for meat. Lots of interesting flavors and textures this way. However, I don’t care for raw onions, mayo, celery, or lots of oil/dressing. I usually go out for lunch for some kind of soup and or saled with fresh bread (no preservatives). The problem is the onions, mayo, celery, and too much dressing! This is one of the many reasons I’ve been more doing more cooking. We’ll see how this goes.
