Ideas for 2018

Looking back at 2017, I had so many financial goals, and food just became an obstacle to them. I ate foods that were not the best for me in the interest of cost-savings. I became a believer in Aldi, and I ate whatever Aldi provided (which was not much, sometimes). I stopped trying to follow recipes because you could never find all the ingredients there, and instead just improvised. 

When my favorite Mexican spot next to my office closed, I cooked canned black beans with cumin and garlic and layered them over shredded lettuce and Mexican cheese on tostadas. When my guy came over for dinner, I covered naan bread in caramelized onions, sauteed spinach, shredded parmesan, and fresh mozzarella, and baked it until golden brown.

But when I decided to take a graduate class this fall, I realized why I loved to cook so much in college. It was an escape from homework, and tests, and a time I could socialize with my roommates. When the pressures of school returned, so too did my desire to stand in the kitchen for hours at a time. 

It also got me thinking about where I got my groceries in college. I lived about 40 mins from home, and I often went home to buy groceries. I also had a job that was close to a much nicer grocery store than College Park had to offer.

However, nowadays, when I go down to my kitchen, there is little for me to work with. I want to change that. I want to have that grocery list that I know I can buy everything, and I have recipes to prepare them, and at the end of the week, I can throw the remainder together and make something even more wonderful. 

So, when I think about how to enjoy cooking again, it seems to have to do with having plenty, variety, and also just good groceries. I might have to be that crazy person who goes to three different stores to get what I want. But if I can focus, I think there will still be cost control and balance. 

So, with the Mediterranean diet as my basis, I'm going to load up on veggies for next week, nuts, beans and fish. I'm going to expand my use of lentils, and eat more nuts as a snack. I will note what gets used and what gets thrown away, and try to improve.  Most importantly, I want to use this blog to track my progress and reflect.