Hey! It's here, better later than never, right? I was feeling super lethargic last night, which I will get to in a moment.
Yesterday I started my day with Jillian Michael's 30-day shred. woot. And when I got to work I was ravenous so I peeked in my local ingredients bag and decided on eggs and locally baked whole wheat bread made with local ingredients. And then I ate it without taking a pictures, so I ate it again this morning. All in the name of taking a picture.
here it is Minus the cheese and jam that I had today and not yesterday, they are not local. The cheese is amish, but that could mean anything.
And then trouble starts, I had lunch with my co-workers, which was not at all local. Well, a local restaurant, but not local food. I caved and ate rice and beans with a guacamole salad about 10 tortilla chips. And then, I bought local ice cream and ate way too much. What was I thinking? Seriously? I actually had to melt it in water and dump it in the drain to stop eating it. The worst part? It was only partially local. It had high fructose corn syrup in the french custard base that they use. The nerve. Its my own fault though for not checking first.
For dinner I made homemade pasta with meat sauce and a side salad. If there was a book titled "how not to make tomato sauce" my sauce would go on the first page. And while it wasn't horrible and tasted (to me) pretty nice and fresh, it was not authentic in any sort of way. It was more like...salsa...heated with Italian seasoning. I used local tomatoes, garlic, and parsley blended in the food processor with a little organic olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. The parsley was from our garden, yay for that. I cooked the meat and then added the sauce in and let simmer. Put the noodles in and there you have it.
I wasn't bad. I didn't mind it. Josh on the other hand didn't care for it at all. But, he doesn't like spaghetti or ground meats, so there's that. For the salad I mixed dark lettuce with spinach and made a dressing of olive oil, local garlic, local pimento pepper, salt and pepper in the food processor. I really liked this and would make it again.
I also had a little local unpasteurized apple cider, but didn't take a picture of it. So that's my somewhat wobbly day of local eating.
I have a surprise for next week though...I'm visiting a local dairy farm and will have a chance to take photos, ask questions, and buy cheese and butter. I'm so excited about this and can't wait to share the experience on local Thursdays. I will definitely be more planned with my meals next week as to avoid some of yesterdays mistakes.
Cooking this way has allowed me to be more creative and inventive in the kitchen. I'm making up dishes with the ingredients that I have rather than buying the ingredients after I have a recipe, which is a fun challenge. I feel like I'm on one of those reality cooking shows. And find myself thinking "okay, I want dressing on my salad, this is what I have, how do I do this?" It's hit or miss, but fun.
Fall fashion week is not over! I still have plenty of posts coming, I just need to sit down and start churning them out! And getting ready for beauty week next week. I also finished day four this morning of the 30-day shred and have to say that I'm feeling great. We both have more energy and the movements are becoming more fluid.
I think we are more real and honest when we share the days that aren’t as we planned. And I always learn what to avoid next time- whether it’s a trigger, not being prepared/informed, or just realizing that I can’t handle a temptation like I thought I could (can we say cheese crackers?).
You are showing how challenging eating locally can be. But you’re also showing how to keep working on something that’s important to you. It takes a lot of bravery to share when it’s not 100% success. And you are brave. And that’s one if the many reasons I <3 you.
Oh, and because you can rock “that’s what she said!” and because you never want to live in a Gumby house and because you want big pants.
awesome! i try to go local as much as possible, and you are right - it is so much more inspiring and fun to cook with the ingredients you have! opens you up to new things.
for the sauces you made - dont give up! add a little sugar, basil, and onion next time and i bet it’s closer to what you are looking for
Also, i keep hearing about this ’shred’ workout and am a little bit terrified… but you say it is doable, i might have to try it…
I love the Shred workout!
I try to eat local as much as possible - I’ll be checking back to see how your visit to the dairy farm goes!
That spaghetti actually looks good! Love your plates, by the way.
-meream
Good for you for going local. It is really hard and takes such a concerted effort. How do you balance eating local with eating organic? Is one more important than the other?
Jillian kicks my butt. I know she says everyone can do jumping jacks, but she’s never had a baby. Just sayin’.
And you should check out the Williams-Sonoma cookbook Family Meals. It has a great recipe for sauce (and a lot of other good recipes).
The plus side…You’re trying to eat local ingredients as much as you can. No one is perfect. I’m a vegetarian but, I can’t guarantee that everything I’ve put in my mouth has had NO animal by products what so ever. Keep going! : )
Hey! How is the 30 day shred? What level are you doing it at? I’m thinking about purchasing it and it seems like from your entry it is worth a try!
I love your blog! Keep up the great work!
Meal looks delish! I love the candlelight
I am so impressed with your efforts to eat locally. I know it is more expensive in the short run… but good health will be less expensive in the long run!
P.S. I’m going to share something I recently learned about setting a table. Remember the car BMW = (from left)
Bread Plate
Meal Plate
Water Glass.
Kind of a fun way to remember what goes where.
OMG! That food looks so delicious. I am a huge fan of grass fed beef. Love your blog.