Wintertime Kitchen Woes

Alas, much too long since I last wrote. It's entirely possible that my thoughts of food happen so regularly and without bells and whistles that the normalcy of my food life seems simply dull to me. Unless something exciting is brewing, and stirring, I seem to not think to write. This habit must stop. Food is constant, and new ideas are always hitting me in the face, even small ones, and they factor into my kitchen creations.

For instance, I have started sprouting seeds at home. After much nudging from a friend to get me started, I finally have. So, this led to a conversation with someone about using sprouts in breakfast food! Woah. Cut up some apple or pear, mix in some raisins, nuts, flax seed, honey, and -- you got it -- sprouts (I'm using a spicy lentil crunch, but something like sunflower would probably be ideal), and a dollop of yogurt or splash of milk, and voila! Breakfast sprout masterpiece. It's saving me the heartache of not being able to grow things in the ground by seeing things burst into bits of food in just a few days in just a jar. Amazing.

My roommate brought home one of those clamshells of salad greens, the big ones, a couple of weeks ago. Having acquired the knack for saving things (as if you need to have a "knack" for something like that), I thought it would make a perfect greenhouse planter for my window sill. The cloudy mucky sky that has been February hasn't helped much in my endeavors to grow a yummy salad mix, but it is on the go. Fresh greens in winter? Yes please!

As of late, my food budget has been pretty small, so I've been getting creative. I made a delicious black bean and tomato soup the other week, which probably cost $5.00 at the most for four or five meals of delicious food, and a rice pudding yesterday, also for pennies (another delicious, filling, and inexpensive dish). I'm amazed at how little it can cost to eat delicious, nutritious food. Local dried beans are easy to come by in February (protein and loads of vitamins), potatoes (carbs), root veggies and squash (pure goodness), and eggs (more protein) are all close by, and they form the basis of my diet, adding in other treats and accents as needed. It feels good to not only eat this way -- my body certainly thanks me -- but the more control I have over my finances, especially with regards to food, is really empowering.

February can be a good month, even when you don't have the stockpile of preserves from your garden the summer before. Really. I'm living it.