@Foodie_Girl
Cooking is one of my first loves. From watching and listening to my Dad with his stories, I was hooked as a kid, and it's still something I love. If I had an Indian name, it would be Plays with Food :-) Eating well and from home is important to me, but hey, sometimes I just want a big bowl of popcorn and I'm good. I use local, seasonal, and selectively organic ingredients as I can afford to (selectively so it makes sense). I like supporting my local food co-op because I feel more of a connection with the land and the folks that grow and produce the food when I shop there. I keep it in my budget by using the bulk section for beans & grains & spices. (And I only rarely buy any prepared food or bread there - that really saves tons of cash!) I eat meat, but it's generally not on center stage, it's usually in a broth, or a small amount where the beans, grains, and veg are the stars. And salmon, don't forget the salmon! Yum! (I use canned wild-caught Alaskan salmon, and it's actually good. I wait for a holiday to buy salmon fillets or steaks and then from a fish market.) And I believe in lots of practice and love. I believe home-cooked food is always better than fast food, but fast-food is better than nothing. So I do some food planning most weekends to do something good for myself.Â