My journey to real food

I think my experience with food as I grew up was pretty common.  I ate what was in front of me.  I didn't really think about where my food came from or how it wound up on my plate ready for consumption.  I knew I had a problem, though, about three years ago.  Here's the story of how I came to realize that I needed help in the food department, and pronto.

I never pictured myself to have much of a green thumb.  My grandma was an excellent gardener and I just figured that her lifetime of acquired skill passed a few generations or ended up on the other side of the family tree (my cousin majored in horticulture in college).  But, I was trying to minimize my environmental impact so I got a composter from Costco.  Keep in mind, at the time I lived in a condo with no yard.  What was I planning to do with the compost, you ask?  Honestly, just dump it on the ground so I could at least keep some stuff from the landfill or pass it on to people with a yard. 

While I didn't have a personal yard space, I at least had a porch, and that porch was looking a little sad.  I thought some green could do it (and me) some good, so I huffed up to Ikea and bought something that looked the least likely to be killed by me. It was a little spikey leafed plant but I don't actually know what it's called.  I bought a ceramic pot to put it in and headed home.  At that point I had a pretty reasonable size compost heap, so I thought that might help my little Ikea plant survive my sporadic waterings and basic lack of care.  I mixed some compost in with the cheapest soil I could get at Home Depot and thus started my adventure. 

Time passed and the plant was still alive, and then I saw some other green thing start to poke through the soil.  I figured it was a weed, but if it was green and growing in my container I decided it couldn't really do any harm to just let it grow and see what happened.  It kept growing and soon enough these little green balls started to form on it.  At that point I was intrigued enough that I decided to let it carry on.  After a while they started to turn red and, believe it or not, I still didn't know what they were.  Well, my mom came over one afternoon and I asked her about it and she informed me that it was a tomato plant. "I didn't plant anything there," says I.  "It volunteered," she replied.  I started laughing...ha ha...I can't grow anything intentionally so plants have to volunteer for my container, like getting the short straw...oh mom, you're so funny.  "No, Jenny, that's what they call it when a tomato plant sprouts unintentionally." "So, is it safe to eat?" I asked.  "Jenny, it's a tomato," she responded almost in disbelief. 

Right, I thought, it's a tomato.  I began going through some soul-searching questions in my mind: a) How did I not know what kind of plant that was? b) Why did I question, after finding out what it was, whether or not it was safe to eat just because it was growing unintentionally? c) If this can grow without me even trying, is it possible that with a little effort I can do better?

I picked the little cherry tomato, ate it, and it was oh so delicious.  I realized that if something could grow in the haphazard conditions I provided, then with any bit of intentionality I might have some luck. I saw a great tutorial on Instructables.com for growing my own container garden, and picked some milk crates up off of Craigslist.  I can't say I had the best luck (not much sun on my little spot of concrete otherwise known as my backyard), but I planted everything from seed and got some lettuce, one carrot that was about an inch long, a bit of basil, and a couple tomatos.  The intrinsic satisfaction of making a salad out of everything that I grew was worth the effort.

We've moved from that condo so I now have a backyard with plenty of uses for my compost.  I have a huge zucchini plant (I've never really heard of a small one), a few tomato plants (and now I know what they are), some lettuce, strawberries, and a variety of herbs. 

My Ikea plant continued to thrive and is still alive after four years (a.m.a.z.i.n.g...it's kind of like the goldfish you win at the fair that lives longer than your dog).  My biggest problem now is that my toddler daughter picks the tomatos when they're two days away from perfect and eats them fresh from the vine.  I think the gardening gene from my grandma is just recessive and is now starting to surface.  At least my daughter will know what a tomato plant looks like, and she'll know that they're safe to eat right from the plant. 

Have you started the journey to real food?  What sparked your quest?

My very favorite links

As I've traversed the blogosphere I've discovered so many incredible resources that have helped me along my frugalonomical journey.  This is an assortment of those links that will be updated from time to time as I find more hidden gems.  Some won't be a surprise to you, but some will open up a whole new world as they did for me. 

Enjoy your blogosphering adventures!!

www.mealsmatter.org - I know there are a ton of great meal planning websites out there, but several are fee based and I had a rough time finding one that worked for me that was also free.  MealsMatter.org fit the bill and then some.  Not only do they have great recipes that you can add to your meal plans, you can add certain meals to your shopping list, print out recipe cards and lists, and move things around on the calendar for easy on-the-go planning.  I can't say enough great things about this site!

www.moneysavingmom.com- This is the site that started it all...my quest for frugal and simple living.  Crystal is a real inspiration and always has great ideas for using our resources more resourcefully.  I'm inspired by her story of how she paid cash for a house (hard work, saving, and sacrifice...but so worth it), and she always has great ideas for living under your means while providing for your family. 

www.instructables.com- Every DIY enthusiast needs a few ideas, tips, and tricks, and this is the first place I go when figuring out how to make a self-watering planter, build a worm composter, or make cake pops.  The tutorials or typically very well laid out and executed (at least the ones I've looked at) and there are so many great ideas when I'm in a rut and need to get my creative juices flowing.

www.etsy.com- duh!

www.craftster.org- Another great site for getting ideas and connecting with other creative types.

I'll continue adding to this page so check back from time to time as I consolidate my faves into one place.

The Frugalonomy movement

Okay, "movement" might be a little expansive for where things are at right now, but I have seen stranger things happen, and in today's world many people are involuntarily forced into frugality by the circumstances of their lives...paycuts, lost jobs, increased expenses on gas or food...the economy is shifting.  It's more of a frugal economy now...maybe even a "frugalonomy" if you will ;-)

Living under our means is not just a nicety at this point.  It's more of a necessity to ensure that we don't get stuck between a rock and a hard place when things in our personal situation shift and we don't have a choice on making resourceful decisions.  If you're just starting down this narrow path, welcome.  It's not as painful as you might think.  If you're already frugally-minded and are wondering how much further you can go?  Frugalonomy will help you fine tune your skills to be the best frugalonomist you can be :-)

Mean green money saving machine

It's no wonder that in a lot of cases, the "greenest" thing to do is also the least expensive.  Anytime we can use resources we have already instead of trashing them in exchange for something else, this big blue planet breathes a little sigh of relief.  On the quest for living sustainably I think we can take the best lessons from people who actually were sustained by what the earth made.

- Grow your food if you can

Although I have a yard now, for about six years I lived in a condo without any kind of yard so no planting in the ground.  After seeing an inspirational DIY project on instructables.com I figured I could have a container garden and maybe something I would plant might grow.  Turns out, even with my black thumb, a little effort and water paid off and we could actually enjoy a salad pulled right from our garden.

- Use what your mama gave you

Basically, the newest, hottest, coolest stuff may be new, hot, and cool, but it's also one more thing to add to the stack of last years new, hot, cool thing that's now out of date and in the donate pile.  By sticking with old standards even though they might not be the prettiest, you're recognizing that our over-consumption of stuff can contribute to an obese house cluttered with things that sap our energy just like over-consumption of food can contribute to the problem that many in our country are facing today.  

Even in an effort to greenify your house, everything you take out has to go somewhere.  Replacing your current windows for vinyl windows instead?  What happens to the ones that come out?  Can the glass or metal be recycled or repurposed?  Probably.  And the energy-star appliances that are replacing the clunkers are great, but if the clunkers end up in a landfill where they'll sit for thousands of years then is it the greenest option?  Try donating those things to organizations that train people on appliance repair, put it on Freecycle, or Craigslist, or see what recycling services are offered by your city for large appliances.  

Going green is fabulous.  I use cloth diapers, make my own baby food, and by no-VOC paint, but there's always a trade-off.  It's just important to keep an eye out for "greenwashing" tactics that so many companies use to make us think that buying this or that is good for the environment.  In many cases, the best thing you can do is save your money and use what you have. 

Save a buck on the babe

Let's face it- babies are expensive.  We can say that we'll get everything we need for the first couple years from baby showers, doting grandparents, and birthday parties, but realistically not everybody has all of those options, and either way people are still spending money on the little one.  I kind of think that the carbon footprint of a baby is the highest percentage to their actual size than any other time in their life (especially if that baby is a first grandchild...can you say toys, toys, and more toys?!?!).

I have a 17 month old, and that doesn't always coincide with saving money.  There are diapers to buy (we use cloth, but we still had to buy them), daycare from time to time when family isn't available to watch her, and they usually need to eat something.  I tend to think that clothes are more of an option at this point, but for the sake of argument let's say it's winter (which is Southern California means it's in the high 60's...brrr) and baby needs a sweater.  It all adds up, sometimes to more than we anticipate.

Here's how my husband and I applied our frugal principles to all things baby.

1- Cloth Diapers (link to separate article about cloth diapers)
2- Home made baby food (link to separate article about making baby food at home)
3- Used furniture (link to article about using Craigslist and Freecycle to decorate the nursery)
4- Finding quality, affordable daycare providers in your area (link to article)
5- A frugal wardrobe (link to shopping for clothes on a budget)
6- Other ideas: get lots of free samples from the hospital, ThredUp.com, consignment stores, collect all the baby coupons and follow some good coupon blogs to find deals.

And, here's where we splurged (link to pic of the $50 wooden activity block from Target).

What other ideas do you have for saving on baby related expenses?

Hypertufa...bless you!

A couple years ago I was browsing through my Martha Stewart magazine pondering where in the world do houses actually look like that, when I came across something that peaked my interest.  I love various cement treatments on things (floors and countertops especially...but not at the same time), and there was a whole article on this thing called "hypertufa."  When I say it people aren't sure what to say, because they really don't know what I'm saying.

Tufa is a naturally occuring stone in nature that attracts moss and organically develops into this really cool thing.  Hypertufa is a man-made (read: fake) version of that naturally occurring stone, but it looks so awesome.  When I saw the article with actual instructions I thought to myself, "Self, you never make anything that you see in these magazines, but this looks like something you can conquer."  That little pep talk was enough to get me off my duff and out to Home Depot for the following supplies:  portland cement, peat moss, and perlite.  I figured, if I can get everything at one store, in one trip, with less than one paycheck I'm doing it, and the total was less than $30 for everything I needed to make more hypertufa than I would in a lifetime.

Once I had the supplies gathered it was time to get going.  I had the magazine article right next to me the whole time and surprisingly, the instructions were actually right on and I ended up with some awesome looking planters for some succulents.  There are so many resources out there on hypertufa, it's like this underground society that singlehandedly supports the portland cement industry.

Here are some more pictures of what I made including a link to my etsy store in case you don't have the time or energy to make them yourself (even though they're so easy and it's really rewarding to see one on your porch).  Hypertufa away!!

Dinner under pressure

I was lucky enough this year to get a few things that I really wanted for Christmas...an immersion blender that I have so far used to make milk shakes (once), and a pressure cooker that I have used numerous times and don't know how I lived without it for so long.

If you've never used a pressure cooker, be prepared for your culinary life to change.  I literally cooked potatoes from rock hard to smashable soft in a total of 5 minutes.  I added a little milk, butter, salt, and pepper and had mashed potatoes on the table in less time than it took me to sear the steak I was cooking. When there's a hungry toddler and a hungry husband staring at you from the table, the faster the better!

When shopping for a pressure cooker there are a few things you need to keep in mind:

1- Size: Think about what you're hoping to cook in the pressure cooker, how many people you'll be feeding, and read the info on the box (or the user manual if you can get to it) to see if they make any recommendations first.  You don't want to buy one only to get it home and realize that you can't cook the amount of food you wanted to because you can only fill it so full.

2- Price: There are a whole variety of pressure cookers out there at all different price points.  The price is sometimes connected to the features or actual components of the cooker (mine, for example, came with an attachable strainer so I could hold the cooker with two hands and drain it at the same time), but sometimes the price is more driven by the brand name.  I have a Presto cooker that cost about $26 at a local discount store.  They seem to be making a come back, so if you keep an eye out you're sure to spot a deal.

3- Features: As I mentioned already, different cookers come with different features (multiple pressure release valves, the attachable strainer, different pressure regulators), so again think about what you make most that could be sped up by cooking it using the pressure cooker and see if any of the features will make that easier for you.  The strainer is great for when I make beans, potatoes, and a whole variety of other foods.

When you get it home, follow the manufacturer's instructions for washing it and preparing it for use, and then just make something.  Cut up some vegetables, pull out some chicken, or open a bag of beans and (again, following the instructions provided by the manufacturer), try it out.  I waited at least a few weeks before breaking mine open because I was a little intimidated not having used one before.  It was S.O. E.A.S.Y!!  After the first time I was hooked.

Here are some of my favorite pressure cooker recipes...do you have any recipes that did (or didn't) work well when cooked under pressure?