A Little More to Say About Home-Cooking

In my last several blogs I talk about the ways in which many of us need to change our lifestyles (and in due time, conventional food systems in the US) in order to better know our food and create a healthier situation for both ourselves and our precious ecosystems. To begin, because I am so adamant about local food movements, here are a couple of websites that can help you find farmer's market in your area: go here or here. You're welcome.

Now, for those of you who don't cook, it's understandable that cooking (specifically of the type I have in mind) may seem like a daunting chore when you first begin. It certainly wasn't always easy for me, and to be honest, it still isn't (especially because I am married to someone who is a far better and more learned cook than I). But what makes cooking even more difficult for me is that old habits are tough to kick. I grew up in a home where, despite my mother's best efforts to bring me and my brother the freshest and most nutritious meals possible, her busy schedule as a single parentand full-time professional made it incredibly difficult for her to provide real home-cooking on a consistent basis. So like most good American households in an age of microwaves, bulk-item warehouse food stores and simple-to-make cake mix in a box, I didn't grow up learning about real food, admiring real food or even realizing that there was much of a difference between mom's Sunday dinners after a recent trip to the grocery store, and the lasagna she heated up on Friday, which she bought from the frozen food section.

Nowadays I do cook, though, and I always enjoy it. My life is completely different than it was growing up. My husband and I don't own a microwave, and it's been years since I visited one of those big warehouse bazaars. Last week when I made brownies, I made them from scratch, and you know what? It was easy. Cooking is more fulfilling experience than I could have ever imagined. It's educational, and even helpful when it comes to health issues. When you are in control of your meals, you know how much butter is going in, how much sugar, how much salt. One of the main reasons our country is dealing with an obesity crisis is because we are ignorant about so much of what we ingest.

My husband and I make preparing meals into an event, which is really a three part affair: first we go to the market and pick out our ingredients, next we come home and cook, and finally we sit down and eat, while discussing what we think the successes and failures are of the meal. We are, needless to say, incredibly lucky to be able to do this. But we've also had to tweak our lifestyle, budget and our habits in order to accommodate these activities. So, if this sequence of events, or something similar to it, isn't normal for you, are there things in your life that you could change? If you're too tired after work to spend 45 minutes in the kitchen (trust me, I've been there), are you able to go to sleep a little earlier? If you're afraid about the added costs of switching from the freezer section to unsubsidized, fresh meats and veggies, could you perhaps take a pen and paper to the grocery store, do a little tally, try it out for a couple of nights and see where you stand? Most of the time when we cook at home, and especially when we cook from scratch, we have leftovers; so don't forget about those "savings." If you don't put in the effort, you will never know. And I guess all I'm saying is, give it a try.

Update: GreenWala's own LowImpactBetty provided this article, which includes simple ideas and even an easy recipe to green your act and eat healthier. I encourage you to take a look.