How did this shift take place?

I’d say in phases actually.

It started with me deciding that I was spending entirely too much money on take out. I was buying lunch everyday and getting take out or dinner most nights. I decided to test the cost of just grocery shopping against the cost of the take out meals. Of course, grocery shopping won out.

Then I saw the documentary The Future of Food. It focused largely on the effects of genetically modified food on the international food system. And I watched The Story of Stuff which talked about the high cost of consumer culture. Combined these got me to thinking more and more about sustainable living and really being conscious about how my consumer choices affect the larger system.

I also started thinking about my health, how the food I eat, affects my health and started buying more and more fresh (as opposed to prepackaged or frozen) foods. I started to notice that often when something had the lowest price, high fructose corn syrup was often the first ingredient. Either that or the quality of the product was seriously lacking in some way. I began to taste the difference between good quality, nourishing foods and foods that were just plain cheap and packed with lord knows what filler.

I began increasing my fruit and veggie intake; actually starting with the produce rather than the carbs and dairy products. I started looking at the ingredients and where the foods were coming from. The later actually led to an interesting and frustrating discovery. For all of the illusion of choice in our mega grocery stores, much of the products on the selves come from the same groups of companies.

Why does any store need four varieties of tortilla chips all from Texas, all from the Frito Lay company? Why is it that there are 5 “brands” of cat food, they’re all still Purina? Where is the choice in that? Three different types of milk: Alta Dena, Knudsen, Store brand; all owned by Dean Foods (a giant that has the American dairy industry locked down but has various brands all over the country for local production).

It was beyond frustrating.

And then I watched Food Inc. and became even more aware of the affects of corporatized food on the health of me and my family. I also feel slightly helpless to change it.

I mean, if the only brown rice in the store comes from Illinois and all the tortilla chips come from Texas and the breads from Mass and the apple sauce from Maine, how can I eat more locally (and thus more sustainably) without having to traipse all over the city for groceries? I tried gardening but its hard with apartment living and a black thumb (seriously, every plant I’ve had died very shortly after being re-potted). I can go to the tortillaria for tortilla chips but where do I go to get fresh baked bread or rice that doesn’t have to travel across the country?

Its a hard question, especially when the answer is deceptively simple: work a little harder to find the type of food I want.

You see, consumerism is also driven by laziness. We want things to be convenient. We don’t want to have to spend an hour preparing dinner after working all day so we throw some corn dogs in the oven or stop at a drive thru. We don’t want to have to go to four different stores so we opt for the convenient one stop shopping and deception of choice in the grocery stores.

But that convenience comes at a price; be it the cost of an over grown agribusiness dominated by factory farms or unintended environmental and ecological consequences. All of our laziness comes at a price and provides us little benefit. We carry the burden of this cost while the people who own the big food labels (not necessarily the farmers who run the factories) make money off of our consumer desire for convenience.

The truth is that since I started paying attention…since my consciousness began to increase, so has my quality of life. I don’t need it to be easy. I’ve begun enjoying the process of preparing meals and even sit at the table and have dinner with the boy on a regular basis. I feel the difference in my energy level and I’m healthier overall.

So the way I see it, trading convenience for an improved quality of life and dinner with my boy every night is totally worth it.

What would make the loss of convenience worth it for you?

I don’t, however, need an excuse to go to an awesome brunch with the boy and some friends. Besides which, the boy has been bugging me for ages to go back. So we’re getting up early (but not to early) to beat the V-Day crowds and stuff our faces, have many mimosas–too much sugar for the kid–and appreciate the good company.

Here’s the thing…I may not be into it, but my boyfriend The Mad Carpenter is totally mushy and sentimental and would be terribly hurt if I didn’t at least post some sort of love tribute. Truthfully, if he were here, I’d be excited because he’d definitely have something romantic planned. And while I may not be big on flowers or plush toys, romantic gestures are always welcome.

If he were here, he’d join my friends, the boy and me on our Valentines brunch and the day would have a different glow about it. Alas, he’s not here, so its just a regular day.

But still, I can’t let it pass without giving him a shout-out.

David I love you. I wish you were here.

What I did end up getting made for a delicious home made pizza…maybe more like a tasty, pizza-like, cheesy facacia bread thingy. It only took 10 minutes and the boy kept going on and on about how he couldn’t believe how good it was (actually he said it every time he took a bite and pretended he was in a commercial for some great pizza!).

Ingredients

Facacia bread
Provalone cheese
Cheddar cheese
Peppered salami
Red onions

Directions
Cut Facacia down the center so you have a top and a bottom. Layer other ingredients on top bread. Put in toaster-oven (or oven) for 8-10 minutes or until everything just starts to burn on the edges.

Cut into slices and voila!

I can’t believe how good that was.

That’s right folks: Potatoes au gratin. I sweat potatoes never tasted so good. Mind you, I’ve had au gratin before. What I made last night far surpassed my expectations. Again, recipes are meant to be tweaked and played with; the more you play, the more you enjoy…as I’ve recently discovered.

Without further ado…

Potatoes au Gratin

Ingredients
2 lbs russet potatoes (cut into 1/4″ slices)
2 cups of heavy cream
2 shredded Parmesan
1/2 an onion (slice julienne)
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp crushed garlic
salt & pepper

Directions

1. In medium sauce pan, warm cream, garlic, and thyme
2. In 2-quart arrange potatoes in overlapping pattern in sprinkle cheese, salt, pepper and onions. Make two or three layers, leaving top layer uncovered.
3. Pour cream mixture over potatoes.
4. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, sprinkle more cheese over top and bake until golden brown.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes.

I kid you not, these potatoes were insane.

Meatballs and Spicy Sausage Marinara

Ingredients
3/4 lb. Pennette (small penne pasta)
1lb ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 Tbsp fresh parsley
2 Tsp crushed garlic
1 large egg
1 jar traditional or basil pasta sauce
2 spicy Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/4 cup bread crumbs (one slice of bread toasted and crumbled)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, garlic, parsley and egg. Add bread crumbs. Mix well.
2. Form mixture into 1″ balls
3. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in 2 qt sauce pan. Brown meatballs and sausages.
4. Add pasta sauce. Simmer on low for an hour
5. 20 minutes before sauce is done, cook pasta according to package.

I served the sauce over the pasta with Parmesan cheese and a little toasted some Na’an bread for dipping. The boys ate it up voraciously. A simple yet crowd-pleasing meal.

And you know I loved it when the boys all cheered my cooking. I’m really starting to enjoying making my own food.

That’s right folks, it was cheesy broccoli with shells. I liked the idea, but it looked like it was missing one thing: flavor. So I tweaked the recipe juuuust a little to give it that extra su’m su’m.

Cheesy Broccoli With Shells

Ingredients
3/4 pound medium pasta shells
3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups grated Cheddar
1/2 onion
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1 16 oz. package frozen broccoli florets

Directions

1. Pre-heat broiler
2. Cook pasta to al denté
3. Meanwhile, heat the butter and onions in a large pot over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in thyme; salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add broccoli and pasta and toss
6. Transfer to a broilerproof 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1⁄2 cup of cheese. Broil until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

If I had remembered to take a picture of the food before we all grubbed down, you’d be drooling right now. But trust that everyone was suitably comforted with this delicious dish.

Its ok to be jealous. But better than that, try it for yourself. It’s super easy.