Day 7

I love this gnome, I wish he were mine. I have a gnome weakness.

I'm still keeping on keeping on. I was supposed to meet a friend for coffee last night, and as I was dragging I wondered how I'd enjoy it or have it be enjoyable for her, but then she had to cancel, so it worked out well. Since I was already dressed and showered, (as I told her when she cancelled, "but I even have a necklace on! and I shaved and everything)

In lieu of nice evening out with friend I went to the library to pick up some cookbooks, some vegetarian or veggie focused and other's on baking. Everyone on the food blogs seems to be doing or referring to this TWD thingy. (Tuesday with Dorie.) It's a bake-along as best I can tell, Apparently owners of her cookbook, bake the appointed recipe on Tuesday and then blog about it. They do such a fine job of raving about their end products that I had to take a gander at this book, so I got it from the library. It's called "Baking from my home to yours" By Dorie Greenspan. Not that my big interest in this real food quest is baking, but as I'm wanting to figure out some breakfast things, that could come in handy.

I can't remember where I left you...I've taken my iron and eaten well enough this past day. I also went to the grocery store after the library. With my low energy and stamina I have discovered one thing of late. Modern American grocery stores are taxing and overwhelming. I would much prefer to go to the small cozy, somewhat chaotic, Boise C0-Op (like a local answer to Whole foods, but in some way better, more personal) which is about 12 miles away in town. Not having either, I determined to limit myself to one end of the grocery store, the organic and healthfoody and produce end. I was pleased to find some peaches and other things that were organic on sale for less than the non-organic. I love it when that happens.

I have recently discovered I can get that similar "sane shopping" feeling by doing my basic purchases at what I call the "four stores." About four miles from here, we have an all year indoor veggie place, a place called "choice meats" which while it doesn't feature organic meat, it does have hormone and antibiotic free grain fed beef . There is also a great harvest bread company and a gluten free store. Though I am not on Gluten free, they carry milk in there (as well as chips I am avoiding of course, but nice to know) So in a nice little walk from store to store, I can manage to get most things I'd need for a healthy dinner. I guess I should acquaint myself with the Asian market a couple miles up the road from there, and then that might take care of any spice/sauce/oil emergencies as well. What I won't do not to go in a full size grocery store. Yes the little places are somewhat pricier, but they too have sales, and the way I see it, if I'm not in a "big" grocery store, I probably save money by not buying all the processed crud they carry. (Now I'm not sure I could get cheese on this run if I needed it. Note to self, see if Gluten free place carries any.) For Susie the night owl, the only less good point is they all close by 6pm.

Yesterday I was going to bed (in the am of course) and I was so hungry I couldn't sleep. I'd not yet made anything I could eat quick and easy and didn't want to have more of my tomato veggies right then or more bread, so I did something a bit less than cutting edge healthful, but oddly quickly satisfying. I whipped up some Idahoan brand instant mashed pots (mostly just dried dehydrated potatoes) opened a can of peas and had some more of my organic applesauce. I put all three next to each other in a pasta bowl and chowed down, pretending in the back of my mind that it was a "mock thanksgiving dinner." it hit the spot, wasn't loaded with fat or preservatives and I was able to sleep.

Last night before going to bed, I enjoyed a snack of one 1/4 of a celery stem spread with almond butter. Yum.

I'm going to pass on my absolute favorite Blondie Recipe, not healthy food, but not "unhealthy" in moderation either and it's quick and easy. Instead of using all butterscotch chips in the 3/4 cup it calls for, I use about half of the volume in butterscotch and then add some other chips, usually white and then a 70 percent cacao dark chocolate bar cut into pieces for a total of 3/4 chips as called for. I've thought of leaving off the butterscotch all together but that is I think what flavors the blondies. I also throw in two small handfuls of chopped walnuts. It's rich enough for one piece being more than filling and not leaving me wanting to eat the whole pan. I find that mine need to be in the oven for the exact time called for, no more or less. They will look still a bit soft but that is what makes them chewy. I'm looking forward to trying all sorts of adulterations on this, maybe doing it with different nuts, maybe some heath par pieces, maybe some dried fruit even.

I bought all sorts of things at the store last night, so we'll see what the next two days brings buy way of discovering the universe of real food.