Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Shopping Day....It's Almost Here!

I don't think I've been to Whole Foods since before my trip to Santa Barbara 2 weeks ago, and I still have enough food for for quite a few meals! I did go to the Farmers Market on Sunday and bought some oranges, Italian broccoli (I haven't used any yet, and it's 3 days later), green garlic, (How can I resist? It won't be around much longer.), and that was it! I've been to my small neighborhood Asian market, and Mexican market for jalapenos, red bell, garlic, (I don't know why, but the Mexican market always has the freshest garlic), papayas....I think that's it.

Of course we've been to Trader Joes to stock up on our staples, like yogurt, nuts, and nut butter, dried fruits, milk, cream, juice, ice cream, cage free eggs, cereal, black licorice, lemons, organic yellow onions, mushrooms and bagged spinach for Mark's stir-fries, oh, and by the way, I found some frozen buffalo burgers that Mark is really digging that will be part of our regular TJ's shopping list. But 90% of all TJ's shopping is Mark's food, he lives on pretty much what I've just listed, eating the same foods everyday.

My CSA box keeps including baby salad greens, something that I would never buy because I like cabbage based salads, so I've been using them in my wilted salads almost everyday along with the last of my 3 bunches of agretti (boo hoo, now it's gone). Last week it included my favorite carrots, since they're so tasty I didn't want to use them for cooking, I want to eat them raw, but I couldn't eat them all in a week, so I shredded 4 of the last 6 to be ready for some sort of salad (pictured w/purple carrot, scallions, jalapeno and sesame dressing),and cut 2 into sticks for munchies. I still have the arugula, and 1/2 of the turnip greens, and I pick up another box tonight.

I don't need anything really, but can you believe I'm out of chicken stock? Anyone that knows me, knows I always have homemade chicken stock in my freezer. The reason why I don't have any is because I don't need any chicken, so why go to the store? And because I haven't been to the store I ran out of celery and cooking carrots. But it's making me nervous to not have any stock in stock, lol! I still have ready made soups in my freezer (chili pepper, kale, garbanzo bean, leek/pea, mushroom barley), along with preportioned meals of lamb, beef roast, and pulled pork, so I guess I don't really need any, but I'm bored with no kitchen chores! Even my pressure cooker is lonely!

Speaking of my pressure cooker, I've been wanting to make a salad with barley, but I don't have any! It doesn't make sense to me to go and buy some since I have brown rice, quinoa, and plenty of beans to use instead (not to mention I always have pastas in my pantry)....you see where I'm going.....I have too much food! My fridge is practically bare, and I still have too much food!

Maybe I don't need to go shopping. How good is my life?

9 comments:

Gabby Eborall said...

I'm salivating!! That salad on the bottom looks incredible. Will you move to San Clemente and be my personal chef?
Gabby

Unknown said...

I'm always amazed by all the wonderful things you talk about having to eat. What a wonderful thing to live somewhere like CA. Here in podunk TN, I do well to have greens that aren't brown in the store and apples that aren't meally much less any of the exotic stuff. I'm so glad you appreciate what you have!

JenG said...

What size pressure cooker do you have? I am looking into buying one, mostly for canning but you have inspired me to think about cooking with it also!
BTW, that salad looks wicked good! :)

Cecilia Tom said...

I shop everyday but there are only five things that I regularly purchase - avos, shiitake mushrooms, sugar snap peas, fruit, and some sort of chocolate-based treat (two/day). I can't stock up on treats because they'll be consumed in the car before I even got home :-) The CSA box forces me to be disciplined about eating at home, since I'm only one person and I have to finish the whole box! I feel very virtuous if my fridge is almost empty right before box day. Do you get the flowers too? They included rosemary for a few weeks so I'm drying some of that. The marigold also goes into my salad - very pretty.

Tracy Reifkind said...

gabby,

Everything has a price, lol!

Tracy Reifkind said...

j,

I didn't realize carrots were exotic, lol!

Tracy Reifkind said...

jeng,

I have a 6qt. I wouldn't mind also owning a 4qt., but I can't justify it, unless I start teaching pressure cooker classes, lol. Many times I have used my PC 2 and 3 times in one day!

For canning however, I do believe you will need a 12qt. That's huge!

Tracy Reifkind said...

cecilia,

I'm with you about stocking up on treats! I stopped buying more than one yogurt at a time, knowing these days once I start I could eat 4, and that's not even anything that "bad"!

And, I love, love, love, how the CSA box has forced me to expand. I love how empty my fridge got before I did my pick up on Wed., very satisfying! I decided to not renew the flowers, however, I was not impressed in the least bit.

JenG said...

Yep...a 12 qt. was definitely what I was looking into, and I only cook for my husband and myself...so I guess I need two.;) A 12 qt. and a 6 qt. LOL!
Thanks Tracy!!