September 15, 2012

What frugal eating looks like: this weeks snapshot

Ahhh Saturday. I love me some weekend.
veggies and dip, bread and balsamic vinegar (one of my favorite meals!)

snack while I made out a month long menu...
 This pumpkin will be roasted, pureed, and frozen for breakfast scones, pie and cookies later this fall!
Its the great pumpkin, bob!

pizza with artichokes, black olives and roma tomatoes from the garden.
 I forgot how amazing peanut butter baked oatmeal is, by the way. It is filling, good for you, and most importantly *delicious*
peanut butter baked oatmeal
I went to the farmers market it Roanoke yesterday and a nice lady sold me a 28 lb box of tomatoes for $14, which I thought was extra fair. The only thing wrong with them was that they were nearing the too-ripe stage, which is perfect for me, considering I will be using them this morning to make a million jars of salsa. :)  If I have anything left after the million salsa jar extravaganza, I will make tomato sauce and freeze it for winter.
Heirlooms galore!
Alright, I need to go on a tirade here for just a minute, so you can stop reading now if you wish. While driving back from Colorado I couldn't help but notice all of the stunted, dead, fields of corn. Thousands and thousands of acres of dead, worthless crop. I was very concerned by this.....corn is extremely important- its used for fresh food, to make preservatives and sweeteners for our processed food addicted nation (ie corn syrup), oil and ethanol, and not to mention to feed our nations cattle and poultry. Coming from a farm-ish family, this really scares the hell out of me. In a nutshell, food prices are going to sky-rocket this winter. Not only will there be less food for livestock, but fuel will also increase making it more expensive for truckers to deliver what we have left to the grocery store. More food will be imported. I am doing the best I can to stock away as much affordable food now as I can (25 lb bags of rice, beans, etc....freezing chicken and whatnot when its on sale). I suggest you do the same as well, especially considering the US's credit just got downgraded again. I don't think I'm being a crazy doomsayer, I think I'm being realistic, that we are not immune from the poverty and issues other countries face. And quite frankly, I don't trust the government to get me my paycheck on time, let alone provide for my medical care and make sure I have food on my table.

I think as a nation we have become too dependent on the government; we have lost the skills and the trades of our grandparents. Gardening, preserving, learning to live with less. I think the people need to be more self sufficient in a time of excess. I for one do not want my government spoon feeding me my life, telling me I cannot eat a burger because its too salty, telling me what health insurance to purchase, telling me that they know what is best for me. That type of governmental behavior would have our forefathers rolling in their graves. Maybe I just don't like being told what to do, because I'm an American, damnit. Maybe I'm becoming more of a fan of states rights then I once thought. Anyways, that's my rant for the day.

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