It started with a cupcake...

Actually, it started with a chocolate chip cookie. My love for the Dessert Gallery, that is.

The Dessert Gallery is a local MBE/WBE (pronounced "Me-Be-We-Be", means a Minority or Woman-owned business enterprise) in Houston that makes the most divine chocolate chip cookies. They aren't really chocolate chip, but more like chocolate slivers. Don't let me fool you into thinking these cookies are skimpy on chocolate because I say they contain "chocolate slivers". In fact, I think the sliver allows for a higher ratio of Chocolate to Cookie than most ordinary chocolate chip cookies. Furthermore, these delights are half-dipped in chocolate for even more sinfulness.

In my 2+ years living in Houston, it's certainly a shame that I didn't try their cupcakes sooner. Well, probably not a shame for my waist or wallet. If you're in H-town and in the mood to satisfy a sweet tooth, check out the Dessert Gallery. If your conscience is too guilty to just have dessert, you can start with one of their sandwiches, which I can also vouch for.

Related Links:

• Dessert Gallery
  
• MBE/WBE Info

What's a Dutch Baby?

It seems like a self-explanatory question, but who knew that a Dutch Baby is also baked deliciousness?

I was lucky enough to find out thanks to Gourmet magazine and J's impulsive cooking. Usually, I get up with barely enough time to get ready and make it to work on time, so I'm certainly not one who eats hearty breakfasts on weekdays. After discovering the Dutch Baby in Gourmet, J decided he needed to try it, and I got to partake in the goodness. Someone making you a fresh breakfast is indeed a fantastic thing to wake up and discover.

So, what is a Dutch Baby, anyway? Gourmet describes it as "a crossover between a pancake and a popover", and I think they pretty much hit the mark with that description. The crust is hearty, slightly crispy, and sortof durable like a good popover. The center of the Dutch Baby is the pancake portion, but a very dense pancake that's a close cousin to a custard tart or even some cheese pies. The Dutch Baby in question had a wonderfully refreshing lemon flavor, and just the right amount of sugar. And in addition to its tastiness, this breakfast treat is a sight to see as it expands in the oven!

If you haven't experienced a Dutch Baby first hand, now's a good time to spice up your breakfast routine and try something new!

Related Links:

• The Recipe in questionfrom Gourmet
  
• Dutch Baby Wiki
  
• Dutch Baby Pan(Comes with free Dutch Baby mix, for those of you who prefer convenience)
  

Presidential Snacking

The Kitchn featured a short post about food at the White House. A fabulous picture of President Obama's afternoon snack plate here. You will see that for such a simple snack, the amount of cutlery and china is quite amusing.

Here's the full post.

Homegrown strawberry dreams...

While I do have a small patio space, there unfortunately isn't enough sun exposure for much gardening to be conducted. When I move next, I will definitely put more effort into finding Southerly windows or patios. In addition to growing more herbs and attempting some sort of container potatoes, these strawberry planters look like a must-do. The thought alone of homegrown berries has my mouth watering!




{Photo Credit: Stephen Duckworth}

Realisic Dinner Previews

Thanks once again to Lifehacker, I stumbled across this great comparison of Fast Food Advertising pictures compared to real-life photos of the food product being marketed. While it makes sense that food is styled (and often, not even real food) for photographs in ads, it is amazing to see the contrast between the ads and reality.

Check out this contrast of the Arby's Beef n Cheddar sandwich. The real one just looks so sad. Imagine if food marketers/advertisers had to use actual food products, like what is made in the restaurants. I think a lot more people might make the effort to eat at home!

Grow 100 pounds of potatoes on your balcony!

My gardening skills are at the level that would require the purchasing of an AeroGarden if I want to sustain green life for a period of time longer than a month. I am always impressed with those who have the ability to care for plant life in a way that results in getting to eat fresh produce (opposed to the greenery dying in the garden or being eaten by critters, which would happen to me).

Since I live in an apartment, I thought I had a pretty good excuse for not attempting any gardening of my own. This article on Lifehacker, however, puts me to shame. Someone with a lot of ingenuity came up with an idea to be able to grow 100 pounds of potatoes in 2 X 2 foot space. It reminds me a little of the upside-down tomato garden that I always seen in the SkyMall catalog on planes. But way cooler because 1) it's homemade and 2) it's friggin 100 pounds of potatoes!

It's not too late to plant some tomatoes or herbs on my patio, so maybe if I start small and have success this summer, I can work on growing potatoes next year. But probably not 100 pounds of tubers (though that does sound quite delicious). We'll see what happens! This is something I need to try with baby steps!







{For the planting instructions, see the Lifehacker article or the original article from the Seattle Times}

One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns!

As I've mentioned before, I love eating my way through London. On almost every visit, I manage to procure Hot Cross Buns from the grocery store. While this is not gourmet by any means, they're something I enjoy thoroughly for breakfast or a snack or just because. I can easily justify this layman's indulgence to myself with knowledge that even the grocery store variety of Hot Cross Buns in England is far better than any I've had in the States. Furthermore, in the US, these flavorful delights are only available a few weeks in the year (which might actually be part of the problem).

Since it has been two years (gasp!) from my last trip across the Atlantic, I have been eager for Hot Cross Buns to start showing up in my local grocery stores for Easter.

I try to have a grounded perspective on my expectations of US Hot Cross Buns by having clear memories of previous disappointments. However, I do get sad when I eat Hot Cross Buns in the States, and they simply don't taste as good as their name implies they should.


Central Market has a great bakery and is also my Houston source for many hard-to-find grocery items. Unfortunately, I don't think their bakery makes their Hot Cross Buns because they certainly don't live up to Central Market's usual tasty standards. While I will admit, they did satisfy my Hot Cross Bun craving to some degree, I found them lacking. The texture was dry, and there weren't enough pieces of fruit. It was disappointing that the only fruit were raisins, especially because they were also overly dry. While non-traditional (and not necessary for well-made Hot Cross Buns), the icing was the only saving grace. The iced crosses provided a nice level of sweetness and needed moisture to the buns.

Will I buy them again next year? Chances say that I will. But maybe I'll grow enough courage to try making my own instead. Only time will tell...

Related Links:

• Hot Cross Buns Wiki
  
• History & Symbolism of Hot Cross Buns & other Easter traditions
  

Eating meat leads to... global warming?

If you call yourself an environmentalist, why do you still eat meat?

That was a slogan I commonly heard during college that was tossed around by the well-intended veggie lovers in attempts to convert omnivores that were otherwise fairly "like-minded".

So, while it's clearly not a spanking new idea, I am glad that it's getting more press again. I don't want to get into ethical debate about whether it's wrong/right/inhumane/human-nature to eat the flesh of other animals, I think it is important for the public to know that the choices we make about eating are just as important (if not more important!) as the decisions we make about the cars we buy or the light switches that we turn off.

If we were to have a dialog about eating meat today, it would not just a health discussion or a debate about animal rights, as it may have been years ago. It would also be a conversation about environmental consequences that have great impact on the earth we live. Case in point: It is said that reducing your consumption of meat by one day a week has the same amount of impact on reducing CO2 emissions as driving a care 1000 miles fewer per year. I paraphrased this from Mark Bitten's recent book Food Matters. Please forgive my lack of preciseness (I don't have the book in front of me), but you probably get the point about the picture Bittman is trying to paint. The resources that go into modern meat production, such as water and oil, could be used more sparingly if instead they went into growing vegetables, grains, and legumes (thus, feeding more mouths).

Given the amount of resources needed to produce a pound of meat, it is not sustainable for humankind to continue eating meat at the rates we do. (Think about it: Over 5000 gallons of water are need to produce a pound of beef, while only 25 gallons are needed to produce a pound of grain according to California Soil and Water specialists.) What's scarier to think about is that meat consumption is increasing as less-wealthy countries become both more wealthy (in terms of good ole cash money) and more Westernized. We are literally eating ourselves to death, in the literal sense for many individuals (due to health consequences like diabetes and heart disease) and in a metaphorical sense as we tip the world's biological equilibrium further away from being balanced.


Post your thoughts below--whether you agree or disagree. I have a feeling this will be an increasingly hot topic, as climate change because a greater concern to the public. It will also be interesting to see how the Obama administration addresses this part of the issue (if at all).

Related Links:

• Meat vs. Climate: The Debate Continues (Green Inc Blog, NY Times)
  
• World Hunger and Meat Production (World Hunger and Poverty Blog)
  
• Why Veg? For the Planet (Animals Australia group)
  
• Rethinking the Meat Guzzler (Mark Bittman, NY Times)
  
• Feeding Livestock vs. People (older article, but the science and main message haven't changed)
  

Cheap Chomps at Barnaby's

Though I've definitely heard about various "Recession Specials" (and Recession Gimmicks, under the same guise), the best one I've personally experienced are the $1 brownies at Barnaby's Cafe in Houston. I thought the brownies would be small or taste mass-produced, but they are delicious and certainly worth more than the four quarters for which one can be procured. They're only $1 until the Dow goes back up to 11,000 points, so act quick (or take your time if you aren't confident about the stock market bouncing back to life any time soon).

These brownies are amazingly chocolately. They would go well with a creamy beverage or warmed up and served with some ice cream. Or simply devoured straight off the plate, which is my preferred plan of attack for today.


Additional Recession Specials at Barnaby's include $1 coffee, $2 cappuccinos, and $7 steak plates for a limited time. Help stimulate the economy and fill your belly with deliciousness!

Related Links:

• Barnaby's Cafe
  
• Seattle Restaurant Specials (Seattle Times)
  
• Restaurants Stop Playing Hard to Get (NY Times)
  

Homemade Tortillas: Simple!

For the past week I've been hosting two very welcomed, yet somewhat unexpected out-of-town guests. G & R were two of my college roommates and are still two of my favorite people. We have similar interests in food. Cooking and eating together have always been two of our common pastimes.

One of the simple, but amazingly yummy things we made this week was a "Mexican" feast. Homemade tortillas & guacamole made it even better.


It's amazing how simple tortillas are to make. I confess that they are something I made for the first time only recently. In addition to being easy to make, homemade tortillas taste superior to practically any store-bought kind, and cost substantially less, other than a bit of time and elbow grease. I wonder why I hadn't try to make tortillas sooner!

Easy as Pie Tortillas Recipe

• 2 c. AP flour
  
• 1 tsp. baking powder
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  
• 2 T. non-hydrogenated shortening
  
• 3/4 c. water
  
  Directions
  Mix dry ingredients, then cut the shortening into the mixture with your fingers until smooth. Add water slowly till a non-sticky dough is formed by kneading. Let dough rest for at least ten minutes, then divide into balls the size of large gum balls (about an inch in diameter). Flatten dough balls with your hands, then roll out with your rolling pin. Let dough rest another ten minutes, then roll a second time.
  
  To cook, simply place dough on your pre-heated cast iron pan for about 30 seconds on each side.

Happy Happy Hour at Tafia

With its dim lighting and hip decor, Tafia looks and feels like the place to be for happy hour in Houston. What makes it even better is the tasty and free food that comes with your happy hour drink. Did I mention it was free? And tasty.

I went with a decent sized group, and we tried the Macaroni and Cheese, Chickpea Fries, Edamame, Chili Noodles, Truffles, and Maple Marscapone-stuffed Dates. I feel like I'm forgetting something (or somethings?), but you get the picture. There is quite a selection to choose from, especially considering it's free and unlimited. It's undoubtedly some of the highest quality "free" food that you can find while drinking.

Since it was happy hour, I should speak about my beverage, too. I tried my very first Ratafia tonight. In some ways, it reminded me of a sangria, but less fruity and more better. I had a vodka-lime flavored one, so it was pretty much meant to be. Me, vodka, and lime are a pretty awesome triad of fun. Next time, I might get the flight of Ratafias, so I can try the more traditional cherry one and the pineapple one that sounded pretty good, too. The other ladies' drinks all looked very good, too. Next time, I might try the Square-Oh (to feed my basil love) or the Cherry-Key Lime Caipirihna, which also sounds pretty unique.

Tafia is definitely a place I want to go back for a full meal. I hear it's a bit pricey, but it may just be worth it. The food was innovative, tasty, and fresh. Plus a fun atmosphere, which is like the icing on my cake when it comes to dining out.

Related Links:

• Ratafia Wiki
  
• Tafia's free lounge food menu
  
  

mm, Squirrel?!

Of all topics vegetarians blog about, dining on squirrel probably does not come up very often. Today, this post may be the exception to that rule (this is Random Yummies, afterall).

In college, I met a guy who actually had eaten squirrel. At the time, I think he was the only person who had tried this little creature. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure that I've met anyone since him who has admitted to trying squirrel meat. That's mostly beside the point. I think this chap came from a poor family and ate squirrel meat that they hunted themselves, when they weren't able to feed themselves from a grocery store.

Vegetarianism aside for a moment, I don't think I could eat squirrels for their cuteness factor alone. To me, eating a squirrel wouldn't be that far off from eating a cat or dog. And while I know a lot of people will disagree with me on that point, I think the fact that squirrels come from the rodent family is enough to turn off a lot of Americans from eating the furry little guys.

The British, however, have stronger stomachs than Americans. They are not above eating their share of rodents. And it seems that eating squirrel is becoming an act of patriotism.

What I mean is that the British are trying to save their darling species of Red Squirrel... by culling the invading North American Gray Squirrel species. Apparently, the Gray Squirrels carry diseases harmful to the Red Squirrels in addition to destroying their natural habit and eating more than their fair share of the food supply. So, the people have stepped in on this turf war in support of the Reds. And suddenly, it is trendy, lest forget Patriotic, to eat the pesky Grays.


I am curious to see if this is just media hype, a temporary trend, or an eating habit that will actually gain in popularity. Only time will tell.

Related Links:

• Saving a Squirrel by Eating One
  
• Squirrel Wiki
  
• Field & Stream Squirrel Recipes
  
• Chef Goes Nuts for Squirrel
  

{Image Source: NYT}

Adventure in Parsnips

The parsnip is not a vegetable that made a common appearance in my household growing up. In fact, I can't remember a time when we ate parsnips at home. Maybe I had parsnips when we went to grandma's for dinner, inside a stew perhaps. During a visit with cousins in England nearly two years ago, I found myself eating--and thoroughly enjoying--parsnip "fries".

Sometime during the chewing of tasty parsnip fries, I think I told myself that this was a vegetable I needed to eat more. Back in the States, however, I did not encounter parsnips in my regular grocery store haunts. Whether they were truly non-existent or I simply did not look well enough could be a point of discussion. However, it may be a moot point, since I did pick up some parsnips on my latest trip to the grocery store.

There were some potatoes on hand that I needed to use up, so I decided that they could share the spotlight and mash together with parsnips. I cooked the parsnips and potatoes together, and mashed them into a good consistency. Surprisingly, the flavor of the parsnips took over the dish. I only used a couple parsnips and six medium sized potatoes. Luckily, the mash was to accompany another strong flavor, Buffalo Tofu Triangles. If it had been anything else, the parsnips would have definitely stolen all of the attention.

While I do like to try new foods and am an advocate of getting variety in one's diet, I am a stubborn lover of mashed potatoes who will be not be tainting my mash with parsnip again. Perhaps next time I should try homemade parsnip fries next time, because I'll at least have a better idea of what I'm getting myself into!

More on Parsnips:

• Parsnip Nutritional Data
  
• Parsnip Wiki
  
• What the hell is a parsnip anyway?
  

Food News Roundup

I've seen a lot of food-related things in the news lately (or maybe I've just been paying attention to it more?). Either way, here are some fun, some serious, mostly random links for you to catch up on your food-related news reading:

• Salmonella-tainted Peanut Goo If you haven't heard enough about this yet.
  
  
• Maple Syrup Smells Invades NYC Amazed that people knew who to call to file a complaint. And amazed that their comments were not only documented, but also acted upon.
  
  
• Food Legislation waiting for Obama Support Sad that it takes such a public cock-up to get people to pay attention to food safety.
  
  
• Girl Scout Cookie-Pushing Ethics
  
  
• Go Red Day Okay, so this article isn't really food-related itself, but it's a timely reminder of a good cause that actually does have a lot to do with the food we eat.
  
  
• Starbucks Value Meals? Article should really be titled something to the likes of "McCafe Packs the Heat [for Starbucks]"
  
  
• Trashing the Fridge Interesting approach to living a "greener" lifestyle.
  
  
  

More farmers' market goodness!

I visited Houston's Midtown Farmer's Market (MFM) today. It is a lot smaller than my usual Farmer's Market. Since knew that I'd be able to find the few things on my list that week at MFM, I decided to go for a change of routine.

Soon after arriving, I thought it had been a bad decision to go to MFM when I discovered there had apparently been a run on mozzarella cheese earlier in the morning. The Dairymaids' stash of mozzarella had already been exhausted and it was one of only two things that I was in search for! Who knew that 18 pounds of mozzarella could disappear in only a few brief hours. The Dairymaids' Hoja Santa tempted me with its smoothness that carried a subtle kick to it. I had been on a mission to procure cheese for lasagna, however, and settled for a cave Gruyere that had a better Italian fake ID.

Next, I went to find eggs. Alas, I found a bunch of empty egg palates at a table that was being cleared. Luckily for me, the vendor at the table next to this one asked what I was looking for and also had what I needed! Luck was turning around! While her neighboring farmer had indeed been cleared out of eggs, she had one last dozen. One of the eggs was actually broken, so she gave me a discount that sounded pretty good.

As I began to head out, I was distracted by the most ugly sweet potatoes that ever existed. Perhaps I was suckered in by the friendly charm of the weathered-looking farmer who convinced me to "just come take a look." I decided to buy two of the ugly sweet potatoes and he gave me a free white sweet potato and bunch of baby bok choi for free, so it ended up being a good deal for me.


All in all, I spent only $12 for a decent amount of yummy goodness! While Farmers' Markets are not always as convenient or consistent as your big box grocery store, they are fun and good deals can certainly be found.

Related links:

• Midtown Farmers Market
  
• Utility Research Garden (ugly sweet potatoes)
  
• Houston Dairymaids (Gruyere)

Will the Obamas grow a Whitehouse Victory Garden?

I love the idea of a Victory Garden at the Whitehouse. Therefore, I find it exciting to see that growing an organic Victory Garden at the Whitehouse was the winning entry for ideas at On Day One! (On Day One is a project to collect ideas on how to improve America's image in the world.) We will see if the Obamas will follow in the footsteps of the Roosevelts.

In addition to simply promoting edible home gardening to the American public, the Victory Garden would put focus on both nutrition and food security. These are definitely topics that America could benefit from focusing.

Rather than make this a rant, I'll simply suggest that you read some of the links below for more information!

Related links:

• On Day One
  
• Eat the View
  
• Michael Pollan's letter to President
  
• Revive the Victory Garden
  
• History of WWII Victory Gardens

{image from Eat the View}

Gong hei fat choi!

Happy New Year for those of you who celebrate the lunar new year event!

In preparation for the holiday, I spent this weekend attempting to clean my apartment. While there were good intentions, my lack of enthusiasm got the best of me, and I don't have much to show for my work. I do confess, however, that I am not terribly surprised that I didn't get around to all the cleaning I had planned. On the other hand, I did surprise myself a little by not getting to the dumpling-making that I had planned. I thought it would have been fun to make some New Year's foods from scratch, and dumplings are both fun and relatively easy to make.

There is a positive side to my lazy behavior; I realized that by dining out for Chinese New Year I won't have to worry about rushing home from work early, plus I'll have a wider arrangement of yummy things to eat!

This got me thinking about holidays and eating out.. It's interesting to note that there are certain holidays and occasions where it is more appropriate to prepare a feast at home, while on other occasions of equal importance, it is perfectly acceptable to find that feast at a restaurant. Though I'm sure it's not the case for everyone, my family has always considered Chinese New Year to be an appropriate time to eat out. Going out for a Christmas dinner, on the other hand, would feel a bit strange.

The majority of New Year events in Houston seem to be next weekend (or are even in February). While I understand that celebrations can last the whole month, I find the lack of happenings on the actual New Year's day a bit unusual. Luckily for me, I'm actually rather content to mark the occasion of new year's day with food alone. You will find me feasting out and about in Houston at dinnertime tomorrow!

Related Links:

• Random Yummies a Year Ago: Welcoming Year of the Rat
  
• Chinese New Year Wiki
  
• Chinese New Year recipe roundup from the Kitchn
  
• Houston New Year happenings at the Chinese Community Center

Rainbow Cake Fabulousness

Wow, am I the last person on the planet to discover Rainbow Cake? This is serious food pr0n; I want to lick my monitor!

Check out the beautifully illustrated photo instructions here.



{via The Kitchn}

Yummy NPR Sound Bites

While getting ready for work this morning, I was tickled to hear an interview with Mark Bittman. Without making a vegetarian diet sound like an uberfreaky or drastic lifestyle choice to the average American, I think Bittman did a good job of promoting eating less meat... save for the part where he encouraged topping oatmeal with soy sauce and scallions. I think it actually does take courage to attempt making that for breakfast.

My takeaways from the interview:

• What we eat impacts not only our own health, but also can adversely affect the environment;
  
• Making small changes to what we eat has positive side effects on our bodies and can even help reverse some of the damage we've done to ourselves ;
  
• It is not rocket science to eat well and eat healthily;
  
• Even small changes make a difference!

Related links:

• Read the NPR article and see a few of Mark's recipes
  
• Mark's latest book, Eating Matters
  
• Bitten (Bittman's NYT blog)
  

Ode to Alton

This weekend turned into somewhat of an ode to Alton Brown. Earlier in the week, Alton whet my appetite for cookies in Good Eats episode "Chips for Sister Marsha". For the remainder of the work week, the thought of homemade cookies occupied more space in my mind than I care to admit. When the weekend finally arrived, I knew it was time to do something about it.

Naturally, my initial thought was to make the Chewy. After reviewing the recipe, however, I still had wanderlust to find a cookie recipe that called my name.

Flipping through old pages of recipe notes, I did find the cookie I was looking for. It was scribbled on the back of an envelope, with no name, no source, and not even a cooking time. But it sure sounded tasty!

In addition to good ole chocolate chips, this recipe called for pecans and finely chopped milk chocolate. What a delightful combination. I crushed the pecans as finely as the milk chocolate, and the two of them combine like enjoyable and serene background music in a movie. In other words, they combine to create something delicious in the background of the smorgasboard of chocolate chips. You notice them if your senses are on guard, and the rest of the time, you simply enjoy them with a satisfied smile and contented belly.

Close up of the results:


Since Alton inspired the cookie-making and was later shamed by me not following his recipe, I decided to increase my AB fan points by making his Southern Biscuits.

These biscuits are buttery, soft in the middle, and with just the right amount of golden crispiness on the top. My only complaint is that the recipe said to use a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Biscuits of a 2-inch diameter don't sound like they're that small, but they turned out much smaller than I envisioned before cutting shapes out from the dough! You can almost pop a whole biscuit in your mouth at one time. And even if you bite into a polite sized mouthful of biscuity goodness, you'll want to go back for more than your fair share. Morale of the story: bigger = better in biscuitland.

= before









after =





Aren't they gorgeous!!

Making it a Yummy 2009

Whether you call it making resolutions or setting goals, your new year's planning is likely to include intentions to improve your health or finances in 2009. (See the government's list of popular New Year's resolutions).

Since this is that time in January where resolutions start to fall through the cracks, here are my yummy suggestions to help you get re-motivated about working on some of those food-related goals!


Goal: Eat local.
There are many reasons that "eating local" is a good thing. By shopping at your local farmer's market or CSA, you often get fresher food at better prices than the grocery store. Additionally, it's fun to get in touch with eating seasonally-available produce and learning about where your food comes from. I enjoy seeing photos of the chickens that produce the eggs that the farmer just picked up the morning that I purchased them from him. And getting to pet a baby goat from the local goat cheese vendor really helps you think about how food gets on your plate. That brings me to another benefit of eating locally produced goods: reducing the your environmental impact. By eating local, you may be helping reduce your carbon footprint on the planet!

p.s. I discovered another side benefit of eating locally is that your favorite produce is often still available when it has been recalled at the megamarts. Since the agribusiness vendors that have been dropping the ball on food safety lately in their quest to make money, it's good to have a food source you can trust. I was thrilled to be able to enjoy spinach and tomatoes free of salmonella and e coli when much of the country was missing out.

Resources:

• 10 Steps to Becoming a Locavore
  
• 100 Mile Harvest - A Houston Family's Year-long Adventures in Eating Locally
  
• Local Harvest - Great Locavore Resources
  
• Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the US - Research based article for those of you who like science & stuff
  

Goal: Eat less to eat better.
This is of the same philosophy as Michael Pollan's "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." If you didn't catch this mantraback in 2007, now may be a good time to pay attention. Some benefits of eating less are obvious. For example, less money spent on groceries can lead to more money in your bank account and fewer calories in your belly can lead to a smaller pant size. This can also help you simplify your life. Think about the produce you throw out because it rots in your fridge. Think about what your great grandmother would say about the lengthy ingredients lists on some of the junk food in your pantry. By eating (and purchasing) less, you are likely to see positive effects on your wallet as well as mental & physical health.

Resources:

• An Omnivore's Dilemma - Buy or borrow this book!
  
• Eat less food: save money, be healthier, and feel just as satisfied (or more so!)
  
• Eating Well for Less - Get Rich Slowly has more great ideas on this subject!
  
• Slow Food USA - This could go under the "eat local" section, too.
  
• Eat Less, Save the World! - 'Nuff Said!

Goal: Bring your lunch to work
This one may sound obvious, but if you haven't already started doing this, maybe you haven't done the numbers. If you're one of those people who subscribes to the philosophy of "must eat out with others to build my career", consider reducing the number of times you eat out. Alternatively, see if others in your lunch circle are interested in brown-bagging it from time to time. You may be surprised at who is also trying to be savvy with their lunch money in your office.

For starters, check out this Lunch Savings Calculator. While it assumes you're currently purchasing your lunch every day, it still provides useful information on how much you can save by packing lunch and earning interest on the difference over time.

Also, visit The No-Excuses Guide.

Additional helpful resources:

• Vegan Lunchbox - You don't have to be vegan to enjoy the amount of fun that can be packed in a box lunch.
  
• 15 Fresh Brown Bag Lunch Ideas
  
• 52 Tips for Bringing Lunch to Work - My own tips are to buy a lunch bag or box that you love so that packing your lunch will be fun. Also, pack it the night before if you're one who is always scrambling in the mornings!

Goal: Plan your meals
For some of you, this may already go without saying. Planning your meals is a great way to save. You can save money by taking advantage of weekly specials, reducing food waste, and from eating out because you didn't know what to bring. You can also save time deciding on what to eat throughout the week, which can be a stressful task.

Since others have said it better, I'll let the experts do most of the talking for this one...

Meal-planning Resources:

• 15 Reasons for Menu Planning
  
• From one of my favorite blogs, Creating a Weekly Meal Plan
  
• 6 Menu Planning Websites - I can't personally vouch for these websites found in Real Simple, I know people who swear by these types of services

Goal: Learn to cook
Chances are you'll save money by learning the basics of cooking and relying less on eating out. I actually prefer eating at home most of the time. Not only because I am trying to spend less at restaurants, but because I like what I make more than I like a lot of restaurant food. I find restaurant food to be lower quality than what I would get at home. It's often too salty for my palate or just too fatty, even if my taste buds enjoy it. Plus, I don't have to calculate a tip!

If you know nothing about cooking, I suggest asking a friend to help out and getting your hands on a reliable cookbook like How to Cook Everything. Also, don't be afraid of making mistakes. They can be half the fun (plus you'll learn what not to do, which is just as important)!

Resources:

• Post Punk Kitchen - Watch demonstrations online and check out their yummy recipes, too
  
• Cooking for Engineers - Their tagline says it all: "Have an analytical mind? Like to cook? This is the site to read!
  
• Alton Brown! - AB is a culinary idol. You will not be more entertained while learning about food than by watching Good Eats.

Farmer's Market Booty

Yesterday's trip to the farmer's market was a rewarding adventure. While I don't have a large bounty, I think the small purchases made are packed full of punch.

On my last trip to the farmer's market, I was disappointed that my usual honey vendor was absent. There is another booth that sells honey, but it's not to my tastes or budget. I went to two other farmer's markets that day in hopes that my honey would be found somewhere, but to no avail. At the sight of the Reed Family Honey booth at the farmer's market, I filled with excitement. And that excitement led me to come home with a 3 pound jar of honey! In the past, I could buy a 1 pound jar, and that would easily last months. Now, I must find things to make with honey since I'm loaded with the sweet stuff.

The other exciting, though very unplanned, purchase were some sweet grapefruits. I forget the name the farmer told me--it was something like Sweet Lemonade Grapefruit, but I can't find any evidence of a grapefruit with that name on the Internet. Regardless of what you call them, they are delicious. Biting into one tastes like eating lemonade. They are slightly sweet, with just the right amount of citrus-y sourness that is enjoyable in lemonade. And these guys are gigantic! It's hard to see from the picture, but these guys are each the size of two fists together. Luckily for you, bigger = better in this case, because you'll want to keep eating them. I'm generally not a huge fan of grapefruit, but these could certainly make me a convert.

Related links:

• Reed Family Honey's Bee Wilde site
  
• Article about another local citrus grower from the Market
  
• Order your own Texas citrus to enjoy!
  
• Brief history of Texas Citrus industry