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Okay, let's talk about why this 'Mon-Fri Vegetarian' idea isn't gonna work.


I ate a hot dog last night.

It was a chicken frank, but still quite meaty. Oops. You see, I picked up a pack at the grocery store on Saturday, and I can't just have them languishing in the refrigerator until... who knows when!? Since I'll be out of town this weekend and house sitting next weekend, it's just going to be terribly inconvenient for me to find the time to eat those hot dogs in the next 14 days. OH SURE- I could freeze them, but those hot dogs spent months in processing, packaging, storage, transport, and shelving... and are suddenly sounding a bit less appetizing because of it... I just can't keep them waiting another MONTH to be devoured? It's just not right.

So here's the new deal: eat only meals for which 80% of ingredients come from things I already have in my fridge/freezer/pantry. THIS is a whole other challenge within itself. If you've ever seen my well-stocked food storage areas, I've got a TON of food. My pantry is bananas (though it actually contains none). I've got frozen meats, fish, and vegetables, as well as pastas, grains, sauces, and spices galore. I've got A LOT of food. And most days, rather than eat any of it, I end up with takeout or stopping at the store to pickup everything I need to make some completely random dish, rather than cobbling dinner from ingredients already in my house. And throwing away spoiled produce because I was too lazy to cook it makes baby Jesus cry.

Some examples of upcoming dishes: Summer Squash Risotto, for which I only need some Parmesan cheese. Spinach, Mushroom, and Sausage Pasta Alfredo bake (also only needs Parmesan cheese). Hot dogs with fresh carrot, cabbage, and beet slaw- which I have all ingredients for! Stuffed chicken breasts with carrots and broccoli- also all ready to go. OH YES folks- this will be an adventure in freezer-burned delicacies, and you don't even have to put your own digestive tract on the line. The main idea here is to be a little less wasteful and whittle down the incredible amount of food I have stored in my house. It's silly really, and unless I challenge myself to do something about it, conditions will not change. This is about making an effort, and getting rid of the leftovers. I'll also continue to be mindful of things like portions and balancing vegetables and proteins (no problem since I already love the veggies) so as not to ruin all the working out I'm doing in the meantime.

Oh, and since I've already gone through all the cereal, you don't have to worry about any lame posts about how I'm killing 2 birds with one stone by putting frozen blueberries into my Frosted Mini-Wheats; though I do have one and a half boxes of Cream of Wheat left. Perhaps I'll just avoid breakfast reporting all together.