Andi Chill Day

So yesterday I declared it Andi Chill Day. I decided to run errands (something I actually love to do), but without the hurry, hurry, rush, rush mentality that I usually put on myself. My main goal was to pick up groceries along with a few other household items. Since we just returned from vacation (blogs to follow of course) our fridge was looking beyond barren. I decided to keep Charlotte at home which was better than taking her with me, which I usually do. Sometimes I worry about her being in the car. For two reasons:

1. Being in the puppy stage, she still has a knack for finding non-descript items and chewing them up. Foil was her last discovery...something her intestines don't agree with. I have proof.

2. I tend to have a slight paranoia that someone will think she is too irresistibly cute and want to take her for themselves. This may sound egocentric: "Oh yes, my dog is the cutest, and best dog ever and Everyone wants her." It's not true...I know lots of people who are content with their dog or having no dog, but obviously I have some attachment to her, therefore I get a little protective.

Anyways…due to a current food funk (finding nothing in the house that sounds good to eat) and after watching Iron Chef America, I decided to throw my old shopping patterns to the wind and go after it! Since we operate off a monthly itemized budget, I tend to be very practical with what we purchase and consume each month. Food in our home has a purpose, besides the obvious nutrition factor. I try to diversify each ingredient for as many different recipes as possible. Luckily I am an avid recipe reader - just for fun - so throwing something together doesn't take too much brain power. However…month after month…year after year of buying the same staples…I am done. I want something new! I want something exciting! I want my taste buds to say “WOW! Thank you for that!” I want to sizzle it up a bit. So I did!

Being the ever devoted Costco, Trader Joes and the occasional Fred Meyer shopper I happily and willingly filled my cart with luxuriously different food for our shelves and fridge. Flank steak, mushrooms, pork loin, shrimp, pineapple, ham, red curry paste, basil, tofu, whole wheat pizza dough…it was great! Now this may or may not seem to “out of the box” to you, but that just explains my point: it is so very easy to get stuck in the chicken and spinach rut in life and not mix it up enough.

So last night, once all of our goods were settled (mostly in the freezer…thank goodness for that), I spent some time flipping through my Cooking Light magazines (a subscription gift from my sister last year) and found about 30 recipes that could work with the ingredients I had bought that day. And that was just in 4 issues. I have 12 more magazines to prod through! You may laugh and shake your head…but I love doing this. I find it relaxing. I love the challenge, the journey and, usually, the meal itself. Oh and if you are ever on vacation with me, you will much appreciate it, because I promise to feed you well...on the cheap!


The good news is I didn’t blow our entire food budget and I know I can make it last the whole month (February that is). PLUS, I there was a magical discovery made on my outing: I am proud to announce that Costco is now selling organic apples! I basically did a back flip in the produce section when I saw this. It's been a long time coming!