Love your Locavore

This year, I'm going to make every concerted effort to shop/eat/support locally.  I plan on doing much of this *in* concert with my frugal couponing self, but as a member of my local co-op and seasonal gardener in fair standing I feel the need to do my small part to support the local economy while simultaneously reaping the healthy benefits*.  (Am I that transparent?  This trend of combining tandem actions/activities to maximize my personal benefits?  Fundraising for a cause so long as it's a footrace?  Healthy eating by shopping locally and growing my own food?  Cripes, even my workouts are combined to save time and maximize intensity.  I'll be buying chickens and goats for "pets" next...do chickens cuddle?  They can cuddle, right?)

My other plan is pretty simple- try and stop eating shit that comes out of boxes and physically "cook" more.  I'm really, really trying to steer my kvetching away from workouts and body issues.  But in 2012 (my lovely year of fartistic fulfillment) I found myself slowly moving away from several "balancing" activities that always made me feel...like me.  And one of those was cooking with/for buddies.  (As an actron with a day job, you find your time between work and rehearsal to be limited.  Enter Chinese take-out 3 days a week or the "Super America" diet.  I'm guilty.  And I own that too.  A waste of money.  And a new- larger- waist.)  It sucks, because I fancy exercise and eating nutritiously as I can.  But it's just been the easiest route for me to polish off an entire box of buffalo veggie nugs for lunch or grab Chipotle- all while pretending that while it isn't eating "meat" per se, I was still eating healthy.   And then I went to get a physical after the 1st of the year, and got some more or less alarming news and stopped with the self-fakery.  I was eating a lot.  I was eating out a lot.  And during the entirety of 2012, I could probably count on both hands the number of times I actually prepared and enjoyed a meal at home.  From a recipe.  And ingredients.

I dunno.  The bottom line/new mantra is something I cribbed from Jack LaLanne:  "If a person made it, don't eat it".  I think it's time to get back in touch with that.  And starting tonight, I'm making Pad Thai.**  And if the Gods favor my attempt at restraint, I'll have "1 Portion" and bag up the rest for later.  (Versus my manly attempts at inhaling the contents of the wok with my manlier mantra of "F#CK LEFTOVERS"!  I thought it catchy at the time.)

So  if you're not a super-fan of Facebook photos of food -  (Or you're not into non-food/review-y people writing/posting about it.) tough hop.  It coming...

*Sad factoid the 1st- I went to the Farmer's Market in 2012 once.  In Saint Paul.  As a Nordeast cheerleader, I should be run out of town on a rail.  At the very least, my soul needs a veggie Mo-Mo from the Mill City Market to keep moving forward in life.
**Sad factoid the second-  In doing my inventory to confirm the non-produce related ingredients, I was chagrined to discover that almost all of it- Pressed peanut oil, blue agave necter, gluten-free soy sauce?  Yeah...it was all past the expiration date.  Pad Thai used to be made at my place at least 2-3 x's a year when it was cooked at my place.  I don't think I've given the wok a workout since 2011.  That makes the baby Jesus cry.

ps-  If the theater and scheduling Gods favor me, I'll have time in the Spring to be more dilligent with my garden.  Last years harvest- outside of banana and jalapeno peppers?  Was deplorable.  I could have cried.  Actually I did.  After cutting the peppers and accidentally rubbing my eyes.

pps- I'll welcome any and all suggestions as to what I should plant in 2013, which will mark my 6th year of home-gardening.  Something I never thought I'd do originally.  It's fun.

pps- If you don't provide suggestions, I will post semi or completely naked pictures here.  Of me.  C'mon.  Nobody wants that.  Nooooobody.