the cost at home

Recently Corrie wrote a thoughtful post, The cost of eating out vs. making meals. It is a topic I’ve been thinking about as I reflect on my schedule and how it has impacted my budget and eating. In general, I am a proponent of eating at home though I do like the occasional meal out. I didn’t grow up eating out very often and am used to dining at my own table. It’s become more difficult to safely feed me and between the cost and the “service” at the kosher restaurants in our area, well, it’s more pleasant at home.

E commented a few weeks ago about a high grocery bill. It was laden with several sugar-filled juices ($4.50 each), his cereal, and a bunch of cheeses (approx the same cost each). While it was high, we’re still drinking those juices and the cheese ensured that I ate breakfast, definitely a good thing.

I’ve been searching high and low for ideas that I can take to the office for breakfast and lunch. While I leave at noon if I run any errands between leaving the office and getting home, I don’t get home until 3, not a good time to start thinking of lunch. I’d rather eat lunch prior to really leaving.. add to that the cost of a meal in midtown (either $4 for a cup of coffee [I try to bring my own] or at least $5 for a small soup) it’s definitely incentive to bring my own. Not to mention healthier.

I have been craving the goat cheese and beets pasta I made a few weeks ago from the Flexitarian Table. I brought home some goat cheese ($4) and this time I was lazy and opted for canned sliced beets (probably $1.30 for the can, I forget). I also brought home some frozen spinach and milk. I had on hand my gf pasta ($??), butter, garlic, and the necessary spices (salt, pepper, tarragon, and red pepper flakes). The original recipe calls for heavy cream but I substituted milk and butter instead. After shabbos E wasn’t feeling well so I decided to make this anyway for just me. I’m not going to break out the full math but I expect if a kosher restaurant in the area attempted this I’d have to worry about cross contamination, they’d either over or under cook the gf pasta, we’d deal with icky service, and it would have probably cost at least $18, not including tip or drink. I opted out of using the spinach as I didn’t feel like opening it up for just one serving but it was quite tasty and I’m happily fed.

Now to iron out better lunches — ones which are healthy, filling, gf, and do not have me schlepping lots of stuff to and fro.

Lastly, today marks the first public post on “this site” from 2003, a book “review” (more of a statement that I completed the book). There were more posts and other sites prior to this incarnation (which includes its life under different titles [PocketChange and PG Ponders] and other domains) but they are lost to the bits and bytes.

• Category: food
• Tag: GF