The Art of Eating In

 Last week I was soooooooo busy. Between snowstorms and planning events, I had no time to go to the grocery store. I ended eating out for more meals than I care to admit, especially since I just finished The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway. It's mostly a fun book about cooking, cookoffs, and secret underground restaurants, but it's also an impassioned defense of cooking. In New York City, land of busy people, cooking needs it! Cathy talks about how cooking not only saves money, but gives you a whole new view of food. Instead of being just a foodie, you really get to know food. 

Cathy doesn't follow any special diet, but if you follow the paleo diet, cooking is even more beneficial. You get to manage every single ingredient, which is hard in a restaurant. Yeah, you might order just meat and vegetables, but who knows where the meat came from or what oil was used to stir fry the vegetables? If you are using the paleo diet to battle health problems or to improve the quality of your life, you have to remember that these little things can make a big difference.

It's interesting because this week I'm totally committed to eating in, so now I can compare how I eat. Here's my diary:

Monday LAST week: Got a salad with mixed greens, buffalo, yam, and mushrooms at The Pump for about $9. It sounded delicious, but really it's just flavorless. By the afternoon I'm totally wilting and spacing out...I snack on some dried fruit I had next to my desk, but it just makes me more hungry. Ugh. I bet the lean buffalo was cooked in some crap canola oil. 

Monday THIS week: Presidents Day, so I didn't have to work. I eat some delicious delicious pork belly, using up my frozen supply. Guess I need to buy more.

Tuesday LAST week: Got Chipotle salad bowl for $8.50 with some pork. Asked for more pork...but sadly it seems like it's mostly lettuce and tomatoes. One hour later and I'm sooooooooooo hungry. What's for dinner?

Tuesday THIS week: Pumpkin soup made with coconut milk/chicken stock and buffalo with a seaweed and walnut salad. Pretty delicious and nutritious! I'm satisfied!

Wednesday LAST Week: Lunch buffet at Free Foods. This looks promising. I'm really excited to eat wild salmon, marinated portobello mushrooms, raw vegan pad thai, cashew creme, and roasted beets...but it ends up costing an arm and a leg. Frustratingly enough, I end up hungry again and ravenous by the time I get home for dinner. Like most "healthy" midtown restaurants, Free Foods skimps on the fat. I don't know how anyone survives on this kind of food. I contemplate going to a vending cart, but reconsider when I think too hard about what might be in the delicious creamy white sauce at the Halal cart...last time I ate there I ended up with a stomach ache. 

Wednesday THIS week: Simple sausage sauteed with butternut squash in some coconut oil, plus a small seaweed salad. Didn't seem like much food, but I'm full the rest of the day. 

Conclusion: Well, the week isn't over yet! But I've got some more killer lunches planned. In the past I learned that my lunches need lots of fat, pumpkin/yams/beets or other substantial vegetable for calories, and a salad. Last month I had trouble because I was just eating things like fish and mushrooms, which is not enough fat or calories. But once I got simple and satisfying lunches down, I saved money and felt better! Eating out isn't bad, but I think I'll reserve it for restaurants that don't skimp on the fat and use meat I feel good eating, like Momofuku or Lot 2.