So far I’ve had a great trip in Seattle. I spoke at a very welcoming church on Sunday, and had lunch afterward with two former missionaries who were interns in Malawi. They turned out to be fellow foodies, and made some delicious salmon, asparagus, and couscous. We had some great discussions around food, eating locally, and how when you visit (or more so live) in a developing country, your attitudes towards food changes. For one, you can’t just head down to the local supermarket and pick up a bag of tortilla chips. First you have to make the tortillas. Then you need to bake them. And so on. Also, meat was not always available.
Funny thing, they used the More with Less cookbook when they were stationed in Malawi! They told me that they had some other missionaries and their children over for dinner one night, and they made lentil burgers only told the kids that they were having good old American burgers and fries. Other than falling apart a bit, the kids didn’t suspect it wasn’t burger. They liked to call it the “Something out of Nothing” cookbook. That’s how I feel about Simply in Season. If I have the produce, odds are I have the rest of the ingredients on hand.
OK, enough of that side trip. The real reason I wanted to post is because I had a revelation. On Sunday night I was rejoicing about the fact that there were so many locally owned restaurants, but I really wasn’t *that* hungry. And that I remembered that I had seen a Trader Joe’s on the drive to the hotel. Duh! Even though I don’t normally do my grocery shopping in a store, and if I do I don’t buy convenience foods, I suddenly realized that it was sure a lot healthier than eating a big meal! So I walked down to TJ’s and bought myself a ready made salad and a microwave lasagna. Oh and some fruit. Luxury items, and again not *the* healthiest, but better than the alternative. I saved money AND calories.
This post linked to Frugal Friday
I have never been in a Trader Joe’s. I cannot wait to run into one on a trip somewhere. (there isn’t one anywhere near where I live) Great idea though to eat from the grocery on a trip.
.-= Christy´s last blog ..J is for Jars =-.
A salad and lasagna is sure more healthy than greasy burgers and fries. It’s not that I don’t eat these kind of foods, but it won’t hurt to choose something more healthy once in a while.
.-= Luigi ´s last blog ..Aloha Friday =-.
Great post! You have a great blog here and I’ll have to check out both the cookbook recommendations. I am a huge fan of eating from the grocery store when on a trip. We always try to get a hotel with a microwave or kitchen so we can cook our own meals. We save lots, and eat better. Thanks for the renewed inspiraiton 🙂