Using What I Have Journal Entry #8

 

It's been a long time since I wrote anything at length about how the using what I have quest is going, and usually I've been writing about breakfast when I do this, but today, I'm going to give you a look at a weekend lunch.

This was a few recipes from Wellness Dove (quick red lentil and broccoli stew and creamy garlic dill tahini potatoes) with some plain quinoa I cooked because I will be using part of it in another recipe later on. I haven't tried anything from Wellness Dove before and I enjoyed both recipes, so I may poke around the site more. They are both oil free recipes, and I felt maybe a bit too light after this, but fortunately the recipe I was trying was for some no-bake quinoa cookies, so that helped!

This week, I decided to skip grocery shopping. I don't go every week, but I was pushing things beyond what I would normally do by not going this time. I don't have a ton of fresh produce on hand, but I have some. One of the things I've done this year is to reduce the amount of time I spend in grocery stores, which has the added benefit of me spending less and having my pantry dwindle, but two things made me decide to just figure it out this time instead of shopping.

First, as I mentioned yesterday, some friends moved away. They gave me some pantry goods they had, and I gave away the non-vegan things. And I'm really glad to have their stuff! I felt super smug pouring their sugar and flour into my canisters, because I was otherwise going to have to buy some soon, for example. But it also means that I had less need for shopping.

Second, a neighbor has been giving me some fresh garden produce here and there. Nothing major, but helpful--tomatoes, zucchini, and kale have been the primary stuff on offer. I may or may not get fresh stuff from her this week, but I have a bit left over from last week. So I figured I would just make this a "no spend week" of sorts.

The meal you see here doesn't use any of the things I'm deliberately using up, but it also doesn't require anything unusual. We've got lentils, carrots, onions, canned tomatoes, spices, broccoli, potatoes, tahini, dill, and quinoa here. I needed to use the dill (it has to be trimmed at this point, but I did still have fresh dill). I had potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and onions. So I hit pause on it all and just stayed home, to make what I could out of what I have. Ultimately, that's what this whole quest has been about--trying to focus on what I have without getting drawn in by shiny new things.

What you'll see until I head back to the store will probably be both normal (in general) and not normal (for me, as I typically eat). It may or may not use up any of the items earmarked for being used. But it'll get me through the week and keep me out of the store. Given everything else that's going on in my life, I'll count that a total victory.

Also, you'll see a lot of tags on today's post. This meal is free of all major allergens--no gluten, no soy, no nuts--and it's oil free. If you're looking for any or all of these things, I hope it helps.

See you again soon.