That’s right. I’m a dirty cheater. I bought a sandwich. No ordinary sandwich. 
I bought a bobo—a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with a hashbrown in the middle. Why? Because I didn’t eat lunch, was in the right area to get one and was clouded by lust and desire for carbs, cheese and bacon.
To be fair, I ate the whole thing and recycled the paper wrapper so really I didn’t waste anything; however, the goal for this week was to spend no money on food as long as I had perfectly good food in my house. So I’m sorry. I feel like I can do better. My total spending on food today was $4.83.
On the bright side, I’ve learned that a well stocked spice rack is the best thing to combat the monotony of eating from the same selection every day. This morning I ate some absolutely heavenly oatmeal due to some careful spice usage. Instead of flavoring my oatmeal after its cooked, I flavored the almond milk as it was heating using cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon. I strained the milk before adding the oats and topped off the bowl with peanut butter. It was warm and vaguely chai-like, which was perfect on a chilly morning.
I’ve decided to undertake a simultaneous project as well: bread starter. I bought a big ol’ jar yesterday and my baby has been bubbling away for 12 hours now. Hopefully by tomorrow I see some real action, but for now it’s still young. I can’t wait to make bread from scratch without wasting packages or watching a fresh loaf get stale and moldy before I can eat it all.
For dinner (if I even make it) I plan to use some of my already cooked spaghetti squash and add either leftover tomato sauce or make a quick butter and sage sauce. A key to combatting food waste is also to prepare as much of your fruits/vegetables in one shot. You’re definitely more likely to eat spaghetti squash if it is already cooked. Same goes for kale, swiss chard, melons and so on. The task of preparing each food as you eat it is discouraging, especially when you’re tired. I suggest cooking whatever you have either right after you buy it, or while you’re making something else. This way, its easy to say “oh here’s some already prepared kale, dinner is almost done!”
I’m sorry I cheated, folks. I feel awful and yet still oddly satisfied by the bacon. It won’t happen again.
picture marcella 