The Local Cook

When I first started blogging, Donielle at Naturally Knocked Up found me and invited me to meet some other West Michigan bloggers. One of those was Kelly from Kelly the Kitchen Kop. Kelly has been working on this ecourse for awhile now, and just finished it up. I totally love her blog, so I’m sure her class will be just as awesome!

I’ll let her tell you in her own words the Top 10 Reasons to Take Her Real Food for Rookies Class:

This 12-week online class starts Thursday, September 16th.

If you’d like to learn more, click here: (affiliate link)

I’ve decided that I need to start menu planning again, otherwise I’m going to get even further behind on my project and eat nothing but cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and chips and cheese for dinner. With DH going out of town this coming weekend for DALMAC (a bicycle ride from Lansing to the Bridge. For those of you not from Michigan, The Bridge means the Mackinac Bridge, more than 300 miles over 4 days). I’ll be able to make the vegetarian dinners with no complaints from him.

So, check back throughout the week to see when I post the recipes!

Monday –  Sesame Couscous Chicken Salad

Tuesday – Apricot Chicken

Wednesday – Dropping off DH in Lansing

Thursday – Girl’s Night Out

Friday – Nicoise Salad

Saturday – Sandwich Tofu, Nut Ring Loaf

Sunday – Southwestern Corn Chowder, Chipotle Carnitas and Pinto Beans

My garden is producing tomatoes and cucumbers very nicely. This was one day’s harvest for the tomatoes:

My cucumber plant is still taking over the world.

For this week’s CSA pickup photos I decided to give it a Whrrl. It’s so fun, and much easier to upload lots of pics at once. Hope you enjoy it!

For more garden pics check out Square Foot Gardening at $5 Dinners.

I have no recipe posts for you, because I didn’t have to cook last night! DH surprised me by telling me over the weekend that Wednesday was going to be a date night. I know, all you people with kids are probably saying “what? Isn’t every night a date night?” Believe me when I tell you that it is special indeed when we actually go out and spend time together, vs. in front of the TV or with friends. I love my friends, but sometimes a date night is in order.

We took a dinner cruise on the Grand Lady riverboat. It was a delightful evening.

So I Whrrl’ed my cruise – click below to see the pictures.

Welcome Blog Hoppers!

(Friends who’ve been here before, feel free to skip the intro and click on the image above to discover more blogs to read!)

I’m Wendy, AKA The Local Cook, and I provide inspiration and recipes for cooking and eating locally and in season. Right now I’m almost finished cooking all the recipes from Simply in Season.

I became a locavore for a number of reasons, including health, the environment, and its impact on local and global economies. We explore those issues here sometimes too, and also have occasional giveaways and product reviews just to keep things interesting.

I know you have lots of blogs to visit, so I’ll keep this brief. But if you like what you see, be sure to follow me on Twitter and add me to your reader so you remember to come back

When Ecostore USA contacted me to review a couple of their products, I jumped at the chance. Not only are they a Michigan-based company, but I am always looking for environmentally friendly products for the kitchen.

I’ve tried a few different brands in the past–especially for the dishwasher–and have been disappointed with them. My friend Katie at Kitchen Stewardship did a whole series of tests experimenting with various methods, including homemade detergents. While she liked BioKleen, it did not work for me. Then again, I hate to prewash so that might have something to do with it.

So, I was skeptical when I received this sample from Ecostore:

To my surprise and delight, it worked! I even used it a couple of days in a row just to be sure. I’m so glad I gave it a try. They also sent me some coconut soap (which I LOVED! It’s so weird but the eco friendly soaps seem to leave me feeling so much more clean) and cleaning paste which I haven’t used yet. I need to hire a cleaner one of these days.

Other eco friendly products that I currently use and love in my kitchen (and I didn’t receive any samples from them LOL):

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Counter Top Spray (I love the lavender scent)

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Dish Soap

Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Pure Castile Soap

How about you? What eco friendly products have you tried?

I get asked all the time if I find myself spending more money on groceries now that I’m trying to eat locally and in season. My answer is always no, because DH and I went out to eat A LOT before I started this project. However, I’m always looking for ways to save money. Here are 10 sites I found that you might find helpful too:

1. Save Money on Groceries – Mother Earth News. This article focuses mainly on buying in bulk and canning.
2. Saving Money on “Real” Food – Frugal Living Northwest. This blogger actually made me rethink coupons. ME. I may need to start reading my friend Jolon’s blog – SavvyChic Savings – more often!
3. Real Food on a Budget - actually, this links to THREE articles by my friend Donielle at Naturally Knocked Up. She shares some strategies on how to budget, especially when you’re buying food in multiple places, and how she prioritizes what “real” food to buy.
4. Real Food for Less Money – OK, this isn’t ONE article either, but it’s a blog about a family that’s trying to eat real foods on a budget. She shares her menus and budgets.
5. Saving Money While Eating a Whole Foods Diet…In a Small Community with Limited Options – Saving Naturally. You are really getting your money’s worth with this list! This blog just started a whole series about eating whole foods in a small town, or if you have limited options. I know I’m totally spoiled living in West Michigan. There are tons of CSAs, farmer’s markets, and more. This series promises to give tips for those who don’t have that many whole foods resources.
6. Cook for Good – this is the mother lode. Linda provides complete menus, budgets, recipes, and techniques.
7. 7 Ways to Save Money at the Farmer’s Market – this article on babble.com gives some excellent tips.
8. 10 Tips to Save Money While Eating Healthy – Summer Tomato. These mostly apply to people like me who are comparing eating real food with going out to eat, but they’re still applicable for those new to eating locally.
9. Average Grocery Spending and Ways to Save on Real Food - Modern Alternative Mama always has some great common sense wisdom!
10. And, of course, don’t forget the Money guest post from the Food & Faith Challenge.

One more thing – a great book that speaks directly to this topic is Real Food on a Real Budget.

How about you? Any tips you’ve discovered?

This post also linked to Frugal Fridays