I Really Just Want a Beer and Some Mac and Cheese

Let's face it. I don't really cook...I mean, I CAN (to a degree), I just, kinda...don't. It's hard to when you live alone and most of the time it turns out to be a hell of a lot cheaper and less wasteful to just order takeout.  (You also don't have to wash dishes when you get takeout, just saying...)  I tend to spend most of my days out and about in the city or meeting people for drinks/food or eating at work - so grocery shopping just seems like a waste.  ...Ok, I think that those are all of my excuses.  For now.

But I've decided that I want to start cooking more.  Eat more whole foods, organic foods, REAL foods... Spend a little more time and money in the hopes that my insides don't turn to mush by the time I'm 40.  I grew up nutritionally bipolar.... My dad (and the McGrath's) are a fan of the veggie and the whole grain while my Mom (and the Murphy side) might literally think that ketchup is a vegetable. Part of me really loves a good, hearty salad and a farmers market and a salmon filet and organic everything and the OTHER half would gladly live on Velveeta, pizza and ranch dressing. GLADLY.  So how does one reconcile those two opposites? (No seriously, it's not rhetorical...) 

Right now, I'm trying to start by making little changes... Whole wheat pasta, baking my own bread, hitting up the farmers market for more local and organic veggies/meats and trying to be really careful about hormones/pesticides/etc. But it's hard to eat right!! So many things are marketed toward dieting, trying to trick you into thinking that low-fat, no sugar, low cal means that things are healthier when really all that crap is just making your insides turn to mush even FASTER!  Ugh, I'm exhausted. But I'm TRYING! I have pictures to prove it...

Yep, baked that.  And it was the MOST easy and delicious and CHEAP! Go here and make this recipe IMMEDIATELY.  Do it now.

Watermelon Sorbet. Made that too. Like a boss.

Watermelon Feta Balsamic Salad.  God Damn Martha Stewart over here!!
(Pretend you don't see the wine glass in the background.)

Like I said, I'm trying!  So if you have any great, easy, low cost, healthy and whole recipes, send 'em my way! AND if you have a recipe for something REALLY fatty but totally worth it, send that my way too.  (I'm trying.)

- e

PS:  I've been dreeeeaaaming of having my own garden to grow my own delicious veggies in.  ...Seriously, Rest of the Country, those are the kinds of things you dream about in NYC.  So just throwing it out there, Universe! ;-)