SIGNUP: The Week of Eating In

HuffPost Green readers have shown that they are totally engaged on topics like the local food movement, sustainable agriculture, factory farming, seafood politics, farmers markets and even hot farmers. But now we'd like to invite you to go beyond just consuming news to present you with a way to make it all personal. So that's why we'd like to invite you to participate in The Week Of Eating In Challenge.

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Comments

[Aerows]

12:20 PM on 02/22/2010

I've been eating in, where has everyone else been? There is very little that is worth eating that can't be cooked (or prepared, as the case may be) better at home.

[Shannon Dee Gradwell]

10:48 PM on 02/17/2010

Ahem. I am pretty much going for the decade of eating in. Working on the last of the carrots and spuds from the garden in the cold room , did my level best to drop as many CWD cull deer as I could , bartered for moose got canned fish, grape jelly, chokecherry, and frozen veg to last till spring. I hate salt, can't eat beef, and a twice monthly trip to the Superstore(Canadian) takes care of the rest.
aside from the quarterly sushi binge,I am quite content to eat at home. It really isn't that hard. I cook in bulk and freeze. Bison and barley soup, chicken soup(where my old layers go when the eggs stop coming), and pea soup all freeze well. Chili, spaghetti, and lasagna are other fast frozen meals and of course there is the sausage. I think its just intimidating for some people to do a 3 gallon pot of something and get the quantities right, but it comes with time. I am fortunate because my father in law was a head chef in the military and he completely changed my ideas about how to cook .

[caseysdream]

09:16 AM on 02/17/2010

This should be fun. Since I have always cooked most of our meals at home. My wife likes to tell people that in 28 years of marriage she has never had to cook dinner. While that is an exaggeration its not by much. I have recently moved to a new area and found a local produce store, though I have yet to visit. By summer if all goes as usual they will know me by name and I them. I have one friend that is always saying of me cooking, "Wow first it was ingredients and now it's dinner!"

[lowfiron]

11:56 PM on 02/16/2010

I have not eaten out for months-almost- a week or so ago I went to breakfast.

[Aerows]

12:23 PM on 02/22/2010

Breakfast is the only meal worth eating out, and that's because it's way too early to eat it, much less get up and cook it. In all seriousness, I can't eat before 10, and if I do, it's going to be biscuits and white gravy with tabasco. I certainly know how to cook both, and can be persuaded to do so, but by that time, it's time for lunch.

[Heather Barden Koelle]

09:02 PM on 02/16/2010

we mostly eat in all the time.Its a good way to save money. we also grow our own vegetables and fruits in the summer.

[Marc Ginsburg]

07:41 PM on 02/19/2010

Hey, Heather! It's great if you can grow your own. That is not only cheaper but healthier as well as planetarily friendly. We just went shopping at the Korean market which has great produce and I'm chomping down on a healthy steamed dinner.

[Marc Ginsburg]

07:26 PM on 02/16/2010

I am trying to eat in because it's healthier and cheaper. Those are my biggest concerns.

[rhondalately]

07:12 PM on 02/16/2010

This sounds great. Eating in has been happening in my house for the last couple of months. I've learned to cook most of my favorite fast foods at home...falafaels and pizza. Spring rolls and asian soups are also easy at home. Just about anything you can get out I'm trying at home. Aside from saving $$ I know that what we're getting at home is healthier. We love it.

[gentlegardener]

03:47 PM on 02/16/2010

Eating in, and eating 'local', in Feb., is all about what we foraged, grew, found at farmers' markets, traded, were given, cooked & prepared for storage LAST summer and autumn..... and, of course, the size of our freezers and cellars. http://gentlegardener.typepad.com/blog/ Enjoy! #in

[Stephanie Gallagher]

04:54 PM on 02/10/2010

It's a great idea. I'm game!
Stephanie, Guide to Cooking for Kids on About.com
http://kidscooking.about.com

[Chris Caffrey]

12:14 PM on 02/10/2010

http://caffreygirl.blogspot.com/

I apologize, this is the address!

[Chris Caffrey]

12:12 PM on 02/10/2010

Last year I became a Vegan. It was my contribution to the enviroment and my health. I have found over the year lots of recipes that are healthy, but taste fabulous......http://caffreygirl.blogspot.com. Check periodically my blog which is nothing fancey. But I have made the recipes posted and guarantee that the average person with average taste will love it....http://caffreygirl.blogspot.com/.

[Marc Ginsburg]

07:42 PM on 02/19/2010

My nephew and niece-in-law are vegans.

[Aerows]

12:35 PM on 02/22/2010

I lived with a vegan for 2 years. I'm a dedicated carnivore, however, and I shudder to think of all the delicious things my lover missed out on (like real cheese - I do eat raw milk cheese, however, a delicacy she introduced me to).

[Ernest Payne]

05:06 PM on 02/09/2010

Hi. I am type 2 diabetic. Are any of the meals going to reflect this problem or have alternates? Thanks in advance.

[Marc Ginsburg]

07:48 PM on 02/19/2010

You know the amazing thing about budgeting and taking care of the planet is that it's healthy for us too. It's win-win-win. I eat a diet rich in leafy green vegetables which is healthy for all people but especially diabetes of both types. (I'm type 1) . I also eat whole grains. The point is that when you get all that processed and synthetic foods with funny complicated words in the ingredients like "Dextran", "sucrose", "malt" this and "malt" that and very long words that are chemicals, that's the sign that you are in the danger zone. Please stay away from those foods. The healthiest foods are locally grown (preferably but not mandatorily organic) with NO ADDED INGREDIENTS! Buy in bulk as much as you can. Go to farmer's markets. If you can grow your own that's even better. Support your local growers. Let's boycott the Republican agribusinesses in other states that got huge subsidies and earmarks from 2001-2006 to run their corporate farms that grow poisons that give people diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The enemy of the American people is right here in this country and it's time we fight by 1) speaking out the truth and 2) boycotting their snares and lures, such as poisonous agribusiness synthetic products that squeak by the FDA but should really be condemned!

[Tanya Keenan]

02:13 PM on 02/22/2010

Marc, I've been trying to buy more organic goods and it feels a lot better to do so. We have several farmer's markets in my area (although they tend to be when I'm not available) and I try to buy from them when I can.

I try also to steer away from anything containing HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) and I don't do aspartame at all. HFCS is scary stuff.

The fact that The Week of Eating In occurs during Orthodox Lent really helps. I tend to not eat out much during this time (even if I could afford it) simply because I'm trying to stay away from hidden sources of meat and dairy products.

[Jamie Klein]

03:45 PM on 02/09/2010

Please read Paul Katz's article in the LA impact section of the Huffington Post. I believe there is a powerful crossover between what is going on with Soup Kitchen, Inc. and what we have to gain by "eating in".