No need for my opinion on this topic...

Lag Liv's already expressed it perfectly. Dot Gayle, Esq., concurring.

Thank you, Marissa.

Treats and Eats...

My mother raised me to be a working woman. She was insistent that I always maintain my financial independence. For the most part, I’ve never disliked working, but when I quit my job seven years ago to go back to grad school, I found that there were some upsides to not having to go to work every day. I loved the freedom of my schedule, going to class for a few hours, and having the rest of the day to do as I pleased.  Some days I studied, some days I did laundry, and other days I sat around at cafes drinking wine. During this time I found myself wondering if maybe, just maybe I might enjoy being a housewife one day.  But then I’d have to share a bedroom and a bed.  Twice I’ve lived with someone; once with someone I really loved.  Both times it felt like hell.  Not only that, but if I was a housewife, did that mean I would have to have kids?  And if so, would I really have any control over my life?  And my finances?  Mom and Dad divvied up his paycheck into different accounts.  She always thought it felt like she was getting an allowance along with the rest of us.

Nah, going back to working eight hours a day would be just fine, thank you.

I spent the first three years after grad school spending more time at work than ever, and then through happenstance, I ended up free-lancing.  Besides having the world’s highest deductible on my health insurance, I am pretty happy. My work is actually less taxing and time consuming than law school was, and my time is completely my own. My bills are paid, and there’s not a whole lot to want for. It’s like being a housewife – minus the financial dependence, pesky husband, and screaming kids. ;-) Some days I almost feel like I’m getting away with something.

In my adult life, I’ve never cooked or made meals.  When I was working, it was too much of a hassle: deciding what you wanted to eat, making a list of needed items, going to the grocery store, prepping and making the food. When I did take the time to make something, I’d end up eating for four nights in a row or watching it go bad. It was easier to eat take-out and/or eat a protein bar most nights. Plus, making meals wasn’t something my mother taught me how to do as she didn’t think I should be making them.

One of my favorite things to do over the past few weeks has been to make my own meals using as many fresh ingredients as possible.  Last week, the grocery had mangoes on sale for 98 cents each.  I bought only one because they’re huge, and while I’ve eaten mango in restaurants, I’ve never tried to MAKE something with it.  Half of it went in a salad that I made when I had friends over for dinner the other night.  A quarter of it was eaten as a snack, and the rest is scheduled to be a fruit smoothie ingredient.

Spinach Salad with Chopped Mango, Red Pepper and Sliced Almonds

 Speaking of fruit in salads, I’m having a lot of fun lacing them with fruit. Yesterday’s had pineapple. Have you ever cored a pineapple before? I hadn’t, but I bought a whole one the other day because it was a third of the price of the pre-cored version, and I figured I could figure it out. It’s super easy, and the pineapple is yummy fresh!

Spinach, Pineapple, Alfalfa, Carrot,  and Red Onion with Asian Sesame Dressing

Oh, and I never cooked anything with beets before, but here I am experimenting with beet veggie burgers.  A restaurant around the corner makes a version I love, and I’m determined to figure out the recipe.

Last week I made crumbled tofu sloppy joes and used fresh tomatoes to make the sauce, stewing and reducing the tomatoes.  Never done that. So fun to do new things!

Turkey Burger Patty containing Caramelized Onions, Red Peppers, and Fresh-cut chives + Romaine Salad with  Assorted  Veggies

And then of course, I’ve been playing with my staples. Tuna salad is one of my favorites, but before now I was limited to whatever was in my fridge. That usually meant non-rotting items like a jar of relish and a few spices.Today I made tuna salad with fresh onions, tomatoes, spinach, sprouts, and toasted pita.

Mmmm!

Anyway, it’s been fun making new dishes and eating super healthy at the same time.  I know exactly what’s in my food, how many calories, and it’s about 20% of the cost of eating out.  Strangely, I’m starting to prefer it…at least for now.

Things that make you smile...

I've been looking at this artist's website for days now, trying to decided which print I want (or maybe a t-shirt).  Imagine if someone took all the good things from your childhood and then combined them, like so:

from the James Hance Facebook site

Go look at his stuff.  It's marvelous and makes you happy to be a human.