The Art of Eating In

The release of Cathy Erway's book The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love The Stove has generated some buzz in the sustainable food world, and it is well-deserved. Based on her years of not eating out, the book encourages us all to become more connected to our food by, you know, cooking it. It's a surprisingly revolutionary idea for our culture.

In support, Huffington Post has declared this week The Week of Eating In. Whether or not you manage to avoid eating out all week, it's is a good opportunity to reflect on why and how often we buy pre-prepared foods, and to find ways to include more cooking in your life.

The problem is, not cooking makes it harder to control exactly what you're consuming, how it was grown or raised, and where it comes from. It also costs a lot. And if you cook more, you'll almost certainly be eating less processed and packaged foods. It's an opportunity to do something good for yourself and the environment while also saving money.

I know not everyone always has the opportunity or desire to cook, but with the investment of just a little time and effort, you can enjoy the satisfaction of a healthy, sustainable, and tasty meal. When I'm in the kitchen, I like to just freestyle and see what happens (you should try it!), but when I do want a recipe, I think these sites are good places to go: Vegetarian Times, Epicurious, Whole Foods Market. Also, anything by Peter Berley, and Grub by Bryant Terry are great cookbooks that get heavy use in my kitchen. Feel free to post links in the comments section to your favorite recipes, and eat (in) well!

Photo: Muffet