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Andrea Toole's avatar

I hear that. I pay the singles tax without being a single mom to humans. I live in a basement apartment that I would love to leave. I splurge on occasion and do what I can. I worry about single parents.

I will pay $8 for strawberries and whatever the asparagus costs, because I only eat berries and asparagus in season. (In my case, Ontario, but if I were in New York, I'd be eating the fresh produce there.) I'm almost done with the pint I bought a week ago. Time for another.

Jess Haque's avatar

It’s wild out here! And yes…same…are strawberries even strawberries outside of the season? They may look like strawberries on the outside but are fully white and tasteless on the inside….those ain’t it😹💪

Andrea Toole's avatar

ALL berries, including tomatoes. ESPECIALLY tomatoes. I'll occasionally get local hothouse tomatoes.

I know a bagel shop/cafe that won't use tomatoes out of season.

One year, I was in NYC during Memorial Day weekend. I went to the Union Square Market. The Hudson Valley strawberries were my first of the season. They were two weeks ahead of Ontario to the north. I

Jes Scoville's avatar

It sounds so easy when you say it ...

Jess Haque's avatar

The doing…that’s the hard part, I know 🫣

Jes Scoville's avatar

Somewhere along the way I got frozen in a pattern of inaction …

Jess Haque's avatar

I know that pattern well, I think the best way out is doing one small shift at a time. Try one thing differently, low pressure…low stress🙏

Jes Scoville's avatar

I just wanted to come back and report that something about this post unlocked my brain -- I made a grocery order (because the whole shopping thing is so overwhelming for me) and then I made a red cabbage salad! And it wasn't hard and it tasted so good and maybe I really can just do one thing at a time. Thank you for being my internet food friend and talking about it in a way that isn't shaming!

Jess Haque's avatar

Yesssss!! This is so amazing 💪 thank you for sharing - this is so great…red cabbage salad sounds incredible! One small shift, sometimes…it’s all we CAN do💕 sending love & light!

Jes Scoville's avatar

I also bought frozen spinach! Because it always goes bad!

Jennifer Silva Redmond's avatar

Living on a boat with no freezer, and both of us part timers in the arts...well, I've been cooking like this forever. Lentils and eggs and sardines and rice and olive oil. But kale not spinach for us because it lasts better in a fridge. I make a kale salad a couple times a week and let it marinate for days. It gets better and better. Like lentil soup does!

Jess Haque's avatar

Yes yes yes!!! I have a very love/hate relationship with kale - I think I over kale’d it in the early 2000s…along with quinoa 🫣 but you’re SO right, kale holds up so well and is so hearty! Maybe I’ll creep back over to the kale-side sooner than later 💕

Andrea Toole's avatar

Same. I over kale-d. I hate kale now. When I decide to buy lunch on days I'm at the office, I find that most "healthy" bowls include kale. I get angry about it. Reading this conversation, I realized that the omnipresence of kale is likely due to its heartiness.

Jess Haque's avatar

Yessss! It’s bc the filler of choice and it’s still NOT mine😹🙏

Jennifer Silva Redmond's avatar

I make a dressing with olive oil, balsamic and apple cider vinegar with a dash of maple syrup and a generous glob of Tahini that is so good with kale. I chop kale and and dress it and throw it in the fridge in a Glad reusable plastic box. Dinner is nearly done. Add Tuna or sardines or cold chicken or beans...

Jess Haque's avatar

This sounds amazing…maybe just the thing I need to bring me back💕

Andrea Toole's avatar

Careful, it could be a gateway to kale chips. 😂