The recent economic downturn has me a bit worried. Furthermore, because I will be graduating soon and hubby had a week off, we are trying to save money be eating at home more.

I woke up early this morning and it was the first time I've really had a day where I can sit and do my normal schedule of writing. Last quarter I was always getting up and catching the bus, then running from campus spot to campus spot. This quarter due to the data work I am doing I will be staying at home which means more of a routine. I recognize that working at home is a luxury many people don't have and I'm grateful that I can do this.

I do have to say when working at home I find that I need a pretty routine schedule or I don't get my work done.

This morning I woke up, did the dishes, and then made pumpkin bread. It was the kind of bread mix that comes in a package (just add eggs, water, oil), but I did it all within the first hour of being awake. Having the dishes done seems to make using the kitchen easier, especially when making lunch and dinner.

then I got to have breakfast.

Last quarter I never got to have a routine breakfast because I was always running around in the morning (all of my sections were morning sections so I was up and on the bus early). This morning I got to make myself a bowl of oatmeal and have a tangerine.

I don't eat the instant stuff - it's too bland. rather I throw 1/3 cup of oats, either steel cut or scottish style, 2/3 cup of water, into a bowl with honey, almonds, and some kind of fruit. This morning it was a banana, usually its some of the dried cranberries I keep in the freezer (along with the almond slices). I then nuke it for 3-5 minutes until its done.

My breakfast was pretty substantial - I sliced a whole banana into the oatmeal so my stomach is full.

The tangerines were pretty cheap. I'm used to seeing them cost something like $8 a box at Safeway this time of year. However, there is a cheap Mexican veggie market 7 minute walk away, so I popped over there yesterday (we will be having some zucchini and chayote I bought from there tonight). The tangerines were pretty inexpensive, but unlike the ones in the store they weren't "pretty." The tangerine was just fine taste wise, but the rind was mottled, bumpy, and had discolorations on it.

I've come to the realization that we are so used to seeing perfect fruits and veggies that these perfectly good ones seems suspicious and have to be sold to an "ethnic" population in the U.S. whose immigrant members are more aware that the fruit is perfectly good even if it's not aesthetically perfect. All the fruit and veggies sold at the store are that way - have bumps, discolorations. Also, a good thing about the fruit is that it's ripe. Many a times in a mainstream grocery store I've bought a melon or peach only to take it home and discover that it has to ripen or that it is flavorless and mealy. The fruit in this market is sometimes remaindered, but, because of that, it's ripe. I found, when having a honeydew melon from the store this summer, I had forgotten what truly ripe melon tastes like. Of course, if you buy a ripe melon or piece of fruit, you have to eat it within a week. You can let it sit around in the fridge or it goes bad. That's the trade off.

Tonight I'm going to try to make arroz con pollo. The chicken is defrosting right now.

Tags: cheap fruit markets, food, frugal, life