a few thoughts on food in today's economy...

Lately I have been doing plenty of reading, and when I read online it is often on my kindle... less eye strain and I actually prefer mobile layouts without all the garbage ads I have to put up with while online, on my computer. Even Facebook is better too look at on my kindle, without all the "stuff"...

One article I read this morning from a Seattle newspaper focused on companies like Starbucks that have seen a huge drop in sales over the last year... they appear to be closing stores this year faster than they used to open them. I never really understood the "wooohooo" about them anyway, not being a coffee drinker and not willing to pay what they charge for a mediocre cup of hot chocolate... But anyway, that wasn't my point... they are not the only specialty business that is having major "rethink it" moments... There are a ton of companies built up over the last 10 years that were designed to be narrowly specialized to a specific market, and they are finding it very hard to survive right now.

Another thing I was reading is that restaurants all over are being forced to change the way they operate, especially the big chains... This is a good thing, if you ask me... Not that we eat out a lot, but the places we did like just kept getting more and more outrageous in their pricing and consumer practices... That trend is changing... I don't mind paying .50 for an extra plate when hubby and I share a meal... (we do that often... in fact most of the time...) But it REALLY bugs me to be charged a "non-drink surcharge" too, when we order water w/lemon at a restaurant where we are sharing a meal...

I have started to frequent more and more "copy-cat" recipe websites and making meals at home when we want something special, on a date night... and I am evidently NOT alone in my approach... Restaurant revenues are down the MOST in the last year, over any other market, at least that is what I am beginning to believe, from the articles I have read... So restaurants are starting to re-learn what they had forgotten... Value and service to customers are important...

Lastly I have been doing some revamping the way we cook, because my family is almost all grown and we were not eating big meals together every often... Following the example of some articles on still cooking big but then freezing parts of our meals for later use, we are not only eating simpler and more healthy, we spend less time cooking the main meals and more time enjoying tasty dinner time adventures together... some things, like fresh bread just tastes better... so I am developing my own way of freezing the dough we like best, so that we can pull it out and cook on demand. It is fun to spend some of our time doing this together on hubby's nights off, and it's a new take on a "date"... Hubby likes having stuff he can pull out for his meals at work that are easy and taste good and I like having a healthy normal serving I can pull out of the freezer and re-heat also when I am alone to eat I don't have to cook...

I find am eating more salads and quick veggie meals, too... But oh MY, we are going to be enjoying rice and bean dishes more and more as I an finding a LOT of new ways to cook and serve both of those items, which come right out of our food storage... So, I just thought I would share a few of the things that I am learning... because we are saving a TON of money storing what we eat and eating what we store... and we find are enjoying food in a whole new way...