Green eats.

I warned my Mom this post was coming, otherwise I knew I'd get a call asking if I was feeling alright. Plants and yard work have not exactly been in my repertoire in the past. However, with my growing love for food and cooking, it only made sense that eventually I'd dive into where my food comes from.

I think it all started with French Women Don't Get Fat, which got me thinking more and more about eating smaller amounts of better food, but since then I've learned and discovered more and more about where food comes from. Living in Oregon is such a fantastic advantage, especially with the highly available selection of organic and local foods. I'm still working on my "food philosophy," and when I get it in some sort of readable format, I'll be sure to share it here, but for now, I decided to take my first little stab at gardening. Emphasis on little.

With my increasing desire to eat whole, organic foods and fresh produce, our grocery bill has gone up considerably. So originally, I decided I'd grow some Basil and Rosemary to save a few dollars on herbs that I use all the time. This weekend, I received a Target gift card as a thank-you and the first thing I thought of was buying a few more basics. I snagged a planter, some Organic soil and some seeds. Taylor wanted Cilantro and I thought some Tomatoes and Arugula would be great additions as well. Visions of homemade salsa and bruschetta danced in my head. Once I got all the seeds planted, we ended up going back and snagging another planted and a packet of mixed greens seeds. And now, I can't stop staring at my little plants, taking photos of them and resisting the urge to water them too much.

Last night we made a super simple but delicious dinner that, in a few weeks, could be recreated with the goods from our little garden. Cilantro lime rice, chicken with olive oil and butter and some homemade guacamole. Delish!

Do you supplement your grocery shopping with home-grown goods? Share your success stories! :)