AMY - Day 7

I can't believe it's day 7! I feel good, maybe because the challenge is almost over, or maybe because I have been eating fresh local meals, or maybe because I have learned a lot about where my food comes from, or perhaps because I have improved my skills in the kitchen?

Could be all of the above. Today I had a smoothie for breakfast, and put in a few frozen cherries from our tree this time to mix it up. I had an apple and cheese for a snack, and for lunch I made quiche! I looked a few recipes to get an idea of what to do, but none of them used 100% local ingredients that I had in my kitchen, so I ended up winging it. They stuck to the pan quite a bit, despite me covering the edges in flour beforehand! Apart from being a bit tough to get out of the pan they were really good! The shell was not as flaky as you would expect, but I liked the taste of whole wheat in them.

For dinner I had spelt noodles with fresh pasta sauce. I put the rest of the canned tomatoes with green onion, lots of basil, some parsley, onion, peppers, garlic and fresh tomatoes in a blender, and added this mixture to some bbq'd chicken I had heating in a pot. I grated the last of my mozzarella with some fresh cheddar and put in on the dish. It was so good! The sauce does not taste like my usual pasta sauce, but it was very good because of how fresh it was and I could add the exact ingredients I wanted to.

I plan to have a final snack or frozen blueberries later on, and in the next few days I will incorporate "non-local" food back into my diet. There are 2 main things I have been craving, and those are tea and chocolate. The tea is something I have a lot, especially on a cold evening and I have somewhat replaced it with warm chestnuts and wine, but tea is one of my favourite things! And chocolate, I have only been craving because my family has been eating it right in front of me! Ah it was so hard not to just grab a piece and be done with it, but  I was able to resist, and I feel like it will taste even better the next time I have some, which will probably be within the next couple of days.

Overall, this experience was extremely worth it, and I would recommend doing 100 mile meals or taking the challenge for a few days, or a year! Knowing where you're food comes from and how it's grown, and even who is responsible for growing/producing it is really important!