2 things i never buy at the grocery store.

Good morning! And happy National Cheesecake Day.

I started my day with a run, but looking back, maybe a slice of cheesecake would have been a better idea? Kidding. I love Wednesdays because it’s East Nasty day!

I did 3 miles solo, 6.5 with the group, and then 1.5 miles home. Passed this interesting statue thing on Setliff Drive. I think this house is actually some sort of daycare, maybe? I actually love bird decor (random, I know) and books (has anyone read Grapes of Wrath? It’s what I’m plowing through at the moment) so this work of art spoke to my soul.

Anyways, back to the run. It was really breezy and I hung with some speedsters for a few miles — so my pace was a bit faster than usual for a longer run.

So now I definitely deserve a slice of cheesecake. Speaking of FOOD, I haven’t been to the grocery store in weeks (cooking for one while Anthony’s out of town = eggs, cereal, and the Mindy Project for dinner!) and finally made a list to go today. There are two things that won’t be on there, though. 1. Bread. Ever since we got a bread maker, our bread budget has basically become $0. (I guess we do buy more flour and yeast than before, so maybe we can say it’s $1.50 a week?) Using a bread maker is so incredibly easy. It takes me 5-10 minutes to throw everything in the mixing bowl and 2 minutes to clean up. The bread takes 3 hours to make, but you can have it bake while you’re asleep, at work, etc. It’s magic.

We always have a “sweet” and “savory” loaf on hand — this one is a sweet one with whole wheat, dates, walnuts, and cinnamon added in. Perfect with butter and jam!

2. Salad dressing. Store-bought is also a waste of $$$$$ IMO! It’s pretty easy to make on your own… butI’ll admit, we do fly through a bunch of olive oil, which isn’t cheap. I still think homemade wins out budget-wise and health-wise in the long term, though.

One of my go-to dressing creations is a dijon vinaigrette that has about 2 parts olive oil, 1 part white wine vinegar — plus a splash of lemon juice, a spoonful of dijon mustard, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar. My salad dressing shaker makes it easy to measure and store!

Now I just need to learn how to make my own sun-dried tomatoes, wine, parmesan cheese, coffee beans, and Irish butter. I always seem to splurge on those… Have a good day!

• Favorite type of cheesecake?
• What foods do you make from scratch?
• What’s your favorite day of the week to run?!