Make the best meal you can using only food items from a nearby corner store.
Things are easier said than done, or so the old adage goes, and we couldn't agree more. That's why we do The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD), a monthly attempt to live better. Our challenge for June? Make your own meals.
When preparing to cook at home, always keep in mind the benefits of shopping locally, eating whole foods, and frequenting farmers markets. But it’s also important to remember that, unfortunately, not everyone has equal access to fresh foods. Plenty of Americans can’t walk to a farm stand or a full-service produce market. These well-documented “food deserts” affect huge swaths of the United States, and the still-sour economy has forced families to get really creative with cheap eats.
The good news is that even when your local grocer is a quickie mart or liquor store, all is not necessarily lost. For today’s challenge, we’re going to craft the best meal we can using only groceries procured from a nearby convenience store.
This week, I surveyed the two bodegas on my block and found some pretty decent food options. One shop stocks cans of locally-made salsa, refrigerated avocados, noodles, dried rice, and beans. And I lucked out at the other shop, where the super-friendly owners sell limes and lemons from a neighborhood tree. On top of this, I snagged a block of cheese, a bag of corn chips, and a bottle of brined nopales (cactus pickled for a long shelf life). Once home, I mixed diced avocado and fresh citrus for guacamole. I then stuck the chips, salsa, cheese, and nopales under the broiler to melt. Dinner nachos!
We're giving away $500 for you to unite your community and "Make More Meals" from locally-sourced foods. Participate in our Share a GOOD Recipe challenge.
Photo via (cc) Flickr user Nate Robert
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