Unforseen Challenges

I knew that eating only local food would be a challenge, but what I neglected to think about was all the other challenges that go along with it. (1) Menu Planning- I pretty much have never made a week-long menu before. Deciding what works well as leftovers, the whole cook once use twice rules etc. (2) Cooking every meal. This is huge! I've already cooked a meal at 9:30pm at night because I couldn't pick something up from a restaurant. (3) Wanting to eat the food you cook can be hard sometimes. It doesn't really allow for cravings or last minute food decisions. I also have had one occasion when I looked at my plate and ate a couple of bites and then put it in the fridge for lunch the next day because I was just so tried of looking at it. (4) I also am learning to cook some things for the very first time like eggplant, a whole chicken, and fresh crowder peas. (see picture below)
I promised some photos and not all this rambling so here we go:

I cooked some brats in a skillet and then used the drippings from cooking the brats and sauteed okra, tomatoes, onions, and squash. It was delicious. I've also made some ground pork, tomatoe and pimento cheese "sandwiches" minus the bread of course.

I plan to cook the whole chicken, make my own chicken stock to make veggie stew with, and make some Italian sausage/ground beef meatballs or meat filling for some bell peppers I have. I'm also planning on making a peach chutney to go with some thyme pork cutlets with roasted potato wedges.

More soon...