If you read my July Cappuccino Chez MC column, you might recall that I’m slowly transitioning from outsourcing my meals to insourcing them. Meaning — yup, that’s right, I’ve got to feed myself at home!

My desire to transition is based on a lot of ideals — I don’t want to waste my time in always running out someplace in search of sustenance; I want to save money; I want to reduce my impact on my Earth by reducing my reliance on packaging and my use of fossil fuels expended in the going-after of things like early-morning coffee or mid-day smoothies; and I want to have more control over what ingredients are actually going into my body.

While my efforts might seem tortoise-like, my energy is increasing to rabbit-like levels.

My new breakfasts at home have dramatically curtailed my intake of sugars and my day starts off quietly and contentedly. I don’t have that mid-morning energy crash anymore, either.

So, next up was the desire to reduce — actually eliminate — my near-daily mid-day smoothie from Whole Foods. At slightly over $5 per smoothie, several times a week, I was throwing tons of cash out the door each year. And, it totally made me feel ashamed every time, after slurping to the bottom of my plastic cup, using my plastic straw, I’d toss out the plastic to pollute my Earth (even though I recycled them when I could). Also, just thinking about the fossil fuels expended for my fruit-filled lunch felt like extreme folly, especially when I think about the men and women fighting wars over this kind of stuff. Not to mention the time waste — even when I coincided my smoothie stop with other errands, there’s the parking, the standing in line, the waiting, the paying.

Just craziness to live like this. Consumerism at its worst. Laziness at its best.

So, my Mom gave me her blender. I looked up a couple of recipes; bought the ingredients and voila — am making homemade smoothies every day for lunch.

Minimized packaging; gas reduced to about one trip a week to the grocery; time saved is wicked great, and I’m in control of the ingredients that go into my body. Next, I might try buying all the ingredients only from the Farmer’s Market so that I’m buying local and eliminating the use of fossil fuels even more.

I’m guessing the yearly savings is well over a thousand dollars when you factor everything in. And, I feel, again, more calm, sane, responsible, and smart.

YUM!