u/JoanOfArc34

I couldn't resist the price and beauty of those big bunches of collard green at Walmart: $2.47 a bunch bigger than my upper body (I'm pint sized). It took about 30 minutes to tear the leaves off the stems, wash and chop them.

I never cooked collard green, but I had it in the restaurants and it seems to be boiled with bacon. So I sauteed aromatics and the leaves first, then added water and a little ball of year-old sausage meat from the freezer (to substitute for bacon). Salt to taste.

It turns out great. My husband liked it so much that he wanted it regularly. Yes. It's a bit work, but I got at least 6 servings. I can freeze some.

I am not a gourmet cook and my dishes will never win a cooking contest due to the lack of intense flavor. However, I have no fear in the kitchen. I totally agree with my dad when he said, all food tastes good - especially if you are on a deserted island (like those survivor shows on TV). Luckily, my husband of over 30 years shares my philosophy.

I apologize for such dumb questions. I am asking them because I constantly read about questions about how to track expenses in this subreddit. Since card purchases and check purchases can be tracked easily, I suspect the difficulty is from cash spending. And when I asked AI, it says there are more cash users in the group of under 25 and over 65. And there is actually a trend of rising cash usage, because it controls spending.

I'm interested in your view. I myself almost never use cash. A $20 bill in my wallet can stay there for a year. I use cards for everything, unless there is a surcharge, in which case, I use a check. I have very few incidental expenses. Controlling spending is easy for both my husband and me, because we grew up in modest/poor families, and we always avoid non-essentials. If I really want to go to Starbucks or Baskin Robins, I assume they'd take my card gladly without surcharge. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Everyone says so, but I don't. Instead, I see:

American households must prioritize diets built on whole, nutrient-dense foods—protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains. Paired with a dramatic reduction in highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives, this approach can change the health trajectory for so many Americans.

...

Consume a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood, and red meat, as well as a variety of plant-sourced protein foods, including beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy.

Do you think people emphasize 'animal sources' over 'whole foods', whole grains, and the warning against processed food, excess sodium, refined carbs, etc.? I heard some people are eating 6 eggs for breakfast and 2 whole chickens for lunch. I still see many people buying bacon, pasta - mostly made from refined wheat flour. I also see very few whole wheat breads in people's shopping cart.