May 6, 2009 Bikes and Dutch Cuisine Diary Entry 2

So two more days of lots of walkin behind us, it was time to get on a bike. Andrea our property owner had a bike left here in Amsterdam that we could use. It was however parked and locked up across town. I headed out for a walk to get some documents printed and to get the bike. It was prob about 1 or 1 1/2 miles, and I took a few routes I havnt done since we moved. The bike was a bit banged up, but a much better way to get around town. Im gonna get its wheel fixed while we look for bikes of our own.Here is a great panarama of the Amstel canal

So there are a few grocery store options for us, but directly across the street is the Albert Heijn. Its one of the more sizeable grocery store options, compared to most neighborhoods which only have small markets like New York bodegas. Well just becuase its big, doesnt mean its always easy to find anything or what you expect. So in the meat department are lots of 'mostly prepared' foods. There are things like salads and soups, mash potatoes, and dinner meals. We tried our first dish, a Pesto chicken breasts with pine nuts..Just pop in the oven and enjoy. I am used to a lot more variety and selection, but these were nice, with some broccoli I made

We have been trying to eat most of our meals at home, only eaten out 3 times in 10 days. We also have been enjoying having our meals at a dining room table, something we didnt have back home.

So to save money, eat healthier, and generally avoid FEBO and Shoarma/Snackbar/Broodjes options throughout Amsterdam, we will continue to explore the AHeijn or the Dirk markets.
-Colin