Did you know it was Chicago Restaurant Week?

All over town restaurants are offering special three-course fixed-price meals — and at spots like Blackbird and One Sixty Blue those meals are quite a deal, at $22 for lunch and $32 for dinner.

Unfortunately, I won’t be taking advantage of any of this as Chicago Restaurant Week rather hilariously coincides with the Huffington Post-sponsored Week of Eating In, a weeklong project designed to encourage you to stay home and get to know your kitchen better.

It’s part of the rollout for Cathy Erway’s The Art of Eating In, a book spun off from her popular blog, Not Eating Out in New York — a chronicle of the two years she spent doing just that. She cooked, she threw potlucks, she went on picnics, she explored underground supper clubs, and did not darken the door of a restaurant for TWO YEARS.

Granted, it seems a little silly that that staying home and cooking — something most of the world takes for granted — should be an exotic stunt. Like everyone I know I’m watching my wallet and have spent a lot of time bent over the stove this winter. But for busy families or frantic city folks used to grabbing a latte and muffin on the go, I can see how this could be a challenge.

So, in the spirit of experimentation, I’m trying it for a week–and I’m doing it with the help of a trusty Fresh Picks double box. Check back later on to see if I can figure out what to do with all that cabbage. And, if you’re feeling the urge to bust out your pots and pans, join me!

PS: Need a little incentive? Check out this (also freakishly timely) Chicago Tribune article on the hidden health costs of restaurant dining.