A Buffet of Thoughts

I have had some serious downtime this weekend - OK, not really downtime - I've been cleaning, and driving, and thinking. So here is literally a BUFFET of thoughts I've had about the blog this weekend.

Wallets, Locations and Fridges, OH MY!

Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore! (So what if I changed the words?) Here's the truth as I see it. Your wallet, your location of eating and ultimately your fridge will determine what you put in your mouth. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GOOD EATING.

Wallets? You will have to open your wallet to buy any type of food you are going to consume. Here is the absolute square one starting point. What you buy determines what kind of body you ultimately wear.

Locations? Where you choose to consume your food has a HUGE impact on your choices. Fast food? Farmstands? Vending Machines? The platter of cookies at the office? The snack you brought from home? Location. Location. Location. You know what they say - location is everything.

Fridges? At some point you will also find yourself at home, and hungry. Is your meal going to come from a factory? A box? Delivery? Or from the ingredients in your home? Keep the go-to's in your fridge so you can access them in a hurry, or whenever you are exhausted, or both.

Make a Healthy Choice, or WAIT!

I just got back from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. What a rocking spot to visit on Labour Day (I loved the Bruce Springsteen exhibit!).

Except when it came time to eat. The travel hours didn't jive with us, so we were eating at odd hours. HAD TO go to the cafeteria just to find something. On the menu? Crap, crap, FATTY CRAP, processed crap, fake factory crap, and then a platter of fruit for 8 bucks. This was almost going to be my choice, until I spotted a three decker whole wheat bread peanut butter and grape jam sandwich. There was only one, waAAAaaay in the back of the case. The peanut butter was a nice thick layer, and the jam was just thin enough to show. A HIT - at least one that would make American Top 40. It was filling, yummy, whole grain, protein - probably a lot of sugar, but at least it stopped me from the meatloaf mac and cheese elvis heart attack on a plate.

STOP INSTANT CRAPIFICATION

Good eating begins with good shopping. Even if you're hungry there is nothing forcing you to eat crap. What would happen if you were nowhere near a food stall? You'd wait! You'd be hungry, you might even get irritable, but you would have to wait until there was food in front of you. It is no wonder that some populations have a food stall on every corner for instant crapification. Seriously, even if you use the expression "I'm starving" you are not really starving. I'm Ukrainian. Starvation was a reality for 7 million Ukrainian folks in the thirties under a Stalinist regime. You are NOT starving -you are hungry. So grab onto your wallet, and don't open it until there is a healthy choice in front of you. Either that, or stop complaining that you look fat in pictures.

A FAST GO-TO in your Fridge : Eggs

This is a serious way to incorporate time, funds and delicious into your week. If you have kids - try an "eggs" style buffet. Try a bunch. PROPERLY scrambled eggs, omlettes, quiches, frittatas, and poached. I can help you with the recipes if you comment and maybe with a bit more time, but an egg dish, at about .35c per organic free range egg, this is a serious budget booster. Find the one your family likes most. Add veggies. Cheese. Sauces (and against my better judgment, I will include Kechup in this category, but I'm more of a hot sauce girl) breads, muffins, croissants, even hams and crisp bacons, and you all know my fondness for crumbling proscuitto. Even salamis. I'll paraphrase John Lennon, "All I am saying is give EGGS a chance".

Concluding Thoughts?: You may not like what you just read, or think that you don't really eat fast food very often, or think that it's easier said than done, or whatever other excuse popped into your mind if something I've said touched a nerve.

As a lawyer, we are always being presented with the "opposing case". It happens in pleadings, in discussions, when negotiating and at pre-trials. When another lawyer used to pierce a hole in my bubble I could do one of two things for my client. I could disregard a serious angle that I might not like and address it head-on, or delude myself into thinking that a judge would NEVER see the other guy's point.

But if the other side had a point, I'd go back to my desk and reconsider.

So reconsider your wallet. Reconsider your location of food consumption. And reconsider what it takes to keep proper food in your fridge.