I'm grabbing a quick bite at my desk since I'm on my own for lunch today. I wasn't in the mood for our usual lunch favourites : fattoush salad and lentil soup at our local middle-eastern restaurant or spicy black bean soup and a hefty salad at our usual bar-like lunch restaurant....so I went for a drive and found myself at the grocery store... starving!
At the prepared food counter, there are a myriad of glistening, fried, brown items, and a nice array of fresh salads, most of which are sprinkled with bits of cheese or globs of mayonnaise.... nothing I want to ruin today's 6:30 am 42 minute 6K for.
Over in the section containing macaroni and potato salads, I spot four "fresh" salads - and exhale in relief. There is a wild rice salad, a three lentil cranberry salad, a three bean salad and a couscous salad with olives. I decide on the cranberry lentil, and a vegetable samosa.
The kid ahead of me is ringing in two fried chicken breasts and a mound of cheesy potatoes...and almost $15. My order came in at $5.65.
It always gets me thinking when I'm eating out with nothing but time to think about food, or compare what I see around me. Today's question got me pondering "What do I eat instead?". It's not like the chicken or cheese tastes bad, but if you take it off the list of options, what you'll eat INSTEAD is invariably going to be better. Better for your body AND better for your budget.
I think that what I'm eating INSTEAD is what is fuelling my desire to keep eating this way. The vibrant colours, rich and exciting flavours, deep textures and inexpensive and easy variations are such a great alternative.
The fibre and protein and fat and complex carbohydrate mix was really delicious. Instead of packing back a quick fried (dead) chicken breast and some gloppy potatoes, I've eaten about 1 1/2 cups of colourful protein, fiber, nuts, cranberries, parsley, peas, potatoes and some hefty spices. In the time it took me to blog this, my stomach is now full, and I am no longer ravenous.
Being alone, I also had the chance to observe lots of little kids, shopping with their moms. It's interesting for me to see the little kids, their moms and their carts all in one place. Our daily habits sure do add up over the years...
I'll let Harrison have the last word on this blog...
On Sunday, he says to me in his usual, matter-of-fact tone... "Mom, I don't mean to sound "out there" or anything, but I think what parents give their kids when they are little trains taste buds for when you're grown up. Like if you just get fed junk food, your taste buds think that junk food is the way food is supposed to taste when you're grown up. And if your parents give you real food, you probably actually like real food when you're grown up...Right?"
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