With all my copious extra free time, I’ve been on another thinking spree and I spent this weekend thinking about my health and eating habits. I seem to think about eating a lot.
Since Covid struck, many of us have had to figure out the grocery shopping gig. I used to go to the market at least five times a week, but that’s in the rear-view mirror, and now I must plan my trips. I make a list, of course, (which I will forget) and go only once a week, that’s it. But I wonder if I should I go early when the manager is just unlocking the door or go late when normal people have already gone home and gone to bed? I wear a mask, of course, gloves (sometimes), and wipe down the carts even though the store greeter says, “Clean as a whistle, just for you, my dear.” They always add “my dear,” which makes me laugh. Then I wonder if I should pick up the box of crax and read the ingredients or rely on my sometimes-untrustworthy brain to remember what’s in them? Because these and other questions plague me at every shopping excursion, I have ingeniously come up with a list of 5 to 10 perfect foods that will keep me healthy and so I don’t have to 1. remember my list or 2. worry about touching something that some Covid-19-carrying shopper has already contaminated.
The criteria are that they taste good, have a healthy component, are cost efficient, easy to prepare, and colorful. I leave vegetables off the list because they fit into every category, so I can run helter-skelter in the produce department.
Here is my list of nearly perfect foods: Bacon (who’s gonna argue with that?). Eggs (I’m sick of eggs, but they are healthy, low calorie, no carbs, so they get top billing on my list). Carrot cake (it has a vegetable base, right?). Idaho bakers (The Idaho Potato Commission would ban me from Idaho if I left them off although they are loaded with carbs and fiber, but not calories, unless I add all the good stuff). Wine (no way I’m leaving that off).
I can’t eat bacon every day and needed another meat so opted to include hamburger just because it is versatile, and if I mix in green onions or peppers, hamburgers can become colorful. A good addition. But I still needed another dairy product. Which to choose? Yogurt or cottage cheese. I like both, but I think yogurt wins out, especially one of the flavored ones.
I sent this blog to Anna, my editor, and she shook her head. “Incomplete, Honey Bunny, you left off apple pie.” Apple pie doesn’t really have any redeeming qualities, but adding blueberries makes it more colorful and arguably healthier, so I’ll give her that one, apple-blueberry pie.
I’m sure I will find other perfect foods, and some readers will disagree on some or all these choices, but this is my list. Please share your additions with me! I think we’re going to be in pandemic mode for while and it’s one way of coping with all the craziness. Mask up!
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