I used to hate bucket lists. I think it's because the idea of setting goals to achieve before my death added pressure I didn't know how to handle. Also, because it's my nature to do the opposite of whatever's trendy because, well, I'm sideways like that.
Anyway, somewhere over the last couple of years I changed my way of thinking and bam! Here I am, fully aboard the Bucket List Bandwagon. First item on the list - Become kick-ass in the kitchen (I know, I know, these are supposed to be more one-time achievements rather than works in progress, but cut me some slack here. I'm trying.) Now, I'm no slouch at cooking. In fact, I'm pretty damn good. But. there's always room for improvement, right? Add to that, a health scare has sorta booted my ass into getting serious about making "healthy food" taste great. Starch, salt, sugar, dairy, and basically anything else fun has been either totally eliminated or severely curtailed. So, I've been researching and looking for recipes and generally putting real effort into not letting these new restrictions destroy everything appealing about mealtime. Challenge accepted. Cut to today. I woke up with fresh enthusiasm about trying a new dish - Quinoa and roasted veggies, to include something I've never fed my family...and only tried once myself - brussel sprouts. I was excited. I was positive. I was motivated! I got in the car and made my way to Sprouts. I was cheerful as I walked up to the doors, but as soon as I stepped inside, I froze. Have you ever been intimidated by an unfamiliar place? Yeah. Me, too. I was terrified as I stood in the entrance. I had NO idea where anything was, and my anxiety sorta plays with my mind in these situations and convinces me that every single person in the building knows I'm a noob and is secretly laughing at me. Ugh. I hate looking like I don't know what i'm doing. I mean, I really, really hate it. You'd be surprised how much I fight with this or how far out of my way I'll go to avoid the feeling in the first place. Anyway, to boil it all down, I circled the store multiple times trying to locate everything I needed. I never did find the fresh ginger. And after I passed through the produce section for the fifth time looking for it, I was pretty stressed, so I gave up. Sigh. How can a grocery trip be such an ordeal? Is it just me? Am I the only one? I bought white quinoa and made that with 1/2 chicken broth and 1/2 water (because of the sodium). Tossed the veggies with avocado oil, garlic, black pepper, and the tiniest pinch of sea salt you ever did see and threw it all in the oven to roast. I was pretty pleased with myself until I caught a whiff of the quinoa. Just...yuck. I tried to hide my face, but my youngest saw it and I knew any hope of her trying it was out the window. And I was right. She very politely declined and I'm not the mean mom that forces her to eat stuff because a) she loves plain steamed broccoli, so it's not like she doesn't eat veggies, b) she's normally good about trying things and I appreciate that about her, and c) it smelled awful and I fully understood her point of view because I didn't want to eat it, either. The veggies turned out okay except the brussel sprouts...I think they're an acquired taste that I question ever being able to enjoy. And this after I hyped it up to the rest of the family. But in the end, hubs said he really liked it and I'm inclined to believe him because he's not one to blow smoke at me about my culinary skills. He'll tell me if I shouldn't make something again (but in a super nice way, LOL). To be honest, though, I didn't like it and the house smells AWFUL. It's the damn brussel sprouts. :( If anyone knows a better way to fix them without using butter, a ton of salt, or anything else remotely tasty, let a girl know because I gotta find a way to prepare them without wanting to burn the house down afterward. Bucket item list number 2 coming soon...
1 Comment
Brittany
1/29/2019 04:29:58 am
If you were at Whole Foods, the ginger is on the little aisles with the avocados and garlic. They don’t keep it in the cold area. It’s in one of the little side baskets. And it is so good for you! Sorry you didn’t like the Brussels sprouts. Remind me... I found a recipe called “Brussel Sprouts even your kids will love” 😂
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
July 2019
|