MAKING NOTE
We went to Sam's Club today. On our way in, we noticed an elderly lady coming out with an assistant, one of the strong young men that works there. He was pushing her oh-so-loaded cart. And while he was the size of caveman on 'roids, he still struggled to keep the overflowing cart moving in the right direction.
As we passed, I wondered, "What could an old lady possibly need so much of from Sam's Club, that Neanderthal can't hardly manage it?" I admit, I did a little look-see through her cart as we passed.
And what did I see? (because you know you want to know).
Oh, 'bout 245 rolls of twa-lette paper.
Seems the ol' bridge club is, well, on the go (Bahahaha! Pun intended).
And I know what you're thinking. That 245 rolls of TP couldn't possibly weigh down a cart like that, even if it is enough paper to pamper one's posterior for eons on end. I agree. But now, maybe the 27 cans of JUMBO TUB-O-BEANS will, right? Yes siree. That lil' lady had herself an arsenol of pork-n-beans.
I mean, who's gonna eat all those beans? Is she havin' a big beans-n-franks party?
"Welcome to my beans-n-franks party. Grab a plate and load 'er up!"
Let me just say, if it's for the bridge club she didn't leave anything to chance. Plenty of twa-lette paper, just in case.
Now if that sight didn't stump me going in, then the comment we received coming out surely did. We were going through check-out with our items. A big bag of romaine lettuce. Mushrooms. Boca burgers. Silk soymilk. Granola bars. Vitamins. Seasonings. And a vegetarian cookbook to top it off.
The cashier had the same inquisitive look on her face as she scanned our items as I did when I noted the tp and bean megacart rolling along. She finally spoke up and said, "Are y'all vegetarians?" We explained that our diet is highly plant based but because we do occasionally eat meat, we're not truly vegetarians (I cook most of our meals with whole foods these days, due to family health history concerns for myself and each of my immediate family members. Btw, a quick plug for Boca Burgers, which are REALLY good. They taste exactly like the frozen burger patties you can buy, but are plant based, high on protein, low on cholesterol and contain 65% LESS FAT than a regular beef burger. Family heart disease? If you're not allergic to soy, give these a try. Walmart carries them.)
Anyhoo, so after dh briefly explains that most of our meals are plant based, the cashier goes, "Wasn't it hard to give up McDonald's chicken nuggets?"
Whaa??? ROFLOL!
It was hard to give up pop last year. It was hard for my kids to give up most of the sugar they used to consume (which wasn't all that much, but still...) It was hard to begin to use less and less processed foods last year. It's been hard to handle the increased expenses related to fresh produce. It's been hard to accept that my cooking prep time has doubled. And it's been hard to reduce our consumption of chicken (it's long been a favorite meat in our home).
But,...hard to give up McDonald's chicken nuggets? Bahahahahaha! Uh, nope. Nope, that wasn't too much of stretch.
"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food: and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, [I have given] every green herb for food: and it was so."
Genesis 1:29-30
Toni
12 comments:
The poor thing! You just gotta feel sorry for someone whose idea of fine dining is McDonald's chicken nuggets! Bless her heart!
I can't imagine missing those. Are they really 'food?'
This is my first time reading your blog and this post is hilarious! I saw your link on MFW and thought I'd pop in. Thank you for your candor and wonderful description of the grocery cart contents, LOL. I loved it! I will say thought that my children felt the sacrifice when we stopped going to that burger place. During softball and soccer seasons it's still hard to drive on by, but in the end I know that my children are eating MUCH healthier food at home and we aren't spending the money on eating out, which I abhor. Anyway, great blog! See you at MFW,
As the mother of a reluctant chicken nugget giver-upper, I had to laugh! It has taken many "talks" and much bribery, but our processed food consumption has taken a thankfully HUGE downturn in recent months...for similar reasons as yours. Our american tastebuds are so messed up. It is sad that they have to be retrained to like things like vegetables and "pure" meats. sigh.
I tend to lean toward more plant-based eating myself and have been able to gently coax my husband along the way too. But I happen to love McDonald's chicken McNuggets and will never give them up! They've been a favorite since childhood. They may not be even close to healthy, but as far as calories go, they saw me through the first half of both pregnancies when I couldn't stomach much else! And I don't care what anyone says, some chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce and a big diet Coke is true comfort food in my book!
I've had boca loose ground "beef" that we put in tacos and soups and even my die-hard meat loving husband liked it. Not just tolerated it...actually liked it. And soy milk, too. I guess it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks!
Yay! I have the Boca crumbles and haven't tried them yet. Since such a small amount comes in the bag, I'm at a loss for what to use them for (there's not enough to feed my family Boca joes for example).
And I totally understand eating whatever you could to get through that first trimester. Having been an RN, I know that folks sometimes need to eat whatever stays down, period. I had a patient who could only eat Lorna Doones, lol. Seriously, it was all she could keep down.
Blessings,
~Toni~
p.s. we kicked the pop habit last year. A really delish transition drink is called IZZE. It's in the organic/natural food section of the grocery store. Carbonated water mixed with our favorite fruit juices also helped ease the transition (grape is good). Just in case anyone else reading this wants to wean from sodas.
I can't even stand to watch Cameron eat McD's chicken nuggets and he's a toddler. Chicken nuggets are toddler food. They're disgusting. The only thing I eat from McDonald's is the healthy french fries. Pathetic I know, but they're fries are great.
I'm going to give those Boca Burgers a try. I've seen them around forever but never bought any.
I grew up on pork 'n beans and to this day, they gag me.
That's kind of neat reading this about the Boca burgers - Dakota and I were grocery shopping recently and I handed him a couple of coupons for these Boca burgers and told him to go check those out in the freezer aisles and see if they were something we might like and get a couple boxes if the price was right (I'm teaching him how to bargain shop) - anyway, he came back and said "Uh-oh no way mom -those are like your disgusting veggie burgers you eat! We are NOT getting those things!" I completely forgot about walking over there myself and looking at the boxes. LOL
Now I know I will definitely have to give them a try. Thanks for the heads-up!
LOL, Elisa. Too funny about your ds thinking they were like your disgusting veggie burgers. I've had some bad veggie burgers myself (dry, tasteless, etc.)
Boca's are awesome! They taste so much like a beef burger, it's amazing. Carl was eating one for lunch at work this past week and one of his coworkers commented on "how good your burger smells."
He told her she wouldn't believe it, but it was actually a veggie burger.
Blessings,
~Toni~
I have to say that is funny. I will have to try those Boca Burgers on my family. I actually tricked my husband with his favorite meatloaf a while back. I had a recipe with all turkey. It was AWSOME and he had no idea. So I might try those Boca burgers and get rid of the packaging. We will see what happens.
Pauline
I hear you on the increased cost/prep time for better food. My husband can't eat at the moment - he's waiting to have two teeth removed and can't chew - so I have to make him egg nog drinks with almond milk and fresh fruit. You have to remember, I really really don't like to cook, so my mom is getting an enormous pleasure out of watching me do all this food preparation. My mom lives to cook. I warned her not to get used to it. After next week, my husband will have to fend for himself! But for now he's getting healthy drinks.
Girl, I so applaud you for your commitment and dedication to make and serve healthier (harder, more costly) meals to your family!!! But that description of the old woman's TP and pork and beans cart was TRULY HILARIOUS!!!! YOU are SUCH a good writer, Toni! And BTW, since we're such good friends and all, can you come over and cook for my family too? I'm not asking for much, just 3-4 times a week? Thanks! I knew I could count on you!
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