Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Food I Can't Keep in the House

You'd think this post would be about chips, or pizza, or something.

Well, you'd be right about the pizza.

But it's not just that. It's stuff I like, that's good for me, that my kids insist on snarfing up the moment it enters the house. These would be the foods I can't keep in my home:

-Broccoli. Neither kid can get enough of it. Preferably lightly steamed, with a little garlicky olive oil over the top. As a special treat, there's a little soy-sauce bowl of natural light ranch on the side.

-Tomatoes/tomatos. See previous item, sans steaming. And sans the ranch. They eat those things like apples.

-Tuna. Now this one is a bit of a cheat, but once they see tuna, they want tuna salad sandwiches. Doesn't matter if it's the nice foil-packed-in-water tuna, or canned tuna, or whatever. They just Want. Tuna. Salad.

So I make it for them. Mostly tuna, some light ranch, some light mayo/the evil that is known as Miracle Whip, some wasabi/ horseradish mayo, some Boar's Head Deli Mustard, freshly ground pepper, and dill pickle relish.

On wheat bread. With more mustard. And a tomato slice or four.

All of which I love, and they eat as if it's going to disappear yesterday.

-Lean Cuisine. Now granted, it's not terribly good for me as far as sodium is concerned, and there are still some trans-fat issues to be considered, but honestly... between Lean Cuisine and a frozen Totino's pizza, which would the diet-conscious choose?

Yeah, it'd be the one my kids choose. Their/my favorites are the basil chicken pasta, the chicken Cesar bowl, and the chicken carbonara. They all have pasta and chicken in common, and all have veggies, but the sauces are vastly different. Regardless, I'm lucky to keep even one in the house past 3 hours of entry.

I possibly should buy more, though -- I still tend to buy as a single person watching her weight rather than as the mother of two small boys who want FOOD!

-Other "diet" frozen meals. Because my foods are much more fun than pizza. Seriously.

And last, but not least...

-The tiny little 100 calorie ice cream sandwiches. No, they're not "good for me" in the ultimate sense, but I adore them, and a 12 pack would normally last me a few months.

With kids? Two weeks, max. And that's only because I keep them hidden in the garage chest freezer.

Looks like I need to stock up on broccoli and ice cream sandwiches, stat.

7 comments:

Amanda said...

Scott, basically the entire thing was about the typing monkeys, with kudos going to the author of the typing monkeys short story as well as to the editor of that particular issue of Subterranean whose work as an author I happen to enjoy.

I'll e-mail you this evening with a copy of the magazine and try to be a bit more clear :)

fishwithoutbicycle said...

It's funny you say lean cuisine. I'm rather partial to the 95% fat free ready meals from Marks & Spencer in England. They are the best thing ever. Probably too high in sugar and sodium, but my God they taste good. I miss M&S's Foodhall at times.

That steamed broccoli sounds delish :-)

Rural Felicity said...

The steamed broccoli and tuna salad have me drooling!!

Anonymous said...

Yuck broccoli! I'll only eat it if it's so covered in cheese that it drowns the Broccoli taste and probably all the nutrition too. :P Same goes with cauliflower.

AtYourCervix said...

And ye shall buy peas.......

Maybe then the kids will stop eating your Lean Cuisine!

Amanda said...

Fishwithoutbicycle, the broccoli is good! Since I have no peas in my diet, I have to get my green in somewhere ;)

Felicity, thanks! My elder son snarfed down the remainder of the tuna salad last night. None left for the mommy. I would say I'll starve, but somehow I doubt that's gonna happen, LOL.

Erica, nah... the cheese doesn't cancel out the nutrients! Plus cheese has some good stuff in it also. It's all a matter of perspective. If you need the vitamins broccoli has and the only way you can get it down is smothered in a block of cheddar, I say go for it.

And AYC, I can only say that you are E.V.I.L. for suggesting I bring The Hated Vegetable into my home!

Okay, that and that I laughed myself silly when I read your comment :D

AtYourCervix said...

Amanda - Now you see just how wacked my sense of humor is!

Besides, if the kids eat peas, why not buy them, heck, buy them in bulk?

"Unhand my Lean Cuisine, for I have bought you PEAS!!"