Day 4 - Adventures In Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping has turned into an exciting activity for me.  This is strange since I used to hate walking into a grocery store.  The store used to be a place where I came face-to-face with my failings.  I usually shopped when I was in the midst of some type of craving and the items that came home with me had nothing to do with proper nutrition.  Ice cream bars, cookie dough, potato chips, nacho cheese dip, eggnog.  I’d spend fifty dollars on a single meal and accompanying junk and have nothing nutritious to show for it a day later. 

Now, grocery shopping has become a bit of an adventure.  I spend a lot of time examining produce, searching for new products that I might be able to use in my culinary exploits.   A few days ago,  I bought an eggplant for the first time in my life.  And fresh parsnips.  I’m learning all about grains and beans and can hardly wait to try a new salad recipe I’m working on with roasted root veggies and quinoa.  I’m curious to try Kamut, an ancient variety of Egyptian wheat that has a buttery taste.

Though I haven’t really settled into an exercise regimen (that will be a long time coming), I do get a nice walk in while strolling the grocery store.  I used to rush through the aisles, tossing whatever caught my fancy into the cart.  Now, I feel as if I’m browsing through a great library of food, looking for a meal that will stay with me, like a really good book does.