Made is a blog

First of all, I went off the beaten path last week after I found out my father-in-law had to have open heart surgery (triple bypass, valve replacement).  I had been following the Food Rules from Michael Pollan’s latest book at the pace of about one a day.  Once the surgery came up all schedules/routines/general concerns went out the window.  Of course, I had the rules in the back of my mind.  I made good choices, when I ate.  Frankly, I was so worried I wasn’t really hungry at all.

The one meal I purchased in the hospital was flounder with green beans and sweet potatoes.  It was the best choice in the place at the time. I skipped the patty melt.

The good news is my father-in-law is well on the road to recovery.  So now back to life and back to Food Rules.  I had two rules to incorporate – get out of the supermarket whenever you can and buy your snacks at a farmers’ market.  I have to say that in February in MO this is proving difficult.  However, it is possible.  I get out of the supermarket when I can and we currently buy our meat, milk and eggs from a local farm – Pasture Nectar in Mount Vernon.  They definitely are not a supermarket.  It is nice to get to know the people who are raising your food.  I love having that connection.  I enjoy seeing the cows that our milk comes from, I like that they really do seem happy.

Now, buying snacks at a Farmers’ Market.  I know that the Greater Springfield Farmers Market has winter hours/days but I haven’t made it there since it got cold.  I just try to buy most “snacks” at Mama Jean’s.  And I really try to eat a minimal amount of snacks.  Because if I have snacks around I will eat them all.  Especially Kettle chips.

I hit the road to KS on a work road trip – I left after the Super Bowl so I was driving late at night and got to the hotel in the wee hours of the morning.  I had to be up and at ‘em about 3.5 hours after my head hit the pillow.  Plus I had to get breakfast.  I did it.  I went to McDonald’s.  I ordered a yogurt parfait and orange juice.  I took a look at the ingredients and sugar is the second ingredient in the yogurt – breaking food rule #5.  I am in a very small town in KS and I figured the only Food Rule option I would have had was to go to the grocery store and buy some produce.  I didn’t feel like I had the time and I certainly didn’t have the inclination to go into the store and buy a bunch of bananas. So I ate my sugary yogurt.

Lunch was another adventure, a local Mexican restaurant – La Fiesta. It’s a place we always visit and I love the queso fundido.  Not sure of the ingredients but I feel pretty good that it is made from scratch.

Food Rules were destined to be broken on this very manic Monday.  The work stuff just wasn’t jiving and I got desperate for comfort food.  There was one simple, easily accessible but not very Food Rule-ish snack.  M&M’s. And I did it.  I shared the bag with Charley.

Downhill.  Or maybe uphill.  The day started on a low Food Rule note, peaked with an okay homemade Mexican lunch and skidded to a lower point with the afternoon indulgence.

Today is a new day.  The M&M’s hit the spot.  No regrets, just motivation to seek the higher food ground.

-Allison