Hey Patch readers! I'm sorry I kind of fell off the face of the planet for awhile there. In a nutshell, we recently bought a new family vehicle (and you know what a process that can be), sold our house (in SIX days!!), and I'm currently writing this to you from a hotel room in beautiful Monterey, California. Yeah, I know...life is tough! Haha!
When my kid brother (now 25 and a father) was starting his first day of kindergarten, that was his answer when his teacher asked about his dietary preferences: "I don't eat green food." This is apparently still true, since my mom actually texted me that my brother was eating salads - cause that's kind of big news for him.
On the other hand, I've always been a veggie lover. Maybe it's cause my mom helped me plant my own special tomato garden when I was just a preschooler, or maybe it's because I watched too many episodes of Sesame Street that dealt with vegetables and how grocery stores worked. Whatever it is, I remember being really excited to go grocery shopping with my mom, and always asking - no, begging - her for some kind of exotic produce that I'd never had, like an artichoke, or a head of red cabbage. That's probably strange, right? Yeah, I know...
But now in Greenville, we've come so far from the olden days of having just one or two options for groceries and especially for fresh produce. With the arrival in recent years of nationally-known chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, standbys like Earth Fare and Fresh Market, and more organic and whole food options showing up in average grocery store chains like Publix and even Walmart, the options for Greenville's health-conscious residents are growing by the day. Add to that a bevy of local organic farms and dairies and you could say we don't have any excuse to continue eating crappy food.
Not that I don't love a good slice of greasy pizza every now and then - believe me, I do! But I've tried dozens of diets and "health plans" over the years, and you know what I find? Moderation works. LOTS of veggies works (sometimes you have to learn to love them, sorry!). Maybe it doesn't work for everybody, but for me, it does.
One of my new favorite places in Greenville is Good to Go, the new raw juice and "health food" eatery located inside Pivotal Fitness on Old Spartanburg Road in Taylors. Nick and Tawana Hamby opened Good to Go just last month, and already it's getting rave reviews from people all over - whether they're members at Pivotal or not. Inside this tiny, brightly decorated place, they have everything from their own housemade peanut butter and hummus to a gigantic juicer that looks kind of like a time machine. It's pretty awesome. I tried a fresh-pressed juice of apple, cabbage, and spinach last week, and have to say I might be hooked. I know you're thinking "Cabbage? Spinach? Yuck!" but it actually just tastes like a apple juice with a bit of an earthy undertone to it from the veggies. Good to Go also offers yummy salads, smoothies, and their "bowls," a breakfast favorite with patrons already - full of fruits like acai berries, which are so good for you and full of antioxidants and vitamins.
And an aside, but Tawana got a kick out of my two year old sitting down at the juice bar, folding up his hands, and saying "I like green juice, please." I don't mind him having chocolate (he loves dark chocolate and Trader Joe's Powerberries chocolate confections), cookies, etc. - just as long as it's in moderation and he tries new things like vegetables or different ethnic cuisines. I'm trying to help him have a wide-ranging palette...we'll see how that goes!
And since we all know it's easier and cheaper sometimes to make your own breakfasts and lunches, look towards those if you want to start working more veggies into your diet. For example, I like to throw half an avocado, chopped up or mashed, onto my turkey wrap for lunch. I use a whole grain wrap, some nitrate-free (also hormone- and antibiotic-free) turkey or chicken breast slices, and some lettuce or tomato, and throw the avocado on top of it. You get healthy fats that fill you up in the avocado, and I can tell you the "2 p.m. slump" virtually disappears when you eat stuff like that! It just gives you good energy for hours. Plus it's pretty easy to roll the wrap up in a paper towel and put some aluminum foil on it, and it's purse-ready to go to work!
Usually for breakfasts, my son and I like to fix smoothies. He loves the process of throwing things in the blender (just never plug it in until you're ready, because a toddler and a blender is a disaster waiting to happen), and because he's involved in the prep, he's more likely to drink it. We usually do a banana, some peanut butter or cashew butter, frozen fruit like berries or mango, almond or cow's milk, and 2 big handfuls of raw spinach. We've also used kale and it works just as well! My little boy loves it, and he thinks the bright green color is cool! If he asks for a purple smoothie, I just do the same recipe and add frozen blueberries - purple smoothie it is! I also usually add some protein powder to mine, but for kids that isn't really necessary. It's a great way to have a relatively hands-free breakfast on the way to work or school, and you start the day off with a serving of veggies, fruit, healthy fats, and proteins that will keep you going until lunch time.
So keep thinking about ways to work those healthy foods into your diet, and keep an open mind! You never know when a "yucky" looking cup of green juice might just change your mind...:-).