My parents have been visiting for the last week, so the food I have been eating in recent days has been more expensive and more delicious than what I eat on a regular basis. We’ve either been out to dinner every night, or my mom has cooked. She is a very good cook. I am not. Being possibly the laziest individual in America when it comes to feeding myself, I rarely enjoy home-cooked meals, and being on a budget (I use that term loosely), I am certainly not eating out every night. So whenever my parents come to town, my food routine deviates from its normal pattern, which essentially consists of takeout and prepared food. But now that they are gone, not only am I about three to seven pounds heavier, I am also back to the daily challenge of finding good, healthy food to eat while putting in as little time and effort as possible. My life is extremely difficult, I know.
As this is my first post for Dishing, I am going to stick to what I know best in the realm of takeout options: the salad bar at Whole Grocer. I get a salad from there probably three to five times a week for lunch, and I am fairly confident in saying that is where the majority of my money “disappears.” It is certainly not the cheapest joint in town, but it is convenient and healthy, and I think they have great options for a salad bar with limited real estate.
Lately, my go-to salad is one that was inspired by the signature salad at a restaurant down the street from my apartment in New Haven, Conn., during my junior and senior years of college. If that place hadn’t been there (I think my graduating class directly contributed to it going out of business a year later), I either would have starved to death or I would be 300 pounds because I would have been around the corner eating fried chicken at Popeye’s. Not sure. But this salad of which I am so fond of is delicious in my opinion because it is filling without being too heavy, protein-packed to keep you full and mixes sweet with salty — always a good combination. I generally opt for organic baby spinach to get things going, but most greens would work as a base. Then plenty of chicken and some grapes or strawberries, which seem to be slightly seasonal.
The Jackson Whole Grocer salad bar has great feta cheese, but I prefer to buy Gorgonzola to keep in the fridge at work and add about a serving of that. I happen to love Gorgonzola, but I know it is not for everyone, and feta is a bit milder. All that’s left: pistachios and dressing. The grapes, Gorgonzola and pistachios all complement each other very well and combine for that salty-sweet taste. I thought I had hit a goldmine when I found shelled pistachios at Pearl Street Market. Being as lazy as I am, I am just not going to shell enough pistachios to put in my lunch every day, or even one day. Let’s be realistic here. But then I realized that a small container of shelled pistachios costs approximately $11 to $13 depending on weight. I’m sure they have to factor in labor costs of whomever the unlucky person is tasked with meticulously shelling all these nuts. I’m not going to lie, I buy them, but I have to draw the line somewhere.
For me, convenience usually trumps … what is that thing called … oh, right, financial responsibility, but I decided that most days I can do without the pistachios in my salad. And in that case, I’ll just make up for them with a good dressing, for which I am currently on the hunt. I like Annie’s herb balsamic and honey Dijon, but I still think there is something better out there — packaged and bottled of course because making my own salad dressing isn’t going to happen. It’s just not. And once I find that elusive dressing, I think I’ll be happy with my lunch for the next few weeks, until I inevitably get sick of it and need to find something else or a variation of the same thing that piques my interest and my taste buds.
And of course, any good meal, home-cooked or takeout, is not complete without a satisfying beverage. For me, that beverage is Coke Zero, because you know what? I like a side of aspartame with my organic baby spinach.
