Taste Buds' Happy Dance

cooked wheat berries

It has now been a full week since I ate a bite of meat...but more importantly, it has been a full week of opening my taste buds to a whole new world. 

It's been fun (more than usual) talking on the phone with my mom over this past week. Most new foods that I mentioned to her, I could just see her face get all scrunched up while she said "eww, I wouldn't like that." Suddenly, I felt like the grown-up and she was my stubborn (but lovable) child, unwilling to try anything new. So it's no wonder why I never known very many fabulous foods. Well, finally me and my taste buds are going to explore this big wonderful world of whole grains, vegetables, and beans! Yippee!! 

Don't get me wrong...I've been pretty open about trying new things throughout my adult life but now I'm really looking to expand my options...into much more healthy options. This week I stopped at Whole Foods' bulk foods section and bought some wheat berries and red quinoa. For the record, I spent 56 cents on a scoop of wheat berries and ate them with three meals, including for breakfast this morning...that's pretty darn economical, I could not do that with a piece of meat. And wheat berries are not only delicious and versatile, they have a higher nutritional content than any meat does, they even have protein. So, maybe eating vegetarian (or vegan) won't actually cost me more money after all. 

I also bought myself two whole beets, including their greens, they cost $2.99 and I ate them with two meals, one I sauteed the greens with onions and the other I roasted the beets and ate them in a delicious herb salad with bleu cheese crumbles (I'm taking baby steps with my cheeses) and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and balsamic vinegar. For last night's dinner, I cut up a yam and roasted it with some red onions, I also had spinach and wheat berries. My meal combinations need a little bit of work but the food is still delicious and my taste buds are on cloud nine.