FAST FOOD

I've written previously how two CANS of Peter Pan Peanut Butter kept me alive on a two month trip to England as a child. I was a fussy eater then. I still am. Maybe even more so now.

Now days I am "fussy" in how I eat ... and ... what I eat. It's been two & a half years since I was in a McDonald's. It's the same amount of time since I have had a slice of pizza, M&M candies, onion rings or any number of [desired] food items.

I don't eat at "fast food" restaurants any more. Now I do all my own cooking & food preparation, trying to have a balanced diet, with more fruits & vegetables than I did in the past. [Ah ... I just thought of some wonderful memories -- & tastes -- at Taco Bell. I could eat there. I choose not to.]

The two & a half years I have been absent from food places & their menus, corresponds to the length of time since my heart surgery. I have felt since that time my clogged arteries were the result of several major factors, including: (1) stress from work & (2) poor diet.

I don't know if/when my arteries will close up again, but I am taking action steps to prevent some of the direct causes, including the two above, by: (1) not working & (2) eating better.

I eat a lot of salads now. They are quick & good for me. I'm not someone who likes to cook every night in the kitchen. "Fast food" is what I like, as long as it is me who is quickly fixing the meal.

I have learned that broccoli is my friend.

I "limit" deserts. No cake, pies or ice cream. I like jelly beans & Hot Tamale candies to satisfy my sweet tooth.

No alcohol. I used to have a glass or two of wine just about every night before dinner. I think those drinks made me eat too much, both the meal & desert. Then I'd fall asleep on the couch & be worthless the rest of the night. Not a good life for me.


Now days, I "limit" certain foods. I still eat, for example, eggs. I just don't have them for breakfast, nor as often as I once did. I still like to have quiche, which has both eggs & cheese, the latter being another food I "limit", now days to 2% cheese.

A few times a year I will make a broccoli quiche. I cut the finished product into sections & freeze it, to have a slice with a salad for my dinner.





I don't eat in the morning hours until I have been for a walk/jog. I can't exercise AFTER I have eaten. It just doesn't work for me. I like to have an "empty" feel to be active, which means sometimes I may have my first meal of the day well after noon time.

For a true breakfast, I like cereal. I use 2% milk. Skim milk is just too much like white water.

I make my own cereal, using several varieties I combine together in a large container. I add "golden" raisins to the mix & when scooping it out in a bowl, add bananas & dried fruit -- cherries or blueberries.

I don't put sugar on my cereal. I certainly did as a kid. Most brands on the store shelves have more than enough sugar to begin with.

When I was working, we often as a group had the customary "food days" to celebrate birthdays & holidays. I used to bake cookies quite often. In fact, my "Super Sinful Chocolate Chip Cookies" were always in high demand.


Since chocolate is an item I "avoid" now, I don't make cookies as often as I once did. The last time I made chocolate chip cookies was to take to Memphis for the lunch time meeting with my friends, after I ran in the Meowathon.

Now when baking cookies,I don't keep any cookies for me. Too much of a temptation if I had them in the house.

CONFESSION TIME: When baking, I do "sample" the cookies -- both the cookie dough & the finished product -- as a part of my "quality control". It's a requirement of the total baking process.


I enjoy using recipes & ingredients to "create" meals & deserts.

Tonight I am fixing my own Kung Pao Chicken for dinner. Earlier in the day I cut up the chicken & I have all the "fixins". Left-overs then provide additional meals for the next few days.

Again, I "limit" what I eat & how often I have certain foods.

I try to enjoy life & part of the enjoyment is eating. I find I can "enjoy" my food more by controlling what goes into making it, & yet, not be "afraid" of the ingredients.

In the past, I was careless in my eating habits ... & I paid a price because of it. I'd like to avoid paying that toll again if I can.