It’s been almost two and a half months since I started this journey, and while I still have a ton of rice left, all of the other food stocks (save spices, etc.) have been depleted. The rice is literally going to take ages to finish, there’s just so much of it. Even if I ate it every single day for the next three months I’d still have a couple of pounds left (if not more)! Rice is very filling so there’s no need to use a lot of it for a single meal, plus I keep it in air-tight containers so it’ll last a good loooooooong time. I won’t be running out any time soon.
When I first realized this, my main concern at the time was that starch alone is not nutritious (nor taste-bud-tempting) enough, and so I went on a shopping spree for meat to supplement the rice. The protein-and-starch combination worked quite well, and I used different spices in the dishes to discover which combination was tastiest. I’ve become more of a fan of pepper than I ever expected to be! I even got another (smaller) round of meat a few weeks ago, but – once again – the meat ran out before the rice did. I came to the conclusion that this meat/rice merry-go-round was ridiculous, and merry-go-rounds actually make me dizzy. Continuing this cycle for an untold number of months is unsustainable outside a concentration camp, so I gave in.
This week I bought regular groceries for the first time in two months, including bread, cheese, sausage croissants, Ring Dings…I even managed to surprise myself by not getting nearly as much as I thought I would. I figured I’d go hog wild and get half the store in an orgy of buying processed food, but I only had two bags of groceries, which included a bunch of fresh produce like lettuce, bananas and a mixed fruit cup for lunch. I even got a handful of olives from the deli simply because I’ve never tried them before.
After going so long without, fresh fruit/veggies are high on my list. I’ve been craving them for weeks on end, and the first sandwich I made with freshly washed green leaf lettuce was absolutely delicious. I’ve gobbled up the bananas already, even though they were still a little green. I have to go back and get more, and this time I think I’ll also get a couple of avocados, too. Who knows what else I’ll find, but I can guarantee that most of what I’ll get will be from the produce department.
So, my food intake is essentially back to normal. I still have pounds and pounds of rice, and that’ll continue to be eaten until it’s all gone (I’ll let you know when that day comes), but having these other foodstuffs available has made a huge difference in my general outlook and meal planning. Eating is no longer a chore that simply has to be done (sort of like filling the car up with gas), it’s once again an enjoyable enterprise that has limitless choices. I’m also a lot more confident that I’ll be making better choices on what foods to buy, after having done without the good stuff for two months. Perhaps that was the lesson I was supposed to learn. J
PS – As an aside, I haven’t bought any more packs/cases of Iced Tea. I’ve finished what few bottles I had left, and have been drinking root beer, grape soda, fruit punch, juice, and water (especially late at night!). More good choices! J
When I first realized this, my main concern at the time was that starch alone is not nutritious (nor taste-bud-tempting) enough, and so I went on a shopping spree for meat to supplement the rice. The protein-and-starch combination worked quite well, and I used different spices in the dishes to discover which combination was tastiest. I’ve become more of a fan of pepper than I ever expected to be! I even got another (smaller) round of meat a few weeks ago, but – once again – the meat ran out before the rice did. I came to the conclusion that this meat/rice merry-go-round was ridiculous, and merry-go-rounds actually make me dizzy. Continuing this cycle for an untold number of months is unsustainable outside a concentration camp, so I gave in.
This week I bought regular groceries for the first time in two months, including bread, cheese, sausage croissants, Ring Dings…I even managed to surprise myself by not getting nearly as much as I thought I would. I figured I’d go hog wild and get half the store in an orgy of buying processed food, but I only had two bags of groceries, which included a bunch of fresh produce like lettuce, bananas and a mixed fruit cup for lunch. I even got a handful of olives from the deli simply because I’ve never tried them before.
After going so long without, fresh fruit/veggies are high on my list. I’ve been craving them for weeks on end, and the first sandwich I made with freshly washed green leaf lettuce was absolutely delicious. I’ve gobbled up the bananas already, even though they were still a little green. I have to go back and get more, and this time I think I’ll also get a couple of avocados, too. Who knows what else I’ll find, but I can guarantee that most of what I’ll get will be from the produce department.
So, my food intake is essentially back to normal. I still have pounds and pounds of rice, and that’ll continue to be eaten until it’s all gone (I’ll let you know when that day comes), but having these other foodstuffs available has made a huge difference in my general outlook and meal planning. Eating is no longer a chore that simply has to be done (sort of like filling the car up with gas), it’s once again an enjoyable enterprise that has limitless choices. I’m also a lot more confident that I’ll be making better choices on what foods to buy, after having done without the good stuff for two months. Perhaps that was the lesson I was supposed to learn. J
PS – As an aside, I haven’t bought any more packs/cases of Iced Tea. I’ve finished what few bottles I had left, and have been drinking root beer, grape soda, fruit punch, juice, and water (especially late at night!). More good choices! J