Peas don't tell!

So I have a secret, one that I've only confessed to my sister, who to my relief, admitted she has done the same thing. And I only bring it up now because I feel I've had a break through and it feels great.

But first...

Yesterday I sat down and made out menus for the coming week, then I went grocery shopping, armed with a list that was 90% produce, 5% frozen vegetables and 5% miscellaneous (bread, milk, etc.).

I was in and out of the grocery store in record time, despite the madhouse environment, which I attribute to the fact that the bulk of my shopping was done in the produce department and along the perimeter of the store. I stuck with my intention to buy as many organic products as I could, even when the price sometimes caused me to draw in a quick breath*.

When I got home, I found that our small produce drawer in the fridge could hardly hold all the goodies I had purchased. This is a problem I have NEVER encountered, which brings me back to my secret.

Over the years, I often found myself standing in the grocery check out line, looking at everything on the conveyor belt and many times would notice that I must've "missed" the produce department. Actually, I didn't miss it, I just blew straight past it. Unless I needed onions or garlic, then I'd make a quick pit stop.

I started to feel slightly embarrassed that there was not a single bit of produce in my basket, so I would swing through produce and pick up a bag of lettuce, or a bag of snap peas, or a bag of baby carrots, just so I had a well-rounded assortment on the conveyor belt. And week after week, these items would likely find themselves in the garbage can, rotten from their time spent in the unopened produce drawer.

It is embarrassing to admit that because I didn't want to look like a totally unhealthy eater, I would stage some produce in my basket so the teenage cashier wouldn't think bad of me.

I wondered if anyone else was this pathetic, which is why I confessed my secret to my sister, who admitted that she too had done this. Ironic that we both do this, given the fact that we were raised by a vegetarian mother and you would think veggies would be a staple in our diets as a result! Maybe we're acting out against our upbringing, but that is a topic for another day (and maybe a psychiatrist!).

Anyway, last night for dinner I made us a big salad, a bowl of vegetable stew and some multi-grain french bread. Delicious, and very filling. And, having worked out for a solid hour yesterday, I went to bed feeling satisfied that I've overcome a hurdle and am heading in the right direction.

* A note about the price of organics: while I did experience some sticker shock on a few items, I maintained my decision to purchase as many organic foods as I could. I was pleasantly surprised at checkout to learn that I actually spent LESS than I normally do and I had all the fixin's for five nights of dinner, breakfasts and lunch. I attribute this to the fact that I avoided the middle aisles of the grocery store and therefore was not sucked into a) junk and b) sale items I didn't need.