Insights from a trip to the grocery

When I travel for a few days, I usually leave the refrigerator fairly empty, as my husband doesn't won't okay, can't cook (job security for me) and I don't want to come home to spoiled food.  The confluence of my return home and my decision to follow a South Beach plan meant I needed to stock up.

It's not like I didn't shop while I was at my daughter's. Heh. And never mind that I brought oat groats, wheat berries and brown rice home with me. Until I watched my daughter eat over the weekend, the idea of South Beach never crossed my mind. The grains are hidden in the pantry for now, but will be useful in a couple of weeks.

I went to Tiny Kroger yesterday without a list. I knew I needed vegetables and cheese, and thought I would have a look at other products that might work for me.

As both of you know, I enjoy cooking. I'd rather cook from scratch than open jars or cans (with the exception of mushrooms – canned mushrooms are so convenient).

So why was I in the pasta aisle, reading nutrition labels on jars of Alfredo sauce? It's like a low-carb worm has taken over my brain. Once I got past the produce bins, everything I picked up had a bar code. That's generally not how I shop, cook or eat.

I took a moment to reset my attitude and made my way to the dairy department as quickly as I could.

I want this South Beach experiment to support my desire to cook fresh, whole foods as much as possible. When I looked at my receipt, I think I did okay. The bulk of my purchases were vegetables. I also bought low-fat sausage and pepperoni, vegetable juice, mayonnaise (which I could make myself, and probably will from now on), cheeses, sour cream and yogurt for my husband. (I prefer plain, which is quite easy and so cheap to make, while he likes the slimy flavored low-fat sugar-free kind. No offense if that's what you like, too! Heh.)

There are plenty of recipes out there for tasty SB meals, and it looks like there's a lot of chopping and prepping and cooking-from-scratch involved. We had this cauliflower dish (I subbed fresh mushrooms for the olives) last night and it was beyond delicious. And I don't even like cauliflower.

So I think I'm on the right track, at least as far as meal prep goes. I know that a lot of people complain about the amount of cooking there is when you start a plan like this, but I think it's just what I need. And I'm very fortunate to not be working full-time, to only be cooking for two, to have a well-stocked freezer and to think that cooking is a creative hobby, not a loathesome chore.

As for reduced-fat Alfredo sauce, every label – even Newman's Own – had a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. When the time comes, I'll be making my own. Or going without. It's not like Alfredo sauce is a regular part of my menu rotation.

I hope the blog doesn't get boring or uninteresting (if it even was interesting to start with). I'll try not to make it all-South-Beach-all-the-time. But as I begin the program, it's inevitable that I'll be nattering on about it. Let me know if you get bored.