In Quest of Flavor

So I've started this diet, right? And, for the most part, I can have pretty good will power when I put my mind to it--or play sufficient mind games with myself.

But here's the thing: I'm lazy. At least when it comes to cooking I am.

Eating healthy and cutting calories combined with a disdain for cooking don't really go together. Now some of you might pipe up that there are plenty of frozen low-cal meals out there that one can just pop into the microwave or oven. But seriously, does anyone really think that stuff is food? And has anyone read the ingredients, let alone looked at the sodium content, of those frozen meals? Besides, eating the 1/4 ounce of chicken and the two peas, the three carrots and the twig of broccoli they pack into one of those dinners is laughable if you're trying to feel full and not hit the high-calorie snacks after that pitiful "meal."

And let's be honest, steamed veggies are bland, bland, bland and get boring pretty fast.

So here's what I did. I went to Trader Joe's and bought a bunch of those little bags of veggies that say "microwave in this bag" on the front of the package. They're more expensive than the veggies you buy in bulk at regular markets, but not that much more. And I'm talking fresh veggies, such as snow peas, baby zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, broccoli, etc. If you like, you can eat them right out of the bag, steam them plain in the bag as shown, or, as I discovered today in Safeway, add a little bit of good old water and a delicious substance called McCormick Veggie Steamers (garlic & basil). I ignored the directions on the back of the Veggie Steamers pouch because I figured the amount of seasoning in the packet would be way too much and way too strong (and I was right), so I just added some water and a small amount of the spices to my veggies in their original bag, popped them into the micro and, voila!, fresh veggies with flavor and NO CLEAN UP!!!!!

And the gooey, garlicy sauce was delicious with my BBQ'd turkey breast too. Two flavor birds with one stone.

Anyhow, just thought I'd share my revelation.

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Oh yeah, it's really nice to be on vacation at home. I like being home several days in a row, as it allows me to clean up my place, shop and eat better and get into a healthier exercise routine. That's all for now. Bye.