Get Healthy Guilford healthy people making healthy lifestyle choices

Who saw me put that pastry in my purse?

Friday 9/25/09: Day 11. Last night I opened the red wine, which was ok not great, and had a few crackers with cheese while I made an omelet with veggies for dinner, grapes on the side. I get hungry again most nights around 10pm, so I have a little milk, which usually works. This morning I woke suddenly, remembering the Children’s Museum Breakfast is this morning. So I have a cup of coffee while I dress and listen to NPR. I spent a while blowing out my hair, knowing that it is humid and will probably rain and I will have a frizzy hair day anyway. On arrival, I run into friends and colleagues, and after chatting, we head for the fresh coffee provided by a local vendor. I hear Betsy Grant, Executive Director for the museum, say that all the food served this morning is locally grown.
There are 2 chefs at a nearby grill so I stop to find out what they’re up to. They are chefs from Ganache grilling skewers with local chicken and melon, wrapped with local pork bacon (from grass-fed pigs so I can eat it). They’re really nice guys and seem excited about their food. The buffet, which is outdoors, provides juice, & grapes that look like grapes are supposed to—-perfect little bunches of purple grapes—-that happen to be quite sweet and have seeds, which is good because I’m told grapes with seeds have higher antioxidant levels. There is goat milk yogurt from Goat Lady Dairy, one of my all time favorite places, with honey and granola, as well as goat cheese spread on ciabatta & rustic bread from Simple Kneads, and croissant (plain and chocolate).
It looks delicious so I load up my plate and apologize to everyone at my table if I look like Miss Piggy. I explain my 30 days on food stamps journey and everyone nods with approval. I meet a couple who’ve been working a community garden and who are interested in my idea for a mobile market that will provide fresh produce in neighborhoods with poor access. While I’m on the subject and seem to have interested listeners, I describe another goal: to have public trans express lines to take people from underserved areas to grocery stores and farmer’s markets.
I cannot finish my breakfast, so I wrap the croissant and stuff it into my purse. There I go again. My mood quickly changes with Alice Water’s words:
Food is at the heart of everything. This obesity problem started in our generation and we can end it in our generation. When you eat fast food, you eat the values that go along with that food. We need to have garden-to-table included in the curriculum for every child. (I clap loudly so to make everyone else clap on this comment.) She’s inspiring. She’s beautiful. Thank you, Alice!  Then, in Betsy Grant’s closing remarks my name is mentioned and I wonder who saw me put that pastry in my purse? Will they wonder why the director of the obesity coalition is hiding a chocolate croissant in her bag? I don’t care. That is going to be good tomorrow morning. Betsy then adds that we should help ourselves to any extra food and so I do. Goat cheese spread on rustic bread and grapes.
I spent the rest of the day planning and promoting our cycling event on October 17th. Then I took off to Chapel Hill to take care of some business and shop Trader Joes. On the way, I enjoyed the goat cheese and bread and grapes. The grapes are so good! It’s crowded at TJ’s. Prices seem to have increased since my last visit, which was, like, a year ago, so I guess that’s reasonable. I found salad greens and collard mix reasonably priced. Jeannie Sykes (dietician) says I can’t get enough greens. I am famished and have forgotten my snack. Not a good idea to be in food stores when you’re hungry. I hop over to Whole Foods and I am struck by the high prices. Nevertheless,my hunger is abated when I sample a variety of cheeses, yogurts, an organic pinot grigio, and vegan marshmallows.
By the time I arrive home, it’s dark and cool and rainy, and a great night for, you betcha, soup.  It’s actually very good, especially with a few crackers, and a baked McIntosh apple with cinnamon. It’s been a busy week so I head to bed early and plan to clean tomorrow. There’s a lot to do. And because I’ve been re-decorating, there’s a sofa standing on end in the foyer. I will need some help to get it upstairs. The yard needs work also. There’s laundry. And I haven’t looked at my food plan in over a week. I suppose I am more comfortable winging it. I’ve been known to fly be the seat of my pants. But what will the dietician say when she evaluates my food journal? Oh well. Time for sweet dreams, sleeping with the windows open, and cool air floating in, the sound of crickets all over the woods surrounding my home.