The Craving

  Ahhhh. On day #8.  Doing well.  I had some pretty serious cravings yesterday when we had a spontaneous road trip back home.  Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of dining at Portillo's knows exactly what I mean.  The grilled veggie sandwich (which I ordered happily, just *KNOWING* it would be every bit as wonderful as all of the rest of their food...) was awful.  Not awful in comparison to the chopped salad (which sounds like it would be fine, but is full of things I can't eat - chicken, bacon, pasta), or not awful in comparison to the only sausage I'll eat (Maxwell Street Polish... char grilled on french bread with extra grilled onions and extra mustard.  I love this thing SO MUCH that after I had the twins - after endless months of not being able to eat anything - THIS is what I ate...and I ate TWO, so me and Maxwell St. Polish have a history) No, this sandwich wasn't just awful in comparison to the other heavenly deliciousness - it was just awful.  All on its own.  The "whole grain focaccia" was horrendous - doughy and flavorless.  The veggies - all zucchini with two small slices of mushroom and a very thin slice of tomato - were not marinated, not seasoned at all.  It was so disappointing.   So...well... I'll live.  But this definitely marked my first cravings since I began my plant-based journey.  And, again, it wasn't so much that I wanted meat - it was that I wanted Portillo's.  Also got to go into Smuzi Juice Bar in Geneva, IL for the first time!  They're holding a fundraiser for our Non Profit in July and so I went in to drop off some brochures and get a juice.  Had a Yamtastic - sweet potato, celery, kale, apple juices with cinnamon.  It was very tasty!

   Last week's lentils and cauliflower worked out well.  I made a big batch and was able to throw some in salads, heat some up alone if I needed something quick... The convenience is a big thing because by the time I get meals made for everyone else, I just need something easy... I do NOT like cooking two meals, so having something easy to grab or add to a salad was fantastic.  Because that worked so well... for this week, I just made a big pot of ratatouille.  Eggplant, sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini and garlic... I'll make up a big bowl of quinoa to pair that with and I will have a go-to for the week.  It seems that this, as much as anything (having a simple pre-made item available) has made this easy. So far.

  That's about it.  Considering getting a juicer to lighten up & get the nutrition in.  Smoothies are delicious, they get the fiber on board, but with such a focus on nutrition, I feel like I might get some more nutrition with juicing.  I've bought and given away 2 juicers in the last 3 years...I don't like taking them apart, cleaning them is complicated... I don't know.  Gotta think about it.

  There. Now that's it.  Hope you had a great weekend!