ramblings of a (health) food addict

When me and the hub were in Vegas, we were lucky enough to have brunch at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.  OH.MY.HECK.  If you ever have the chance to go there, you simply must go!  Everything was super yummy.  Like, super-hero yummy.  We foolishly tried to walk-in for dinner, and ended up making reservations for the next afternoon.  If we canceled, it was a hundred smackaroos automatically charged to our card.  They mean business!  But what an excellent business they have.

We shared the following: Rough Cut Tuna "Nachos" + Tiger Shrimp Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale + Barbecued Lamb Cobb Salad.  I honestly can't tell you which was my favorite.  Even their bread basket was an assortment of deliciousness!  Four different biscuits/scones, and we HAD to try each and every one.  So much goodness.  And everything complimented each other.  The flavor(s) in our mouth by the end of the meal was almost as rewarding as the food itself.  Almost ;)

Brad and I tried to explain our Mesa Grill experience to our friends.  Pretty sure we failed...  You just had to be there!  But, Mr. friend noticed how much my face lit up and how excited I got when I was describing the food.  And you know what?  I get like that anytime I talk about good food!  For example, the Buffalo Blasts at The Cheesecake Factory: life changing.  Seriously.  And I don't even like chicken!  When I was trying to convince my husband how amazing they really were, he noticed my immediate animation.  Because nothing turns me on like food.

Pretty sure I'm a foodie.  And I think I'm a pretty good judge of what constitutes as good food.  But my real passion: good food that is good for you.  After a week(end) of indulgence, my body was crazy out of whack.  My stomach hurt.  I was lethargic.  Headaches galore!  No amount of tasty food is worth a life of discomfort.  I love the occasional Tiramisu cheesecake.  But I can't eat it every day.  What once tasted amazing now tastes... gross.  Because I'd feel gross.  Sometimes I have a hankering for a Whopper.  Yes, meat.  So I eat it.  But having a burger every single day?  No thanks.  When I'm planning meals for my family, I make sure it tastes good.  And I make sure it feels good.  It makes those trips to Chuck E. Cheese and Coldstone, or the Mesa Grill, that much more special.

Sometimes my mouth craves the unhealthy.  So I eat it.  I enjoy it.  And I relish in the flavor(s).  But then it's time to move on.  Because my body craves healthy. And I listen to it.  Because my body is worthy of good food.  I deserve to be healthy.  I enjoy being healthy.  And a healthy body is much more appreciative of what Life has to offer, such as food.  I eat to live, and I live to eat.  It just makes sense that food can (and should) taste good and be good for you.  It is not about denying what tastes good.  It's about tasting what is good.  *B