Making Popeye Proud

Posted on October 10th, 2016

There’s routine, there’s habit, and then there’s obsession.  I think we’ve firmly crossed that last line when it comes to my lunchtime habits.  I’ve eaten a simple salad every single workday in the last six months (except July 1 and September 28.  Honesty is important).

I had a routine when I lived and worked in New York, too– takeout.  I worked near Bryant Park, and had a rotation of about six places I visited for lunch just to get a break from my desk.  Mostly salads, sometimes sandwiches, and never less than $7.  My absolute favorite lunch of fancy schmancy chopped salads was setting me back $11.37, and I realized I could save a meaningful amount of money while still munching on my favorites if I just made it myself and walked around the block a few times to stretch my legs.

I’m not going to offend you by offering a recipe for a salad.  But in case you’re curious, here’s the salad accessories I typically choose with my chopped spinach & arugula base:

• Cherry tomatoes, halved
• Spiced pecans
• Fat free feta
• Slice of bacon
• 1/2 of small avocado
• …Something else, like roasted butternut squash, peas, chickpeas, or apples
• Trader Joe’s fat free balsamic vinaigrette, or red wine vinegar

I once had a nutritionist who suggested I had enough healthy fat in my diet and should maybe choose cheese or avocado, but that pretty much goes against my beliefs so I ignored it.  Bacon is a bit of a random choice, but I find it holds up pretty well in the fridge throughout the week, whereas chicken can start to taste a bit funky after 48 hours.

As a compromise, I sometimes buy a salad from a fancy schmancy salad place on Fridays when I miss the out-for-lunch experience, but even so I estimate I’ve saved $650 in the past six months… so I could turn around and spend it on lattes. We all have different battles we fight at different times, and I’m sure I’ll eventually tire of this monotony and may never be able to eat a vegetable again.  But in the meantime, this modern day Popeye will be over here chopping up a storm and checking for spinach in her teeth.