And the winner is....

Brussels Sprouts!  

Actually, Tilapia won too, so I will give that a whirl next week. 

Here's the final vote tally:

• Brussels Sprouts - 4 Votes
• Tilapia - 4 Votes
• Eggplant - 2 Vote
• Oranges - 1 Vote   **Clearly someone felt pity for me ;o)

I must say, I was pretty pumped about the voting and letting my readers decide, but as it got closer to Friday, the more nervous I got.  It's all fun and games until I have to do it!  I think I just have some anxiety about preparing the recipe I chose (see below) and dreading the fact that I may actually hate everything about these mini-cabbages.  I am preparing them on Wednesday so check back to see if I liked, loved, or hated them.  I'm hoping to take pics of the entire process---especially my face during my first bite.  

Here's the recipe I have chosen to go with:  Ina Garten's Roasted Brussels Sprouts  

It's simple (an idiot really could make it) and the reviews were great.  On a side note, anyone else incorrectly call them Brussel Sprouts?  Apparently it's BrusselS Sprouts.  Who knew!?!

Uh, did you wash that glass out?

If you were to ask my husband to name one habit of mine he'd love to change, I know exactly what he would say--If she could just use ONE glass for the day!

I cannot stand to use my Kool-Aid glass for water.  I cannot stand to use my water glass for soda.  I cannot stand to use my soda glass for ANYTHING!

Luckily for my husband, I gave up soda on December 19, 2011.  Yeah, that's right, I know the exact date and where I consumed my last taste of Pepsi--Imo's pizza.  Mmm, mmm, good.  Actually, I don't really miss the Pepsi because I've learned everything tastes better when it's not drowning in Pepsi.  The only time I miss soda is during that 3pm, afternoon slump when a nice shot of caffeine sounds so good.

Anyway, back to my glasses...

It just grosses me out to see my drinks contaminated by other people drinking out of my glass (other than my husband--he's on the safe list) and past drinks leaving residue behind to ruin my new drink.  I just can't stand cross-contamination of my drinks.  A nice, clean, fresh glass is the only way to go.  This weekend Jake used his tea glass for water and he didn't rinse it out--YUUUCK!  So the water was light yellow--totally reminded me of pee.  How could he drink that?  Didn't it taste awful--uber-duber watered down tea.  Blechk!!

I think this is part of my "picky" syndrome with food.  I get something in my mind and it's very hard for me to move past what I pictured in my head.

It's like when I eat the clementines....  I have to seriously concentrate on not noticing the fuzzy pith on the wedges.  If I look down and start to overanalyze the fruit, I feel a little sick to my stomach and my gag-reflex comes roaring to life.  I'm hoping that this will lessen and maybe even go away as I continue my food journey.  I really struggle with "contamination" of food and drinks, but here's to hoping that one day I can actually rinse out a glass instead of getting a new one for every drink I have throughout the day.  My husband will have to find a new bad habit of mine to wish away.... :o)

Roasted!!

If someone would have told me that I would be eating roasted broccoli and cauliflower once or twice a week, I would have laughed all the way to my chicken nuggets and fries at McDonald's.  Speaking of which, I haven't had McDonald's in over three weeks!

I'm lazy and bought pre-cut florets at Shop N Save.

Luckily, about two weeks ago, I took a chance on the popular vegetables everyone seemed to rave about.  I got my cookie sheet out, olive oil, salt, pepper, and the poor mans spice, Mrs. Dash and mixed up my veggies.

Tossing my veggies!! (in my PJ's)

Roughly, 15 minutes later, out popped my nicely charred broccoli and cauliflower.  I really like the look of the darkened broccoli florets and the browned cauliflower pieces--it actually looks appealing, which was a real surprise to me.  The smell--eh...kinda not so yummy, but it's not too bad.

Panko Chicken, Home-Fries, and Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower

The broccoli is slightly crunchy with just a hint of charred taste.  The cauliflower is actually creamy and  is actually a great compliment for the charred broccoli.  So far, my favorite thing to eat it with is chicken.  Something about the juicy chicken and the veggies really make me feel healthy, but it's filling and delicious.  I still can't believe I like it!!  I'd like to try to steam them, but I'm a little afraid they will get mushy or have no taste.  For right now, I am content with roasting them, but it's a goal of mine to try to steam more veggies.  I have a freaking steamer and have used it once to steam sweet potatoes for a pie......that I had one bite of.....cause I put nuts on it and I don't care for nuts (or so I've told myself).  

On a side note, I'm really shocked that I'm looking forward to trying new things.  I'm still a little leery, but since I've had success so far with a few things, it gives me confidence that I will continue to enjoy new foods.  Although, I know without a doubt one day I will make something and I am going to hate it.  Fun fun!

Tasty my ass!

Oatmeal is the most loathsome food out there!

YUCK!!!

I cannot tell you how many times I've heard that the best thing to eat for breakfast is a nice bowl of Oatmeal.  Put some bananas in it, sugar, maple syrup and it's soo good--if you are into the worst texture to put in your mouth in the entire world.  I can't even get the stuff far enough in my mouth to actually swallow!  My gag reflex is instantaneous and immediately my tongue rejects the oatmeal by forcing it back out of my mouth. 

It's not just the texture---it's the smell.  Is it glue?  Some weird paste?  Whatever the smell, it's not  yummy in my tummy!  No matter what I put in it, it's just completely unappealing.  The taste is just simply un-improvable.  Add sugar, honey or milk you say?  Yeah--so not happening.  Why make something to only add a crap ton of stuff to make it somewhat edible (if you like gravely dirt in your mouth with some sugar and berries).  

Roughly 4 years ago, I was convinced I was going to eat a bowl of oatmeal no matter how bad my reaction was to the disgusting pile of goo in front of me.  Surely I could learn to love it, right??  I patiently made it the old fashioned way and sat at the kitchen table convinced I could do it.  The first spoonful immediately came back up, but I thought, "I haven't had oatmeal in years, so I bet I just need some sugar or some fruit like they show on TV."  Yeah.....that didn't go so well either.  A few spoonfuls later that ended up in a napkin or in the trash can convinced me that oatmeal was never going to be for me.  No matter how many great things it has going for it (very filling, great nutrients), I just can't do it.  It's not for me and never will be.  So, fare the well oatmeal.  I hope someone out there adores you, but I quite frankly think you are D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G!

Wasting Away...

On any normal weekend when there's nothing on TV, I somehow end up watching the Food Network for the majority of the day.  I saw that a new show was challenging four chefs to find food in trash or wasting away in fields to feed 100 people.  One comment really hit close to home--the American public has been trained to expect flawless food.

Just about any time I eat a fresh vegetable, bet it a green bean or potato, I meticulously look it over for imperfections, blemishes or weird little spots.  If it's fruit, I'm looking for the same thing and to make sure it's not too mushy.  I realized that I'm not only picky when it comes to taste, I'm extremely picky about how my food looks.  Just last weekend I grabbed some fresh green beans at the store.  I made sure that I grabbed the brightest and healthiest green beans out of the bunch and even in the back of my head I was wondering just how many "bad" green beans I had in my bag.  Of course upon closer inspection, it was just tiny specs of dirt or normal imperfections, but I honestly had visions of throwing the entire green bean away simply for it's minor flaws.  What a waste!!  

I do the exact same thing with my fruit--except I'm even worse because I haven't quite opened my taste buds up to much in the fruit department.  I have a bowl of clementines and apples on my counter and sure enough, every morning I search for the least blemished, freshest and near perfection fruit I can get my hands on.  If it's the least bit squishy, I throw it away or "accidentally" forget it at work for 5 days to where it's actually no longer good to eat.  Why do I do this?  Because I have been trained to look for the best and brightest in the produce department.  

What's even worse, is that my parents go to a Farmer's Market with flawed food and people beg for more fresh food from them--yet here I am turning my nose up at it because of a few flaws that could either be avoided or cut out.  Heck---sometimes the flaw is on the outside and has nothing to do the good part of the fruit---it's all just superficial---just like me when it comes to produce.  

So I am adding on a new challenge to myself this year---Get over the flaws and just eat the damn thing!  Cut off the bad part and salvage the rest, don't discount the fruit because it has a tiny little bruise, and in general, just give it a chance because I know someone else is out there like me who won't be willing to...

Also, I wanted to share this article I read as well that found that the US lets nearly half of it's food supply go to waste: Half of US Food Wasted

Anyone else have this "Picky Produce" problem like me?  If so, let me know!

Voyeuristic Salad

I love salad.

Just not in the way you are probably thinking.

Salad, to me, can be pretty gross.  But it looks so pretty!  It looks tasty!  Crisp, crunchy, refreshing, healthy, and a bunch of other really great things.  It looks even better when they serve yummy chicken in it or those super cute tortilla chip strips.  However, when I eat it, I make a face--more specifically a "Yuck-Face".

It saddens me that I can't go to a restaurant and say "Yes, I'd like the awesomely delicious fiesta salad for dinner."  Instead, I become this creepy being that watches people enjoy their salads in envy!  I've even freaked Jake out by watching him so intently while he was eating his salad, he thought I was truly upset about something.  When in reality, all I was thinking was "I want your damn enjoyment of salads!  In my mouth!  ARGH!  Why not me?!?!".  I'm really not joking when I say, if you order a salad, chances are you will see me watching you eat it in pure jealousy.  I know, I know---I'm nuts, but I can't help it.

I remember on my 16th birthday, I wanted to eat salad so I asked my mom to prepare one with romaine and all sorts of veggies like carrots, radishes, mushrooms, etc.  I bought a bottle of Ranch dressing and a bag of croutons just for my special occasion.  I was absolutely convinced that I was going to force myself to eat the whole bowl of salad and magically I would love the taste.  Unfortunately, I had like 2 tiny bites and said screw that idea.  Where's the freaking birthday cake?

However, I have committed myself to trying new things in 2012 and opening my mouth up to new tastes and textures.  I am very happy to share some good news with you on the salad front.

Thanks to my Mom-in-Law, I have discovered that I like iceberg lettuce with slivers of grape tomatoes (1.5 to be exact), 10 croutons and Marzetti's Creamy Italian dressing.  I guess I have salad OCD.  Seriously, I will eat my whole bowl of salad if I am served exactly as I described above.  I will also eat Olive Garden salad--minus the olive, the pepper and any onions.  So...I guess I should say, I kind of eat Olive Garden salad.

Overall, I'm pretty proud of myself that in the last 2 weeks I've had more salad than I have had in my 29 years combined.  I will actually admit that last night, I really enjoyed my boring bowl of salad and did not make a face or push it into my mouth and wish it was pizza.  I'm so happy that I can say I like salad (at least my salad). Woot!!  

Being told no....

Being told no as a kid is hard enough, but being told no as an adult is just as hard, if not more so.

As a kid I was told no, you can't visit someone or no, you can't take the car.  As adult, I get the joy of being told no to food.  Since I am and have been a picky eater for nearly all my life, I've gotten into the nasty habit of having a meat and potatoes lifestyle.  And at times, mainly potatoes...

So now I have a challenge ahead of me of changing my eating habits and embracing a lot more veggies and fruits into my diet.  And in general, watching my potato addiction.  Why do potatoes have to taste so damn good?!?!?!  They taste even better with ketchup!  Damn them!

Anyway, I have to tell 'No' to myself and rely on the help of my husband.  It's very hard and somewhat depressing.  I'm looking to the future though and hoping that as I open my mind and my palate to new foods, I'll hopefully find a love affair with new veggies I've yet to discover and maybe learn to love a few I like right now.  Here's to trying new things and telling myself 'YES!' to new foods!

If any of my readers have any suggestions, feel free to message me on Facebook or leave a comment here.

Bologna and Ketchup....Mmmm, mmm, good

That's right--Bologna and Ketchup sandwiches!  I ate those for nearly most of my elementary school years.  I would bring my brown bag or new plastic lunch box, plop it down on the cafeteria table, and year a bunch of Yucks and Ewwws.  I don't know what it was about it, but it was just so dang tasty!  The tangy catchup, the savory meat (although now I don't think it's "savory", but give a kid a break!), and the fresh white bread--you couldn't beat it!!  Eventually I gave up the bologna and began using Velveeta.  So good!  Ketchup and Velveeta!! Mmm, mmm, good!  

   

It's so weird that I would eat a bologna and ketchup sandwich which I have to admit, never looked appetizing.  Yet I wouldn't eat a fresh tomato, salad, onions, squash, sour cream, any Mexican or any Chinese and a LOT more.  It's amazing to think that I would eat two pieces of mushy white bread slathered in ketchup with some bologna or Velveeta stuck inside.  Crazy!

Keep visiting my blog--Next week I am experimenting with Steamed Vegetables!  Wow...that's kind of sad that I am almost 30 and just now experimenting with food.  But the good thing is that I've already discovered a lot of new foods over the past 5 years that I love.  Can't wait to share it with you and other Picky Eaters.

Oh! My Clementine!!

Well, I did it!  I ate my first Clementine....and I liked it!  Except every time I touched that weird white stuff on it, I kind of wanted to barf.  Ugh...

Every wedge was great--super juicy, sweet, and best of all, satisfying.  Except for that damn pith.  It was kind of fuzzy looking, felt sticky in a weird, non-yummy-fruit way.  I just kept telling myself 'Don't think about the pith, Don't think about the pith."  Yet every time I popped a wedge in my mouth I couldn't help but look at it and go "Ew!  Why does it have to be fuzzy?!?!".  Honestly, I have to say it never felt fuzzy in my mouth and as soon as I sunk my teeth into it a wedge, the fresh sweetness totally downed out any of the bad parts.  

I will say the only down side was that I got a touch of heartburn afterward and my mouth/throat felt itchy.  I keep getting that feeling after I eat fruit, but it goes away quickly.  I think it's all in my head, but we'll see if it goes away the more I eat fruit and experiment with new things.  

But seriously, what's with that nasty pith?  Can't they make it less pithy by genetically engineering the fruit.  I am sure someone out there is fainting by the fact I want a genetically engineered less pithy clementine.  What can I say, I'm a picky eater!

Picky Eater - What's this blog about?

I'm a picky eater about to lay all my food phobia's, likes, dislikes, weirdness, etc out there for anyone to read.

Why would I do this?

To keep me accountable, to share my journey and let others know who are just like me that it is possible to like new things and it's okay if you don't!  I'm tired of being limited to meat and potatoes and want to eat the fruits and veggies everyone seems to love---aka I'm jealous dammit!  So, here goes...

Follow me over the next year as I try to eat new things, love things that I force myself to eat, and look back at all the odd crap I do eat.