Lap Banded Living Meals By Betsy - Traveling, Celebrations, Temptations, and Eating!
By: Betsy Banks
I'm sitting in a hotel room, post-graduation and pre-brunch-thinking about life and its celebrations. Today, on what is perhaps the most gloriously sunny and temperate days Houston has ever offered, I became the mother of a Rice University graduate.
As you might imagine, the last few days have been a whirlwind of activity and excitement-and eating! We've done barbecue at Luling City Market (www.lulingcitymarket.com), dessert at the Chocolate Bar (www.theoriginalchocolatebar.com), and Mexican at Tacos a Go Go (www.tacosagogo.com). We've done the breakfast drive-through at Taco Cabana, and had buckets of crawdaddies at Ragin Cajun (www.ragin-cajun.com). And once my family returns from campus and the post office (because I've ducked out of the onerous task of box-packing and shipping to write this), we're heading out for eggs Benedict with rosemary hollandaise and mimosas at Brian O"Neill's (www.brianoneills.com).
I've returned to my former Houston home, where my memories are doused in remoulade and served with a side of hush puppies. Even in the face of food temptations, I have stayed true to my new way of eating. And you know what? I've still enjoyed every food I love and have missed. I've simply adopted the three-bite rule: while I continue to focus on my usual protein-and-veggie fare, if there is a food I really want, I allow myself to have it. With one caveat: my intake is limited to three bites, maximum. With the help of my band, this is remarkably easy-and remarkably satisfying.
The three-bite rule has served me marvelously. In fact, there hasn't been a single food, yet, for which I've felt the need for more than one bite. At Luling, famous for smoked brisket (and the best barbecue sauce on the planet which, yes, you can order online), there was no issue at all. It's a low-carber's paradise. Protein, protein, and protein makes up the meal. No need to change my modus operandi! There, I tucked one enormously flavorful and satisfying meal successfully under my belt. Deprived? I don't think so!
At the Chocolate Bar, I sampled the delectable homemade Snow Berry ice cream my son chose, but ordered a single square of astoundingly good salted caramel for myself. Of that, I ate only a third, offering tastes to my companions. Deprived? I don't think so!
At Tacos a Go Go, I had a breakfast taco-for which I picked fresh ingredients to complement scrambled eggs. I left the tortilla behind (after having just one taste), but loaded up on their excellent salsa verde. Deprived? I don't think so!
At Ragin Cajun-well. What can be better than a bucket of mudbugs? I'll tell you: a bucket of mudbugs and a frozen hurricane. Even alcohol, though, is subject to my three "bite" rule (though it's difficult to quantify a "bite" of a drink). Instead of drinking a whole hurricane, I took a couple of sips of my daughter's, and stuck with iced tea. Deprived? I don't think so!
And now, I'm looking at the menu for Brian O'Neill's. What I want to have is what my daughter is ordering: eggs Benedict with rosemary hollandaise. But I won't order that for myself. Instead, I will order the crudités of fresh vegetables with peppercorn dressing and pepper-seared ahi tuna. And then, I will have a bite-or two or three, if Abby doesn't stab me with her fork-of the Benedict with rosemary hollandaise. Why? Because I am of the firm belief that there are few things in life that cannot be improved with rosemary. And that includes, of course, a Saturday afternoon in May.
Next Saturday, I'll be back home-having a party for about 40 people. I will share with you, then, how I tackle celebratory eating at home. Until then, have a wonderful week!
Betsy Banks
|
Exploring WLS
Facebook
Twitter
Sandi Henderson
Gloria Samuels
