Go ahead, make my day

Well you might think this post is related to "I hate it when people are nice to me", but actually, this one is about the battle with the organic diet.

Let me start by saying that we're still on the organic path; however, we eat a lot of non-organic foods because sometimes I just can't find the things I need in organic. And I've completely broken down on the whole organic milk thing. Paying $6.25 for a gallon of milk is just outrageous. We're drinking Dean's Milk (which claims not to use artificial growth hormones and they supposedly milk their cows until they're antibiotic-free until they put them on the production line). I had to supplement the organic produce with regular because I found myself leaving the grocery store with...nothing much. I finally decided that it's better to eat more fruits and veggies and get organic when I can.

Every once in a while, Jim will go completely renegade and demand bratwurst on white hotdog buns, yellow mustard, pork&beans, root beer, and yellow corn chips with cheese sauce from a jar. When he starts making demands like that I let him go - he's got a look in his eye that says "Don't mess with me on this one".

As you know, food has become something of an issue because Jim's tastes have changed as he goes through chemo. I'll bring something home that he's liked before (brussel sprouts, beans, soups) and he'll turn up his nose. I've been pretty accommodating in the past because, well, he has cancer. But that all took a turn while Jim's Mom and Sister were here.

One of the many luxuries of having Janet and Judi visit is that they cooked dinner for us every night. A whole week where someone else bought the groceries and cooked - what a delight. And the food was GREAT! Not only that, but I got to combine two of my favorite activities - watching Oprah and drinking wine - as Janet took care of the kids and Judi did the cooking. That's enough to write a song over.

So where am I going with this blog?

Jim ate everything. Everything. Everything. Without complaint. Not even so much as a scrunched up nose. WHAT the...? I should be glad that he ate like that, right? He's been refusing to eat beans for quite a while now. One night Judi even made beans and he ate them!!!!! You could practically see the steam coming out of my ears over that one.

Now, neurotic as I am, my first inclination was to question my cooking abilities. I mean, isn't that the first thing you thought while reading this? I'm no Martha Stewart, for sure, but I can most certainly make an edible dinner. And I'm only steaming my beans, so messing them up would be pretty tough. When I confronted him later on the bean issue, he said "but I ate them for you" - ah, you ate them for me? He said that he wanted to make me happy by eating his veggies. And that probably would have been fine provided I hadn't written to the world that he's got eating issues with my food. But to not turn anything away? Even the beans? He won't even let me bring beans home!

So, things came to a head (long after poor Judi and Janet left, who are most likely reading this with a look of dismay because they were just happy that Jim was eating) this week. My new Cooking Light came and there are some really good looking recipes in it.

I found myself challenging my chemo-challenged husband by saying things like "Hm...Chipolte Pork Tenderloin with Strawberry and Avocado Salsa?" and then quickly looking at him to make sure there wasn't any hesitation. I then gave him the wicked eyeball while I read off the next title "Teriyaki Shrimp and Pineapple Kabobs?" (pineapple is newly on the no-no list), and he still agreed to that, although with a bit of hesitation. Hm. More challenge: "What about Snapper with Spinach and Tomatoes?" Now I can hear him swallow a giant "gulp" - {crickets chirping outside} - "that sounds good," he managed to squeak.

Food shouldn't be a show-down, but hey, if he's willing to make exceptions for his Mom and Sister, then by-golly he can bend for me, too. He can at least try some of it. Lately it seems that my restrictions list is longer than what I am allowed to buy. And Rice Krispies don't count.

So far he's eaten the snapper and the pork tenderloin without complaint. Tomorrow night are the shrimp and pineapple kabobs. We'll see how he does with them. I'm thinking he'll manage to choke some of it back while I stare at him intently with my "Go ahead, make my day" look. And like our three-year old daughter, he has to try some of everything.

Oh, don't look at me like that. At least I haven't cooked up a brussel sprout-bean-pineapple-soup medley. Yet.