2009 Food Challenge: Minestrone Soup

Yes, I know it's been FOREVER, but I'm finally back with another installment of my 2009 Food Challenge! Just as a refresher... I'm striving to buy and try one new item each time I go grocery shopping.

What did I buy? Campbell's Minestrone Soup.



Any preconceived notions? For once, I had none. Overall, I'm not a huge fan of soup. The only kind I ever eat is Chicken Noodle, but I don't feel soup in general is filling enough to be considered a meal.



Have I tried it before? No.

How was it prepared? Mixed with water and heated up on the stove. How else would you do it?




The verdict? Hmm... not too shabby. The bad thing about soup is it's a vegephobic's worst nightmare. The good thing about soup is you can pick around all the nastiness. And that's exactly what I did. I very much enjoyed the "broth" and the noodles. The carrots were edible but tasteless. Beans? EW. I avoided those at all costs. And there were some things in that soup that I couldn't even identify. Scary.




Will I buy it again? I'm not so sure. While it wasn't bad, I didn't eat enough of it to feel like it was worth buying. But perhaps this will open the door to different kinds of soups (soups without beans, hopefully!).

2009 Food Challenge: Sunflower Seeds

I'm still crazy sore from yesterday's run, so I'm taking the morning off. And in an interesting plot twist, I've been contacted about ANOTHER job! This one is in Green Bay. Big difference between Green Bay and Tulsa!

So here, for your viewing pleasure is another edition of the 2009 Food Challenge!

What did I buy? Sunflower Seeds... roasted and salted. I consider this my segue to nuts (which I hate).



Any preconceived notions? When they are in their shell, they make me think of the mice I used to own (it's what they ate). When they are out of their shell, they make me think of crazy health nut people sitting around eating their seeds.

Have I tried it before? Once or twice here or there... but never roasted.

How was it prepared? Just plain out of the bag.



The verdict? I was surprised that I actually liked them. It was a good snack because it takes me a while to eat them all (which means I'm not eating other junk during that time!). I can only handle so many though. After a while, they start to taste rather bland.

Will I buy it again? I think I just might.

Handicapped With a Bottle of Wine

I went grocery shopping tonight... accidentally parked in the handicapped spot... now convinced I'm going to hell.

Bought something new for my 2009 Food Challenge! I will post results tomorrow or the day after.

My weekend is quickly coming to an end. 7 days of work ahead.

Going to watch Biggest Loser with Ryan (via AIM) and a bottle of Chardonnay. Woo!

2009 Food Challenge: Cantaloupe

I'm back after a long absence for the third installment of my 2009 Food Challenge.

What did I buy? A cantaloupe!

Any preconceived notions? My mom likes to eat them. The fruit always seemed a little slimy to me.

Have I tried it before? Yeah, a piece here and there over the years.

How was it prepared? Cut, duh.



The verdict? I was right about the sliminess! And the taste was kind of bland. And some of the pieces were hard to chew (my mom says because they are out of season).



Will I buy it again? What does this face tell you...

2009 Food Challenge: Whole Grains

For those of you who didn't know, and for those of you who forgot, I am working on my very own 2009 Food Challenge this year.

When I started this, I said, "every time I go grocery shopping, I will buy ONE item that I have either never tried, or tried once and disliked."

Last time, it was eggs. They were so-so.

This week, I present you with: Whole Grain! I decided to just lump whole grain foods into one big category instead of reviewing them all seperately.

What did I buy? I bought Whole Grain Wheat Bread, Whole Grain Mac and Cheese, and Whole Grain Rotini Pasta.

Any preconceived notions? I have to admit, I wasn't particularly looking forward to this challenge. I don't like breads with little things in them (grains? seeds? I dunno). And I'm a HUGE fan of regular pasta, so I'm pretty convinced it can't be improved upon.

Have I tried it before? I've tried whole grain bread before (I think), and didn't HATE it... I just like white bread so much better. I've been buying white for years now. However, I have never tried whole grain pasta. The color of it scares me.

How was it prepared? The bread was used in a peanut butter sandwich. The mac and cheese was prepared via instructions on the box. The pasta has yet to be made (I'm a busy girl).

The verdict? The bread wasn't bad. It DID have little things (grains? seeds? I dunno) in it, but they weren't huge, and after a while, I hardly noticed.



However, I didn't enjoy the crusts... they seem thicker than normal bread and had a funny almost burnt taste to them.



But, I DID eat a second sandwich later in the week, so that's a good sign.

The mac and cheese was just okay. The dark noodles had a distinctively different flavor to them than what I'm used to.




I think I will have to try the mac and cheese one more time to fully make up my mind. After all, it may just be this specific brand that I didn't enjoy (although, who DOESN'T like Annie's?).

Will I buy it again? The bread, definitely. The mac and cheese, not sure.

Tune in next time for another episode of the 2009 Food Challenge (DUN DUN DUNNNNN).

2009 Food Challenge

The past few times I've gone to the grocery store, I kept thinking that I should buy some eggs. Now, normally, I only use eggs to bake with. It's been 9 or 10 years since I've eaten an egg by itself. I had one once and didn't like it, so I never had one again.

Don't you think it's time I tried another egg?

So yesterday, at the store, I bought a half dozen eggs. And last night, at my apartment, I scrambled one.

Yes... only one. Which I realize now results in very little egg.

And after I scrambled it, I ate it. Well... some of it.

You know what? It wasn't horrible. Actually, it didn't have much of a taste at all. The texture was different... spongy.

While I don't think eggs will become my new favorite food, it really got me to thinking... I need to start re-trying more foods.

Thus begins the 2009 Food Challenge!

How does this work? Well, every time I go grocery shopping, I will buy ONE item that I have either never tried, or tried once and disliked.

For those of you who've been around for a while, you remember that I'm a SUPER picky eater. Therefore, this challenge should last me a looong time (all year, perhaps?).

I'll be blogging about the delicious (more like nauseating) results.