Big Box Stores and Lunch

Changes are coming this year.  A definite domino effect will be happening in our lives and in our home.  The one aspect I can share right now is a bathroom (or two or three) remodel is going to occur.  Our main floor 1/2 bath is due for an upgrade and since this is such a small space, every detail will matter 10x more.  We begin by looking at tile in the big box home store.  This one is pretty high on the list for the bottom half of the wall and then a border.

But, what do you do on the floor if you use this tile?

We are considering something like the top center.  We are also going to keep looking.  Maybe a chocolate Pergo?

In the meantime, a rare occasion - the entire family is together for lunch and so we continue with convenience and go to a chain restaurant. Two of five order unsweetened iced tea and we are all happy to see the server brought the glasses filled and this cute little pitcher of more unsweetened iced tea.  So smart!  So thoughtful!  If we ordered soda, what would Mayor Bloomberg of NYC say?  Would it have been illegal?  Well, since we aren't in the big city it doesn't matter.

We all order or are entitled to the salad bar with our meals.  I love the apple salad.

As always, I avoid dressing on my regular salad.  We all comment and laugh about the extreme firmness and crunch of the croutons.

I can overhear a little girl (I think she was less than five years old by the squeak in her voice) was saying, "Nana, did I make a healthy choice for lunch?  Is it healthier than (name withheld to protect the innocent)?"  How funny - no matter what, children are born to be at least mildly competitive with their sibling and I think I simply fell in love with the idea this little Princess was concerned if she made a healthier lunch choice than her sister.  

I was later able to see her and she was a walking doll in a dress filled with sequins, long shiny blonde hair and bright blue eyes.  Adorable!

When our lunch plates arrived, I spontaneously created a new family blog procedure I hope becomes tradition.  I photographed my meal and the Mr. but then passed my phone to the rest of the family at the table and asked them to shoot their own plates.  I thought it would be interesting to see their perspective.

My fish tacos.  I was surprised at the amount of spice and was grateful I had asked for the sauce on the side.  I thought the little taco stand was simply the cutest.

The Mr. does sometimes read the blog and he was also aware I would be cooking chicken for dinner.  Not sure which bit of information influenced him more, but he switched things up and ordered a New Orleans Gumbo.  It looks a bit familiar - I make a dish in the same family, but not really a gumbo just in the style of gumbo.  I like to create dishes with no names but based on recipes.

It was warm, but in a way, I don't think it was as seasoned as the fish.  

Our younger son opted for a shrimp pasta dish and here is his photo after I cropped the image.

His portion was large enough that he split it in half to ensure he could bring the left-overs to work for lunch the next day.

Next up, my older son's girlfriend.  The two of them had a recent date and she had a bad burger experience and so she tried to wipe out the memory with this one.  The first photo is untouched and the second is after a bit of editing.  Does the cropping and tweeking matter?

I just like the cleaner, uncluttered look of just the plate.  What do you think?

Older son's quesadilla.  I worried it wasn't enough food, but after the salad bar he seemed fine.  Again, the first photo is his and the second had a bit of electronic assistance.

We spent three meals together that day.  A breakfast of french toast, some of them made with raisin bread, our big chain lunch and then I closed with chicken cutlets, rice, string beans, bruschetta with toasted Italian bread, and a tossed salad.  A close knit day of being Fed Well together.