Something very tasty and exciting happened at Chipotle since I was last there. (We eat there about once a week on average, so this must be pretty new!!!) The salad has descended on the burrito giant! If you ask me, it has taken over and is queen of the place.
We left for lunch today headed for Chipotle. Don't get me wrong, I love the place, but I also really like variety. Since we go there quite frequently, I was mulling over my options in the car. Tacos or bowl? Chicken or Carnitas? Hmmmm... What I really want is a salad. I wonder if I can order a bowl with no rice and extra lettuce?
And then we walked in the door to a sign that said something about their new SALADS! Apparently the great pumpkin visited Chipotle early this year. I was enamored from the start. It was like that scene from Jerry MacGuire where Rene Zelweger's character says, "You had me at hello.". Then they even tell you that there are 65,535 options, and each one comes with their very own honey vinagrette dressing. I was in spicy honey vinagrette chicken and black bean heaven for about 15 minutes today...
In my vain quest to lose weight and be healthier, I have decided to eat more salads. I have no idea why I did not do this before; I love them and most of them are good for you. They are even easy to prepare. Of course, the problem for me has always been that my husband doesn't like any kind of lettuce. With no one to share my salad with, I have stayed away from making them at home.
I was so wrong. Not only does Chipotle have a handle on the ensalada; I have discovered that it really works just like a pizza or caserole. All you need is a bed of good, fresh greens and some leftovers and you're in business. Corn on the cob? Just chill it, cut it off the cob and throw it on your salad. Steak or chicken? Once again, cut it up and serve hot or cold on greens. (Lately, I've really been digging fresh spinach. The plus is how incredibly good for you it is!)
The idea of salads brings up a whole other, yet related, topic: school lunches. Most people who know me are at least somewhat aware that I try to stick to a pretty specific diet. My fare is generally all-natural and not processed. This leaves out white flours, sugar, preservatives, etc. While sometimes challenging, I feel better when I eat this way; so, I stick with it. I, therefore, cannot eat 95% (or more) of what is served in a typical school lunch. Buying my lunch at work is just not an option. I just take my lunch everyday. (Sometimes its even a salad topped with leftovers.) But what about the kids? Do parents even know what they're serving? Do we know that ketchup was declared a vegetable for at least a little while?
The government has developed a new, healthier eating guide for us to follow; it includes guidelines that are similar to my diet. Yet, the typical American diet is no where near the current guide. We eat WAY too much sugar and refined foods. There are non-food additives in an overwhelming amount of the food items sold in our stores. Some things are nearly impossible to find in all natural versions. For example, gum. I'm not a gum chewer, but my hubby is. We have only found one option; Glee gum can be found at your local Whole Foods if you have one. (It's cheaper at Whole Foods, but you can order it online here.) Personally, I think that if God wanted us to eat Red no. 40, He would have put it in tomatoes. Instead, He used lycopene, which, incidentally, is something we really need in our diets. I'm not going to say that artificial flavors and colors are bad in and of themselves (Although, they just might be - and I'm not willing to take the risk.); I am saying that refined products have replaced whole food options in many American diets and our health as a people is suffering for it.
Some kids, especially in inner city schools, do not have the option of bringing a lunch as I do. For many of them, the school lunch is the one meal they can count on getting each day. Ironically, the lunches in the inner city school I taught in were even worse health-wise than the ones I have seen in the 'burbs. When are we going to stand up and demand that our kids get truly healthy food?
In the words of Marie Antoinette, "Let them eat..." salad?