Lunches for One

My husband and I have very different approaches to how we choose what we eat. Brian would be perfectly happy eating peanut butter sandwiches or Subway's parmesan chicken sandwiches every day for lunch. I, on the other hand, would prefer to eat something different every day, with the favorites rotated back in every once in awhile. Given the choice, we rarely choose to eat the same thing.

Of course, when it comes to meals at home, we compromise. The restaurants can fix us two different meals, but I will not. Sometimes, I make us safe meals - things I know we both like; and sometimes I make us experimental meals - things I think might be a stretch. And sometimes, Brian likes those experimental meals.

However, there are some things that Brian refuses to eat. For example, beans - as in black beans, refried beans, and garbanzo beans. To name a few more, there's squash, eggs, cheddar cheese, avocados, fish, lentils, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and risotto rice. Now, in his defense, I have learned there is an exception to nearly every item on his list. For example, if the cheddar cheese is smoked, then it's good. And if the eggs have sugar and lemon juice on them (like a Dutch Baby), they're okay too.

Now, to be fair, I have food dislikes too. I really can't stand cantaloupe or goat cheese. Thankfully, these are fairly easily avoidable.

I was discussing this issue of not getting to eat as many different foods as I wanted to with a friend a few weeks ago, and she told me her strategy: she makes the things she wants to try and her husband refuses to eat for herself for lunches. Two problems solved: a cheaper, probably more healthy lunch than takeout, and an opportunity to not feel deprived of all those recipes.

I thought it was such a fabulous idea, I implemented it immediately. Gone are boring dinner leftovers and (gasp! yes, I bought some of them) frozen microwave meals. In their place are French Lentil Salad, brie cheese, artichoke antipasto, Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, black bean salsa, and this week's lunch:


Autumn Millet Bake.

I guess I should say, "Thanks, Brian, for being so picky!" and "Thanks, Sarah, for a solution!" My lunches have definitely improved because of both of you.