or are you just happy to see me? Just kidding.

I was thinking that some (many?) people would think it quite odd that I never leave my house without a bag full of string beans in my purse. I mean I know it for sure. People have commented on it. For me it's the perfect little snack. It's easy to eat and it tides me over til I can get to my real meal. I don't want to be caught somewhere longer then I anticipated, like in the middle of grocery shopping or in the mall and have to succumb to one of "those" foods because I wasn't prepared. Heaven forbid.

So, what are some, shall we say, unusual things that you do to keep on plan?

This is actually amusing because I went to a class a few months ago where there was provided snacks (lunch on our own). Snacks were sweets, nothing remotely healthy. Pastries, brownies, cakes, etc.

I took roasted green beans with me every day. I was sitting next to a guy for the duration of the class. On the first day, he looked at my green beans and said 'I'm not even going to ask'.

This is so funny!
My DD actually loves to eat raw string beans. Favors them over candy. I always thought that higly unusual, but it seems I am mistaken!

I've gotta give string beans another try. It's a texture thing for me.

Weird stuff I eat.....cottage cheese everyday. My dinners are probably weird for some people though. A bowlful of steamed veggies topped with ground turkey (with red chile or tomato sauce), a little cheese, and chopped onion. I could eat that every day. A variation would be to add cottage cheese to the bowl too.

I *want* to munch on raw green beans. I like veggies. But I just don't care for the raw green beans.

I might try the roasted ones. I like them fresh from the oven, but cold may work. But a little greasy for finger food.

I'm not sure if I've ever tried raw green beans. Pea pods? Yes. I love those with baby carrots. Maybe celery, too. I'd even throw in a few sticks of red or orange pepper to mix it up a bit, but I've never even thought about green beans.

Ok, since we're on the topic of weird things to keep on plan...we live in earthquake-ville, right? I refuse to ever get low on canned beans (of all kinds). Seriously? I could live on canned beans for a few weeks without feeling deprived (or depraved?!?!).

Nelie, that IS funny. I can certainly relate. I LOVE roasted green beans even better then the raw ones, but I find the raw ones suit my purpose better as a quick munchie. It's kinda like my "emergency food."

Midwife, how I wish I liked cottage cheese. Such a nutritional powerhouse. But I can't tolerate it. It turns me off something wicked.

Alison, our supermarket here is having their annual "can-can" sale and people are walking out of there with cases upon cases of beans. Other canned items as well. But those beans are more popular then I thought. I stocked up myself. Part of that sale is non-stick cooking spray and boy have I loaded up on those.

I do other "unusual" things too. I mean even my friends think I'm totally nuts and just can't picture themselves doing it. Though a few of them sound quite envious that I DO do them. Did that make sense?

-The first thing that I eat of the day is often salad. I like to push off my "real breakfast" til about 10 or 10:30. So I start out with some salad. Usually cucumber or a tomato/cucucmber/onion salad.

-I have no problems eating the same food day after day after day after, I think you get it.

-I shop for food at least 5X a week.

-I eat an ENORMOUS amount of vegetables, hence why I shop at least 5X a week.

-You wouldn't think this one is so weird, but many of my friends do - I rarely eat the white stuff. Ya know, flour, rice, pasta. I rarely eat ANY grains. I know many folks here do, but I keep them to a bare minimum.

Weird? Unusual? Perhaps. I have no problem with that label. Whatsoever. Works for me.

I'm laughing at all the crazy things I do that I don't even think of as crazy anymore. Nor do my co-workers, friends, or my BF (bless his heart for putting up with me) - they've seen me do it all so often none of it's a big deal.

Bring veggies, salads, fruit, packets of tuna, yogurt... really any food, anywhere and everywhere. Yup, I've whipped food out of my purse just about anywhere you can think of. Literally do not leave the house, office, boat, anywhere without it, just in case I get hungry.

Since I live in such a rural area it's my local stores don't carry some foods I really like (e.g. Jennie-O Lean ground frozen turkey), sell things I can easily afford since I live on a budget (I can get organic peanut butter here but pay an arm & a leg), never have things that I like on sale (e.g. high price of Kashi cereal) and just have very little selection (e.g. only 2 kinds of Kashi cereal, sad produce selection...). So every 2-3 months I go to the city and hit the co-op, Publix grocery store, and Walmart and stock up on "my foods".

Go on business trips and bring breakfast and snacks for every day I'll be gone.

Go on business trips with other people and bring lunch, that I will eat in the parking lot, when I know full well that everyone I'm going with will want to stop and eat in a restaurant. I eat, stretch my legs in the parking lot, and then go sit with them while they finish their meal.

Ditto with what Robin said about eating tons of veggies and stopping for them often (I have to stop for bananas every 3 days since they turn so quickly).

Refuse to drink alcohol in social situations when everyone else is and it's being pushed upon me repeatedly. Geez, I said NO, people.

Generally being picky about what I'll eat. If I don't get my glass of skim milk with breakfast, I'm not happy. etc.

Does this make me high maintenance?

Oh, I forgot, my old roommate thought it was really strange that I would set out tupperwares on the weekend and chop up 5 days of veggies, several days of salads, make lunch en masse, make dinners to take with me when I wouldn't be home to eat, etc. She did not appreciate my weekly prep-work!

LOL, that is too funny. I don't carry food around with me usually, except for a box of tic-tacs which are my emergency food. I do, however, keep food in a drawer in my desk at work, and I have an entire desk drawer full of different teas.

Probably the main weird thing I do that a lot of people don't do is that every Sunday I pick out recipes for the week, then I buy all my ingredients in one grocery trip. Not as hard-core as Megan chopping veggies on the weekend, but I do plan!

Jessica~not only do I plan a week of menus, but my grocery list is divided up for ease as well. I don't know how anyone can go to the store for 40-50 items and have it all as a list. Mine is divided like this:

fruits & vegetables
Frozen
Meats
Dairy and bread
Canned and bottled
Packaged
Misc (things like toilet paper, etc.)

Oh. I do that too. Add another weird thing to my list.

My grocery list is usually all crazy, but I almost always have a healthy snack on hand. My usual is a Dark Chocolate Nectar bar (mmm 140 calories of pure numminess). I also carry around dried mango quite a bit.

I used to carry around vegetables ALL THE TIME but I had that weird swallowing issue last year and fibrous raw vegetables made me feel like I was choking. I switched my afternoon snack to string cheese and I haven't been brave enough to try my old standby of baby carrots, sugar snap peas, red pepper strips and grape tomatoes. I might try them at work, but I'd be worried to eat them "on the road" just in case I get that "can't swallow" feeling (I think it's in my head though, after the mono cleared up, I haven't experienced that problem - but it was plenty scary and my mind remembers!)

Add me to the weirdness list too. Robin, have you had dried green beans? They are delicious and don't make a mess in your purse. I found a store that carries them unsalted.

I always carry string cheese and a apple for emergencies.

And I eat virtually the same thing day after day after day.....

Mel

Glory - Are we TWINS? I am having that same issue right now, with more than just veggies (sometimes chicken breast, or bread...anything on the drier side). It's terrible! I have to keep water near me all the time in case I start to panic.

My grocery list involves a grid of menus for the week at the top, divided first by store (I have to go to multiple...because I eat so many veggies I have to watch the grocery bill on those, so I go to a produce stand...then I go to my organic-type market for some stuff and to Food4Less for others...), then by section. The planned menu is then written on a kitchen whiteboard, mostly to help me remember what to defrost each night for the meal the next day.

I also carry snacks, less for me than for Sarah, who has a terrible tendency to not plan and then drive the car (with me in it!) into a drive through. Too much temptation, so we keep snacks on hand.