Cheeseburger & Fries
Cake & Ice Cream
Peanut butter & Jelly
Biscuits & Gravy
Chips & Salsa
You get the idea, foods that “go together” so well that it’s almost automatic to think of them in pairs. Before I decided to take a healthier trek through life, I ate all of these combinations. Not all at once, but it wouldn’t have been unheard of to have all of these in the same week. Now I don’t have them all in one year!
With 100 pounds to lose, it was clear to me at the beginning that some of these companion foods needed adjusting. The infrequent cheeseburger I have is now accompanied by a side salad. If I’m available for a splurge, I choose between cake OR ice cream. (Cake always wins!) I still have peanut butter and jelly, but the layers are much thinner and the jelly is an all-fruit spread. Or I have peanut butter & banana and leave the jelly for another day. Biscuits and gravy are a once-a-year (if that) splurge. There simply IS no acceptable tweak for biscuits and gravy that wouldn’t be sacriligious.
That brings us to chips and salsa. I present to you my favorite new, healthier companion foods:
Yep, that’s celery & salsa! Crispy, crunchy, slightly sweet, and delicious tomato spiciness! I highly recommend it as a lovely side dish for…well, just about anything. It’s also a really tasty and filling snack!
What were your favorite companion foods before you shifted to a healthier way of eating? Have you been able to tweak them or adjust to make them fit your new way of eating? Or would you rather have the original less frequently? Have you added any new companion combinations?
Here’s a new-to-me-combination: Pan-Seared Tilapia
and Wild Rice with Apples and Cranberries
I’ve been trying to try new foods and/or new recipes every few weeks, and apparently tonight was a two-fer. (The third item is sugar-free bread & butter pickles. Yum.) I followed both recipes as shown in the links above, with the addition of a splash of apple cider vinegar to the rice and dash of Cajun seasoning to the fish coating.
The cranberries and apples in the rice dish give it a lovely sweetness that wasn’t offset by my light hand in seasoning the fish. Will add more spice next time. I’m also eager to try the rice with chicken.
But that will be another day. Now I’m off to prepare my other new favorite food combo: vanilla yogurt with a sprinkling of mini-chocolate chips! 
