The last few years I’ve been on a bit of a health kick. The better-eating regimen, plus my annual sacrificing of a favorite food for Lent, then just giving up that treat permanently, has left me with a healthy, but somewhat blah diet. Several years ago I gave up sweets for Lent and I can’t say that I miss or crave baked goods or gum or the occasional hard candy. I do drink sugarless chocolate milk but a tall glass of it would not satisfy a sweet craving. I have convinced myself that cornbread is not a sweet so it is an indulgence about four times a year. I gave up fast food and take-out food as well. I must admit that walking past Burger King and smelling fries or onion rings could make me re-think that move, but I’ve not fallen off the wagon yet. I don’t eat fried food at home either – health wise that’s a great move, but it is also because I am lazy. Too much grease plus too much mess equals too many dishes. Not a happy equation for me. In 2012 I gave up salty snacks for Lent so going forward those treats bit the dust. I could sing the praises of White Cheddar Cheez-its forever. I would not even have the decency to pour them out into a bowl, but would sit idly eating them straight from the box, while watching the contents dwindle down as the telltale cheddar dust lingered on my fingers. I recently gave up flavored coffee creamers and have gone back to the boring powdered creamers. Today, as I wandered around the aisles of Meijer, I did get just a tad wistful for the olden days of carefree eating with reckless abandon, especially around the holidays. I think it was the large clear Santa boot of jumbo cashews I spied when buying the peanuts for the squirrels. Cashews were my mom’s favorite and we always had them around for the holidays. Another perennial salty snack favorite at our house was what my mom called “nuts and bolts” … it is what Americans call “Chex Party Mix”. She used the same salty snack ingredients, then would toast them in the oven. Half of the batch got garlic powder sprinkled over it and the other half remained bare. The garlic stayed with you for days, but both were yummy.

Naturally, it was all about the holiday season at the grocery store. One display was all the fixin’s for the bird, right down to the lacy frills to put on its legs. The green bean casserole necessities were at the ready as well and the pumpkin pie paraphernalia was handy to just grab and go. I passed up the pie fixin’s but reached for some Piñata apples which have finally arrived. I love their tropical taste and they are so crunchy. Grapefruit and bananas rounded out my fruits and lots of broccoli and baby carrots for Buddy and me to share. Michelle Obama would give me an atta girl if she inspected the contents of my cart. I did pause a long time gazing at the various eggnog products as I tried to reconcile if this was a treat or merely a glorified milk product. I’ll consider how much wiggle room I have over the next few weeks.

Christmas definitely trumped Thanksgiving and though a few displays had some customers talkin’ turkey, Christmas toys, treats and gift suggestions were at every available end cap. I must admit I had to stifle a giggle as I saw various Chia pets on display with each one bearing a likeness to one of the Duck Dynasty boys. There is a face and the seeds are planted to become the eventual plant/beard. Looks like Duck Dynasty items are the go-to gift this season. I saw the Duck Dynasty logo everywhere I looked – well ain’t that ducky?

Two tours of Meijer’s perimeter and my grocery shopping yielded many extra steps logged on the pedometer and when I got home I was surprised and pleased to see I had racked up 2 ½ miles this morning. It wasn’t exactly a “shop-‘til-you drop” event but multi-tasking works for me.