Eating Out - Non-Western Diet-Style

The hubby and I went to an IMAX movie last night with his mom. Afterwards we thought we would stop somewhere for a bite to eat.

Since he and I are making an effort to eat less (much, much less) processed foods, we found ourselves in a dilemma. Where the heck do you go when you want to eat out in America and are trying to avoid the "Western Diet"? We live in the Memphis, TN area. Southern-style food abounds! Fried this, fried that, super-sized portions of everything are the norm.

After much discussion about the matter, we realized that if we wanted more vegetables than meat and fresher vegetables at that, our choices were Greek/Mediterranean or Oriental (and NOT the oriental buffet). Hubby hasn't gotten on board with the Greek/Mediterranean yet, so we opted for Thai.

We decided to go to Thai Bistro in Cordova, TN. We all have been there before but don't go there often enough. As we assumed, the menu options and ingredients were quite appropriate for our goals! He had broccoli with chicken in oyster sauce. I had Pad Woonsen with no added meat. It had veggies, sprouts, rice noodles, and eggs in a light sauce. (They do not over-sauce their dishes at Thai Bistro.) The broccoli in my husband's dish looked like someone had just gotten it from the garden to put it in his dinner.

What he left on his plate, his mom took home for her lunch today. What I had left on mine came to work with me for my lunch.

Since Monday, our dinners have consisted of:

• Shrimp in a homemade creamy tomato soup (Italian-style with Ancini de Pepe pasta)


• Crab-stuffed flounder (the Flomlette) with steamed zucchini/yellow squash/onions, sauteed baby portobello mushrooms.


• Tuna curry (made by my mother-in-law - one of hubby's all-time favorites)


• And our Thai last night.

I have salmon thawing in the fridge for tomorrow. The weather should be nice so hubby will grill that!

We have taken left-overs for lunch most days. We have each had one pre-packaged frozen entree for lunch because they were already in the freezer. Once those are gone, we will buy them less frequently (if at all). I will be exploring ways to create good lunches for us that are in keeping with our "real food" commitment.

I'm really amazed that my husband has taken to this change so well. He really wants to change how he eats and that means he must change what he eats. I don't think he has had more than one Coca-Cola this week. As a result, he said he has lost some weight. I'm really proud of his willingness to try new things and to participate in making changes in how we eat. When everyone in the family is on board, things are so much easier!