Wish I Was a Foodie . . .

Last night, I watched the movie, Julie & Julia. It was a cute little movie and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. But, it made me realize something about myself.

I AM A PICKY EATER!!

So, Aaron's been telling me this over the past few weeks. We went to Bonterra one night and I tried something new -- some kind of Ravioli with Rockefeller Sauce. I took one bite and knew it wasn't for me. The texture was fine and it looked delicious, but it left an after taste in my mouth that I didn't like. Now, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bonterra and it's food. That night, I just decided to try something new and it wasn't my thing.

Then, there's other restaurants. I usually don't venture away from something that I know I'll like -- like steak. And, I always order the same thing when I find something that I do like. For example, when I go to

Chili's: Chicken Enchilada Soup & Caesar Salad. Sometimes a turkey sandwich and sometimes Quesadilla Explosion Salad. But, I think that's it.

Or how about Sharon Allen's: Medallions with loaded sweet potato & caesar salad.

Olive Garden: Pasta e Fagoli Soup & Salad

Rosa's: Nacho Salad or sometimes the Taco Plate

Chick-Fil-A: Chicken Sandwich, Fries (sometimes fruit), DP, Polynesian Sauce & Honey Mustard

Anyway, you get the point. But, after watching that movie, it made me wish I was more of a "foodie". I really don't enjoy eating. I don't savor every bite. I either like it or I don't. And sometimes, I decide whether I like it or not based on how it looks.

Here's a list of foods that I don't like . . . just for fun:

* Mushrooms -- they make me sick

* Cottage Cheese -- can't do the texture

* Fish -- just don't like it

* Any type of seafood -- although I did try calamari & octopus while I was in Cambodia

* Sushi

* Weird mixtures of things like in soups or casseroles

* Fried Chicken -- don't like pulling the meat off the bone

* Peppers

* I'm sure there's more . . . I'll try to keep thinking.

Anyway, I wish I enjoyed food more. Or was a little more adventurous with food. I wish I could go to Bonterra and let Joel feed me. Just can't do it. Or maybe I could let Joel because he might push me to try something new, but he might take it easy on me. . . probably wouldn't just walk in and say "Let the chef feed me." Nope, probably not.

On another trip to Bonterra, I ordered the salmon. I know, I'm not a fish person, but it was the only thing on there that I thought MIGHT be ok. I was pleasantly surprised. It had pesto drizzled over the top and it was really good! But, as I got to the end of it, I had had enough and started to get grossed out. But, I would probably order Joel's salmon again.

We were with a party and someone said, "This isn't really your kind of food, is it, Rachel?" My reply, "Nope." They asked what "my type of food" would be. I'm not sure. I like Chinese food (well, certain things) and I like Mexican food (again, certain things), but I don't have anything that is my absolute favorite. Then, we started talking about how we grew up. I grew up mainly on microwave food. My mom didn't like vegetables, so we didn't have them in the house. I was in high school before I ever tried broccoli, which I really liked!

Back to the movie -- I loved how Julie was determined to cook every recipe in that cookbook! She didn't look at the ingredients and decide she didn't like it before she cooked it. . . unlike me.

I'm realizing that my kids are a lot like me . . . or maybe I've become like them. Yeah, that's it!! They take one look at something and decide if they like it or not. Evan's more adventurous with his food. He will most of the time at least try a new food. He does like broccoli and cottage cheese, which are 2 things that Payton and Jaxon won't touch. I think Payton & Jaxon are the pickiest eaters on the planet. Jaxon just wants to eat waffles and chicken nuggets. Payton is just picky and he has been since he was a tiny baby. He never moved past stage 1 baby foods because he didn't like the texture. And, he would only eat sweet potatoes and apple sauce -- stage 1 foods only. Jaxon was kind of the same way, although he did move to stage 2 and stage 3 baby foods.

I want my kids to eat healthier. I want to cook healthier foods. So, I guess that all depends on me. . . oh great. Think Julie could come cook at our house for a little while? If that were the case, I would have to get much better with my facial expressions when something is put in front of me. Guess I'll have to change my eating habits and get over some of my little quirks.

Thank you Juile & Julia for proving that my husband is right -- I am a picky eater. (Sure hoping he doesn't read my blog anymore!)