If you're anything like me (guest blogger Sarah Ellsworth), you see news articles or Instagram posts that inspire you to eat certain foods - healthy, nutrient dense, new and different. I come away from those articles thinking I need to find that ingredient and try it - but I never get around to it. Or sometimes, when I'm grocery shopping, I'll run across a food I've read about but never seen before. I'll buy it in the store, bring it home, and leave it sitting in the fridge until it goes bad, because I don't know how to fix it, or I'm scared of screwing it up. (Surely I'm not the only person who does this, right?)
One of the things I love most about Pete's Paleo meals is that I get out of my comfort zone by eating the meals. Because Pete decides the meals and combinations for me, I don't get the opportunity to say, "No thanks to the kale," or "Can we swap the bison for something else?" I get a fixed menu, and because I don't want to waste any food, I give all of it a try.
I've read that children need to try a food 10-15 times before their tastebuds adjust to it. Frankly, I think adults' tastebuds aren't too different - I had a number of false starts with Brussels sprouts before I decided that I can tolerate them, and it took several more tries until I actually decided to like them! (For the record, roasted at high heat after being halved and covered in fat is definitely the way to go!)
In looking at the menus, it's easy to see how each week brings a new opportunity to get outside your culinary comfort zone. Especially for those of us who live outside the culinary capitals of the world and who don't have access to many unique ingredients, Pete's paleo delivery meals give so many opportunities to try new vegetables, new proteins, new spices, and new preparation methods. Because you're eating in the comfort and privacy of your own home, and because the foods are so artfully prepared and seasoned, you can take the time to decide whether you like this new food. Because of Pete's, I've had the opportunity to try (and now love!) Swiss chard, purple potatoes, kale, collard greens, bison, and duck. Those may not seem unusual to some people, but they were wildly outside my comfort zone!
In this week's paleo meal menu, you'll see things like jidori fajitas, brisket adobado, grouper, turnips, kale, collard greens, and roasted mushrooms. Even if you've seen and eaten all of these proteins and vegetables before, you probably haven't tried every combination or seasoning or cooking method. Having a variety of options keeps me from getting bored, and keeps me on the right track of healthy eating. Sometimes, we just need that little nudge to get us eating something new and different. Pete's Paleo delivery meals often give me that nudge out of my comfort zone, and the confidence to buy and prepare new foods. There are a lot of benefits to buying Pete's Paleo meals, but the introduction to new foods is definitely one of my favorites!