A Delicious Detour

Sometimes the little detours in life, or in a day, for that matter, are the things that spice up an otherwise perfectly planned-ahead-of-time occasion.  I had an experience of this sort a week before Christmas.  I'd traveled to Austin to spend a little quality time with my grands so their parents could have a night out.  Their date was planned weeks in advance since they are big Star Wars fans and it was the premiere of The Last Jedi.  Never mind that the nursing baby was unaccustomed to a bottle.  I was confident my grandmothering skills and snuggles would make up for the newness of the situation.  We had a few moments, but overall, everyone had a good evening, and she took the bottle just fine.

It was just an overnighter, but I had managed to squeeze in a stop at one of my favorite places to pick up some lunch on the way.  If you are in the Austin area, or if you ever travel there, and you happen to be a whole-food foodie, you will love Picnik.  It is comfort food all the way.  My favorite is their butter bone broth with cayenne, ginger, and turmeric.  I make my own bone broth from time to time, but this is just liquid heaven.  Their shaved brussel sprouts are some of the best I've had (and I must say I can make a mean skillet of them myself), and this trip, I tried their chicken strips.  Wow.  Not only are they gluten-free and cooked up in healthy fats, they are, hands down, the best chicken strips I've ever eaten.  My inner foodie was totally satisfied. 

After the babysitting gig and a fun morning with the family, I was about to head home after making a couple stops at my favorite Austin haunts.  I always love to stop at Trader Joe and Old Navy when I'm near them.  This trip, I scored some rainbow carrots, wild arugula, plantain chips, and $5 flannel pajama pants.  

I'd been in contact with some nutritional therapist friends and we were able to make a spur-of-the-moment plan to have lunch.  These are gals I text with regularly but hadn't seen since June when we finished our commitment as group leaders for the 2017 Austin class.  Sometimes you just need a good old-fashioned face-to-face!  So that's what we did.  It was suggested that we meet at a new place called Honest Mary's.  Another win!  This place sources their food from local farms and they serve up bowls of all kinds: some that are on the menu, and others you can just design yourself.  I felt like a kid in a candy store.  We all ended up happy with our selections and enjoyed them just short of jumping in the bowls and rolling around in them!  They were that good.  We were each inspired enough to copycat them at home, centering our creations around our own roasted veggies and experimenting with homemade sauces.  I have a feeling we'll be meeting there again the next time we get the chance.  Good food always goes down just right with good conversation.

Yay for spontaneity!  Have you taken a detour off the beaten path lately?  Nourished yourself with a delicious meal and some much-needed friend time?  Or whatever it is that floats your boat and puts some extra sparkle into what is already planned?  Having health is more than doing all the right things.  It's making time for delight and the unexpected. Do it! Your inner child will thank you.