Babbo's

I used to go to Babbo's for lunch about every other week.  I loved their Italian sausage pasta and the mista salad.  I knew that, in addition to their pasta combo lunch, they had recently introduced a "blackboard" menu.  I couldn't understand who was going there and not getting pasta.  Now I know.

I asked about wheat, and soy, and dairy, and yeast.  And I got the roasted chicken breast topped with brussel sprouts, diced beets, almond slivers, and golden raisins.  It came with a side of roasted veggies--broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.  I didn't eat most of the carrots, and there weren't very many cauliflower, but there was some kind of herbs in the veggies that was really good; I just couldn't quite place it.  I haven't had brussel sprouts in a long time and these were good enough that I would try it at home.  Or at least order it again.

I noticed that this lunch cost almost twice as much as the lunch I used to get.  This eating better is expensive.  I can't balance out the more expensive meals with some cheaper meals anymore.  The closest I can get to a "cheaper" meal is a $5 microwave meal.   Factor in a snack for later, since I'll be hungry in 2 or 3 hours, and I might as well get a decent lunch out of the office.

I saw this quinoa polenta in the grocery store recently and decided it might be worth a try.  I had it with leftover potatoes and zucchini and topped with marinara sauce.  It was pretty good.  It could have used some parmesan cheese!