Healthy Food Rituals

In my house, we have a food ritual. I'm not sure quite how it started, but it developed from our habit of getting each other something special when one of us would go to the grocery alone. By something "special" I really just mean something the other person would like or something new to try...whether it's a little out of the ordinary or a little more expensive or just a new kind of the same old something.

See, we're cheap, y'all. I mean, we grocery shop cheaper than most people I know. But at the same time we use food as indulgence. For example, we'll get some really fresh asparagus sometimes, even if the price is ridiculous. Tonight I bought some low-sodium soy and teriyaki sauces and some couscous. We try not to eat out a lot, so instead we really focus on enjoying food at home...which is pretty easy when you live with a magnificent improvisational cook.

When one of us comes home from the grocery, our ritual is to show the other person the items we got. We "oooooh" and "ahhhhhh." We show off even the most mundane items...but we save the best for last. If the other person isn't home when we come back from the grocery, we commence the ritual upon their return.

I think this is one of the healthiest food rituals we have. We celebrate all the food. There is no good food/bad food. We get excited about green beans. We get excited about a new whole grain bread. We get excited about funfetti cake mix. Any one of those items could be the "best" we save for last, the little indulgence of the day.