Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

Favorite Sandwich

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grilled chicken sandwich with lots of veggiesSimple Sustenance

Favorite sandwich?  One that I can eat.

Since my heart attack I made some dramatic changes to my diet.  Gone are sandwiches from McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, Chik-fil-A, Dairy Queen, and countless other fast food places.  When I started to look at the fat content it’s no wonder I had clogged pipes.

But it’s not just fast food.  Two taverns a short walk from the house have some outstanding offerings — a prime rib sandwich that I’ll allow myself occasionally, and a fine cheeseburger.  The rare indulgence.  If there’s meat in my diet it’s generally lean chicken or turkey — grilled.

The pictured sandwich comes from the dining hall across the street from my office.  Whole wheat bread, grilled chicken, perhaps a half-teaspoon of mayonnaise, and a pile of vegetables.  No sauce, no dressing, and no cheese.  Low fat.

My favorite sandwich is the one that won’t kill me.

2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

Eating Oranges

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Navel orange held in gloved handAppetite Suppressant

There’s something about a pair of dirty old deerskin riding gloves that transforms a luscious navel orange into an ugly orange orb hardly fit for eating.  As much as I like my old riding gloves — they haven’t aged gracefully.

For a long time bananas were by fruit of first choice for a Vespa ride.  Easy, compact and delicious.  Monkey grips. But lately I’m been reaching for the orange.  Eating oranges helps keep me away from unhealthy roadhouse choices.  I mus always remember, an orange a day keeps the doctor away.

Hmmm, that doesn’t rhyme…

Vespa GTS on a winter rideSunshine Replacement

Not every winter ride takes place in the sunshine.  Drag an orange along and you have all the sunshine you need in a bright little ball.

Eating oranges makes a ride just a little sweeter.

Dinner Dregs

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leftover pizzaPizza: Dinner Dregs

Simple meals suit me best.  This evening a few bites of leftover pizza — sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, caramelized onions. A few bites of a lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad, maybe an orange later, and right now, a cup of tea and a few chocolate chip cookies.  Calories controlled by quantity, fat by choice, and all suiting my simple palette that considers a Saltine cracker an element of refined cuisine.

At lunch today I saw an iced chocolate brownie that I’ve had a long and steamy affair. At the checkout with my spartan turkey on whole wheat sandwich loaded with veggies I had the opportunity for the first time to see the nutritional information for that brownie.  The calorie count was as embarrassing as the fat content was frightening — 48 grams of fat, 22 of those saturated fat.  No wonder I was smitten.  No wonder I had a heart attack.

So dinner, and almost all other meals are simple and plain to a degree that the Amish would cry.  And every so often I will find myself somewhere that I live again in the fast lane for a moment.  Like tonight with a little pizza.

Oh the joys of the dinner dregs…