Year 2, Day 100: Be Careful What You Renounce, Volume 2

I knew we were going to have a meeting with a vendor today at their office, and I knew it would last all the morning. While I was planning to horde cheese sticks up my sleeve, and eat them covertly while pretending to cough, I realized I could probably request a whole wheat bagel, since our host had offered to get bagels for the crew. Now ordinarily whole wheat bagels are a sad affair, with their too-dense texture and far too wheat-y taste. For years, they were often small, almost mishapen when compared to the other bagels, and they frequently were missing the lovely sheen one comes to expect from a boiled, then baked bagel. However, these were good. I have determined that they were the 'fortified multigrain bagel.' One bite and I immediately suspected what I later confirmed—that they were loaded with SUGAR (10g—honey, malt syrup, rye malt, etc.). Not only that, but they had the highest level of carbohydrates—68g—of anything I had put in my mouth for over a year! Amazingly, the only bagel with a higher carb count was the whole wheat bagel at 73gs. From a carb perspective, I would have been better off with any other bagel from the basket, since all of them, from Asiago to plain, have a lower carb and sugar count. This tells me that Bruegger's has a nefarious plan to punish those who want to eat healthy by actually serving them the diet-wrecking bagels in disguise of a healthy alternative. Shame on you, Brueggers. I had to include the nutritional facts sheet and eyebrow-raising ingredients list because I had never HEARD of some of the things on it. Am I wrong? Has anyone heard of "Buckwheat Groats" or "Triticale?"


Breakfast
3 Eggs, Scrambled in the pan, with
1/2 Chorizo Chicken Sausage Link
Tea

Snack
Coffee
1 Multi-Grain/Wheat Bagel Bruegger's
Very Light Coating of Cream Cheese
5 Sticks celery
2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

Lunch: Denilla's ($8.77)
Mesclun Mix, Romaine, Red peppers, red onions, red beans
assorted olives, shredded bacon, sunflower seeds, feta
oil & vinegar, TURKEY

Dinner
Korean Marinated Pork Loin with Honey-Soy-Ginger
Cabbage a la Emily
Peppadews

Of course, no sooner did I fess up to my pretty consistent loathing of turkey when I found myself face to face with more Turkey. Being in an unfamiliar environment (Lexington) we had to stop somewhere on the way home to get lunch. Emily, who knows Lexington quite well, advised me to seek out Denillo's, a kind of Russo's-like 'farm stand.' When we got there, it did smell good, and there was an impressive salad bar. After giving it the once over, and finding it satisfactory, I checked out the protein—TURKEY. Since they roast their own, and I could see they did a brisk turkey business—in fact a very successful offering was the "Turkey Terrific" ordered by a few people as I stood there—I thought I would give it a shot. Besides, even though I'm as healthy as I've ever been, I just didn't think I needed any more eggs. At $6.50 a pound, it was not quite Whole Foods expensive, but expensive enough. They served non-pitted olives, which I think is a salad-bar no-no, but over all it sufficed. I must say though, Russo's is just looking better and better all the time. And with my incredible carbohydrate overload, I'll definitely be going there tomorrow.