Food Lion, Ukrops and Good Foods Grocery.

I live in the country. Away from most means of civilization. The closest supermarket (that's worth going too) is a half hour away. This is a brand-spanking new Food Lion that's been around for about a year. Before that, it was an hour's drive into suburban Richmond, VA for anything that resembled a supermarket. I was skeptical that I'd find anything that I could eat at Food Lion besides homegrown fruits and veggies. I was looking for something fast and microwaveable. I didn't have the time to cook because in my line of work (the EMS kind, that is) you never know if your going to have time to cook a meal before someone needs you to jump into the ambulance and save there ass. So I was looking for "convenience" foods. After spending an hour (yes, an hour!) in the veggie/fruit/organic section, I came away with bagged salad, Newman's Own Ranch Dressing (score, it's Gluten free and not overpriced!), and fresh Strawberries. So to say that I was grumpy (and made everyone grumpy around me) was an understatment. It's not there fault, I'm just going through the steps of grieving (my loss being something I've had a Love/Hate relationship with for the past 30 yrs). So I knew that, even though Salad and fruit are healthy for me, I couldn't live off them alone.

The next day I ventured to Ukrops, a locally owned and operated supermarket in the Richmond area (although it will soon be owned by Harris Teeter). I had about 45 minutes before I need to be at work, so the plan was to get in/out as quick as possible and get my butt to work.

So this is what I found:
Amy's Black Bean Enchilada
Puffins Peanut Butter Cereal
Ener-G Crisp Pretzels (which by far are the BEST gluten free pretzels I've ever tried. Fan-freakin-tastic!!!!!!!!!)
Almond Nut-Thins, Cheddar Cheese Flavor
Lundberg Sea Salt Rice Chips
Miguel's Fully Loaded Tortilla Chips

For lunch that day I had a nice salad topped with Bleu Cheese and Ranch Dressing. (Completely yummy!) followed by a desert of fresh strawberries. I work twelve hour shifts so I also ate dinner at work and enjoyed my Enchilada. Unlike most of the GF food I've tried, it had, first and foremost, taste! Always an important aspect when eating. It also smelled good. Also important in eating since you smell, before you taste. After microwaving it for the allotted time, I took it out and dug in. (Now imagine doing this in front of three people who've been listening to you talk about "your new diet" for the past 10 hours, so essentially, I felt like a lion being watched at the zoo). It was good. Fresh, full of flavor and perfectly cooked. Onions, Zucchini, Black Beans, Rice, Tofu. All rolled up together in a nice burrito, and covered with a nice brown sauce that was just spicy enough. Throughout the day, I snacked on my Ener-G Gluten Free pretzels (as previously stated, by far the BEST gluten free pretzels available and salty!)