ArcaMax

Editor's Note: We hope you enjoy this previously published Zola classic!

So how do you shop?

My mother used to carry a big purse with her in the car. She had all that stuff in that bag that moms with small children do. Interesting thing was when she went into a store she usually just grabbed her wallet and ran in. She’d leave us kids in the car (when it was deemed okay to do that sort of thing). As a child I thought that purse behavior was really weird. Why bring that big purse and then just leave it on the car seat?

Now I get it. I often just carry my wallet when I go out shopping. Sometimes I even just put a debit card in my pants pocket and off I go. After I had back surgery the surgeon told me to lose the big purse. It took some getting used to but now I don’t carry one unless I’m traveling by airplane.

My mom also always had a list. She’d sit at the kitchen table in the morning making a list of all the things she needed to buy or do that day. The errand list.

I picked up that habit too. I have a standard paper list in my wallet. I can refer to it and map out my driving routes to take in all the places I need to stop. I’ve gone high tech now too. I use Post-it notes. That way I can make my grocery list and stick it to the handle of the cart for easy reference. I see all these people in the store looking at their phones for their list. I just never think to put my list on my phone. It’s stuck to my cart.

I shop for food like I’m French. What does that mean, you ask? It means I go to the grocery store almost every day and I buy just what I need to make that meal. Often I don’t decide what I am hungry for until about 2:30 p.m. and then I put my grocery list together. Because I own the company it’s easy for me to take a short break about 3:30 p.m. and go buy the groceries and then come back to work. That’s another thing I adopted after back surgery. The surgeon gave me strict orders to get out of my chair once in a while and walk. Otherwise I am such a workaholic that I’d stay put in my desk all day.

My husband calls me a destination shopper. That means I know what I want to get. I go to the store. I walk in, grab it and go pay for it. Then I’m onto the next thing on my list. I don’t dawdle and I don’t browse. I’m gone.

What are your shopping habits? I’d love to hear.

For your Summer Grilling pleasure I offer up this healthy option from Plan Z. I promise folks that Plan Z will be the best tasting diet they’ve ever been on and this is mighty flavor-filled.

Grilled Mexican Chicken “Boats”

You can do this recipe in kebob form but I took a different twist and did the grilling in a grill basket. First the chicken, then the veggies. Put it all on romaine lettuce leaves so the leaves became the “boats”.

Use your favorite meat rub on the chicken. I used a spicy steak rub on my version. Don’t be afraid to use a rub indicated for beef on chicken or fish or vise versa!

Serve 4

24 oz of skinless chicken breast meat cut into half-inch cubes
Meat rub
Olive oil spray
2 tsp of ground cumin
3 Tbl of minced fresh cilantro
3 limes, juiced
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 large jalapenos peppers, sliced
1 large sweet onion cut into wedges
1 red bell pepper cut into one-inch squares
1 cup of red cherry tomatoes
1 cup of yellow cherry tomatoes
Romaine lettuce leaves

In a bowl or large zip lock baggie put in your chicken. Dust with the meat rub to your taste and mix it around so it covers all of the chicken. Add the cumin, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Let marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or more. You can do this before work and come home to it fully marinated or do it when you get home and cook in one hour. I did the latter and it had plenty of time to marinate.

Preheat grill for medium-high heat

Spray a grill basket Put the chicken in the grill basket. Spread it out. Grill on medium high until no pink remains in the chicken. Turn them periodically so all sides get some grill marks and no side gets charred.

Remove the chicken and keep it in a clean bowl. Cover to keep warm.

Spray the grill basket again and lightly spray the veggies. Grate on a bit of sea salt. Add the veggies to the grill basket and grill them until they are softened and cooked to your liking.

Put one or two clean romaine lettuce leaves on your plate. Put six ounces of chicken chunks on top and cover with a full cup of veggies.

Serve.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola