What's In Your Basket?

What's in your shopping cart?
Even more fun, what's in theirs?
One distraction that eases the long wait as the supermarket line inches its way toward check out is to check out what other people are buying. Recently I've seen full carts ahead or behind me that are from one third to one half full of junk food. While visiting neighbors or friends it's surprising also to see what is in their cupboards or refrigerators; cookies, chips, snack crackers, candy, ice cream AND soda. All of the above, not just two or three items. And then they complain they can't seem to keep the weight off. Just as bad, they buy junk food disguised as real "meals", such as Spaghetti-O's, Lunchables, commercial frozen ready-made sandwiches -- how hard is it to make a sandwich? -- that are sugar and fat-laden bombshells waiting to explode their empty calories and saturated fats into your system.
I know myself well, and when I'm hungry I'll grab the easiest most convenient thing to eat, which is why you'll rarely find commercial ready-made food or snacks at my house. I can't eat what's not in the cupboard. I'm forced to fix something from the healthful ingredients I have on hand.
I also know that there are lots of nutritious foods that I love just as much (well, almost as much) as cookies but that take a little more effort than ripping open a bag, foods that will help me maintain the level of health I aim for and a 31 inch waist. So I "sabotage" myself in a positive way by buying nutritious foods that will only take a few minutes to prepare, like canned tuna or chicken, frozen shrimp or favorite veggies like asparagus or things like fresh sugar snap peas that cook in one minute, or canned sweet potatoes.
When I cook a meal, which is at least once daily, I always make enough so I can have leftovers the next day for lunch. That way at lunchtime when I'm starving I'll be grabbing good nutritious food, food that I myself made, just the way I like it, rather than grabbing some crappy snack item.