Green Beans and Roast

Sometimes I forget that I'm not (or at least am trying not to be) a picky eater anymore.  It's hard to redefine yourself at 30! My picky eating as so much a part of who I was for so many years, it's hard to just let it go.  The other night my mom made a roast for dinner.  Growing up, my mom's roast was the only thing that I was ever forced to eat.  I have no idea why.  I never loved it, but I could get down a few ketchup covered bites...enough to keep my mom happy.  When she made it the other night, I automatically started coming up with my own dinner plans (she no longer makes me eat it...I mean, I am 30).  I made myself a delicious dinner with chicken covered in a pineapple salsa, really yummy green beans, and roasted potatoes.  It wasn't till much later in the evening that I realized that I'd eaten like a picky eater again.  Why didn't I just eat what my mom had made for dinner.  She so seldom actually cooks a meal (she and my dad are pretty content with sandwiches and simple things like that), and it's even more rare that I'm around when she does.  I should have at least tried some.  Who knows, maybe I'd really enjoy it now? 

My own dinner really was yummy though.  The green beans were especially good.  I used to hate green beans, and now I love them! Sometimes I wonder if I'd have been more likely to try vegetables if more of them had been presented to me fresh and in their natural color.  There is nothing appetizing to me (though I will eat them now) about that muted green bean from a can color.  A nice, fresh green bean looks so delicious.  It's bright and crisp and lovely.   I think my first experience with re-trying green beans was at PF Chang's last year.  I tested out their spicy green beans and LOVED them.  I've even tried to copy them at home a couple times.  SO good! After that, I started buying fresh green beans to cook with more often.  They are cheap and plentiful around here, so we eat them a lot.  One of my favorite ways, which I used the other night, is to saute some purple onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil, and throw in some green beans that have been boiled for about 5 minutes...add a little salt and pepper, and YUM! Try it sometime! My parents had some of the beans I'd made, and they both said they really liked them (though my mom ate around the onion. My pickyness was come by honestly).