Bryan's first post-op checkup

It's been a long day. We had to be in Nashville at 9:30, and that meant me up at 5 am to get kids ready and off to where they needed to be.

Bryan is doing great according to the doctor. The pains he's been having in his side are normal pulling of the muscles that were cut during the surgery. He's lost 14 pounds already from the surgery, though he's more than ready to stop the liquid diet and start real food again. It'll be blended/soft food for the next week or so, then on to small portions of healthy food, primarily protein.

On our way back, we made a detour to visit the Whole Foods Market in Nashville. If you've never been to one of those stores, make it a point to visit one. They're in bigger cities like Louisville and Nashville, so while you're there, find one. You'll be amazed by the huge variety of veggies, fruits, meat, seafood, cheese, and all sorts of things I've never seen before or had heard of but can't find in a regular store. I don't think the average American could ever make it their primary grocery store, since most of the items are specialty things, therefore pricey. However, the selections they shared with regular grocery stores were comparable or even cheaper. I was able to come out with some nice finds.

I bought some new grains to try: quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), millet, and lentils (which I think are actually a bean).

I also found a container of shelled, unsalted roasted pumpkin seeds, which are supposed to be high in zinc and good for libido :)

Per Rachael Ray's advice, I bought a tube of tomato paste, which is great for recipes using only a tbsp or so--you squeeze out a little and keep the rest in the fridge until you need it.

And just to make mama happy, a bottle of water and a bar of organic dark chocolate to snack on every now and then. I also got the girls a little bag of apple chips that they devoured as soon as I got them home.

I really enjoyed all the samples they had out too...cheese, salmon salad, pita chips, snap pea chips, and apples. You could eat your lunch in there. I thought Bryan was going to drool over all the varieties of cheese. He bought a package of low-fat cheese to try in a few days. I really wish I'd have had my camera to take pics of all the colorful spreads of foods.

It's funny...I never thought me in a health foods store would be like a kid in a candy store :)