Picky, Party of 1

So my last post about going to the beach included a couple tales about food.  I am a tiny little bit big fat picky eater.  I've gotten a lot better about trying (and liking) new things, but there will always be things (mayonnaise, raw onions, celery, marinara sauce)  that I absolutely cannot eat.  I have my staples, my comfort foods, like everyone, but I have made a promise to myself: for my own good and happiness, and for the sake of flexibility, I am vowing to try more things!  That includes dining out (with reviews and scores for each place.  I work at a restaurant and enjoy a good list, so it only seems natural!) as well as buying new items at the store and trying new recipes.

I'm dedicating myself to this endeavor so much that I am creating an entire category on the blog called "Picky, Party of 1" to record the successes and the failures (and the never-going-back-theres), the yep-I-still-hate-ems and the new favorites.

Reasons for this new project:

*The things I already said above
*I need to cut out some of the bad things in my diet (chocolate and ice cream binges (!), excessive Nutella intake, etc.)
*I need to eat more fruits and vegetables!  And I need to find new ways to eat them.  I'm bored.  Especially regarding the veggies.
*Learning to cook for myself is half of my July Challenge
*I rarely eat at restaurants, and whenever I do, I always pick ones I'm positive I like.  While this isn't exactly a bad thing, it doesn't help me much if the place is busy or closed or I just don't feel like eating there.  I need some options!  Furthermore, at those restaurants I KNOW I like, I never order something I haven't tried.  I have ONE dish that I like (occasionally two), and I order that SAME dish every. single. time.  Example: "I feel like eating Italian food"-->Olive Garden-->Fettuccine Alfredo with a side of steamed broccoli.  Bam.  This needs to END.

Anyways.  This is happening.

~From Lily With Love~