Taste Bud Sensations: Poppy Seed Spinach Chicken Salad

Prep for Poppy Seed Spinach Chicken Salad

Have you ever heard the phrase; "My mouth is on fire!"?

I'm sure you have sometime in your eating experience.   Or the favorite of my kids; "This is too spicy!"

Before my low carb diet, I either stayed away from those type of foods or I just had overwhelmed my mouth with them that I didn't feel them anymore.  I could eat anything relatively hot or spicy.  However, I did have a few incidences where my taste buds did tell me something was amiss.

I remember one specific taste bud encounter with extreme clarity.   One morning, 13 years ago, I went to take a sip of my morning coffee and came back fast with a taste of extreme sodium.   It was as if I was going to gargle my mouth with salt water rather than drink my favorite cup of joe.   I thought something was wrong with the coffee pot.  I dumped it out and made another pot.  Same thing.

My husband came into the kitchen at the same time I was going to dump the 2nd pot of coffee and he said, "WAIT, not until I get my cup!"  I watched him closely drink the coffee waiting for him to spit it out and he didn't.  "There's nothing wrong with this coffee."  he said and walked out of the kitchen.

After work that day, I went to have a mini Corona Light beer.  Same experience.  Salty, salty beer.  I phoned my mom that evening and she said... as only mother's can..."I bet your pregnant."  I ran out and got a pregnancy test and I was.

That was amazing to me that hormones could effect your taste buds.  I had a similar experience when I was pregnant with my daughter.   I'm having a similar experience now when I splurge and allow myself to have something being carbo-rifficly good.

Biscuits!  I loved biscuits (23 carbs each).   With butter and jam, with syrup, in sausage gravy and as shortbread for Strawberry Shortcake.  Bisquick and I are good friends.  After being on the low carb diet and reaching my goal of the 21 lb loss, I treated myself to a McDonald's biscuit (I know....really, a McDonald's biscuit, what was I thinking).  A result of drive through convenience with kids demanding breakfast from McDonald's.

Imagine me coveting that biscuit.  I wait till the very end of my breakfast, to break it open, to put on the butter, I put it in my mouth mmm... SALT.  So bad, I spit it out.   I took it to my husband and I said, "Taste this and tell me if it's salty."  He took a bite equivalent to about half the biscuit and said..."There's nothing wrong with this biscuit."  I KNEW I wasn't pregnant, but I also knew my body was telling me that biscuit was no longer good for me.

Yesterday, I made a salad for lunch which took my taste buds on a mini trip of sparkly goodness.   I call it my Poppy Seed Spinach Chicken salad.  The prep photo is featured at the header of this blog.   I use Trader Joe's "Just Grilled Chicken Strips".

Poppy Seed Spinach Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup of cooked grilled chicken
 2 cups spinach
1/4 of an avocado
1/4 cup red onion slices
3 cherry tomatoes sliced into quarters
1/8 cup of parmesan cheese
1 tbsp of Brianna's Poppyseed dressing
1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Carbometer: 13.5 carbs

I stretch the salad dressing, which has 7 carbs a serving.  I half it to 1 tbsp and combine it with the white vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.  I use little disposable 2 oz cups that have lids to make my dressing so I know exactly how much I'm using.  I shake it up and pour it over the salad.   I count these carbs as there is usually nothing left in the bottom of the bowl.   It's an excellent salad, the red onion and the white wine vinegar with the sweet touch of the poppy seed dressing had my mouth singing!

Tell me about one of your taste bud stories.  I'd love to know I'm not alone in my taste bud adventures.   Have a happy carb counting day!