Do you subscribe to the belief that if something tastes particularly good it is a sign that your body is craving it? I am not sure if I do, but I know that at times water doesn't seem to quench my thirst the way Gatorade does.

I have never, ever liked the idea of a spinach salad. In fact, I have vehemently eschewed any and every opportunity to consume one.

Well, a few weeks ago, I got a free gourmet prepackaged salad that happened to be made of spinach instead of lettuce. Given the financial crunch my ungrateful HVAC has placed me in, I reluctant to pass it up even though the very idea of eating it dampened my appetite. I stared long and hard at the bowl before I could muster up the courage to take a bite. So, I am not quite sure that I can fully describe my surprise when I discovered that the spinach was, in actuality, quite tasty.

The deli across from work has started carrying salads, so I bought two last week, remembering how much I enjoyed the free one. In the past four months, greens have not been a part of my daily diet. They, too, seem to be more satisfying than usual, so I actually went to a grocery store for the first time since that horrible repair bill and bought a gargantuan tub of baby spinach and other fixings.

Tonight, for dinner, rather than the pantry food or left over food or old bean burritos (and 89 cent meal) or the few deli sandwiches I have bought in weak moments, I had a spinach salad with grilled chicken, black beans, sweet white corn (from Trader Joes), shredded carrots, crumbled bacon, diced cucumbers, and dried cranberries.

Spinach anyone?