So, there have been reports out this week about scientific studies linking shorter lifespans to consumption of more red meat.  It seems like every day brings yet another  food-related concern, be it pondering whether fructose syrup is the new food bad guy, or if dark chocolate does more than turn around a bad mood. (I vote yes on all good things attributed to dark chocolate.) 

I'm certainly not a scientist, and have no way to quantify any of these studies.  What I do is scan them, tuck them away, and go back to my default position: moderation in all things.  Maybe eating mackerel every day isn't the best approach if you want to cover all your bases.  But, do you really want to eat the same food all the time anyways?

I sure don't!  In a time when we're all thinking about trimming our budgets, food is one of the best , most inexpensive ways to add zest, interest, excitement and even drama to daily life. 

This is a roundabout way of telling you how I had a nice flank steak I decided to marinate last night in soy sauce, lime, sugar and garlic, intending to broil it, slice it and make lettuce wraps with cellophane noodles, a sort of Asian-inspired meal.  But I took a U-turn into thinking about Mexico and how it might be to visit there...and it morphed into a hearty beef fajita dinner with a Northwest twist of whole-grain tortillas stuffed with fresh avocados, sauteed green peppers and onions, plus heapings of shredded cheese and really hot salsa.  Yum!  I'll get back to the lettuce wraps another time, but last night, that meal was simple, satisfying and made everyone happy. And that's got to count for something, health- and otherwise.