Loving those half off deals

Mike and I are , one could say, picky eaters.In reality not so much picky eaters as much as picky eaters out. Though Mike was raised primarily on Italian foods he married someone (me:-) who is allergic to the essential oils in peppers ( green bell to the hottest habinero) one bite can cause my throat to go into full lock down almost instantly so anything like this is obviously out. In addition I detest the taste as well as the texture of onions and as for garlic..... let me just say, if I smell as bad as everyone else after eating it, I will do the world a favor and pass. My theory is that if ultra scope can't fight it ( sorry but it just makes for minty stink) it shouldn't be eaten. Anyway, I prefer to cook with natural flavoring. I buy mostly freshly butchered meat and grill it pairing it with side dishes that are as fresh or unprocessed as possible. Yes I do use miniute rice from time to time and here in Ohio fresh summer corn gives way to the flash frozen variety in the winter. I am not a big fan of sauces and gravy especially on my meats as this retracts from the natural flavors that I love as well as adds tons of fat and carbohydrates to the mix. I do add a touch of natural sea salt to a few of my foods and Mike is a fresh ground four mix pepper corn addict.
Throw in the fact that we are both overweight and Mike suffers from some hereditary conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, salt based spices ( most spices are) are just not good for him at all so why use them?
Because we are accustomed to eating fresh natural flavored (not spiced ) foods it can be rough to find food out that we enjoy. For this reason we have very few restaurants that we dine at on a regular basis. Though Boston Lobster Feast in Florida has got to be our favorite ( fresh steamed lobster and hot melted butter... no salt just plain mouth watering wonderfulness) but Florida is twenty hours away so that is not feasible on a regular basis.We have found a Mexican place locally that spices more with fresh peppers than salty spices for Mike and makes their foods fresh so I can get an awesome nacho dish with grilled chicken, beef , and shrimp all three mixed in. We also frequent Quaker steak and Lube for all you can eat wing night where I can get a Philly steak sandwich with only fresh grilled mushrooms and cheese and even sometimes eat a wing or two flavored with only black peppercorn ( dried doesn't bother me) and fresh grated Parmesan cheese or a wonderful honey mustard, while Mike enjoys huge amounts of there famous triple atomic wings. Recently we have also found another wonderful upscale but still casual enough to let us in restaurant called Rusty's.Rusty's makes an awesome calamari appetizer and honest to goodness fabulous steak sandwich served on pizza dough baked in a wood fire oven. Though Mike has ventured past these things and always been happy I stick with what I know I like. Anyway today was the day that a local TV station was selling $50 gift certificates to this very restaurant for $25 on their web site. The only problem is that quantities were limited and one had to be online immediately at 7:00 am or not even have a chance. Even though Mike went to work at 1:30 am and the kids were off school, I still set my alarm and guess what ??????? I got one. I do have to wait for it to come in the mail but I have it coming. I just love how we can go out and have an awsome meal , maybe even a drink , desert, and usually still bring food home for $25. especially a place that I know we will be happy with. Yes I just love those 1/2 price deals !!!!!!!