One of the things I love to do for my daughter that my parents did for me is to cook fresh and healthy meals every day. Sure, it (seemed) easier for them because my dad is a cook but I can always strive to do 20% of what he does. Most of the time, I feel like I am doing 0.2% of what my dad does. With the exception of breakfast, I try to cook a healthy meal with fresh ingredients that contains a protein, veggie, and carbs. My daughter scoffs at her meals, I nag/negotiate/bribe her, and then I end up eating the rest of it.
Over the summer while on vacation, she had pizza and loved it. There was no fighting, no nagging, and I didn’t even have to cut it up into 1x3 cm pieces. I was horrified with her new love for a greasy piece of dough with questionable meats and hardly any vegetables. My partner said I was over-reacting because a pizza is just an “open face sandwich.” Um no.
When we came back from vacation, my partner suggested ordering in pizza once in a while just for a break and a treat like “movie and pizza night.” I cringed at this. Then one day, I broke down and ordered a pizza from Panago. I had a long day at work, hadn’t gone grocery shopping on the designated day of the week, didn’t meal plan or prep, and just didn’t have it in me to nag her 20 times over one meal.
The last time I ordered from Panago Pizza was at least over 10 years ago. I remember it being healthier than the other companies. I wanted: a Steak Mushroom Melt pizza (safe bet); a Chicken Souvlaki pizza (new and interesting!); a Caesar salad (safe bet); a Mediterranean salad (on sale!); and Mediterranean chicken wings. It seems like a lot of food for two adults and a toddler but I was counting on leftovers and not cooking the next night. Might as well be lazy for two days in a row.
Because I was feeling guilty about not cooking, I wanted to make sure that dinner was on time. I made my initial call to Panago Pizza at 3:30pm to inquire when I should call again for a 5:30pm delivery. To my surprise, she was able to pre-place my order for a 5:30pm delivery! When it was delivery time, the delivery person actually called at 5:30pm to tell me he is 3-4 minutes late. Amazing customer service I tell ya!
I ordered the original hand tossed crust for the pizzas and they were perfectly chewy and not greasy. The steak pizza actually had strips of steak on it! I expected cut up pieces of meat to resemble steak. Same thing with the Chicken Souvlaki pizza, it had strips of chicken on it, with olives that were halved, fresh cut up veggies, and feta crumbled on top. The Mediterranean salad looked amazing and was made to order. It definitely didn’t look like it was thrown together and left in a fridge for hours. Lastly, the Mediterranean wings were to die for. They weren’t deep fried, they were grilled! I ate everything slowly as a food critic would and I was impressed.
All in all, the decision to order pizza was a good one. I needed a break. My partner was delighted to eat something different. My daughter loved eating pizza and a meal without her mom hovering over her and nagging. I definitely recommend my fellow moms to cut yourself some slack once in a while. I even recommend ordering from Panago Pizza!!
Last note, when I called my order in, I was asked if I have a More Rewards card through the Save-On-Foods program. Obviously, I didn’t but I looked it up on their website. Turns out you can earn reward points for every dollar spent at Panago. Plus, you get 10 times the points until October 2, 2016. Have to get on that before the next order!