Wawa Inspired Cheese Platter

Side note - I have that Reba McEntire song, "Turn On The Radio" stuck in my head and I can't get it out!  Unfortunately, I don't know all of the lyrics, so I just keep singing, "Try to call, twitter me, text until your fingers bleed," and I'm pretty sure everyone in my office thinks I'm crazy.

My half marathon is less than a week away and I'm officially in taper mode over here!  It's amazing how much my appetite has gone down since my last high-mileage week.  But it's made thinking about meals more difficult, because I was in a routine of eating such heavy food for awhile.  I was being incredibly indecisive this afternoon when I was thinking about lunch and had the following conversation with my friend and co-worker Miranda.

Me:  I don't know what I want for lunch.
Miranda:  Well, do you want something sweet or savory?
Me:  I don't know.  Maybe both.  I don't want something heavy.
Miranda:  Hmm ...
Me:  I feel like I want something light, like crackers and cheese.
Miranda:  She gives me an inquisitive look.  Do you know what Wawa is?
Me:  OH MY GOD WAWA!
Me & Miranda:  EEEEEEEE WAWA!  Insert squeaky girl giggles here, complete with high fives.

Okay, so here's the thing.  Miranda is from New Jersey.  I am from Connecticut, but went to college in southeast Pennsylvania.  Home of Wawa.  Now, if you've never been to a Wawa, you probably think I'm crazy right now.  But if you happen to be lucky enough to live in the vicinity of one, you probably got as excited hearing my little lunch story as I got experiencing it.

Or not.  But please humor the inner geek in me and read on.

(By the way, Wawa is a gas station / convenience store, but it is SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.  I don't know how else to explain it.  It is just amazing and they do not exist in Georgia.  It's sad.  No, QT is not the same.)

Anyway, so the point of this story (I promise it has one) is that as soon as I said cheese and crackers, Miranda thought about the pre-packaged snack packs that Wawa has in their to-go section.  They literally have everything from crackers and cheese to fruits and vegetables and dips and hard boiled eggs and everything in between.  It's ridiculous, fresh and amazing.

Today I decided to recreate my own snack pack - I bought a box of Triscuits, Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Red Grapes.  As Miranda pointed out, I was able to enjoy both savory and sweet tastes.  It wasn't too heavy and it totally hit the spot!  The good news?  The whole grocery store bill was less than $10 and I can stretch this for at least three meals.  That's exciting.

My own Wawa Inspired Cheese platter.  I know y'all are going to think I'm ridiculous for even posting this on my recipe page, by my recipes aren't so much recipes as they are meal ideas.  Seriously, I'm hopeless when it comes to meal planning.  I would serve PB&J at every meal if my husband would eat it.

The beauty of the Wawa Inspired Cheese Platter is that it's meant to be adaptable.  If I was craving something more savory, I could have thrown some celery in the mix.  Perhaps with a side of ranch dressing.  If I wanted something sweeter I could have grabbed a can of pineapples to go with the grapes. Maybe some pita chips instead of Triscuits?  Pita bread with a side of hummus.  Oh, yum.

It's not so much a recipe as it is a revolution.

What would you put on your Wawa Inspired Cheese Platter?

TGIF!