Okay, time to move on to somethin...somethin...

Alright, so I met my goal for the marathon! It's time to work on other goals I have! I still am a little sore but don't want to let the grass grow under my feet. So I will get out this morning and do a couple of miles to stay loose! Next week I will start this... http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Hubby and I have an anniversary next month and it's a big one. So I am hoping to be down 13 pounds by then. That would make me a very happy "slinky" self! (giggle)

Folks ask me what kind of things I eat. This morning I had 2 egg whites scrambled on a high fiber (5g) whole grain tortilla with some homemade salsa. It was yummy and keeps me satisfied for a good while. Lately for snack I have been eating a Light & Fit yogurt with 1/2 cup of frozen blackberries or raspberries, a little bit of Splenda (on the berries) and 1/4 of low fat, high fiber granola. I eat almonds and break up my two little squares of Hershey extra dark chocolate sometimes for a snack. Apples, bananas, grapefruit...I will have some piece of fruit and a cheese stick for another "snack". Lunch for me is usually a salad with grilled chicken and homemade dressing or I have a sandwich made with high fiber bread, lean meat and lots of different veg's on it. I also add things like smeared avocado rather than mayo, some olives and salad peppers. I also love a piece of baked or grilled chicken with Cajun seasoning and then a baked sweet potato for lunch. There is something about the two of those together (has to have the Cajun seasoning) that tastes really yummy to me. Dinner is tricky if I am working because I usually leave before what is considered dinner time...so I'll eat a bigger snack or some good soup and then at work around 7, I take my yogurt, fruit and granola but increase the 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup. 5 small meals is what I shoot for each day.

If I am home for dinner I make different things but all as nutritionally lean and healthy as I can. If I make spaghetti I use ground turkey or venison. We eat Ronzoni "Smart Taste" pasta which cooks up white, is tender but high fiber. I don't eat much of it...maybe 1/2 a cup. I make sure I have salad on my plate to make up for the huge pile of pasta everyone else might be eating. I grill a lot or make things in the crock pot. I always trim away extra fat on pork loin or roast. We definitely eat more chicken/turkey than red meat. Chili is made with ground turkey and venison. I love to roast vegetables. Roasted asparagus with a little olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper is the bomb. I squirt fresh lemon juice on it before serving. I also love roasted brussel sprouts and so does my family. I do the same thing with the olive oil and cracked pepper and kosher salt. I roast them on 400 degrees for 15 or so minutes until the start browning. Those crackly little leaves are yummy. I don't use the lemon juice on brussel sprouts though.

I have a little garden in the back yard. Right now I just have brussel sprouts, cabbage and collard greens. Soon we'll start working on our spring garden. My herbs however have just been amazing. I used to have LOTS of fresh basil (until a very hard freeze) so I enjoyed making a lower fat pesto. It's great on chicken, pork and on pasta of course. I'd even add in fresh spinach. The herbs I use to make amazing marinades and rubs. I even make my own croutons when I want a carbohydrate for a salad. I chop up some 0f my favorite fresh herbs and put them in a zip bag with some kosher salt, and cracked pepper, may even some minced garlic. I add about 1 tsp. of olive oil. Then I will cube up a high fiber english muffin, or half a high fiber bagel throw it in the bag and work it until it is lightly coated in the oil/herb mixture. I put them on a sheet pan and then toast in the oven. These are awesome on a salad and because I use a high fiber product and have made them myself I know how many calories they are.

I experiment making breads using whole wheat, flax meal, ground oatmeal, etc. I have a great recipe for a whole wheat banana bread made with Splenda. Now...it's not like the real thing mind you but it's good and it's better for you. If I have that on hand I will toast a thin slice, smear it with low fat peanut butter, top with slice bananas and then drizzle it with sugar free syrup. That is really good!

You can tell...I love to cook! So I do what I do so that I can still enjoy cooking but find better ways of doing it. Just about ANYTHING can be reworked to make it healthier. The taste might be slightly different but in many ways I find it better. Doing all of this is what has helped me accomplish my goals. I try to make it as normal as possible.

The other thing is WATER! WATER!WATER! Water helps the cells move a lot of the junk they are getting rid of out of the body. Keeping the bodies cells hydrated is really important. Diet soft drinks do NOT replace water and they are actually dehydrating. Yep...I have a diet Dr. Pepper but make sure I have plenty of water throughout the day to offset that.

In a conversation I had with someone recently it felt like I was sitting in a confessional. They were rattling off all the excuses as to why they "CAN'T" or haven't done anything serious about their weight. I think they must forget that I have "sat in that chair" myself. When they kept saying "I know I am just making excuses" I should have opened up my mouth and said what I was really thinking. "At what point are you going to stop making excuses and start living the life you deserve?" Seriously...it comes down to that for me...I can either spin in circles and do nothing an go nowhere or I can just do it! Once you realise what you have been missing out on...you want more. This summer when I finally had the nerve to learn to drive that 4 wheeler at the in laws...I was pumped. That was fun! I never did it before because I thought I'd be a ridiculous fat girl jiggling around on it. So many things...and it makes me kind of sad because I could have been enjoying so much more with my kids had I not done something sooner. However...I can't change the past. I direct my future though and set my course. NO EXCUSES! They are just not going to bring any kind of satisfaction and joy.

Alrighty...I have to get my feet on the ground and walk a ways this morning!

Selfish Lady Sends...