Get over it and get out there!

Great news! I finally got a jogging stroller...YAY!! Now I need to get running again, it's been a VERY LONG TIME and I'm sure I'll need to start from scratch. I've got a training schedule that I want to get started on but it's so cold and rainy. Guess I just need to get over it and get out there.

Yesterday I forgot that I had a Spanish class in the evening so instead of having the Flank Steak Roll we had leftover grilled chicken burgers from the party, and they were just as good last night as they were on Sunday. Tonight I was able to prepare the Flank Steak Roll and I can tell you that it was well worth the preparation! It really wasn't hard to do, just the layering, rolling and tying was more than I usually do with a steak.

honesty and a few meal ideas

Okay, so technically today is not my weigh in day, Monday was but I had to get the number in there because it's been so long, I'm at 178.2...YAY. I actually weighed myself (I don't remember how long ago) and about fell off the scale because it read 186 lbs. I really didn't want to admit that I'd gained again so I opted not to add it to my 'weigh in' numbers, although now that I've lost the weight I kinda wish I had. I may add it anyway. I need not to hold back, I need to get it all out in order to be honest with myself.

I also want to share my food experiences with you. Sunday we had a birthday party for all the family members that were born in March. I was a little concerned wondering what I would feed all our visitors that would satisfy. We had eaters from across the eating spectrum, from greasy deep fried everything to very healthy fresh food eaters. I decided to prepare grilled chicken burgers, sweet potato fries (from Costco), a fruit salad with sweet vinaigrette and for the cupcakes I made the Birthday Cupcakes in The Eat-Clean Diet for Families & Kids. Wow, it was all a huge hit with EVERYONE! I was concerned about the cupcakes because when I baked them they didn't raise up like I thought they would and, when they were hot they didn't come out of the baking cups too well, so my expectations were pretty low come dessert time. Once they cooled they had GREAT texture and came right out of the cupcake liners without a problem, the kids had NO idea that they were actually good for them. Fun evening!

Last night we had Cajun Tilapia, brown rice and Eggplant Saute with Shallots, Basil and Oregano, I found the last recipe on foodfit.com. When I made the Eggplant I forgot to add the Parmesan cheese at the end and we muscled our way through that side dish, then when my husband realized our mistake we tried it with the cheese and LOVED IT.....aaahhhhh, the power of CHEESE! For an added treat for myself I found a chocolate bar that is 87% cacao.

This morning as I type I am enjoying a nice bowl of steel cut oats with blueberries, some milk and sweetened with just a little maple syrup...mmm, it's one of my FAVORITE breakfasts! On the menu for dinner tonight is Flank Steak Roll from my March/April 2010 Clean Eating magazine. Enjoy your day and keep eating clean!

Pizza binge

My post heading is a little deceiving, I did have a greasy, yummy, tasty bit of pizza on Saturday but just chalked it up to a 'cheat day', we all need those once in a while. Considering that it hasn't been long since I jumped back on the healthy eating bandwagon again I should be upset with myself BUT, I have done great since Saturday and see no need in beating myself up about it. Still, my activity level is lacking with all this rain but, I have noticed a change in how I feel just since I've started eating well, I'm taking this one meal at a time☺

Cashew Butter Chicken Stew

Mmmmm, this stew was AMAZING! I found it in the March 2009 Oxygen magazine and it is ohh soo yummy! It's very creamy because of the Cashew Butter but the calories don't show it...only 188 per 1/8 pot, which turned out to be plenty to fill me up. The cubed green apple in the stew really gave it depth. It was a bit spicy and I think that the next time I prepare this dish I will cut the cayenne pepper in half! Well my working out isn't going so well but my eating is right on track....baby steps, right?

getting on and off the wagon is exhausting!

In the short amount of time it took me to get back on the 'healthy' wagon, I fell off just as fast! I went to visit family for a few days and on top of that I was sick...yuck! That aside I DO want to share a great find. Last week I purchased the March/April 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine and loveloveloved the Cover meal Beef & Broccoli Orange Stir-Fry, to top it off my family loved it too, if you're out there looking for some GREAT healthy recipes you should check this magazine out!

healthy LIFESTYLE...not a DIET!

I was putting off posting today hoping that I would be able to get out on my run, but last night I started feeling pretty cruddy. I went to bed early and slept in this morning. It felt great to get the rest but I REALLY don't feel up for my run...it will have to wait a few more days.

For the past few months I have been eying Tosca Reno's book 'The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids' and I finally got it! My kids had a fit when I showed them the book because the word 'diet' is not allowed in our house because it is too short-term. My oldest son said that we could cross out diet and put another word instead. I've tried to talk with my kids about a healthy 'lifestyle' as opposed to 'diet', lifestyle is more long-term. Maybe that's the word we'll use...lifestyle.

30 day shred workout

Well, this morning I got up and did the 30 day shred and I had a good workout. I do feel like it didn't challenge me like I'd hoped it would, but I was only on level one. I'll rev it up next time, but I wish I had more time today to fit in another workout...we'll see if I can squeeze one in.