Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Scrambled Eggs

I love how versatile eggs are, and how many kinds of vegetables there are. The possibilities seem endless. I sauteed 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1/3 cup chopped mushroom in about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, then added 1/3 of a yellow bell pepper (chopped up) for the last minute or so. This was all seasoned with sea salt, fresh pepper, oregano, and ground red pepper. Then I cooked up 3 eggs (this was a post-workout meal), seasoned with salt and pepper and added the vegetables in. I topped with 2 tablespoons of red salsa and 1 tablespoon of sour cream. I really wish we had green salsa, because I think that would have made this perfect. I loved the blend of the sweet bell pepper and the spicy salsa and ground red pepper.

Day 48: Starting C25K for Speed

This morning I woke up, put on my workout clothes, grabbed an apple to eat in the car, and was out the door before I could think about crawling back into bed. I went to the rec center and started my new C25K program to work on my speed. Instead of jogging and walking, and running and jogging with a bit of walking. That took 30 minutes, but I'm not sure what distance I actually went since I couldn't find how many laps are in a mile. I went 12 laps during the interval section and I would guess that was about 2 miles, so 10-minute miles. (*Update: I finally found the information, and the laps are 1/6th of a mile. I must really be turning into a runner if I can tell what a mile feels like.) Then I went to a 50 minute zumba class. It totally kicked my trash, I hated being the biggest person there, but it was fun and I'll be going back again.

C25K Week 1 Day 1
5 minute brisk walk warm up

Do four times:
60 second run
90 second jog
60 second run
90 second walk

5 minute cool-down walk

For lunch I had a burrito with black beans, sliced grape tomatoes, avocado, salsa, and sour cream. For dinner we had cuzcuz (not Mediterranean couscous, but something like steamed polenta that they make in northeastern Brazil). Anyway, it had sausage and mozzarella in it, and we had it with green salsa. And I stayed away from sugar all day!

We spent pretty much the whole day cleaning and organizing the house, except for a break to get groceries at Costco. So I was too busy to eat poorly! All in all, I'd say it was a good day.

Day 47: Reboot

Okay, it's a new month, Halloween is over, I've sworn off candy until Christmas, as well as sugary beverages and fast food. And I have some friends who are joining me in the no-sugar challenge, so we can help motivate each other! We signed up for a 3-month family pass at the rec center, and I am going to start attending workout classes there next week. And my goal is to cook dinner every night this month so I can get back to eating healthily. I just need to figure out how to convince hubby and the kids to eat healthily with me!

This morning I made breakfast burritos; I had a whole wheat tortilla with two scrambled eggs, a couple slices of avocado, a bit of sour cream, and some green salsa. For lunch I had stir fry with spicy tuna patties. I had an apple for a snack. For dinner I made a guacamole quesadilla (without cheese) and a spicy bean taco.

I was really proud of myself for making good choices today. 1) I didn't go to Costco, because I knew the gelato would be very, very tempting. 2) I turned down the candy the baby offered me because she is cute and nice. 3) I got clearance Halloween candy (some for hubby, some to bribe the kids) and purposefully didn't get my favorite kinds. 4) I took a vitamin. 5) I started a new 30 day challenge, but picked an easier one that I know I can commit to (20 crunches today). 6) When the kids were stressing me out, I did not break my sugar fast! (to be honest, I probably would have eaten a lot of candy if I hadn't made a public commitment to stay away from it!)

Recipe: Guacadilla and Spicy Bean Taco

I love me some Mexican food! Of course, I normally have my Mexican food smothered with cheese. So I need to find a new way to enjoy it. So I made a guacadilla (quesadilla with guacamole instead of queso) and a spicy bean taco. I served with red salsa, sour cream, and green salsa. I need chunkier salsa. And sour cream that wasn't frozen at one point (it just never goes back to the same consistency). And next time, I'll put them in order of the Mexican flag. Because that would be artsy. Also, I was sooo close to making this vegan and skipping the sour cream. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Still, it would be very easy to veganize this recipe :)

Guacadilla
-whole wheat tortilla
-avocado
-lime
-garlic salt
-grape tomatoes

I mashed up 1/4 of an avocado and mixed some garlic salt and lime in. I spread that on a whole wheat tortilla and added sliced grape tomato. Fold it in half and crisp it up on a pan with some cooking spray.

Spicy Bean Taco
-corn tortilla
-black beans
-cumin
-garlic salt

I toasted a corn tortilla on a pan with some cooking spray, then folded it in half and took it off the heat. Then I heated up 1/2 cup of black beans, and mashed them with cumin and garlic salt. I put the beans in the tortilla.

Here is a picture of the first time I made a guacadilla (earlier this week -- I was trying to be healthy). I didn't toast it, but I would definitely recommend toasting now that I've had it both ways. Also, my sour cream was thicker then. But I like the way you can see the guacamole and tomato in this picture.

Recipe: Stir Fry and Spicy Tuna Patties

I sure do love a good stir fry. I put two cups of frozen stir fry veggies and one cup of frozen broccoli into a pan with 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon granulated garlic. I cooked it until the water was pretty much evaporated. To make the patties, I drained a can of chunk light tuna in water, added 1 tablespoon of sour cream, a dash of tabasco sauce, and about 1 tablespoon dried chopped onion (as a binder). I gently shaped the mixture into four round patties and browned the outsides on a pan with cooking spray. They probably would have held together better if I had actually used oil to fry them, but I'm trying to be healthy here :)

Day 45: Feeling Down

I'm feeling down again. I do so well for a few days, then I'm terrible and gain everything back. My pants are starting to feel tight again, and I feel like I've wasted the last 45 days. I need another jumpstart. So starting today, I am not going to have any fast food or takeout or deli, or anything else that wasn't made at home. I'm also giving up all drinks with calories, except for 1 cup of milk per day (which I probably won't even drink since I rarely do). And starting in November (come on, I have to live a little bit) I'm not going to have any candy until Christmas. And I kind of want to do paleo or south beach, or something to help get me back to eating healthy food. All I know is, things aren't working and I need to change things up to help re-motivate me.

Day 43: Lucky Number 7 (weigh in)

Well, I'm starting out week 7. That's supposed to be a lucky number right? I really hope this turns out to be a good week. I was disappointed (but not surprised) when I weighed in at 182.2 this morning. I am pretty frustrated that in 7 weeks, I've only managed to lose 4 pounds. And by that, I mean I lost 4 pounds in the first week, and I now weigh as much as I did at the start of Week 2. I really need to be more committed to this. I do well for a week, then I do horribly the next week. And It's not even a downward trend, it's just yoyo-ing up and down and ending in the exact same spot.

So even though I was tired and sore and my shins and thighs were crying out for the warm embrace of my memory foam bed, I awkwardly pulled on my exercise gear and did my best not to waddle as I made my way to the aerobics class. I had to modify some of the moves, and I didn't dare try any floor exercises. I could just imagine trying to get up from doing crunches and looking like a turtle stuck on its back. So I may not have gotten in the best workout this morning, but I got up and I went. And I am working toward building a real habit of regular exercise. And I'm really considering getting a pass to the rec center so I can be motivated to stay active all winter long (if I pay for it, I will feel obligated to use it).

I started today off well. I had yogurt for breakfast and stuffed mushrooms for lunch. I got caught up doing lots of things around the house and forgot to log the rest of my food, but I think I managed to do okay.