Brie Fit

Easter services are my favorite because you get to exclaim things.  I am a big fan of cheering in unison, and Easter is like one big cheering for Jesus day.  He is risen indeed!

We are regular churchgoers, but there’s just something about Easter services that get me all atwitter.  We’ve found a new church recently that I’m really enjoying.  I wasn’t raised with any kind of church, really, and I feel like lately I’m kind of coming into my own faith lately.  Not, like, literally, but I feel like my relationship with God is growing in a good way.  It’s kind of like running—the more I pray and put my trust in God, the more natural and restorative it feels.

Sorry.  End religious tangent.

We went to 8 am services, then met Tim’s uncle for brunch and some gambling. 

Church to the casino.  That’s how we roll.

The other good news of today was the awesome dinner for two I made.

We started with strawberry spinach salads using this recipe from Annie’s Eats.  You must make this dressing, now.  It’s addictive and about 15 calories/serving!

(I know what I’ll be eating for lunch this week!)

I also brined and roasted a ten pound turkey.  For two people.

It turned out nice and juicy!  I am looking forward to turkey sandwiches for lunch all week long.  Mmmm.

(Yeah, I know ham on Easter is more traditional, but we prefer turkey.  Suck it, tradition!)

I also made mashed potatoes with roasted garlic:

And homemade damn gravy that took for-freaking-ever to thicken:

Plus formerly frozen rolls and steamed asparagus with lemon:

And because we are childless free spirits, a bottle of wine:

(Blurry photo because I was hungry and ready to eat.)

Riesling is really the only sweet wine I like.  I tend to prefer very dry reds, but for some reason, this sounded like it would be nice and refreshing with turkey, and it was.

Dessert tonight will be courtesy of Mr. Cadbury.

I was going to run today, but I tweaked a tendon in my left foot during the Oz Half last weekend and running on it yesterday irritated it a bit again.  So, I rested!  I’m looking forward to getting back in the pool tomorrow.  I spent some time adjusting my new goggles last night (including a new, smaller nosepiece) and I’m excited.  Maybe I’ll test them in the shower tonight.

What is your favorite holiday meal?

I feel like I’m growing complacent with weight loss. 

And I don’t know that I really care.

This is a pretty happy weight for me.  I don’t want to gain weight, but I could stay at 160-162 for the rest of my life and feel pretty great about that.  

I would like to lose another 5-10 pounds, but I think at this point, mentally, I’m shifting from “must. lose. weight. every. week” to “I’m okay with losing a fraction of a pound a month.”  As long as the scale trends downward a bit (or, at least, not up) from month to month, I feel pretty set.  I’m in no rush here—I’m strong, I’m healthy, my clothes are loose, and I’m happy.

Maybe I’ll start thinking up post titles again.

Breakfast was the usual.  For lunch I had some fancy organic spaghetti-os.  I didn’t really grocery shop in a coherent state of mind last week, so we’re running low on some stuff.  Also: Fage and a banana.

After work, you guys…I swam again! 

AND I GOT BETTER!

I did what any 20-something would do before trying something new today—I watched videos of swimming technique on YouTube.   And I reread all your comments.

I was nervous that the pool would be busier than it was Monday…and it was.  However, I swam in the slow lane with a girl in a string bikini, so I figured she wasn’t too hardcore and it was fine.

Things that were better today:

1. I wet my hair before shoving it in the swim cap.  Helpful.
2. Breathing!  I figured out that I do much better if I breathe both out and in through my mouth, rather than trying to breathe in through my mouth, out through my nose. 
3. My “rhythm”—I think I’ve got something down.  I’m pretty sure I was exhaling for three strokes, and breathing in for one, and it worked well.
4. I showered at the gym, which was much more convenient than driving the half hour home all chlorine-y still.

Things that still sucked:

1. My goggles.  They actually popped off my face in the middle of one lap, and continued fogging.  They didn’t fill with water AS much this time because I tightened them, but they sucked.  I’m going to spring for a pair of Speedo Vanquishers like you all recommended. 
2. My nose.  I’m still sucking water in it occasionally, which gets suck in my throat and makes me choke.

I finished my workout with four straight laps/100 yards of freestyle without stopping!  Maybe next week I will start the Zero to One Mile program. Anyhow, I’m super proud that it did seem much easier today.  I think once I work out a few things, I may even like swimming!  I’m confident I can do this.

My new motto is “just keep swimming.”

Dinner:

Finished off the BBQ pork I made in the crockpot a few weeks ago, the rest of the asparagus, and some instant loaded mashed potatoes sent to me by My Blog Spark. 

Also, I’m officially aboard the asparagus train.  I just squeezed a little lemon on it and it was awesome.  I’ll definitely be getting some more this weekend at the store!

Got any exciting plans for Easter (or did you, for Passover)? 

And I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  I’m still feeling kind of dumpy—stuffy, scratchy throat, super tired, low energy generally.  Blah.

Thank you for all your advice on yesterday’s post about swimming!  (Or, rather…my inability to do so.)  I know I’ll get there if I just keep at it.  Thusly, I am adding “swim one mile without stopping” to my goals page.  

I just have to remind myself that there was a point in my life where I said I would never be a runner, too, and, well…yeah, that happened.  Someday I will call myself a swimmer, too!  I just have to keep working at it.

Lunch was nothing exciting.

I’ve been lacking on the lunch creativity lately.

Dinner was good, at least!

We had whole grain pasta with meat sauce, and I cooked asparagus and tossed it in a little bit of lemon zest and parmesan cheese.  It was really good (though not particularly pretty)!  I think I’ve successfully taught myself to like asparagus and not just tolerate it. 

Buckley approves:

I was exhausted and feeling particularly stuffy at the end of the workday, so I just went home.  I’m still recovering from two halfs in 14 days!

Speaking of which, a co-worker of mine ran the full marathon on Saturday, and she stopped by my office to chat.  She did her first marathon on her 58th birthday!  How cool is that? 

I think about people like her when I panic and feel like I have to run marathon after marathon these days.  Running itself, I suppose, is more like a marathon than a sprint—it’s about enjoying a long journey, not trying to cram it all in one short effort.

Also, she called me Miss Speedy, which made me smile.  (She finished in just under 6 hours, so I guess it’s a matter of perspective?)

Instead of going to the gym I splurged on Lululemon online.  Oops.

Specifically, the In Stride jacket and Astro Pants.  I have 8-10 plane trips, and lots of car trips, coming up in the second half of 2011 and want something comfortable but not scrubby looking to wear…like every other black casual pants/sweatshirt combo I own.  I hate wearing jeans and bulky sweatshirts on planes, but wanted something that moved well for fidgeting and that I could unzip if I got hot.  Bonus is that these can double as workout wear on the road if need be, too!

I feel a wee bit guilty because this ain’t cheap, but I’m beginning to espouse the "quality over quantity” POV when it comes to my wardrobe.

(I hope they fit.)

The nutrish deets via Sparkpeople:

Where are your favorite places to buy/brands of workout clothes?

I don’t poop well when I’m away from home.  It’s true.

But first: can we talk about something awesome?

So, remember how Bubs went on a sleepover last weekend?

The adopters had a dog that was very nervous around him and they thought it wouldn’t work out.

But then they missed Bubs terribly last night and called their vet to discuss it.  The vet assured them that anxiety can be treated with behavioral modifications or medication and, hell, just time.

So this morning, Bubs’ dad came running into my office, saying that they’d made a terrible mistake and that they’re ready to work with their doggie to make them a happy family.  We’re bringing him back to them tomorrow morning

I’m going to miss the little stinker, but man, I am happy he’s going to his forever home.  His new mom and dad and doggie friend are really wonderful and I know he’ll be very happy.

(sniffle)

I couldn’t even fit my whole lunch in one picture.

Egg white sandwich, carrots/cukes and double hummus, grapes, pineapple, and a Fage Blueberry (on sale!).

I kind of forgot that cucumbers are another vegetable I find inoffensive and picked one up at the store.  I hope that a liberal dose of hummus and repeated exposure will help me actually like them.  Lord knows I can suck down pickles like a champ.

I picked up some excellent (read: not super healthy) trail mix at Target yesterday.  It’s called Monster Mix and has peanuts, raisins, M&Ms, and PB chips.

After work, I did 4 easy miles on the treadmill in 39:07 while watching Lost.  (Please tell me it gets more interesting?  It’s good, but I’m 4 episodes in and it’s just kind of meh so far.  I’m not riveted.)

Dinner was stir-fry.

Brown rice, chicken, carrots, garlic, cashews, teriyaki sauce and zucchini.  (I shredded the zucchini with my microplane grater and it was kind of invisible.)

As a blogger, it’s pretty much my civic duty to present this Public Service Announcement:

150 calories for a serving and it is insane.  In.  Sane.  Buy it, now.

(Ben & Jerry’s also came out with a Red Velvet Cake flavor, but it has a lot more calories per serving.)

Oh, and also, I’m going to Nebraska tomorrow.  AND you will get a Very Special Post in the morning.  Spirit  fingers!

Who is your favorite TV chef?

Ugh.  This is really annoying.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, though!  I totally celebrated:

I specifically selected an Irish Cream K-Cup for my morning coffee.  I also wore a green camisole under my shirt and wore my claddaugh ring.  Totally festive, y’all.

My lunch contained a glut of fruit and veggie servings.  Baller.

Except I bought a new flavor of hummus and hated it, so I only ate a little bit of it and about half the carrots.  In lieu of hummus, I ate some peanut butter off the measuring spoon.

So, after yesterday’s clean up my diet rant, I was kind of embarrassed to discover that I’d left my healthy, natural snack at home and had to eat a bar that would make Tosca Reno clutch her pearls.

At least it was tasty.

Happy brag: today I ate zero inappropriate and random snacks.  No pretzels from the boss’ jar, no handful from the community popcorn, no hard candies, no nothing.  AND, my boss even offered me her box of FlipSides pretzel garlic herb crackers, which I love, and I said no.  So, win on that one today.

After work I had another shitty workout.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  I was hungry and didn’t want to crosstrain on the stupid elliptical.  I did 20 minutes on the elliptical, switched to the bike, did 10 minutes and my vag hurt so I quit.  WTF.

On my way home from work I remedied another major issue.   My lunch box is WAY too small, so I bought a giant, embarrassing-but-awesome 18 can cooler at Target and some icepacks.  I use an obscene amount of Gladware every day between breakfast and lunch and snacks, so I might as well just embrace the freakshow.

The bonus of this is that I no longer have to use the community fridge at work, which always smells funny and is so full I think it might collapse one of these days. 

Dinner featured this:

Plus some chicken, mushrooms, and a little bit of random sauce I made from sherry, garlic, lemon, and chicken broth.

Yum.

I would be glad it’s Friday tomorrow, but I get to work late (yay) tomorrow and work on Saturday (awesome).  So…weekend in the toilet.   I’m looking forward to May when we go down to summer hours and I work four day weeks!

Do you take a lunch to work?  How do you pack it?

Ah, well.  The streak was good while it lasted.

This morning I went in to work late because had a date with the gynecologist!  Good times.

Highlight: I mentioned we MAYBE will start trying for a baby before my next annual (MAYBE) and he sent he home with a giant bag with formula logos on it full of diapers and other baby crap and some lady congratulated me in the elevator.  Awk.  Ward.

Lunch was a bit of this, a bit of that—mini bagel with cream cheese, carrots with hummus, yogurt+berries+Kashi, mini Babybel Gouda, spinach with balsamic.

These Luna Protein bars are starting to grow on me.  I had one for my afternoon snack since my lunch box was too small to contain a snack from home AND my massive lunch. Meghann said on Twitter that she thinks they taste like “garbage chalk,” and…they kind of do, but it’s chocolate mint flavored garbage chalk.  I don’t think I’d buy these, but since they were free I’m enjoying them.  There are better protein bars out there for my money, though.

After work, I went to the gym for a quick tempo run.  I had to get back to the vet to pick up Bubbles by 6:30!

I decided to go a hair faster than my ideal 5K pace for two miles, and I brought it home in 17:11, or an 8:36/mile pace!  It was uncomfortable, but that’s kind of the point of a tempo run.  Sometimes I think I sell myself short by running so slow, and I really wonder what I’m capable of.  It’s hard to really bang out a tough run after a 9 hour workday, though!

Anyway, I was able to pick up Bubbles in time and got some good news—his feline leukemia, FIV, and heartworm tests were all negative.   He had ear mites, but was treated for them, and is otherwise in good shape.  He even got a rabies shot!  Also, can you believe he’s two years old?  Not me!  He’s so teeny!

Unfortunately, all the rescues we’ve contacted are coming up as dead ends.  We do NOT need another cat, but we are committed to getting him a good home, and if we have to foster him for awhile, so be it. It’s just the right thing to do.

Tim and Bubbles are currently watching the basketball game.  We’re doing very slow, supervised introductions with our pets.

Dinner was mostly ready when I got home.  I made a whole chicken in the crockpot using this recipe and it turned out really well.  I also chopped up and peeled a sweet potato, half an acorn squash, and some baby carrots, tossed them in maple syrup and a little cinnamon and roasted them.

The veggies were just so-so.  Acorn squash is pretty flavorless, actually.

Sparkpeople calories:

And run data from my Polar F4:

Losing weight is fun!  I can’t wait to see the 150s again.

Thanks for the bangs love.  I really think it’s a fun changes!  Tim likes them, but made the following observation:

He’s not wrong.

We woke up early-ish this morning to go to church.  Before we left, I had some MultiGrain Cheerios with cinnamon.

(Note: I received the Cheerios and accompanying prize pack as part of a promotion from My Blog Spark.)

I’m a Kashi girl through and through, but I do like the Multigrain Cheerios.  They have a nice sweet taste, and I love adding cinnamon to them because it has some pretty awesome health benefits.  I do like that you can have a fairly large serving for not a lot of calories—110 calories for 1 cup.   I’ve been actually using this as a late night snack on occasion—sometimes, I’m hungry before bed but want something light, so I’ll have a small serving of Multigrain Cheerios with milk. 

I wish they had a little more protein, because they don’t keep me full for very long, but they are delicious.

After church, we set the oven timer for one hour of speed cleaning.  We have houseguests coming next weekend!

In one hour, we successfully vacuumed, steam mopped, cleared the papers off our kitchen table, dusted, and took out the trash and recycling.  We still need to clean the kitchen, but I’ll do that Thursday night.  The odds of me keeping the kitchen clean all week are pretty low.

All that cleaning made me hungry, so I had a big lunch.

Yes, I ate Spongebob Squarepants Easy Mac.

Okay.  So, I hear a lot about trigger foods on the blog world—in other words, foods you can’t stop eating once you start.  Kraft macaroni & cheese is one of those things for me. 

When I was at my highest weight, in law school, I was eating Kraft M&C at least five times a week.  It was quick and easy, I was busy, and it was delicious.   I would eat the entire box for dinner.  When I lost weight the first time around, I didn’t eat it all.  I craved it viciously and fought it and that made me deeply sad.

This time…I want to incorporate it in my life in moderation.  Is it total crap and processed beyond belief?  Yes!  I know that, and I don’t plan on it becoming a diet staple again.  But I seriously love the stuff, so I bought some individual servings to have once in awhile.  I hope that by doing this I’ll be able to make my peace with the orange stuff.  I want to be able to enjoy it occasionally, without binging on it OR totally depriving myself.  We’ll see.

In other news…bathroom kitty is doing well.  He’s a total sweetheart, and has spent his day and night pigging out (he’s so skinny, it’s sad), napping in the bathtub, and purring.  When you go in to visit him, he’ll jump in your lap, then put his paws on your shoulder and head butt your face.  

He is such a little lovebug and it breaks my heart to see his hip bones sticking out and his dirty fur.  Priority #1 tomorrow is to get him into the vet to get checked out.

I accidentally took a long nap this afternoon.  I woke up and made a snack—a teeny tiny blood orange and a Babybel Mini Gouda.  (Tim stole a nibble!)

For dinner, I tried two new recipes: Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Shallots and Creamy Cauliflower Puree.

I used a pork tenderloin cut into medallions instead of chops, and it turned out great!

The cauliflower puree was so-so.  It ain’t mashed potatoes, but I liked it.  I think we overblended it a bit—I’d like it a little chunkier.

Sparkpeople details:

Want to win your own Multigrain Cheerios prize pack? 

To enter, leave a comment on how you would use MultiGrain Cheerios as part of your healthy lifestyle.  Breakfast?  Late night snack?  Over yogurt?  Let me know!

I will pick a winner on Wednesday!

!

Okay, okay, no complaining.  Slow progress is tough, though, as I’m sometimes losing so slowly it barely feels like anything at all.   When I look at the weekly progress, though, it’s nice to see pretty steady declines.

• Monday, 1/3/11: 172.6 (start!)
• Sunday, 1/9/11: 170.6 (-2 pounds)
• Monday, 1/17/11: 170.6 (same)
• Sunday, 1/23/11: 168.8 (-1.8 pounds)
• Sunday, 1/30/11: 167.8 (-1 pound)
• Sunday, 2/6/11: 168.6 (+0.8 pounds)
• Sunday, 2/13/11: 165.8 (-2.8 pounds)
• Sunday, 2/20/11: 164.2 (-1.6 pounds)

Because I like graphs, here’s what that looks like.

I also had some fun today while trying on clothes for Disney World this weekend. 

I decided to lose weight for the first time in June 2008.  About three months before, in March, I’d bought a brand new suit from Ann Taylor.  I LOVED it.  It was gray pinstripe and for the first time, I felt kinda sorta like a real lawyer.   It fit perfectly—I had the pants altered so they weren’t too long, which I NEVER do.

I lost 50 pounds and immediately gave all my old clothes to charity because I didn’t want the temptation to backslide there.  (I’m glad I did, because part of the reason I started losing weight again was because my pants didn’t fit, and I was too cheap to buy new ones.)

But I kept one pair of pants, just so I wouldn’t forget how big I’d really been.  It’s been a long time since I’ve tried them on, but today I did.  And I took pictures.

Please note how long these pants are now.  I swear I have not shrunk.  (Shrank?  Shrunken?)

And here’s my token side shot.

I sometimes get emo (obviously) about not being super duper skinny, but…man, I really have come pretty far.   Sometimes I forget that.

Also, I would like to thank these pictures for reminding me to maybe bust out a little self-tanner before this weekend.  Yikes.

Anyway.  I had some cereal before church this morning but didn’t photograph it.  For lunch, I made myself an omelet with a slice of bacon and some cheese and 1 egg and two whites.    I also had some toasted homemade bread (the best!) and a yogurt bowl.

For a snack, I felt like baking, and I wanted to use up some bananas in the freezer.

I used this recipe from Emily as a base, but modified it quite a bit.  Her recipe calls for:

• 3 medium ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil I used 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sucanat (or organic cane sugar)  I used 1/2 cup regular sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses I used 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 cup peanut flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour Instead of peanut and regular flour, I used 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• And I also added about 1/4 cup chopped pecans.

The instructions in Emily’s recipe are more detailed, but I just mixed everything together and put it in muffin papers in a 350* oven for about 20 minutes.

These were really good!  I love baking, obviously, and it was nice to make something for once that I didn’t feel terribly guilty about eating.  Yum!

For dinner, I made another recipe from Skinny Taste—petite meatloaves! 

I followed this recipe almost exactly, except I used lean ground beef instead of turkey.  We’ve tried the turkey instead of beef thing, and…while it’s edible, neither of us are really crazy about it.  We really enjoyed these! 

We had some roasted fingerling potatoes and carrots on the side.

Fitness-wise, I’m not totally sure what I’m going to do this week.  I should probably taper for my race next week.  I think I’ll do some short runs on Monday and Wednesday, and cross-train Thursday.  (I won’t be able to do anything Tuesday—traveling again for work!  And I fly out Friday right after work.)

And just because I like this picture:

Buckley says hi.

Anyway, I’m not fortunate enough to have President’s Day off tomorrow (BOO) so time to go get ready for the week!

Do you keep clothes that don’t fit or give them away?

Ugh.

I realized today that this, right here, today, is why I weigh myself every day.  When it’s an every day thing…it’s just a statistic, and I say whatever, and move on with my day.  But after a few days off the scale, I was anxious about what happened weight-wise while I was traveling. 

And when I saw a gain (or, who knows if it’s a gain, maybe it’s just a fluctuation) I had a horrible morning.

Okay, there was other stuff. I woke up with no covers on, freezing (ahem Tim and Milhouse).  My contacts felt like tiny stabby knives in my eyeballs.  I had a pile of work on my desk that no amount of coffee could make okay.   But man, that little gain started me off on the wrong foot today.  I KNOW that number doesn’t represent my self-worth; but it does represent my efforts lately, and I’ve been trying so damn hard, and it sucks to be discouraged.

It’s just so hard to see stuff like that and go to the mental place of, how on earth is it fair that I run 11 miles and track calories and STILL can’t lose weight, or I wish I was naturally thin, why not just quit, you’ll succumb to your genetics eventually anyway.  It’s a slippery slope, and even though I generally have pretty healthy self-esteem…it’s just hard not to get angry when you’re giving this your best shot, and there are some skinny jerks out there who never see the inside of the gym.  You know?

Anyway, breakfast was the usual, and lunch was an “I’ve missed you, fresh produce!” kinda meal.

Yogurt mess, carrots and hummus, tons of spinach with balsamic, a tiny Babybel gouda, and a tangerine.

(PS: Is it just me, or does all orange citrus taste very similar?  I am pretty confident I couldn’t tell the difference between an orange, tangerine, clementine, and blood orange in a blind taste test.)

I snacked on a Vitatop in the afternoon.  They’re better still half-frozen, I think. 

After work, it was still super gorgeous outside—about 58 degrees and partly sunny with a nice light breeze.  So I went for a run just to kind of loosen things up and move and clear my head.  No iPod, just me and my Garmin and a neat trail I finally took the time to explore near my office.

It was fairly slow, but that’s okay.  I had two great runs this week already, and for some reason, I had some muscle soreness in my hips and butt this afternoon.  I’m not sure where it’s coming from, but whatever.  It felt good to get outside again.  Next week I’ll be doing some tapering for my half!

Dinner was our traditional Friday night homemade pizza.

Today I also registered for two more races!

• I will be doing the Diva Dash 5K which benefits Girls on the Run KC on March 5.  Any KC readers/bloggers care to join me?  It’s an all-girl race (and for a great cause, and HELLO, packet pickup is at Lululemon!), so Tim will be at home dog-sitting.  It looks like a fun one!
• Tim and I will be doing the Westport St. Patrick’s Day 4 Miler on March 12 with our friend Sarah. 
• I’m also planning on registering for the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon on April 2.  I haven’t yet for budget purposes, but I’d like to do at least two more halfs this year after Disney Princess, and this looks like a fun one!

(PS: I’ve started tracking my vitamin daily just to keep an eye on whether I’m getting enough calcium, iron, etc.  Yes, it’s a prenatal vitamin, and no, we’re not trying for a baby yet.   It’s good for the hair and nails, and, well, wishful thinking.  It’s good to have the baby-related vitamins built up in advance of trying, I’ve heard, so what the hell.)

And the run estimate:

What do you do when you get frustrated with healthy living or weight loss?

Here’s a cat in a shirt to distract you from that trainwreck.

Usually I like Mondays.  I feel refreshed from the weekend, I have everything done that needs to get done, and I’m ready to tackle a full inbox.

But, since I worked all day Saturday, and spent most of yesterday baking and cooking and going to the Super Bowl semi-party…it was a bad day.  I felt tired and sluggish from the get-go, and it was a really busy day at work.  So…I’m glad to be home, showered, and cuddled up with my blanket.

Breakfast was the usual.  Lunch:

I had hummus with carrots and red pepper strips, an orange, the new Lemon Chobani with strawberries and Kashi, and a Babybel mini Gouda.

I tried with the red peppers, guys.  I ate maybe five strips.  It wasn’t BAD, but…I didn’t love it.  I want to love vegetables, but I don’t.  I think peppers may be a texture thing for me—you bite into them and there’s, like, a gush of water.  I’ll keep trying.

I did really like the Lemon Chobani though—combined with strawberries, it tasted like strawberry lemonade and was really good.

After work, I went to the gym.  I ran 1.25 miles with a headache, and then couldn’t take the pounding anymore so I hit the elliptical for half an hour.  It was a pretty lackluster workout, but I stand by my assumption that some movement is better than no movement.

For dinner, we had Branny’s Mac and Cheese and “chicken nuggets”—chicken dipped in egg white, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and hot n’ spicy seasoning, baked.

I used chopped broccoli instead of onions and peas in mine, and even though I WANTED to love it….I didn’t.  I miss super cheesy macaroni and cheese, and this was…well, squashy.  I liked it as a butternut squash pasta dish, but it wasn’t mac and cheese the way I love it.

Sigh.  This is when I feel like a failure as a so-called health blogger—I should be pissing myself over how awesome veggies are, right?  And telling you how much I love them?  I just want to find some truly healthy recipes I absolutely adore.

Tomorrow is a new day.   At least my eats were healthy today, right?

(I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor today because I have some underboob chafing left over from my 9 miler.)

What are your absolute favorite, no-fail healthy but totally delicious recipes?