This is getting to be a daily occurrence…

and this…well…

just one cup in the morning, so it’s not too bad, right?

I hit the gym for my new favorite workout.  I have been good about getting myself on a running schedule, but the other days I was floundering without a set routine.  I wanted to find a regular strength training routine that I would stick with and now I have it.  The 30 minute express workout at the gym is just right.  It has 20 stations:  10 steps and 10 weight machines so it works everything – arms, abs, legs.  I don’t need to think about it;  I just keep my eye on the red/green light and move to the next station when appropriate.  It’s a great workout!  I usually warm up on the Arc Trainer for 25 minutes first, then head to the express workout area.  This is the longest I’ve ever stuck with a strength workout and I can already tell a difference in my arms.  Miniscule, mind you.  But, there is some muscle forming under that jiggle.

I moved on from the gym, right to the supermarket.  I have no shame.

I was starving by lunch time, but none of my usual eats seemed appetizing.  I was really in the mood for a big yogurt bowl!

Plain greek yogurt, straws and blues topped with a new find – Ezekiel Golden Flax Cereal…

It’s interesting.  Kind of flavorless and reminds me a lot of Grape Nuts.  Frankly, it needs some sugar. <—– whaaaaaat?!

But, it made a nice crunchy topping for a berryfull yogurt bowl…

In the afternoon, I snacked on a few cashews.  Miracle.  Few and cashews were never words that went together in my world.  I spent so much time marveling over this small feat that I neglected to take a picture.  Maybe we’ll try that again tomorrow.

Pasta was on tap for dinner tonight.  Traditional for the family and brown rice pasta for me. Have I told you how much I LOVE brown rice pasta?! Gush, gush, lovey, love, love.   

Especially tossed with Trader Joe’s Giant White Beans and a little parm…

Since I had nary a green veg today, I sauteed some chopped spinach with garlic and olive oil as a side…

One of the best things I like about brown rice pasta is how filling it is.  I can chow down beaucoup amounts of traditional pasta, but brown rice pasta is different.  It is very satisfying and a normal sized portion goes a long way…

I was going to have dessert tonight – banana “ice cream” – but, I am too full!  There’s always tomorrow!

Thanks for the kind comments about my No Sugar endeavor.  I appreciate the supportive comments and please know that I am trying this in a very non-judgmental way.  I have decided to search and focus on the reasons behind my eating and weight issues.  For me, I believe it is the only way that I can free myself from this food prison that I have been in all my life.  Discovering those reasons and finding what will help me moving forward is important to me so that I do not gain my weight back.  If I continue to lose, that would be wonderful, however, I am more interested in keeping the 60+ pounds off and freeing my mind from the compulsive desires to overeat.  I am working to find what is right for me and I don’t judge if giving up sugar is not for you.  The books and research that I have been reading are very “sugar is the devil” in attitude, so I am trying not to spew that all over the blog.  I’m not here to teach or convince you of that because everyone is different and I wouldn’t want anyone to feel badly about what they eat as long as it works for them! Okay, novel post over!

Have a great day, everyone!

Is dessert a daily occurrence for you or just for special occasions?

I feel the change.  It’s on its way.  It’s gonna require lots of coffee…

Not “that” change.  

I mean the change of schedules.  The daughters are almost done with school and although I look forward to the time we get to spend together in the summer, it means some reworking of the schedule.  I am that mean Mom who makes her kids do school work every day and we generally keep to a schedule during the day.  Strangely, I am not this organized the other 9 months of the year!  But, to keep us all loving each other, it has to work this way in the summer.  For me, fitting in my exercise is going to be the challenge.  I need to figure that out, however, I’m pretty sure it’s gonna to require me getting up at a time which is not conducive to the opening of eyelids.  Hence……coffee.

***

I so enjoyed my breakfast this morning and savored every bit of this egg and cheese on an Ezekiel english muffin…

I hit the gym for my new strength routine.  On my off-run days, I’m doing 20 minutes on the Arc Trainer or elliptical, then the 30 minute circuit.  I’m really digging the circuit area.  The red/green light prompt keeps it moving and I don’t have to think about time and reps.  Kind of like a giant sized GYMBOSS!

After showering and making myself presentable, I met up with my friend, Rosemary and her baby for lunch to celebrate her birthday.  She appreciates all things eco-friendly and organic, so I thought she would love the new restaurant, Harvest Seasonal Grill that I went to with the husband…

There are so many dishes I would like to try here!  Today, I settled on the Greek Salad topped with Baked Salmon…

Very tasty!

Later in the afternoon, I felt the need to nosh.  Make your own microwave popcorn was the way to go…

I planned pasta for the family’s dinner which sounded good, so I got in on the action, too!  For myself, I cooked up brown rice pasta using the same method as last time and it came out perfect!  The key really is to rinse the pasta with cold water after draining.  It removes the starchiness, stops the cooking and keeps the texture firm. 

Once rinsed, I placed it back in the pot to heat through for a minute along with a bit of olive oil.  I topped it with a saute of chopped kale, garlic and small white beans…

and parmesan cheese!

After dinner, I worked on a granola bite “dessert”…

Note to self:  Uh, pay attention you dope …

Is it bad that I ate it anyway?

Don’t answer that.

Have a great day, everyone!

Don’t forget to enter the NuNaturals giveaway!

How do you handle a recipe fail?  Do you eat it or scrap it?

Hey everyone!  Thank you for comments on my No Sugar Experiment.  I’m so pleased with my results thus far and I am going to stay with it as best I can

Today was a run day, so I got my drinks in order.  Coffee first…

then a strawberry-banana smoothie an hour before the run…

I met up with my running buddy and we set out on the paved trail.  We both were complaining about some hip pain and weren’t sure how far we’d make it for this run.  The humidity was a killer, too!  I get drained so quickly in the heat and humidity!  I scaled back to a very slow jog to keep me going.  I decided all that matters is that I’m out there doing it and it doesn’t matter how fast I’m going!  There was an intermittent breeze that got us through to the end -  4.5 miles, 59 minutes, 10 intervals of 5:1 (run/walk)…

I had some errands to take care of right after my run.  Yes, I went in full-out stinkiness   While I was out, I noshed on a few dates to tide me over.

I finally got around to lunch – Trader Joe’s Black Bean Soup and a ginormous piece of cornbread that I made yesterday…

This cornbread was different than the sweeter-style cornbread that I usually like, but it was good for dipping…

For an afternoon snack, I made more CRACK!  This time with edamame…

Roasted edamamme is the new crackalaka

Dinner was something very new to me…

This pasta is flour-free.  It is made from brown rice and shaped into pasta.  I didn’t know much about it, so I Googled it!  There were some interesting reviews on brown rice pasta;  not all good.  I was scared.

But, I forged on.  The common negative review was with respect to texture.  It was imperative to NOT overcook this pasta!  I set the timer to make sure I didn’t screw it up.  I gave it a taste when the timer went off and it seemed right on the money.  Then, I did the BIG NO-NO.  I drained and RINSED the pasta.  <—–  Don’t look Mom.

With regular pasta, rinsing is the biggest sin in the Italian world.  It’s not allowed.  Off with your head.

Brown rice pasta is a different breed, so I am able to get away with it and not be disowned.  And I found it to be completely necessary since the success of this pasta depends on not overcooking it.  Rinsing it in cold water quickly stopped the cooking process and cleared away a lot of the starch that is produced with this pasta.

I reheated the pasta in the saucepan while tossing it with leftover grilled veggies and a bit of pesto…

It was filling and delicious!  I didn’t find the texture to be weird at all!

I ended the night with a bowl of watermelon water ice…

Happy

Have a great day, everyone!

What is your favorite pasta dish?