152.0 - A Few Good Things

Since my last post, I've managed to accomplish some good stuff on the road to losing some LB's.

Monday after work, I went running. In the cold. And the wind. And part of the time in the dark. But it was great! Really, it was. Okay, no, it kinda sucked since I hadn't yet figured out my winter running gear needs yet, and my legs were freezing in the 33 degree temp. I'd wardrobed the top part of my body okay--short sleeve running shirt, long sleeve running shirt, fleece pullover, hat, gloves, iPod in my ears, Garmin on my left wrist, Road ID on my right. I guess I figured my legs would be running and wouldn't need an extra layer. Wrongo! Definitely need to wear running tights under my running pants next time. Lesson learned.

Since it was after 4 p.m. when I started, I knew I'd need to run in the park where there isn't much road traffic because I didn't have my reflective vest with me. I did 4 laps, which is 3.25 miles. The last lap was in the dark, but there was absolutely no one else around crazy enough to be out in that weather. Did I mention it was cold and windy?

Monday night I was a good girl and ate broccoli and eggs & turkey. No carbs at dinner, woohoo! Weight loss here I come.

Then, oops, Bad Girl shows up at 1 a.m. when I had to pee and walked straight to the fridge (after the potty break, and yes I washed my hands) and pulled out the crustless pumpkin pie leftover from Thanksgiving. I didn't have much, but I did have several squirts of whip cream from the can. And then a few spoons of cool whip lite from the freezer. Could have been worse, but it was still eating in the middle of the night.

Today was not the best food wise, because I ran out of lettuce and didn't have the makings for my usual healthy lunch. Basically I didn't eat enough during the day and felt weak in the afternoon. A protein shake and an apple with two string cheese sticks isn't much fuel for the bulk of my day.

Especially since I took a weights class tonight at 4:30. Mom picked up the kids since she didn't get to see them over the weekend, so I was FREE to do what I wanted. Lifting weights after being off for a while is hard. But it felt great. I was so glad to be back at it. Even though I didn't feel as strong as usual--I could really tell I was low on good food fuel.

After class I went grocery shopping and stocked up, picking up some key ingredients for two recipes I wanted to try. And after getting the kids to sleep tonight, I made them both. I've got good food for Mark & me for the next few days all ready. Even have my lettuce packed in gladware, ready for lunch tomorrow.

And I think all the Alton Brown shows I've been watching are starting to rub off on me. I'm getting to be a darn good cook, if I do say so myself. Here are the two recipes I made tonight:

Roni's Curried Turkey Salad is simply to die for. My pear isn't ripe yet so I just used a big apple, and I added a couple tablespoons of pecans and omitted the onion (not a raw onion fan), and OMG it is amazing. I only had a few bites but I can't wait to eat it tomorrow for dinner. If you have leftover turkey, you have got to make this recipe.

The first thing I made tonight was a recipe from my girlfriend LeAnne. It was my dinner, even though it's pretty carby and I ate it at 9:30 pm. Oh well. I was starving because I'd had nothing but a few leftover green beans (again, from Thanksgiving) when I got home from working out. This recipe is well worth the fresh basil and even though it looks like a lot of work, it's easy. Use a big bowl to combine everything--it's a lot of food.

Chicken & Tortellini with Cherry Tomatoes and Corn

1 lb. fresh chicken breast tenderloins
1 (9 oz.) pkg fresh cheese tortellini, uncooked (Bertolli's is in the refrigerated section)
1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen whole kernel corn
1 clove garlic, halved (optional)
2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes (the store had grape tomatoes, and I quartered those just fine)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or more!)
1 teaspoon olive oil (+ however much you need to cook the chicken)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kosher salt, to taste
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

If using garlic, rub the inside of a large serving bowl with garlic halves (Laura's note: I didn't do this), and discard the garlic halves. Cut the tomatoes, slice the green onions, and chop the basil; put these in the serving bowl.

While waiting for water to boil for tortellini, start cooking the chicken (I usually just 'heat' it in pan over med-low heat, with a little olive oil). When it is cooked all the way through, cut it into bite-sized pieces. (Laura's modification--I cooked 1 tsp minced garlic in olive oil until light brown, then added already cut up chicken. I was in a hurry and wanted the chicken to cook quickly.)

Cook tortellini in boiling water 3 minutes, omitting salt and oil. Add corn, and cook additional 3 - 4 minutes; drain well.

Pour tortellini & corn mixture on top of the tomatoes, onions & basil in the serving bowl. Add cubed cooked chicken, tsp. olive oil, a generous pinch of Kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle cheese on top. Serve immediately. (I'm having leftovers for lunch--hopefully it will still be yummy.)

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So that's been the good stuff over the past two days. Work is still very stressful. I'm trying not to be resentful about how much I have to do for the Holidays. I'm keenly aware this year that all of this could just go away, and I wouldn't have to worry about parties and pictures and open houses and Christmas cards and presents, at all. I'm lucky to be overwhelmed, I keep telling myself. I'm too blessed to be stressed.

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Holy cow, I just totalled up my miles for the month of November and realized I need to run 28.5 miles in December to run a total of 500 miles in 2008. How cool will that be? It's nice to have a goal this time of year.