Tale of the Tomatoes

I've been blessed this week with an abundance of tomatoes. Neighbors and co-workers have been growing tomatoes, and I'm lucky enough to have benefited from that. At first I was freaked by the sheer numbers of tomatoes on my counter, but then it occurred to me: I should make salsa!

I've never made salsa before in my life, so I looked up some recipes.  They varied somewhat, but had the same basic principles. Cut tomatoes, cut onions, cut cilantro and mix together, so I decided to wing it.   About halfway through all of the cutting, I got nervous about the decision to wing it, but in the end, I realized that enough tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice make anything tasty. I was right.

But then I was like, "Now the tomatoes are gone, but what am I going to do with this salsa?"  Solution: Make tacos!  Look at these amazing tacos I'm eating this week.  For approximately 320 calories, I'm eating a plate-ful of tacos for dinner tonight, and they are delicious. A smattering of taco meat, a generous helping of my salsa, some lettuce and a sprinkling of cheese = satisfying, delicious and quick.   

Happy Taco Tuesday!

Operation Laziness

I dubbed this weekend "Operation Laziness."  I had no big plans, and I was determined to keep it that way.

The operation was a success.  Aside from my Saturday morning attempted brick, my Sunday morning at church and a trip to the actual movie theater, I evenly split the rest of the time between the two couches in my house, either reading the Island by Victoria Hislop* or watching the West Wing, Season I.** 

It's been a very, very long time since I've had a weekend of such lethargy, but I had absolutely zero problems getting back into the lazy groove.  Work has been crazy lately (the month of August always is on a college campus), and I've been pretty spectacular at filling all of my non-working hours with busy-ness.  I needed the break.  

Anyway, I'm not sure the point of telling you all of this, except to say that I'm rested and raring to go for this next week. 

* It was a good multi-generational tale about leprosy, Crete and family. 

**I've seen the West Wing Season I before, but after spending so much time this weekend watching it, I've decided it is one of the top 5 best television shows of all time. Most of the episodes make me both laugh (out loud) and cry (or at least bring tears to my eyes.)  You can check out seasons at your local library (at least you can at mine) if you're interested.

Reconsidering Running

Went out for another brick today.  Had a great 11 mile bike ride and then couldn't bring myself to run a mile.  My shirt was soaked through with sweat at this point, and I was just tired.  So, of course, that launches me into a spiral of thinking, "WHY DO I KEEP TRYING TO BE A RUNNER?"  I can not believe I have this race in two weeks.

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer.  I'm not upset about it. I'll be able to handle the race, even if I end up walking a good bit of it. I'll finish; I'm not worried about that.

But, it does leave me thinking about the future of my running career.  Running is hard work (for me, if not for everyone), and I often dread the thought of a looming run workout.  At the end of this week I skipped two workouts completely, just because I didn't want to run.

I've got to keep in mind my main purposes for working out: being fit and losing weight.  Maybe running isn't for me.  But then again, I hate to lose any of the precious little stamina I have built up if I were to quit running.

I realize the irony that this post comes after my multiple running posts last week (find those here and here). What can I say? My moods are like a roller coaster, sometimes, and you've just got to go with the flow.

What do you think? Should I stick with running?  Got any ideas for new types of cardio for me?

Photo Fridays: August 12

Saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two again. This time in 3D!

Got to babysit my youngest niece, Natalie, so her mom, dad, older brother and sister could go see Cars 2.  

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Fiona was racked and ready to roll on the back of my car this week as I got in multiple training rides.

I got my first jellyfish stings during my quick trip to the beach.  These looked bad, but didn't hurt.  The ones on my foot stung a lot, but you couldn't even see them!  How's that for injustice!?!

Some of my favs stole my phone to take this pic: Luis, Cara, Amie and KLB!

Mafia party! This is my favorite game. My friends and I get together to play every few months.Everyone goes to "sleep" (pictured here) so that the mafia can strike "in the night." The game is to figure out who is in the mafia.  This is what it looks like when everyone is asleep.  Have you ever played this awesome game?

Product Review: Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies

It's been awhile since I've done one of my product reviews, and it just so happened that I bought some of these Fiber One 90 calorie brownie bars at the store this week.  I'm a fan of the Fiber One granola bars, so I was excited to find a dessert of the same brand for less calories. Plus, it combines chocolate and peanut butter, two foods that were meant to live happily ever after (ooh, great couples' costume idea!) Can't get much better than that, can it?

Turns out, it can. It could, in fact, get a lot better than this. I would not recommend these brownies to anyone unless that someone is a fan of the idea of sinking his or her teeth into a thick and chewy slice of cardboard.  I'm guessing that when you attempt to up the fiber content and lower the calories (thereby, removing the stuff that tastes good), it is physically impossible to concoct something that tastes good. I just wish I'd come to that realization before I brought the box of cardboard brownies home.

Also there is no discernible, legitimate peanut butter.

The only plus side is that for such a tiny square, they are somewhat filling.

Has anyone else tried them?  Please let me know what you thought. Am I being too harsh?

What's Up Wednesday: Fridge Edition

On today's What's Up Wednesday, I'm wondering what's in your fridge?   Why do I want to know? Eh, I'm just nosy, I guess.  To be fair, though, I'll go first. In addition to your usual assortments of condiments (ketchup, mustard, assorted salad dressings, BBQ sauce, soy sauce) and plenty of Diet Coke, I have the remainders of my meals for the week, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and my lunch box ready to go for tomorrow (see pic at left).  My meals this week were an Italian pasta bake and a low-fat cheeseburger pie.  Yum!  

In my snack drawer (see pic at right), I have cheese sticks, pepperoni sticks, individually packaged cottage cheese and apples and peanut butter.  All of this individually packaged food helps me eat within my calorie range and pack my lunch quickly on the go.

Okay, now it's your turn. Whatcha' got in yo' fridge?  What's a fridge essential in your house?

Focused

Good news! I've emerged from my better-part-of-two-weeks backward slide.  I've ducked out from under my rain cloud, and I'm focused once again. (I feel like singing "The sun'll come out, tomorrow..." in full operatic voice.  Because that's what I do.) Even though I was tired and busy today, I had a great first day be being back on track.  I've got my meals and snacks ready for the rest of the week, and mentally, I'm ready too.  

I once volunteered at a residential center for people recovering from addiction.  I overheard a lady talking about how you've really got to fight addiction one day at a time or you'll never make it.  That's how I feel right now.  Today is done, and I succeeded in sticking to my plans.  I've prepared for tomorrow, and I just have to try my best. That's all I can do. 

I've had a great few days worth of workouts. I did my brick on Saturday, had a great 11 mile bike ride with friends on Sunday, boogie boarded and jumped waves in a strong current for HOURS on Monday and swam today. Tomorrow it's back to running.

Wish me luck!  I'm hoping I can string together several days of "being good" and call it a streak.