2 lbs

Why is it that 2 lbs is so easy to put on, but takes so much work to burn off?  I guess I let myself go a little this weekend and there I am, 2 lbs heavier... grrrr.  I worked really hard to get that 2 lbs off.  It's not like I didn't do any exercise either.  We took that hike with the super steep hill that I thought might make me collapse.  I guess, I did have a huge strawberry daiquiri.  I bet that had a ton of calories... and I wasn't really watching what I was eating, or how much.  How many m&ms did I have?  Hum... I will plead the 5th. ;)

And so, back into my cooking magazines I dove today, trying to find delicious filling meals that could help with my rapid weight fluctuation.  I know, weight sometimes will fluctuate by a few pounds from day to day, but that 2 lbs really bugs me.

Tonight, I made a version of Rachael Ray's "Pulled Chipotle Chicken" for dinner.  Unfortunately, this recipe can be quite time consuming.  Meaning, on a weekday, it doesn't give you time to do a whole lot more.  Meaning, I didn't get as long a walk as I would have liked because by the time we were done eating, the sun was almost halfway set.  I still went for a small walk though - better a small one than none at all :)

I'm trying to convince myself to figure out the right train to take in to work so that I can have a nice long walk before my shift starts.  There's 2 different trains I can take into downtown.  One takes me a block away from work - the other would take me about 20 blocks away.  The dilemma is that I already leave the house at 6am to be at work by 7:30... therefore my motivation is kind of low.  I would probably mean leaving the house a good 30 minutes earlier, which would mean what, wake up at 4:30? Yuck.  I'm already just getting 6.5 half hours of sleep a night during the weekdays.. I think I'll stick to my evening walks, lol

To get back to my dinner though, if you don't have left over chicken stock (which I didn't), you can then make some at the same time as you cook your chicken.  I was kind of excited to do that so that I can try a recipe this week (or weekend).  I found it in a "Taste of Home" magazine from last year.  It's "Herbed Potato Dumplings".  Sounds and looks really good.  And, the kicker is that it's only 143 calories per serving.  I really hope they are good, because they sure do look it.  Aside from that, I really want to try an adjusted version of "Texas Tabbouleh".  I don't like beans so I'd definitely be omitting those, and I think I have some couscous, so I might use that instead of bulgur, just because I might as well use what's in my pantry.  If I like it, I'll really look forward to making it with my garden veggies, who just keep on growing.. well except for the peppers.. I might have to replant those :/

And so, I suppose that is my new beginnings for this week.  Try new recipes to try and help re-shed this 2 lbs.  I am still roaring at this 2 lbs.  Why is it so easy to gain weight but it's a constant struggle to keep it off?  When you think about it though, things that are difficult are often worth it.  While I will always say that Preston made it easy to be a mom, it was still hard work.  It was a lot of work to keep him on schedule, and make sure all his needs were fulfilled.  It was hard waking up every 2.5 hours to pump and then feed him.  It was hard trying to figure out all the little sounds that he made, and make sure that he was okay.  When he was tiny, it was really tough to sleep without worrying about something.  Heck, once he started sleeping in his nursery, I had the baby monitor on max volume and slept with it in my hand by my face so that I could hear any little sound.  I did that every night, for whatever good it did.  I wouldn't change it though.  I'd still do the same thing again.  Sure, as time passed, the time between feedings increased, but by no means is taking care of a baby an easy task.  There's always a thought going through your mind to make sure that everything is taken care of.  Hubby and I make a good team though and we made it work for us and for Preston. 

Keep challenging yourself.  You never know, you might surprise yourself by accomplishing something you never knew you could do.  Maybe it'll be a really steep hill to climb on one day, or 2 lbs to shed on another, but don't give up.  You can do whatever you set your heart to.

To the far left is a row of onions (you can't see much from this angle), then there's a row of tomatoes, and a square of lettuce, and the back row is beans and cucumbers.  The empty squares are where my peppers are supposed to be, and kind of hidden to the far right are various herbs.  It keeps on growing.  My little herbs and veggies are working hard :)

I guess it's kind of a blurry shot, but we put a little "fence" around the garden to keep little critters away.  Not sure if it'll keep them out, but worth the try :)