What's On Your Breakfast Plate

I made an awesome omelet this morning.  Okay.  So good that I forgot to take a picture before I ate it, but it was soooo good.  Eggbeaters, red pepper, onion, fresh parsley and fresh cilantro, diced tomato and shredded low-fat cheddar cheese.  Yum! 

By the way, it's like torturing my husband every time I start snipping the cilantro plant.  Not only does he hate the taste of it, but the smell drives him crazy!  Hee hee.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

Can't seem to get out of this eggbeaters pattern.  They're quick and easy for me in the morning and a great source of protein.  I've tried high fiber cereals, oatmeal, yogurt and fruit.  Nothing else seems to do it for me like eggbeaters, but getting a little bored with it. 

So looking for suggestions.  What was on your breakfast plate this morning?  I'm hoping to get a variety of responses and know I'll  get some GREAT ideas from some of you, right?

Woke up to absolutely beautiful weather this morning, cool, sunny, perfect morning for a run....but I'm not.  I ran three days in a row, which I shouldn't do, no rest days in between, and I have a lot of work to get done today before dinner with our neighbors.

Speaking of work, better get to it.  Hope you're all having a great day!  

Catching up?

Nope, not really any catching up going on.  Having trouble squeezing it all in these days.  I'm way behind on my blog reading.   Even started to fall behind on my running a bit, but trying to straighten that out now.  Missed my long run this weekend.  Ended up getting in an unexpected "little project" around the house.  Ughh.

I'm still trying to keep ahead of the gardening and keep it looking nice.  So far, so good.  Everything is growing nicely.

The scale went up this week, which I wasn't thrilled about, but should drop right back down this week...hoping, although we did have some regular ice cream last night, which I don't usually allow in our house, but it happened. 

Got a run in yesterday morning early and feel like going out tonight....so that's what I'm going to do.  Don't know how it will go.  Kinda warm out there, but should start cooling down in about a half hour. 

I seriously struggled with the tracking last week.  What's up with that?  I've always been a faithful tracker, but somehow I found myself "falling off the wagon".  Am I getting disinterested?  If I am, there are a couple of answers as to why.  Now the question is what am I going to do about it.  I have ALWAYS loved my Saturday morning meetings and love the friends I have made there, but we're all getting a little frustrated lately.  New leader, not nearly as motivating as our lovely Carol was.  Actually, new leader not very motivating at all.  The meetings are kind of mixed up with no real destination.  Yes, even though I'm at goal, I still try to hit as many Saturday weekly meetings as possible because I know that's what keeps me where I'm at.  It's like putting gas in my car.  So I think it's time to venture out and see what else is out there at other meetings before I start slipping.

I found a training program that I think I'd like to follow for my upcoming first ever half-marathon in the fall.  It's basically a 12-week program, which means I actually don't store serious training for another month.  I'm trying to stay out there running three times a week though, keep moving, keep stretching, and maybe work on my speed a little.  

Okay.  Speaking of running, time to get myself together and get out there.  

My goal is to start catching up my blog reading TONIGHT, a few at a time, if my eyes can stay open long enough. 

Been Too Long!

I have some serious catching up to do on my blogging.  Wow, over a week since my last post.  Really?

Well, things are very, very busy in my world.  I'm sure everyone is the same with summer here and school out.  I don't even have kids, but summer always keeps me busy with the garden.

Got a nice run in yesterday with my running buddy, Aimee, although it was hot and humid.  We both struggled with it a bit, but still, so great to have someone to run with once in a while. 

Funny how we both wore pink.  Not planned at all!

Anyway, summer is already busy with work and gardening and running and "secret projects".  :) 

Hope you're all enjoying yours!

Gardening for the Health of It

I have always loved gardening, but the last two years, I've really tried to "kick it up" in the garden.  I've tried to spend more time in the garden, enjoy the birds, bees, flowers.    I've make the vegetable garden "bigger" both years.

This year, I'm paying even more attention to the vegetable garden, trying to give it the time and attention it deserves.  I mean, when you think about what you get in return, all those beautiful fresh vegetables, why wouldn't I take the time to tend the garden, take the weeds out, and give it the proper water.  This year, I've decided that time spent tending the veggie garden, the flower garden, and just sitting to enjoy them is much more important to me than sitting in the recliner watching tv.

So I'm going to try to post once in a while a few pics of the garden to show my progress.  This year in the veggie garden, we've got 17 tomato plants (I know, a little overboard, but we like to give them away to family and friends), cucumbers, green beans, yellow beans, lima beans, swiss chard, lettuce, jalapeno peppers, lots of herbs, two kinds of basil, thyme, oregano, chives, rosemary, and two buckets of lettuce.  My nephew also helped me sprinkle some carrot seeds into the lettuce buckets and they're growing as well.

So here are a few pics.

Look at that swiss chard!

The beans

Cucumbers and a few lettuce plants to the left

Some of the tomatoes

Lilies and phlox (second bloom)

My little garden in the front.  Think the blue flower is a delphinium

More lilies and one of the perrenial plants (can't remember the name)

We also have a pond, and the water lilies are blooming as well.  It's such a wonderful thing to go out in the garden, just sit and watch the wildlife.  I really enjoy it.   Working at home makes it easier for me.  I can go out for a 10-minute break with a cup of coffee or a glass of tea and just sit and unwind a little.  What's not good and healthy about that!

I would like to plant another row of beans as a bumper crop, but running out of space.  I also planned to plant some radishes, but not sure if I have the room for that either.  Then in August I'll plant some more lettuce for a fall crop.  Keep it going as long as I can.

So Saturday morning is my meeting and weigh-in.  I decided to skip it this morning.  Since I'm a WW member at goal, technically, it's not necessary for me to go each and every week, although I usually do because I love my friends there and it keeps me on track.  But this morning I was tired, it's a beautiful morning, and I just wanted to kick back and relax.  So that's what I'm doing.

Went for a run last night, hot hot hot and humid, but got through it.  Also realized that the two runs previous to last night, I had tracked the mileage all wrong, and had actually run further than I thought.  Yeah!

So I'm off now to have a good day.  Hope you all do the same!

Celebrating - Anniversary Week

Wow, what beautiful weather we've had the last few days!   Finally getting the garden in shape.  Still a lot of weeding to keep up on.  But the veggie garden is coming along.  We've been cutting lettice from our salad buckets.  Nothing better than a fresh salad from the garden!  And the swiss chard is beautiful and delicious.  Tomato and cucumber plants are coming along, as are the beans.  And the herbs are all doing great.

Got up and out early yesterday to my WW meeting/weigh-in with very good results.  Down 3.2 and back to my lowest weight.  And later this week I will be celebrating two years at goal weight.  It wasn't until yesterday that I realized that the date was approaching but now it is very much on my mind.   Wow, two years!  That's a big deal for me.  This is the first time IN MY LIFE I have maintained a weightloss for more than 6 months, let alone 2 years!  It has become a reality.  I can do this for the rest of my life.

I look back now and see how much I have changed.   It bugs me sometimes that it took me so long in my life to get to this place, to have the confidence and to realize that I CAN do this, but I know now that I can and will.  Have I completely given up on my favorite foods, pasta, pizza?  Of course not.  I have learned that I can have them...in moderation. 

So in honor of this VERY IMPORTANT CELEBRATION, I think I'm going to head out, hit the trail at the park, and go for a 2-mile run! 

Later, a family party and more playtime with the kids. 

Rolling with the Punches

Will try to keep this short and to the point.

I've been sick...
I've been tired...
I've been STRESSED...
I've worried about loved ones...
I've missed a close friend's birthday...
I marched in the Memorial Day Parade in the sweltering heat...
I managed to squeeze in some exercise...
Back to running, no long distances...
Tracked my points...
Ate lots of fruit and veggies...
Drinking lots of water...

I'm hanging in there and fighting back. No throwing in the towel for this gal!