It seems the New Year has brought with it a desire to change some habits.  Both lifestyle and food-style!

Recent Accomplishments:

1. No Caffeine after Noon – In fact, I now CANNOT have caffeine after lunch – because I’m up til 1am or later in the evenings.  I slip sometimes, but always regret it.  I resolve to be more cognizant of what I’m putting in my body and how it will affect me later!
2. DO something every day – even it it’s just a walk.  I was walking every morning until I went to Vegas for PubCon and came back with a HORRIBLE head and chest cold.  As soon as that went away my back was terribly out of place and I spent a few weeks on drugs and in the chiropractor’s office – then all of a sudden it was Christmas – how did that happen?

Recent Decisions:

1. Eat better – Today is Sunday and we’re back to school and work next week.  I’m going to do week-in-a-day food prep so dinner on the table will be quick and easy for the rest of the week.  I’m also going to do some things to help throw lunches and breakfast together faster.  Bagging frozen fruit individually so I can make a smoothie on the fly and hard-boiling some eggs.
2. Exercise MORE – Todd wants to do P90x – I’m terrified – so I might start with Wii Fit and a walk 5-days a week.
3. Shop less & Spend Less – along with a body/mind overhaul – I’m resolving to spend less each week on things I don’t really need.
   • No more lunch out, less eating out (which the planned & cooked for menu will definitely help,)
   • no new clothes unless I’m buying them because the ones I have DON’T FIT!

I hesitate to call these changes “resolutions” because that has been terribly unsatisfying in the past, but we’ll see how it goes. I made a plan for today and a menu – here it is!:

Breakfast Make Ahead:

• Hardboiled Eggs
• Smoothie Packets

Lunches:

• Salad
• Chicken Salad
• Marinara Sauce

Dinner:

• Sunday: Meatball Subs & Grilled Romaine Caesar
• Monday: Chicken Fajitas
• Tuesday: Grilled Pork Chops & Orzo Pilaf
• Wednesday: Chili
• Thursday: Soy & Ginger Scallops
• Friday: Potato Soup
• Saturday: Steak & Baked Potato

Prep today:

• Chop onion, celery, carrots – Sautee some – leave some raw
• Browned Ground Beef
• Grilled Chicken
• Chili Starter

Courtesy alancleaver_2000 on Flickr

ME: “So Doc, I’m not sleeping – and I think I could lose a few pounds.  I know you have a magic pill for that right?”

DOC: “So Carrie – How much are you exercising every day, how about diet -what are you eating? how much? when?  what do you do when you cant sleep? Do you have a good bedtime routine…..” and on…and on….and on…..

I walked out with a long list of “todo’s” and no prescription – what the heck!?!

So here are the new rules – some from my DR – some from me:

• Apparently I’m not allowed to call it a “damn diet” anymore
• 45 minutes of exercise , 4-5x a week – apparently racing to the front of the store for the fresh french bread doesn’t count….RATS!
• I need to lose 70 pounds to get out of the “nasty” BMI categories – i cant repeat them – it makes me throw up in my mouth.
• I meet with a nutritionist in a few weeks.  Apparently “Fried, Bread and Pasta” are not in her vocabulary – I don’t think we’ll be lifelong friends – more like “frienemies”
• Every meal has to be portioned out on my plate, and no 2nds and 3rds
• Only eat meals at home while sitting at the table – no standing and eating at all
• no sampling from the pot as I cook (this one is not my rule – i’m not very fond of it)
• Bedtime routine – starts at 10:30 – includes some herbal/natural goodies – a warm shower and 15 mintutes of soft music and meditation.  I’m not a patient person – so we’ll see how the meditation goes
• No more sleeping pills – altho I did get the OK for a dose of benadryl if I need help…..nice!
• Oh, and I’m not supposed to eat anything heavy after 6:30pm – i can handle this – but that leaves like 4 hrs ’til bedtime, hopefully I’m exhausted from all the exercise and weight loss and am asleep by 7:30 – less time for temptation.

So the upside to my grumbling is I’m healthier, I sleep 8 hrs a night w/o pharmaceutical help, I set a good example for my kids, and hopefully I’m not so EXHAUSTED all the time……

My first step?  I ate an apple for dessert while everyone else had homemade rice pudding.  It wasn’t fun, but I didn’t die…….yet

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Tonight I got a jump start.  It rained all day and I made green chile with fresh tortillas.  I love green chile.  I have a great recipe that’s super easy and tasty.  Here it is:

Carrie’s Green Chile
1 lb diced pork
3 Tbsp. Flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 medium onion
1 lg tub frozen green chile
2 cloved garlic, minced
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3 small fresh tomatoes diced)
1-15 oz can chicken broth

Put flour in zip bag w/ 1/2 tsp. salt & pepper. Drop pork into bag and coat well. Put 2 tsp olive oil in a dutch oven & brown off pork in batches. Remove pork from pan & place onion & garlic in pan. Cook onions until translucent. Add back the pork. Add in cumin & oregano & container of green chiles. Stir it together and add tomatoes. If it seems too thick, add chicken broth to thin.

Bring to a boil & turn down to a low simmer. Cook for about 1 hr at a simmer & serve with grated cheese on top & fresh tortillas. Enjoy in a bowl or on top of your favorite burritos.

Part of what I think I’ll do is chronicle what I eat so I can look back at time and say “WTF was i thinking!!!??”

Breakfast: Granola Bar & Yogurt

Lunch: TruJillio’s Bday so we went to mexican restaurant – had a chalupa but it had lots of lettuce, so that negates the fried tortilla thing, right?

Dinner: Taco Salad – light on the bad stuff – heavy on the lettuce

Snacks – apple, another granola bar

Not too bad – did fairly well today - here’s hope for tomorrow.