I Hate My Scale

The title of this is not some philosophical rant.

I don't hate my scale because those little numbers are simply the digital process of the machine telling me I'm fat.

I don't hate my scale because it makes me feel badly if I don't run that extra mile after a very tiring day.

I don't hate my scale because it's obviously judging me when I eat a less than highly nutritious meal.

I don't hate my scale because it makes me feel sorry every time I force it to withstand the force of all my body weight.

 


Oh no!  I'm not talking about any of those things today when I reference hating my scale.  I hate the sucker because it broke.  That's right.  It stopped working all together.

Do you have any idea what stepping on a scale and BREAKING IT does to self-esteem?

It destroys it.  I know it's silly.  Really.

The fat girl inside me though...

CRUSHED.

Yesterday Was Plain Awful...

Thank goodness it's already tomorrow.

Yesterday was plain awful again.  Tornadoes, hail, and tons of flooding here in South Dakota.

Scary, scary stuff.

Restart

I've got some goals.

Are they achievable? Definitely. For me?  Ehhhhh... not so sure.  So I'll keep those close for now.  Regardless, the goal is to be in the best shape of my life by September 7th.

I need increased endurance.

I'd like to be lighter.

I need to not injure myself doing something stupid like overdoing it.

Pretty easy?  I hope so.

New goals = new foods for me.  I love food.  Really.  I just don't understand those people that just eat to live.  Food can be delicious so why would anyone only intake what they needed?  I can't do it.

Lunch for the week!

Inspired by those "Suddenly Salad" pastas, I made my own.

One box of cooked Barilla gluten-free rotini mixed with half a bottle of Bolthouse Farms brand cilantro avocado dressing (SO GOOD!), a large grilled chicken breast all diced up, chopped fire roasted red pepper, and a sprinkle of Romano cheese for some zing.

It's a major win!

I had to stop sampling it before I ate too much and didn't have enough for lunch.

Vacation Recap

Just got back from summer vacation in the lovely Black Hills of South Dakota.

Days filled with fresh air, sunshine, and constant hiking.

Or first hike was a little jaunt on the Presidential Trail that let us walk right along the rock field directly beneath those famous faces.

Then we walked the Deerfield Trail from Silver City until sunset finally forced us to turn back.

Day 2 was taken up with the two hour drive into Wyoming to visit Devils Tower.  We did the Tower Loop Trail.  It was pretty amazing to see all the different views as we circled the monument and went up to the boulder field.  Plus, there were miles of prairie dog villages.  I'm always amused by the little guys.

Day 3 started with a hike in Custer State Park.  We took Trail #4 to Little Devils Tower because why not?  We hit up the big guy the day before, might as well do the junior.  Lots of switchbacks, some minor rock scrambles, and the best was sitting at the top in the sunshine while watching and hearing a thunderstorm rage on the next mountain over.

Day 4 was a trip up to Spearfish Canyon.  I've been meaning to make this hike for years and it was worth the wait.  We hiked up to Roughlock Falls along the lower canyon ridge and everything about it was gorgeous.  Well, almost everything.  I got to be a bit of a jerk when I informed a woman about the error of her ways when she attempted to leave with a chipmunk she had lured into her purse with crackers.  Idiots.

Still in Spearfish Canyon, we did a quick stop to view the Bridal Veil Falls.

And a trip to the Hills wouldn't be complete without seeing a few buffalo.  We saw tons of wildlife.  Chipmunks, prairie dogs, woodchucks, beaver, a coyote, buffalo, wild turkey, wild burros, and a whole bunch of fish and birds.

One of Those Days...

DISCLAIMER:  I started this post last night and simply chose to ponder the implications of my post prior to completing it.

You know those days?

The ones where you wake up and already know the day is going to suck?  Like you thought for a moment that the day was gonna be great and then you looked into the mirror in the bathroom and realize that you have a monster pimple right on the edge of your nose or lip and it's so huge it's practically waving at you?  Then you drive to work and in the process you spill coffee, get stuck behind the slowest person on Earth, and hit every single red light?  Then you pull out your packed lunch only to discover that a bad food choice was made and nothing ends up reheating well?  And then you make the supremely stupid decision to challenge the Fates, God, Mother Nature, WHOMEVER... to bring it on because you're too strong to be taken down by silly first-world problems...

 

Fate called my bluff.

A good friend lost his father today.

Yeah, that kind of day.  I've just had one.

The worst part?  I feel like a complete and total jerk.  Like, logically I know I have my life to live but how can I continue debating between whether or not chicken tortilla soup is the right choice for dinner when there are REAL problems, pain, decisions, and situations in the world?

I think I now know how we continue on.  Well, I know how I continue on at least.  You can make your own choices.  We all own a little bit of freedom.

We are all free to live in our own heads.  Spending our quiet time daydreaming of some amazing and magical separate reality.  To worry about yourself does not exclusively mean that you don't worry about others.  It just means that you were listening to the in flight instructions regarding emergencies and know that you are supposed to see to your own well-being before assisting others with theirs.

Sunday, SUNDAY, Sunday!!!

Totally a football day today.

So diet or not.. it's football day.  And football demands football food.

What is football food you ask?

It's delicious.  It's at least slightly greasy.  It's American comfort food.

Now, football food is bad for you.  Ninety-nine percent of it is swimming in grease or heavily processed goodness.  Like the beloved Velveeta plus Rotel combo.  Classic.

 

I have no idea what goes into that alleged food product, but I suspect it is either made by the gods or some underground crime syndicate looking to create a new, edible drug.

Anyway..  PIZZA for dinner!

Now, pizza is usually pretty much crap when you look at it nutritionally.  Especially for those of us with a gluten issue of any kind.

Pro-tip: Hell's Kitchen Pizza in Manitou Springs, CO has excellent G.F. pizza.  Only them. Everyone else can only pull off a "meh" pizza or a "guess I'll eat it because they upcharged me $5 to make it GF".

Tonight's dinner and the pizza bell without actually being pizza.  It's got a bit of greasy deliciousness but still manages to add some healthy parts from the ol' food pyramid in.  I'm going to need to research the food pyramid after posting this.  I just realized that I have NO idea what the current one looks like or if it's even a pyramid anymore.  I could get behind a "Food Sphere".  Just sounds fun.

Pizza Bake

INGREDIENTS

• Shredded meat of 1 small spaghetti squash
• 1 lb browned Italian sausage
• 1 C pizza sauce
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• Italian seasoning/salt/pepper to taste
• Turkey pepperoni (as much or little as you like)
• Shredded mozzarella (as much or little as you like)

DIRECTIONS

• Mix eggs, squash, pizza sauce, and seasoning in a medium bowl until combined.
• Add most of peppers, onions, and sausage to mix (reserving some of each as topping)
• Pour into a greased 9x13 pan, bake at 400F for 35 minutes.
• When done baking, top with remaining peppers, onions, & sausage.
• Sprinkle cheese on top and then layer as much pepperoni as you like on top.
• Broil until cheese is melted and pepperoni begins crisping (about 5 minutes)

Saturday Brunch

We're bracing for some frigid weather.  No, not frigid.  Deadly cold.

Like, freeze and die if you decide to hang out outside.

So of course, we'll be leaving the house to fight through the grocery store chaos.  I discovered a severe grocery list deficiency that simply must be rectified.  I'm out of cauliflower.  In my #FirstWorldProblems mindset... it's desperate.  I have three recipes on the week's meal plan that call for the ingredient.

But before we venture out on a Saturday, it's brunch time!

I love brunch.  Today's was simple but delish.  Not the prettiest meal ever but absolutely tasty and healthy(ish).

Fresh squeezed juice: 

• 1 Cara cara orange
• 1/2 ruby red grapefruit
• 1 Navel orange

Sausage:

• Johnsonville breakfast sausage

Paleo pumpkin pancakes

• 2 ripe bananas, 6 large eggs, 1/2 C pumpkin puree, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Mix all ingredients well in a food processor until smooth
• Cook on 350F griddle/pan being careful when flipping as pancakes are thin and delicate.