This weekend, I did my fourth 5K race since August. This time it was the inaugural Arbor Day Run in Plano. From my last race to this race, I shaved another 3 minutes off of my time, managed to run over ½ of the race and felt GREAT. My first 5K was done in 56:54:79. This go around came in at 47:30:13, and that was WITH being stopped at the light at Parker and Spring Creek. Don’t ask me why they didn’t block off the course. In any case, it felt amazing. I have been saving my race bibs and printing off my race results as PDF files so that I can use this to help chronicle my journey as well. Anything to help keep the motivation up.
True to form, I showed a big loss last week, and it was all but obliterated this week. I think that in 15 months of being back On Program, one bad week won’t kill me. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I am expecting to recoup my losses next week and then some. Again, I am still positive, but just a tiny bit disappointed. What did I do with the not-so-stellar results? I reflected on all he good stuff from the week, saw the positive, celebrated my victories from the weekend, and am moving forward. Not going to let this get me down and distract me from my goal. That’s why I call this a journey. We all can get off at the wrong exit from time to time, even if we are sure we followed the roadmap.
I want to share another funny anecdote. My 2 ½ year old, Adam was on a bender after not having a nap in almost 2 days. He was busy flitting from room to room and from thing to thing. When he finally was still for a minute or two, I told him that he had ADHD! He looked at me, matter-of-factly and told me, “NO mommy…I have fire trucks”. Why that was so funny to me, I have no idea, but it made me laugh, and I really needed a good laugh after dealing with the 9-year-old and the bedroom from hades.
My plans for this week? Try to change something up again..maybe a different breakfast. Like I said, although I author a newsletter, it doesn’t mean that I am invincible. I am trying to document my journey the best I can, and to take you all with me. We are all on a mission toward better health and I am convinced that what we are doing is the best way to accomplish this! Keep on keepin’ on!
This week, the meeting dealt with strategies for coping with the holidays, and more specifically making Thanksgiving more than a couch-fest. If you find yourself with a 10, 30 or 60 minute time pocket in between festivities or meal prep, make the best use of that time and get some activity in. Some suggestions? Go for a walk with the family, do some yoga with the Wii…go for a walk, do housework…it all counts!
Kathryn challenged us this week to get 10 minutes of DELIBERATE activity EVERY DAY this week added to what we already do. Write it down, and keep track! I intend to go for a walk each night this week. It can serve a two-fold purpose for me. (1) stress relief and (2) stress relief. Plus it will get me out of the house for a bit, which is always good!
I thought it appropriate to close with this quote:
"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."
-Conrad Hilton
RECIPES:
Candied Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple
Yield: 6 (1/2 cup) servings at a POINTS® Value of 2 per serving
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1” chunks
8 oz canned crushed pineapple in juice
1 Tbsp Splenda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°. Coat 2 quart casserole dish with Pam. Place potatoes in dish. In small bowl combine pineapple, Splenda & cinnamon, add to potatoes & toss well. Bake, stirring after 30 minutes, until bubbly, about 45 minutes.
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Hot and Sour Soup
This dish was published in a prior newsletter, but since the weather is beginning to change, I wanted to re-run this one. It is fabulous and rivals the best Hot and Sour that you can buy at a Chinese restaurant.
Serving size: Approx 1-1/3 cups.
Recipe serves 4 at a POINTS® Value of 2 per serving.
6 dried wood-ear mushrooms
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbs reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp chili-garlic sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil
½ lb reduced-fat soft tofu, drained and cut into ½-inch cubes
8 ounce can bamboo shoots, drained and thinly sliced
2½ Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
Directions:
1. Combine dried mushrooms with enough hot water to cover by 2 inches in a small bowl; let stand 15 minutes, then drain.
2. Bring the broth, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the drained mushrooms, tofu and bamboo shoots. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; stir in about ¼-cup of the hot liquid, then return to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the soup while stirring in a circular motion. Serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
*If you can’t find wood-ear mushrooms, just use any dried mushrooms that you can find.
**For ease in preparing mushrooms, place water in pyrex cup and heat in microwave. Then add mushrooms and soak.
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Pumpkin-Oat Bread
POINTS® Value: 3
Servings : 24
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
A fabulous fall snack. You get a generous piece of cake, topped with a crunchy walnut and an underlying hint of caramel flavor.
Ingredients:
• 1 spray(s) cooking spray, flour-variety recommended
• 1/2 cup(s) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
• 3 large egg(s), beaten
• 2 cup(s) canned pumpkin
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked quick oats
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 24 pieces walnut halves
Directions:
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 10- X 15-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and pumpkin; beat well. Add salt, pumpkin pie spice, flour, oats and baking soda; mix thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and place walnut halves on top so there will be 1 walnut in the center of each piece of cake. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Cool in pan and cut into 24 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.
Notes:
Spice up the batter with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, ginger or allspice.
