On Second Thought I Regret The Pink Stiletto

My last new food was capers.

I thought I would love something briney, but they weren't a total hit. A little too much like olives for my tastes I think. But I always enjoy trying a new recipe; I made lemon chicken piccata. (They weren't much of a success with Nick either).

I Have Never Claimed To Have Patents On Such Inventions

While we were out east visiting Nick's sister, we noticed that donairs were apparently a big thing. She told us they were kinda gross, so we didn't try one, but I was intruiged.

A new pizza place opened up int he mall near us some time later, and they strangely sold donairs. So I couldn't resist (perhaps I should have).

Lots of meat and grease and sauce on a pita. Not really something worth repeating. I didn't even really like the flavour. But at least we tried it! (yes, we split it, I can't imagine eating a whole one)

Sometimes All I Need Is The Air That I Breathe

I've got some goal-blogging to catch up on!

Although this past weekend was consumed by my 10km race, the weekend before included some goals too.

First off, I tried another new food! Our local Price Chopper recently changed over to Fresh Co., and now has a LOT of different types of produce for me to try, so I picked up a breadfruit. I took it home, cut it up and roasted it in the oven. It was ... interesting. If anything, kind of bland. But I had a tough time finding info about it online, so I had no idea how to tell if it was perfectly ripe, and I didn't have much of an idea of how to cook it, so I wouldn't write it off entirely, but I wouldn't cook it again myself. Only two more foods to go for goal #70!

Nick and I attempted to go for a VW Beetle test drive, but it wasn't entirely successful. We had a tough time getting time to go to begin with last weekend, but we managed to squeeze it in only to discover they had none in stock. Only a used tan convertible was on the lot, and someone else was already climbing in as we got there. I wasn't too happy with the salesperson; when I said I was interested in a Beetle, he automatically assumed I wanted a used one. I know I'm being stupid, since we obviously weren't actually looking to buy (but he didn't know that!), but I was insulted. Surely he should know better than to pre-judge people. I know VW's are more expensive cars, and I suppose we don't wear high designer clothes nor are we very old, but it really bothered me that he assumed we couldn't afford a new car just by the look of us. Whether it's true or not, I would think that a good salesperson would never judge someone based on appearance or age or any other visible trait. And as childish as it might sound, if I ever actually buy a VW, it won't be from him. If he's willing to judge me based on a split-second glance, then I'm going to assume he is not very good at his job and why would I want to buy a car from someone who isn't very good at their job? Yes, it's petty, and yes I over-analyze stupid little things, but something about it just irked me. He took my info down and promised to call when the new model made it to the lot. I doubt I will hear from him. I may have to go out of town to get my VW test-drive at this rate.

Luckily I actually managed to complete a full goal last weekend. Nick and I went for a nice morning hike and I got in a nice tree hug, goal #91. And who doesn't love hugging a tree?

It's Been A While, Since I First Saw You

I seem to have lost the umph for writing lately! The summer seems to have simply run away from me in so many ways.

I missed logging a goal! Well, part of a goal. As one of my new foods to try, I made spaghetti using tofu shirataki! Yes, they are noodles made of tofu, but they were surprisingly a decent swap. And they are 0 WW Points! The texture is the biggest thing to contend with as there isn't really a strong taste to them. But for 0 points, it was quite a good replacement. I say they are well worth the try. Even Nick liked them, and he cringes at the thought of anything tofu. For more info, check them out here. They are available at Sobey's and Metro, wherever you find all those other tofu replacement stuff like hot bogs, burgers, and deli meats.

(Even if it was July 13th that I tried... shame on me for taking so long to write about it)

I've been keeping up with my reading goals; since those lists are pretty long, I think it will just be one post per entire goal, not per book. But I am enjoying diversing my reading choices. And I have been taking photos of each book to create a collage of them when I am all done, so I can still see the progress I've made.

Things are going well with Natasha, although we stepped it up A LOT today. I can't believe I now have 7 weeks of pain and torture to endure! Ok, I feel great afterwards, and it's not really painful, but it is certainly tough pushing your body beyond what you thought you could. I haven't been too happy with my weight this week; I have been tracking really well, staying on plan, and going to the gym, as well as getting in an extra workout or two on top of that. And yet I've been fluctuating the ounces within 178 lbs all week. It's frustrating to work so hard and nothing happens, especially so early on in my (latest) weight loss journey. I would really like to see the 160's by Thanksgiving since I am in a wedding that weekend and have a beautiful bridesmaids dress headed my way. But that's 9 lbs and only 5 weeks, and with progress this slow on the scale, it's not looking good. However, I think if I keep at it, there is no reason I shouldn't see an unfamiliar weight by the New Year! (I considered anything under 163 unfamiliar, as that is the lowest number I can distinctly and positively recall seeing on a scale, and that was 6 years ago when I lived in Japan!)

It Only Takes One Tree To Make A Thousand Matches, It Only Takes One Match To Burn A Thousand Trees

It is a hot sweltering day, so much so that I even took my kids outside for class today. It's hard to love teaching on the 3rd floor on days like today.

I did measure and track everything very accurately today and my turkey/cheese/lettuce/tomato on thin bagel with Miracle Whip was fantastic!

As intended, I'm monitoring how I feel before and after dinner. Before dinner, I was looking forward to the meal; it looked so colourful (pork chop with mushrooms and onion, baked potato topped with bruschetta, and mixed veggies). I was quite hungry, and finally feeling ready to calm down a bit after the insane week we've had. I had made really good choices today. When I got home and was feeling snack-y, I had some baby carrots and then made some baked kale (more on that later). I usually crave carbs when I get home, and munch on croutons or crackers. So I was very happy with myself for making better choices.

I ate dinner slowly, although distracted by both my latest episode of Numb3rs and this very post! It was quite tasty, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I was done, I tuned in to my stomach and was definitely satisfied and full. It did annoy me, however, that literally as I was chewing my last bite off my plate, my mind flips to "What can I have for dessert?". I don't have any dessert planned for tonight, but I have 4 points left over. But I am full, so why do I need dessert?? I always seem to want a sweet taste in my mouth to finish a meal. I've tried having one small chocolate after dinner just to get the taste, but it's a slippery slope and it's hard to stop at one sometimes.

I found a Hungry Girl recipe for baked kale, which claimed to be a 'potato-chip like snack', and who am I to resist a claim like that? I surprisingly found kale at Price Chopper and while hungry and craving carbs before dinner, I decided to give it a try. I followed the recipe to a T, but it was not a success. It tasted like eating the burnt remnants off a barbeque, and they had the texture of crunchy air. It didn't turn me off of kale, but it certainly qualified as a new food I haven't tried before, so I am therefore one-fifth of the way to completing Goal #70. I have some kale left over so I will have to find a new recipe to give it a second try.