October 30, 2013

Vegetables in November

I don't know what started it, but last night, Jerry, the kids, and I were all on the floor doing Army-style push-ups and sit-ups before bed. The kids were showing us how many they could do, and then Jerry and I wanted to see how many we could do, too. I managed 5 push-ups and 31 sit-ups. I honestly didn't even think I'd do that many!

The kids thought it was so fun to try and beat Jerry and me. Then I challenged them to mountain climbers and holding plank, and some other stuff. It was actually really fun, and certainly beats watching TV before bed. The kids asked if we could do it again tonight ;)

I took a rest day yesterday because my sacrum still isn't feeling back to normal. It feels okay until I start running. After a few miles, though, it feels about 90% better. I have no idea what the deal is! Anyway, today I decided to go to the State Park and do an easy three-mile run.

I used to run at the State Park all the time when I first started running. There is a loop around a lake that ends up being a nearly-perfect 5K distance, so I used that to improve my 5K time. I would always try to run it faster than the previous time. This morning, I had to go grocery shopping, so I decided to go to the park to run and then hit up the grocery store on the way home.

The weather was PERFECT for a fall run! The temp was 48, so I just wore running tights and a long sleeved top. About a mile in, I had to stop and take a couple of pictures, because the trail was just so nice to run on today!



When I got back to the car, I was surprised to see how even my splits were:



On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store. They've been rearranging everything in the store, so I had no idea where anything was, but I love the changes so far (as a kid, and even as an adult, I've always loved rearranging furniture, haha). I don't know if it was because of all the rearranging, but there were TONS of things on manager's special. I bought a bunch of veggies--peppers, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, and some other things.

It gave me an idea for a goal for November. I'm going to try and make it a point to get in all my veggie servings every day in November. I don't eat a lot of vegetables; not because I don't like them, but because they're not very convenient. I usually have to have a recipe in mind when I buy fresh vegetables, otherwise they end up going bad. So today, I went through some recipe books and picked out recipes to try and actually use up all these vegetables.

I managed to stay on track all day yesterday, and I think it was partly due to the fact that I put dinner in the crock pot yesterday morning. I hate that rushed feeling of dinnertime, when everybody is hungry, and I'm trying to figure out what to make. So using the crock pot helps eliminate the stress.

Today, I posted my favorite crock pot recipe on Facebook, and asked everyone to share their favorites as well. There are TONS of ideas there, and I can't wait to try them!  Here is a link to the Facebook post, so you can check it out and/or add your own favorite recipe.

I'm hoping that I can manage to stay on track tomorrow. My kids always offer to share their candy with me, so I'm going to let them know (today) that I appreciate it, but please don't give me any candy! I think I'll choose ONE thing that I really want, and count the PointsPlus for it before eating it.
We're going to my parents' house in the afternoon for Mark's birthday. (Mark is a special needs man in his mid-50's who lives in a group home near the house I grew up in. My dad takes him fishing sometimes, and every Halloween, brings him to my parents' house. Mark's birthday is on Halloween, so we have a little "party" for him before the trick-or-treaters come.) I'm not going to have cake or ice cream (I'm not even sure if my mom is making cake). My plan is to just have dinner and a piece of Halloween candy; I'll bring some tea over there to drink while we hand out candy. Hopefully, I'll stick to the plan!

10 comments:

  1. We had this soup last night, it is actually very tasty and a great way to get your veggies in-

    http://primalbitesblog.com/2013/09/17/super-greens-soup/

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  2. Hi! I've been reading for awhile, thanks for the great posts! But today what you said about your parents and the special needs gentleman brought a good tear to my eye! It says so much about your family that they make this man feel so special on his birthday. I worked with special needs adults for 7 years and they grab your heart and never let go!

    Good luck staying away from the candy!-katie (ps. I'm down 160 from my highest! )

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    Replies
    1. I agree. So wonderful and sweet. :)

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  3. Way to go on the veggies! That is something that I really struggle with too. It really touches my heart the way your family has befriended Mark... I work at a nonprofit that provides programs and employment to adults with disabilities, and I wish more of them had friends like you! Irishshamrocks is right, they really grab a special place in your heart :)

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  4. I am the exact opposite with fresh veggies and fruit! I will buy veggies and eat them up before the week is over. Fruit always goes bad in my house though! :)

    I am so thankful I do not have children or trick-or-treaters. I would eat so much candy! Definitely a trigger food for me. Good for you for having a plan!! You can do it!

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  5. In case you are interested, I just signed up for Pile On the Miles challenge; I entered my sculpting and running goals for the month of November. A neat accountability challenge as the holidays approach! You can check it out at runeatrepeat.com :)

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  6. How funny, one of my goals for november is going to be 2 different veggies a day (and salad doesn't count). I find that I like to just keep frozen veggies on hand. That way they don't go bad and you can saute them up in about 10 minutes with some oil and seasoning.

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  7. Awesome splits. I don't know how you do it!

    I HATE it when they rearrange the store. It sends me into fits of rage. They never need to move anything. EVER.

    Okay, maybe I just hate grocery shopping and like to get in and out of there as fast as possible...

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  8. Stay strong, Katie! Everyone has been offering me candy and cupcakes all day long, so I totally understand. I'm so excited and scared but wanted to share that I signed up for the Turkey Trot 5 mile run on Thanksgiving and the Cleveland Half Marathon in May today. Pushing the submit button was one of the most exciting and fear inducing feelings I've had in a long time. I don't know how I'm going to pull this off at 238 pounds and just starting my training a week ago, but I'm going to either do it or die trying. Wish me luck? :)

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  9. I could go for the goal of just one fruit OR vegetable each day!

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