Getting Back Up

This past week, I've kind of fallen off the Healthy Wagon. Well, "fallen off" isn't really the most accurate term. "Swan Dive" is probably closer to it.

So now it's time to get back up, put down the Easter candy, and go for a walk. Today, all day, I will make good choices.

Still no head

Skirts got finished (though I want to tweak Lauren's), tops were found, walking was done (though not nearly enough to balance out the yumminess of Easter dinners), and now it's a new week.

I work today, morning and evening, tomorrow is Scouts & potluck for Lauren, Wednesday is Scouts for Sarah (she needs to bring mulled cider & custard) and I work that evening, Thursday is an open house/pictures/potluck and then I scramble right to work, and I work Friday morning. It's supposed to rain most of the week, again.

I'm glad the oven is fixed, but I can't imagine having the time to bake much of anything.

Chicken, sans Head

Gonna be busy the next few days.
Tasks include:

• make Sarah's Easter skirt--so easy, I'll probably let her do it herself (tomorrow)
  
• Lauren's skirt is more complicated, so it's all on me (today)
  
• find Easter tops to go with the skirts (today or tomorrow)
  
• get the oven fixed, finally! (tomorrow)
  
• buy myself some Easter clothes (today)
  
• work (tonight)
• check out cyber-school information with a friend (today or tomorrow--there is a deadline for this, so it can't wait)
  
• haircuts for girls (tomorrow)
• new glasses (was hoping to do it last weekend, but we're waiting to hear back about a deal at America's Best, so it's on hold)
• WALK (today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday)
  
• dinner with Jeff's family (Saturday)
  
• dinner with my family (Sunday)

I'd like to bring some healthy food to both dinners, as well. Not that there won't be any healthy options, but it'll be easier to avoid stuff that I know I love (my step-mom's potato salad, omg) if I can bring something in addition.

Soooo . . . think I should get off the computer? Uh . . . yeah.

Dragon Fruit

I've heard of Dragon Fruit before, and even seen them used in cooking shows. But I'd never seen one live and in the flesh, so to speak. So when we saw them at the produce market last week, the kids begged to get one. Hmmm . . . $4 for one piece of fruit. That's kind of a lot, especially when you don't know if anyone will even like it.

But I do try to get new foods, so we took a chance. It's an unusual-looking thing, pink on the outside, white on the inside with little black seeds. I knew to take off the skin and only eat the inside.

The taste was pretty mild. Sweet, but not overly so. The seeds were a nice crunch (as opposed to pomegranate seeds, which I dislike). Actually, I had expected more flavor. So it was nice to buy, but it won't go into standard rotation in our fruit bowl, even if it is regularly available.

Cold

It's spring, which means that sometimes it's nice out, and sometimes it's cold. Bitterly, miserably cold. Too cold to do anything except stay in the house and get the warm socks back on your feet.

It's also too cold to go out for a walk, at least for me. This presents a problem. Yes, I can still do the Wii Fit Plus. I did it yesterday for 90 minutes over the course of the day. Sixty of those minutes were spent doing Basic Step, which is just stepping on and off the platform for 10 or 20 minutes. Having loud, energetic music helps make the time pass faster. But for whatever reason, it is not the same as walking.

I've already walked 14 days this month, out of my goal of 20. That's great, but I'd really rather walk outdoors as frequently as I can.

We have some errands to do today, and I'm working tonight, so if I am going to walk, I need to do it soon. I should suck it up and go do it right now, but I'm pretty certain that I'm going to spend as little time as possible outside today.

Shot Down Again

Another new recipe, down in flames. Oh, well--I fully plan to make it again, with a few tweaks.

Whole Wheat Pasta + Cauliflower+ Red Pepper+ Shallot + Mushrooms + Broccoli + Carrot + Yellow Squash + Evaporated Milk + Cornstarch + Parmesan = Pasta Primavera, light style.

I blanched or sauteed the vegetables, boiled the pasta, and added the milk (some of it mixed with the cornstarch to make a slurry) and combined everything in a big serving bowl. It was not overly saucy, but there was definitely too much pasta. I also think I could have skipped the cheese, or rather left it on the table to sprinkle on top.

I thought it was good, but could have been better. Jeff thought it was OK. Lauren wouldn't stop talking about how she hated it until I added some salt & pepper (it really did need it, for all of us) and reminded her that there was garlic bread. Then she loved it. Sarah didn't much care for it, until I started talking about adding protein. Shrimp didn't interest her (I'm really trying to find a shrimp recipe we love, without a lot of success so far), ham is not a popular option with her, but bacon made her eyes light up. So, maybe I'll try a little bacon next time.

Bacon--is there anything it can't do?