A Whole Lot of New

There was a lot of new today, despite it not being a particularly notable one. The weather was new - cold, gloomy, and rain for most of it.  What else was new? A true, true desire to have gone to Cardio Sculpt today. I really needed the stress release. In fact, I jokingly wrote this to a friend:

"Dear Foot, Please heal. I have a lot of pent-up aggression to exercise out. Then I feel like I'll be back to my normal self. Love, Me"

While it's not new for my patience to be wearing thin with my injury, it's new for me to be feeling to antsy about it.

This morning I had a new combo in my hot cereal - raspberries! I loved this pink bowl of deliciousness! In the mix:

• 1/4c BRM hot cereal and buckwheat
• 1/4c unsweetened almond breeze
• 3/4c water
• pinch of salt
• cinnamon
• 1/2c frozen raspberries
• 1/2T chia seeds
• 1/2T PB
• sprinkle of crushed sliced almonds

Before the rain hit around noon, I did something new - I took my lunch break! I had a craving for a lunch I haven't made before so I decided to walk home to whip it up. So what exactly was this craving?  It started with this baby artichoke (one of 4 that I precooked on Sunday to have on hand for the week).

And the heart (best part) made for the perfect sandwich filling!  I toasted up 2 slices of whole grain gluten free bread, one spread with dijon mustard and one with BBQ and buffalo sauce, a slice of 2% provolone cheese, spinach leaves, and the artichoke heart. Reheated ever so slightly to melt the cheese. Yyyuuumm!  Enjoyed with a salad.

Snacked on an apple this afternoon and learned a new tip from a health article.

During a meal, your body naturally has a "put down the fork moment." You know, the pause where you put down your fork, go to the restroom, stop eating, etc. That is a natural cue that you are full but not stuffed. I've heard similar tips before but this one made sense.

After work I did something I haven't done in a LONG time - stretched! My legs were really achy and in need of some attention so I stretched them with various yoga poses that I could do without being on my foot. It.felt.so.good.

Dinner utilized some more of my prepped veggies from Sunday.

• 1/2c diced carrot
• 4 broccoli florets
• 1/2 a zucchini, diced
• full 1/4c frozen edamame
• 4 or 5 chopped asparagus spears
• pinch of chopped onion and celery
• GF brown rice pasta
• veggie broth
• garlic powder, crushed red pepper, pinch of dill

1. Spray a pan with non-stick spray and saute carrots, onion, and celery until soft. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
2. When starts to brown, add a splash of veggie broth and keep stirring veggies.
3. Add remaining veggies and cook until softened. Continue adding broth and pasta water to keep mixture moist.
4. Add serving of spaghetti to the pan of veggies with more broth and pasta water, stir until incorporated.
5. Serve topped with a pinch of dill, salt, and parmesan cheese.

This was fresh, flavorful, and creamy without any of the guilt (or tummy pain) of a traditional creamy pasta! The more I mixed it up, the better it got. And, with the article from earlier fresh in my mind, I realized that I put down my fork with about 1/3c left and saved it for later.

Before 8, the dishes were done, the apartment straightened up, and I am enjoying a new Biggest Loser AND... GLEE!! Can't wait to see what new songs they do tonight! And I'll be snacking on this.

I'm out :)