About Me

My photo
I am a former career girl and am now a stay-at-home-mom to 2 amazing little girls. Exercise and "dieting" have never been easy for me. But now more than ever, I am determined to adhere to a more active, healthy lifestyle. I am not dieting - just making smarter, more natural food choices. I want to set a great example for my girls. I starting running last year with the Couch-to-5K running program. I've lost over 35 pounds since last year and I want to lose 60 more. I completed my first race (a 5K) in October and I running a 10K by this summer. My long-term goal is ultimately to run a half-marathon in 2012. I've created this blog to put it all out there and most of all - to keep me honest. I include a tested recipe & inspiring workout song on each post. I am also hoping to inspire and be inspired by you! I would love for you to join me for this journey and become an official follower of this blog!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Obstacles


I am my own obstacle. 


I hate to say it out loud, but I am. I fell off the wagon so to speak over the past couple weeks. I got really sick and it took 2 rounds of antibiotics to get rid of my sinus infection. I was so hungry craving carbs and soup and I didn't watch it... And I didn't run... And then one kid got sick, and then the other got really sick. 


Now I want to strongly point out, that I am not making excuses. I realize that I didn't have to go as overboard as I did in certain instances. My problem is that it only took some conflict to get me majorly off track.


I realize that life is always going to have conflicts and social events and other things that could derail me. I just have to be stronger than those instances and not let them take over. 


Food is my go-to for comfort and has been for years. I know that I can't let it be and still be the person who is inside of me; who I want to be. 


My goal is still aggressive. To lose 40 pounds total by the end of June. I will post the updated chart next week.


PS- Try this week's recipe. It is interesting and has tons of veggies in it. :). My husband loved it (and I did too because it was so different).


SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING: "Shake It Out" Florence + The Machine
THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: One Skillet Vegetable & Beef Polenta - this is a combo of a few different recipes I've been exposed to. The spices are very interesting together and make the dish taste much richer than it is. It's loaded with veggies!



One Skillet Vegetable & Beef Polenta


Veggie Prep
Serves 4
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 pound lean ground beef (I used ground sirloin)       
1zucchini, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup salsa verde
1 tbs ketchup
1 tsp salt
9 ounces ready-made polenta, cubed
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese



Pre-oven finish off.

Instructions:


Preheat the oven to 400. Heat a cast-iron or oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown. Transfer beef to a plate (with paper towel on to soak the extra oil). Wipe skillet with a paper towel.
Add the olive oil and the onion, zucchini, celery, and red pepper to the skillet; saute until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Add the chili powder, cumin and cinnamon and saute 1 minute.
Add the beef, salsa and ketchup into vegetables; stir. Season with the salt to taste.
Scatter the polenta over the mixture and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake until polenta is heated and cheese is melted about 8 -10 minutes.
Finished product