blame it on the applesauce.

With the new addition of the lovely stand mixer to my arsenal of kitchen appliances, I've had the strong desire to bake every.single.day since it blessed our apartment with its presence. I don't think I've baked every day, but I'm pretty sure the number of things I've made could be spread out over the last week and a half to average one item per day. When I arrived at my parents' last night for dinner, armed with my latest creation (buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake), my mom thanked me and asked a very relevant question, the kind that she's so good at asking and typically make me shrink away and feel really guilty about whatever it is we're talking about, because generally when she's asking me a question like this she knows I'm probably not on the right track. This leads to a lot of back-peddling and defending myself and basically proving her right while trying to prove her wrong. 

Not today, mom!

 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The question: "And how does this fit into your diet?" 

Firstly, it's called a lifestyle, hello!*

Secondly, I don't plan on eating everything I make! Baking is only mostly partially about eating the fun things I make. That breakfast cake, as awesome as it would be eaten straight out of the pan and in its entirety, is just as tasty eaten in a small portion for breakfast. It's even better when you share it with other people!

Thirdly, I've learned a few tricks lately that I'm pretty excited about. Sure, I could sub out real sugar for fake sugar in a recipe and save a whole lot of points, but I just can't bring myself to do it. What's the point of baking something from scratch if I'm using overly processed ingredients? The latest trick I've learned is subbing out oil for applesauce. Applesauce? Yes! It actually works really well. I tried this last week with a cake I made for dessert one night, and last night I boldly added it to a quick bread recipe and came out unscathed. The recipe called for a little sugar, so I left out the sugar knowing the applesauce would make it a little sweet anyway. (sidenote: I realize store-bought applesauce - which I used this time - is processed too, but I make homemade from time to time, so I'll probably have some handy for the next recipe. Bonus - I don't add sugar to mine! Hello 0PP addition!)

 

Now that I know I can easily deduct 10-15PP from my recipes, I'm excited to try more things! I've been taking pictures and such, so stay tuned for recipes. I just need to plug the camera into the dang computer.

*love you, mom!

winning!

The boyfriend *hates* it when I say that. But it's true. I'm totally winning. Like, not sarcastically, totally seriously, winning.

Who knew that only eating APs + like 5WP (or WP but no AP depending on how you like to look at it) would result in a loss? Anyone? No? Me either.

-1.6 today. I'll fist pump to that!

i'd rather be the tortoise.

This morning, I stepped on the scale for my weekly WI.

-.2.

Yes, there's a period in front of that 2.

I want to get mad at that number, but then I remember that I had Panera mac and cheese for dinner last night. I think the fact that I lost anything is a damn miracle.

I want to "woe is me" to everyone I talk to, but then I see the post-it taped to my desk in front of my computer (intentionally and strategically placed) where I'm recording each WI, starting from the Friday after I returned from Europe and recommitted myself to finishing this thing. I realize that not only have I either maintained or lost every week since (which is a feat in and of itself), but my average loss is right at .5lbs/week. Sure, it might be 2lbs one week and nothing the next, but overall I'm losing within the healthy range. I may not get to my goal tomorrow, or even next week, but I'm moving in the right direction, and I'll get there someday.

That's something to be proud of.

i quit.

Ok, I admit that title might be a bit more attention-grabbing than truth, but the truth is, I'm just plain tired. I'm tired of counting points, and figuring out activity points, and working my ass off or slacking off and seeing the same results either way. I've been tracking everything for the last two months, and exercising at least 4 days every week for almost the same amount of time. I know the scale isn't always entirely truthful, but come on, can't I at least have an overall maintain? It's just not fair.

I decided something over the weekend. As stepping on the scale each day week has gotten increasingly difficult and disappointing, making me want to cry a little more each time,  I realized I needed to change something. Yes, I need to lose weight, and yes, I probably do need the plan to keep me on track in general, but lately my general happiness has been at stake (did someone say steak?) and that's just not flying.

Change #1: I will not step on the scale mid-week. I will only step on the scale Friday mornings, when it's time for weigh-in. I've even toyed with the idea of stepping on the scale but making someone else read it for me, take down the number and not tell me what it is. I'm a bit of a control freak though, so that may or may not happen.

Change #2: I'm making a real, honest-to-god, concerted effort to listen to my hunger signals. Since as long as I can remember, I have been graced with a super speedy chow time, and a mildly slow metabolism. These things do not make a great combination. The result of my quick eating is that my stomach doesn't feel full until about 10-15 minutes after I'm done, by which point I've already eaten too much and feel miserable. Learning to eat slower and really listen to my body has been an ongoing battle, but it has to happen sometime. I can't bring measuring cups to a restaurant and separate out portions. I have to learn to slow down, eat until satisfied, and move on. If I have leftovers, great! I love leftovers. It's not the end of the world if I don't finish my plate.

Change #3: I'm *gasp* not tracking. At least for a week. I want to see how I do. I would really rather not be tied down to a points system for the rest of my life. It's not that the concepts I've learned don't make for a sustainable lifestyle. I've been struggling with this for a while, and I really think it's the tracking specifically that I've had issues with. It's just so draining, after a while. This change is super dependent upon my success with Change #2, because if I don't stop myself from eating too much, then I'll well...eat too much. Pretty simple. This also hinges on my ability to keep up with my exercise routine, which so far has been going really well.

So far, I've been 2 full days without tracking and it feels very freeing. I ate just a little too much last night for dinner, but overall I've been really good. I also went to the gym both Saturday (1hr) and Sunday (40min). I'd really love for this to work out.

Since there aren't really any pictures that go with this post, I'm just going to give y'all a glimpse into Chester's first bath, which he got through with flying colors! And a little flying shampoo. But only a little.

pre-bath. Look how good he is, just sitting there!

 Why are you spraying me down with all this water? What did I ever do to you?

I can't decide if I'm enjoying this. What do you think of my hair-do?

Dry, fluffy Chester! He looks so pretty.

really boring title.

Please excuse the lack of creativity, I haven't had my coffee yet today.

This week I maintained at WI. I've been working out more, and eating more, and not trying to restrict myself so much during the week for the sake of the weekend. You see, I used to use lots of weekly points over the weekend and then none during the week. Buuuut that was when I wasn't really exercising, so I couldn't get away with eating extras so close to WI. Also, I probably could have, but that was my mentality. I was still treating WW as a diet, restricting myself for the sake of the number on the scale. The last few weeks have been different, though. I've *gasp* eaten over my daily points almost every day, including Thursdays. The horror! But then I step on the scale on Friday, and eureka! A loss! Incredible. I guess it doesn't matter when I eat, as long as I make good choices. Sure, the first week might result in a gain, but then everything evens out. I'm so much happier with this. I don't feel guilty for the midnight cookie that was well within my points the night before I step on the scale. Not even a little. Not even an ounce. I guess I'm learning.

Today also marked the start of the next cycle in my challenge. I've been thinking about what my new goal would be, and decided to stick with something activity-based. My eating is pretty good right now. I'm still planning ahead, and making the best choices possible (most of the time). Yesterday, I even went so far as to throw out chicken nuggets. Awesomely-nice-but-mildly-pushy-when-it-comes-to-food coworker brought me McNuggets when all I asked for was an iced coffee. This happens on the regular. Normally I eat the nuggets (at just 5PP for the 4pc box, I'm not too shaken up), take something out of my meal plan for the day, and move along. Yesterday, I ate two and then realized I wasn't hungry. And I had packed yummy food for lunch. Why was I eating the nuggets? The last two went into the trash. Progress!

Anyway. Back to the challenge. I thought back on the last 3 weeks and how my mileage happened. It took me 3 days each week to get the 5 miles in (more so because I was running before work and didn't feel like waking up earlier than because I couldn't do more mileage). So for this new cycle, I'm stepping it up a little. If I up the mileage to 6, which is a baby step, I can still get away with pushing everything into 2 or 3 days. I need to do more. SO this cycle's goal will be: workout 4 days every week. This will definitely be a little bit of a stretch, but should be just enough to get me exercising on the regular. Also, it helps with my foodie habit by giving me more wiggle room.

I love wiggle room.

updates and such.

Today marked the first day of the second week of the second challenge round of OP2OVERCOME. Mouthful? Maybe. I started my second challenge last Friday (well I started it earlier and then reset because I was failing hard), and made it through an entire week. The challenge? Run or walk 5 miles each week. 5 measly miles. Being the fantastic procrastinator I am, I waited until Wednesday to even start the mileage. That gave me a whopping 2 days to fit workouts somewhere into my schedule. Did I mention I hadn't been running in days weeks months? Awesome.

Wednesday I got my butt out of bed early and did 1.75 miles of running and walking intervals. I wanted to die. Yesterday, I did 2.25 miles before work and wanted to die less. Actually, I would venture to say it even felt good. On my lunch break, instead of being a lump and sitting in front of my computer on the internetz, I went for a walk. 1 mile. BAM! 5 miles done. This week, I have no intention of procrastinating. But then again, who ever does?

Last week I had a slight massive gain, which I attributed to copious amounts of sodium (bacon cheese fries. nommmm) the night before. Whatever, it'll come off by next WI. Right?

Kind of. This morning I was down .6lbs, which is like, 20% of what I gained last week (See? I told you it was massive). In the correct general downward direction? Yes. Leaving me slightly disappointed? Only slightly. Here's the thing - I did really well this week. Like, really well. I pre-tracked every day, I got in more activity than I have in a long time, and I've been drinking water like I'm a fish. I'll take the new weight and go from here. I know, I know. I say that almost every week. But really guys, I think I'm in a good place right now. 

And now, since we all know posts without pictures are lame, I'll leave you with some puppy Chester love. It's amazing how much he's grown the past few weeks! It's also amazing that he listens. Does he still chew on my hand like it's a bone? Sure. But he stays when I tell him to, he goes in his crate when I tell him to, and he comes when I call. That, my friends, is progress. Also, it's really stinkin' cute when I sit on the floor and he walks up to me with a toy, sits in my lap and goes to town on said toy. I love having puppy blanket.

Puppy Chester says "Why are you staring at me? I'm just trying to enjoy myself behind this here chair. I love wedging into small corners!"

it takes 21 days to form a habit.

Sidenote: it's really hard to concentrate on anything (read: blogging) while watching the Food Network. Like, super difficult.

Where was I? 

Oh right. I haven't started yet. Curse you, Bobby Flay! You just had to be making fish and chips while I'm trying to write (Not really, though. Boy Meets Grill is a staple of my morning routine).

One of the great things about the WW message boards is that there are always support groups and challenges popping up. I had seen the OP to Overcome challenge floating around, but never thought anything of it. (Correction: I thought it was awesome for those involved, but didn't think it had any benefit for me. I'm perfect, remember?). One of the hardest parts of my WLJ has been planning ahead. I love planning and list-making, but follow-through tends to be a rough spot (I blame the Food Network). Tracking is no different. It never seemed to matter that when I did plan ahead with my meals, I saw better results. I'd get overly confident and think Oh I've got this. The planning would stop, and tracking all together would slowly come to a halt. So would the weight loss. Damn, I guess I don't. Typically at this point I will just wallow in self-pity and french fries for a few weeks, and then attempt to make a comeback. 

This time has to be different. It has to. I need to make a serious change while I'm still young and yadda yadda yadda. For serious, though. I can't keep using the excuse that I work at a restaurant to keep me from planning ahead. It's not that hard, guys. We have healthy items on the menu, and if I feel so inclined I can just waltz back into the kitchen and cook something up myself. On my days off? No excuses. Planning should be a joke. Crucial to success will be getting into a strong enough habit of planning that when I decide to be social (yes, I have friends), I won't be completely derailed.

The point of this? Yesterday I joined the OP challenge. There are no end dates, no official start dates, just a bunch of people with a common goal of creating good habits. I decided to make my first goal planning each day ahead of time. Yesterday went swimmingly, and today I'm one meal into my planned day. Since I started in the middle of my week, I'll wait until next week to post some official results. But so far, I'm liking it! When I plan ahead I don't tend to use all of my points, which is perfect for work days because I have a little leeway. I can pick at a couple french fries or take a piece of the brownie ends that the cooks (whom I love so much) set out when they cut the tray of brownies (heaven, I tell you). As long as I still track those, I'm good to go.

Happy tracking!

wait, you mean the plan actually works if you follow it?

week 1: -1.2

week 2: -.6

Can we go 3 for 3? I'll keep y'all posted.

*takes a deep breath*

You'll understand that deep breath in just a second, I promise.

I haven't written in a couple weeks. Partially because I'm lazy, but 99% because this is what has happened in my life these past few weeks (ready, go!):

• I developed super severe laryngitis and had to work through it. I was almost as useless as a mime for a few days.
• I went to the doctor for said laryngitis because it stuck around for 4-5 days, so I wanted to make sure it wasn't something more.
• I got antibiotics for the sinus infection the doctor found while I was there for the laryngitis.
• I worked some more.
• I ate a lot of soup with my mom, who couldn't chew anything. Like, nothing. Literally.
• I came home from work with a 100* fever last week.
• I had an absolutely useless interview.
• I cried about it, I slept it off, and then went to the hospital with my parents so my mom could get her mouth fixed (she's fine, folks!)
• I started running a fever again at the hospital.
• I finally went back to the doctor on Sunday because I had a 104 fever, only to find out I'm pretty allergic to the antibiotics I was taking. Awesome!
• I'm now on day off number 5, after getting my last two shifts covered. It's actually been kind of nice.
• I ate some more soup with my mom. Lots of orange soup. We seem to have an affinity for orange soups.

Basically, the last couple weeks have been all sorts of awesome. As far as WW goes, I didn't track at all from the time we left for the hospital on Friday until last night (and I actually put in everything from the weekend yesterday). I came up super short Saturday and Sunday, which is probably a huge reason (that and the boat loads of water I drank) for my 5.6lb loss yesterday morning. Now if only I could keep it off...

Countdown to my next 5k = roughly 6 weeks. Am I prepared? Not in the slightest. As soon as I don't look like I have a bad bout of sun poisoning, I think I'll go for a run.

 

Hopefully I won't have to wear all this next time. As hot as I may look...

when i cleaned my room, i found my motivation.

I haven't worked out in over a week. If my shoes had emotions, they would have been silently crying in the corner for days. (Could you imagine if they did? They would probably yell at me on my runs and freak me out a bit). Or maybe they wouldn't have been silently crying, but their sounds would have been muffled by the plethora of clothing on my floor. Once I had cleaned up a bit, it was as if my motivation and energy were restored. I think the state of my room is a good tell for my mood and stress level...although my dad may tell you that it's just a mess regardless.

Ok, I think that's enough personification and passive voice.

With a high of around 25* today, I decided it was as good a time as any to get back out there. I've been making excuses about the weather for weeks, when I know full well I have the appropriate gear for the cold. Today, I sucked it up and geared up:

Pretty Badass, right?

In case anyone is wondering, here's what I've got on: 2 pairs of running tights (one pair of all-weather and one pair of cold gear), a cold gear hoodie under a running jacket, an awesome help-you-breathe mesh face mask, and a knit wide headband to keep my ears warm. That thing is perfect because it shields my ears from the cold air, but it doesn't make my head too hot! The knit is pretty loose so it's super breathable.

Anyhoo, I went out for just sub-2mi today. I know I won't have time tomorrow because of work, but I'll be back out there on Wednesday!

Oh also, I lost .4 this morning. How the hell that happened I have no idea. Apparently I made better choices this week. I'll have to go back through my journal. This week I'm attempting to save my weeklies for the few dine-out meals I already have planned (and the few I'm sure I'll have that aren't planned, as I seem to have a sort of affinity for many restaurant meals each week...). 

fine.

Last week, I got a little overzealous. 

I ate every.single.point.

Granted, I tracked said every.single.point. so I don't feel so guilty, but I still ate said every.single.point.

The result? +.6.

Yeah, it's a baby gain, but it's still in the wrong direction. I knew it was going to happen, but I hoped it wouldn't. I knew I was eating too much at certain meals, but I reeeeally wanted that pizza/french fries/rice/whatever. Apparently, I just had to have it.

 

Now I know. Well, I already knew. But now maybe I'll pay attention and listen to the signals. I need to pound into my head this whole need vs want thing. It's pretty important.

the results are in...

Ding ding ding!

I just realized I haven't posted since writing out my resolutions. I bet y'all are wondering how I'm faring! No? Oh. Well, I'll tell you about it anyway.

Monday WI's:

Week 1: -1.4

Week 2: -.2

Yeah, that second one is pretty minuscule, and most of the time I wouldn't even count that as a loss, but I consider it progress. I had Chinese food Sunday night, didn't track it (ya know, because it was Sunday night), and still came out a little lighter than the previous week. I was really good all week though, so I'm thinking the loss would have been bigger without the high-sodium content in the food.

This week has been interesting. Monday and Tuesday I threw caution to the winds and ate what I was craving. I still tracked everything though, so I know where I stand. Yesterday I was back on plan and I'm feelin' good! I think this could be a good week :)

As for activity, I started a chart to document all of my workouts. It's really sad when I look at the chart and multiple days in a row are empty, so that kind of motivates me to do something just to fill the boxes.

I've also figured out a pretty good system at the restaurant (aka both the love of my life and the bane of my existence): I calculated the points for a couple healthy options, and I'm doing my best to order those for meals most of the time. I can shake them up by adding different veggies (one is a turkey wrap and the other is a veggie wrap), which keeps me interested in eating them! So far it's working. I did have pizza the other day, but I'm still a firm believer in feeding you cravings so you don't OD on food. Apparently on Tuesday I was seriously craving cheese, because I ate pizza and fried mozzarella for lunch, then french onion soup for dinner. And of course someone had to taste the bread and cheese to make sure they weren't poisoned, so I had extra of those. Nothing quite like a good rustic loaf with some tasty gruyere. Nom.

Speaking of food, I'm hungry. And I want a nap. Life is hard.

happy new year, and all that jazz.

Last night, I opened my Google Reader for the first time in almost a week. Apparently I've been busy. The theme of the week was looking back on the year and new years resolutions. I loved reading over everyone's memories and goals, and I'm excited to see how this year turns out. 

 

Today, I'm too lazy to write a lot. Lucky for me, I wrote down some stuff last week that I think can be construed as a new year's resolution. I'm not generally one for making them, because just as I believe you shouldn't only have one day a year to show your significant other you care, there shouldn't be one day a year to start fresh. 

 

Ok maybe they're on different levels. I guess there's just an even break over New Year's to separate yourself from your past, which you may not necessarily feel from say, November 12. But I'm really good at making excuses, so the idea of starting fresh in January just gives me an excuse to wait until January.

So...first week review of switching things up on the plan. It was totally freeing starting on a Monday. I ate a few weekly points almost every day, but overall I only used about 20-25 (I had to estimate a couple things this weekend). I was a little worried about how WI would turn out because I had two New Year's parties this weekend, but I actually lost 1.4 this morning! Mood = ecstatic. I feel more lifestyle-y as opposed to diet-y. I didn't eat too much as a result of feeling restricted by not using my weeklies during the work week, thinking that my body lost better when I didn't use them. Now, I use them in sensible amounts so I don't feel deprived, but I don't feel the urge to go crazy either. 

Anyhoo, I think I'm done. Happy New Year and whatnot!

i want to stop using my pants as pillows, and start using them as...pants.

I currently have 3 pairs of jeans at the head of my bed, being used as pillows because I have no other use for them. Like wearing them. Which I suppose is what you're supposed to do with jeans, I guess. Problem is, they're all too small. I keep them around just in case I become deathly ill and lose a lot of weight decide to get my act together and lose all this weight just hanging around. While they make good pillows, it's sad that I can't wear them. Because they're all really cute. I want to be one of those girls with a bajillion pairs of jeans, because that would be awesome. But I have like, 2. I keep talking myself out of buying new pairs because ya know, I'm losing weight and whatnot. But I'm still the same size. Here's what I'm thinking (and I'm going to use bullet points even though they may or may not be entirely appropriate. It's how this thought shows up in my mind):

• My WI day has been Friday for as long as I can remember. I did it that way because I was out most weekends in London, with little (interest in the) control(ing) of my food choices. I would use most weeklies the first day of my week. Eventually, I started spreading them out over Friday and Saturday. but I never used all of them. Then I started using some of them on Sundays. Then I started using all of them. Then I stopped tracking, thinking I had a handle on how many points things were. Problem is, I stopped really paying attention, just telling myself I would start tracking the next day and exercise the next day. Tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow. If you look at my tracker for the last few months, you'll see sporadic meals and days tracked. Finding an entire week in there may take you back over a year. I thought the new PointsPlus plan would be the spark I needed, but that only lasted a few days.

• My Proposal: I know some people change up their meals or exercise routine if they've been doing the same thing for a while, to get their system going again. I don't eat the same thing every day, and while the vast majority of my exercise is running, it's not consistent enough to be the issue. I mean, the inconsistency is the issue. But not the boringness (yes) of the repetition and redundancy. The only thing that has stayed the same (besides my weight, har har har) has been my WI day. SO I've decided I'm going to switch to Monday. I'm more likely to stick to my points the few days before my WI day, and maybe what I need is for those few days to fall on the weekend so I can get back into a good pattern. Maybe I'll feel less inclined to use so many weekly points at the beginning of my week when it's on a Monday. Maybe this is the jump start my body needs and I'll actually start losing weight again.

Just maybe.

oh hai, i'm running a 5k tomorrow.

My race is in 10hrs. I'm currently sitting in my kitchen, already dressed. When I told my dad I was 'practicing my outfit', he gave me a look like for serious? Yes. For serious. The race is called the Santa Shuffle, and costumes are welcome. I don't do costumes, so I've settled for a pair of red shorts (over my running leggings, of course. I'm not that crazy), and the shirt for the race under my (black) running jacket. Not superly, overly festive, but I've got the color scheme down. Kind of.

Also, I had a super fabulous meetup with some of the ladies on the 20's board yesterday! It was fantastic, and you should be jealous that you weren't there.

proof! (Photo courtesy of Bebe)

Ok, I'm tired. I need my beauty rest. Be on the lookout for a race recap in the next day or two! Provided I like you. Which I do. I promise. pinky swear.

awesomesauce.

Down .2 at WI. Yes, that's major small potatoes. But I'm excited! Here's why:

*This is week 3 in a row of losing. I can't even remember the last time I lost more than 2 weeks in a row.

*I ran 8mi this week, which is more than I can say about any week since like, May. I'm sure my muscles are adjusting.

*I've been sleeping terribly this week, which has resulted in a few 'midnight' snacks (by midnight I really mean anywhere between 1 and 4am) because my non-tiredness (that really should be in the dictionary) eventually led to my body being ready for its next meal. I think this is partly because I've been eating dinner between 6 and 7 some nights, when my body's really used to the 8-9 time frame. So when I eat earlier, I get hungry earlier. Makes sense. Hopefully that'll change. I'm not a fan of 4am rumbly tummy. Oh also, I'm excited. Did I mention I was going home TODAY? I don't think I did. Now you know.

Leaving for the airport in less than 4 hours, yo!

i'm a loser, baby

Down 2.6 this morning.

Booyah.

roar.

That's how I feel today. Let me explain.

I've made some really good friends on the Weight Watchers message boards over the last year (has it been a year already?). We chat almost every day, and motivate and encourage each other in a way that other people can't - because we're all in this together. We've branched out from the message boards and are now challenging each other on dailymile, which is a kind of athlete's social networking site where you can track your activity and that of anyone you're friends with. You can also join challenges, or create one! A few of us were talking the other night about how we're kind of in an exercising funk, and we decided to setup a walk/run challenge for the next month. Whoever gets the most mileage in, wins! Sounds simple enough, right? We figured if we were competing against each other, we would be more motivated to get out there and pound the pavement, so to speak.

Well, for the first week I was a total lazy bones. I logged like, 2.5 miles. Lame. I had been making excuses to not go out for runs, and I was falling behind in the challenge.

This morning, something clicked. I was looking at the challenge board (I often check in the mornings because I'm 5hrs ahead of these ladies so when I go to bed they're just getting out for their exercise. Oh also, I'm obsessed with looking at the challenge board. I'm a nerd.) and noticed that Bebe was at 16 miles already. 16! I was at 2. I wasn't really in the mood to run, but I had to do something, because this gap was only going to get wider and it would be impossible for me to catch up. So I decided to walk. I started out around my neighborhood, turning when I felt like it and ogling at the nice houses that I don't live in. Eventually I found a park and I knew I was at least a mile from my flat, since I've looked on a map for parks before and there really aren't any close by. I decided I wanted to run. I like running in the park, and I was in a park. So I ran through the park. On the other side of the park? A footpath on the River Thames! Sweet. Not only was I running in the park, but I was running in the park with a view. Before I knew it, I had run 15 minutes and still didn't feel tired. I felt like a rockstar. Then I turned back to go home and got slightly lost, so by the end my mileage looked like this:

Yes, that reads 9.54km. This would be an appropriate time for one of these: (((LTE)))

Oh yeah, and some of these fabulous ladies have blogs! I read them, and you should, too. Thanks to JB, Di, Kate, Bebe and Kelly (and the others who don't have blogs) for always giving me a swift kick in the behind when I need it most!

it's the most wonderful time of the year...

No, it's not Christmas. Hello, it's only September! Sorry if I got your hopes up. But for realz, you should know it's not Christmas yet.

Fall is my favorite season. I love chilly weather and all that comes with it. Fall clothing, Fall foods, colorful leaves, all that stuff. One of the things that I'm most excited for is the annual soup making weekend at my parents' house. Every year, my dad gets out the stock pot and makes chili, chicken soup, and mushroom barley soup, and freezes a bunch for the fall/winter season. The house smells incredible for those few days, and I look forward to the first taste of each. But of the three, the one I look forward to the most is chili. I'd say it's proportional to the amount of effort that goes into the cooking. Chili is quite a production in our house. There are multiple cookbooks laid out on the kitchen counter, each contributing a bit to the chili. You see, cookbooks aren't so much a necessity in our house for turning out delicious recipes, as they are inspiration for creating our own dishes. The chili is no exception. (sidenote: if the recipe calls for 1/4tsp of cayenne, for the love of all that is good do not quadruple that amount! You'll burn your face off. For serious.)

Since I moved out of my parents' house, I've started experimenting with my own chili recipes (even though I always have a couple servings of dad's chili in my freezer. Except for right now. Because mailing chili to the UK may not go over so well, for so many reasons). Since I'm going home (!!!) in a few weeks, I've started trying to figure out ways to use up all of my pantry ingredients. One of the ingredients I have copious amounts of is lentils. I just keep forgetting I have them. So last night, I decided a great way to use them up would be to make chili, and use lentils instead of beans. Since it turned out pretty well, I figured I'd share the recipe with y'all. Because I'm just awesome like that. Oh and as an added bonus, I went through all the trouble of measuring out portions both in weight and in cups so that I could give you WW points. Don't you just love me?

Beef and Lentil Chili (Makes six 1 1/4C servings, 7pts each)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped (I used 3 small onions, since that's what I've got)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced


A small palm of cumin



A small palm of oregano





A large palm of chili powder. Just go crazy with the stuff.

A dash of cayenne. More, if you're feeling adventurous. I like to live on the edge.


1C lentils. I used brown. Make sure to rinse these bad boys before cooking.



2 cans (I believe these were 15oz) of chopped tomatoes.

1lb ground beef.

1T olive oil (no, I don't have a picture of that one. So sue me.)

Directions: First, get the lentils in a pot. They're going to take about 45min to cook fully, so you want to start them before anything else. Bring the water to a boil and skim off any of that foam on the top. It won't kill you if you eat it, but it's a lot nicer without the stuff! Bring water down to a simmer, cook until tender.

About 20 min into the lentil-cooking, pour olive oil into a large pot. Heat on medium, add garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add onion and sprinkle with salt to help the sweating process. Once the onions are translucent (about 5min), add beef and mix it all together. Dump in the spices. Once the meat is browned a bit (it took maybe 7-8min), add canned tomatoes. Don't let the meat fully cook before adding the tomatoes, because it'll get dry. No one likes dry meat. Unless you do. Then you're weird. Anyway. Let everything simmer for another 10-15min, and add the lentils in when they're cooked. Taste to make sure the spices are to your liking, season with salt and pepper, yadda yadda yadda.

That's it! So simple. Usually I make chili with black beans, but like I said before, I have a crapload of lentils that need to be used up. The process would be the same (except if you buy canned black beans, which you probably will, you don't need to cook them beforehand. Duh. Just make sure to drain them well).

**Note: I put a dollop of light Greek yogurt on top, which isn't accounted for in the points.

Stay tuned for more recipes! I really crave baking in the fall, so you'll probably get a few pie "recipes" (aka I'll do my best to give you a recipe but really I just throw a bunch of stuff in the pot and taste as I go so it comes out delicious anyway). Maybe some cupcakes, too. Since some people don't like pie. (I see that shocked look on your face. Believe me, I don't understand it, either).

Do you have any fall traditions? Do you love chili as much as I do? Do you have an awesome recipe you want to share? Huh? Huh? Do ya? Do ya? DO YA? <----if you can name that movie, I'll give you a prize. Or a hug. Probably the latter. Definitely the latter. Not that a hug isn't a prize. It totally is.

black bean pocket

So what happens when you leave me to my own devices in the kitchen? I mix together a whole bunch of things and hope it tastes good! I mean, generally it does taste good. Because this is me, we're talking about. Duh. So y'all better appreciate what I'm about to do: I'm going to share with you! Because I measured everything, I can actually post a recipe. This is such a rarity, we're going to take a minute and cherish it.


...ok that's enough.

This morning I noticed I had some black beans that were just begging to be eaten. I also bought some lovely crusty bread at Borough this weekend (pugliese, for anyone interested), and I'll make up any excuse to eat good bread. At first I was thinking toast with beans and a fried egg, so I pulled out a pan to toast the bread and thought to myself "hmmm heating the beans will just use up another pan. That means more cleaning for me. That's not cool" so I decided to get creative. I now have tin foil in my arsenal since I needed it for my brisket last week, so I decided to use it for heating the beans in the oven. No cleaning! I also scratched the egg, and went for a completely no-clean approach. So here goes!

Black Bean Pocket (WW points = 6)

1/2c cooked black beans (mine were from dry, but you could use canned)
1 1/2oz avocado, diced
1 small tomato (like, a roma/plum tomato), diced
1tsp olive oil
1 slice crusty bread, cut in half (my slice was 1 1/8oz if you're pointing this)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 hot pepper (optional)
2TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. While oven is preheating, prepare the food: Drizzle the 1tsp olive oil over the bread. Grab a sheet of tin foil and mold it into a small bowl. Put beans on the foil. Top with the tomato and cilantro, and sprinkle with a little salt to bring out the flavor. Place garlic cloves in the mix, and top with the pepper (it will cook down and mildly flavor the mix so it's not too hot. If you want more kick, you can cut up the pepper and mince the garlic. But then I would reduce the garlic cloves by 1). Close up the mix in the tin foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Add the bread to the baking sheet and bake another few minutes, until the bread is toasted to your liking. When opening the foil pouch, be careful! There will be a lot of steam in there and it could burn you. So open slightly and let it air out a minute. There will also be a bit of liquid at the bottom so just drain that into the sink. Put the bean mix into your bowl, top with the avocado, and place the bread on the side. Enjoy!

This was super filling and delicious! I could definitely eat this more often. I'm excited! Oh also, sorry I don't have pictures. I was just so excited I ate it and then realized I hadn't taken pictures. I'll get those to you soon. I promise.

Update: if you read this when it was fresh you'll notice I changed the points. That's because I brainfarted and added in the points for an egg which I didn't actually eat or add into the recipe. So now it's accurate. Promise.