I've moved my blog!

Hey guys! To all of you that follow my blog here, I just wanted to let you know that I move it to http://hopefulrunner.wordpress.com/. Check it out! I love the new format and this it really allows me to show my creativity!

The knee and my awesome dinner!

Hi all, well for those of you that don't know I have been having pain in my knee and my foot for about the past two weeks and it has really put a stop to my running, which has been very hard for me to deal with lately. Well, I went to the doc today to have it checked out and he said that I most likely strained or pulled my MCL and it should heal in about two weeks. Damn, I kinda already knew that but figured cause I was in so much pain that it would be a good idea to get it checked out. There's two wasted hours that I will never get back! Yarrrgggg. So, no running for me for another week and a half or so. At least I have been doing good with my food and have not cheated during lent! That makes it much easier for me to rationalize not being able to run and just having to do cross training.
Anyways, before and after my doctors apt I did homework of course. I am working on a research presentation for my biology class about artificial sweeteners, their molecular structure, and the effects that they have on the human body. Boy have a learned a lot that I wish I had known about 5 years ago when I started drinking diet sodas and eating sugar free foods. First of all, it's really scary what this stuff is made of and it is even worse when you learn what it does to your body. Ick!

I took a break this evening from my studies to make some delicious dinner, Spike our cat was keeping me warm, but decided to cuddle up to my books instead when I got off the couch. He looked so cute and comfortable I just had to take a pic.



For dinner tonight I decided to grill up some chicken breasts on my George Foreman grill with some frozen mixed stir fry veggies and fresh brussel sprouts. Mmmmmmmm! So good! I pretty much ate my portion of chicken right when it came off the grill so I didn't get much of it in the pic, but it was delicious and so were the veggies. Lately there is nothing better than a big bowl of steamed vegetables.


After dinner I remembered that I hadn't had any carbs with dinner and saw that I had a sweet potato that I needed to cook...so, I decided to make sweet potato fries! Mmmmmm! I took my big sweet potato, sliced it up and mixed the slices up with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled cinnamon over the top. I baked them in the oven at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes, and they came out PERFECT! Who needs desert after dinner when you have sweet potato fries with cinnamon on them!
Here's what they looked like when they came out of the oven...heavenly!


I also decided to treat myself to a glass of wine after my dinner and "desert". Actually, I had a small glass of each of these...I just couldn't help myself.


Oh! So I sent off for some free samples of tea a few weeks ago from Yogi and they came today! I was so excited to get them and try em out, and they came with a coupon for my next box of tea! Woohoo! I tried the "Antioxidant Green Tea" with a packet of Stevia natural sweetener this evening, and it was just what I needed while I was studying. I love tea, and am really glad that I gave up diet sodas and started drinking it instead.


Well, my day is winding down and hubs left to go hang out with one of his friends so I think I'm going to watch some of my DVR'd shows before I go to bed.
Have a great night guys and I hope you are enjoying my blog!

Lent - Week one update!

Hey all!  I made it through my first week of lent, refined sugar and desert free!  I don't really like the idea of having to restrict something from my diet because usually that type of thing can backfire, but I have been so motivated to be healthier and meet this challenge that I am okay with it!  I have insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes (this is not a new discovery or anything) and during my visit to my doc the other day I told her that I had given up refined sugars and she was very pleased.  She told me that this is one of the best things I can do to keep my insulin issues and metabolism in check without having to take Western medicine, which I am NOT a fan of at all.  So, needless to say, these past 6 days have been great!  I have not had any wierd and uncontrollable cravings to satisfy my sweet tooth, and I think it's mainly because I have a goal in mind and ahead of me.  I have eaten things that are sweet, but are naturally sweetened.  Like, raspberry preserves, stevia in my coffee and cereal, fruit, yogurt, etc so that has done the trick.  I have also decided to get out of the slump of eating the same meal every night for dinner simply beause it is convienent, and have been putting together more dinner combos, which has satisfied my craving for change in my diet.  It's pretty challenging to make sure that I am getting my protein carbs and veggies in every meal, but I have the knowledge so I just need to take the time to prepare the meals.  

I truly believe that my problems with food cravings, mainly sweets, come from the fact that I lack variety in my diet.  It's hard when you are on a budget, don't have a lot of time, and can only eat certain foods....but I have managed to come up with some pretty good dinners!  I have also found some pretty awesome blogs on here from fellow foodies with great recipe and meal ideas which have really inspired me and given me new ideas.  You should really check them out..
www.eatliverun.com, http://nhershoes.blogspot.com/, and http://therunningyogini.wordpress.com/
These ladies are truly inspiring and creative, and I really enjoy reading their blogs! Plus, it's awesome to see what they will be cooking up next!

Unfortunately I have been working on some projects for school that have kept me pretty busy so I haven't been able to take pics of my meals....either that or I just forgot.  DOH!  I will make sure and do that tomorrow.  I have been working on a lot of stuff for school right now not to mention a big research project for my biology class.  Boy, I can't wait till this qtr is over so I can take a break!

Okay, gotta get back to the homework and this nice glass of wine that I am enjoying so I will update more later.  Hopefully with some pics included.

Night all!