Resolution Update

Chocolate berry cake ~ YUMMM! (Personal photo)

Maybe it's just me, but whenever I resolve to make a positive change to my life, my mind and body, "they" do everything in their power to make the change that much harder.  I hardly ever crave cookies and chocolate, but I've been snacking on exactly that for the past 7 days.  And I normally do not snack!  Since the 1st, I've eaten brownie bites, Nutella, maple syrup cookies (it was a gift...), chocolate chip cookies, dark chocolate bars, and chocolate-covered almonds.  OK, so I took maybe a bite or two of each, but that still puts me further away from my weight loss and healthy eating goals.

Also challenging have been my trips to the gym (or lack thereof).  On my way home from work I'm super motivated and excitedly planning my workout regimen for the evening, then flash forward a few hours and I'm being woken up from a peaceful nap by my DH, after having fallen asleep while thoughtfully waiting for him to come home from work (aka watching TV on our couch) so we can go to the gym together.  And we never end up going.  le sigh.  I have, however, been really good about shopping recently, so at the least, I've been burning calories on my power walks in the mall.

Gym memberships increase quite a bit in January, with high attendance in the early months and a slow decline throughout the year.  I'm glad I didn't exercise insanely last week (or at all, actually) only to burn out and demotivate myself for the rest of the year. See? I was doing myself a favor.  Haha!  Kidding.  I had an L.A. Fitness membership for 7 years but canceled 2 years ago after moving to an area where it wasn't convenient for me to drive there anymore.  While, coincidentally, I stopped working out almost completely after canceling my membership, I don't think it's the membership that keeps me accountable.  I still have access to a gym - it's small but has ellipticals, treadmills and weight equipment, as well as a sauna and individual TV's on each machine, just a few steps away from my house.  But getting there feels so much harder than stopping by L.A. Fitness everyday after work like I used to.  I swear, the closer you are in distance, the harder it is to get there.

On a positive note, I was able to accomplish one goal this week:
adding new veggies to my daily menu!

1.  I bought Bok Choy for the first time ever at my local Farmer's Market last week.  I didn't want to add a bunch of seasoning and ruin the flavor, so I just pan steamed it and it was delicious.

Personal photo

2.  The farmer's market also had my favorite veggie discovery from 2011:  Brussels Sprouts! I picked up 4 half-pound bags for $4.  Not a bad deal.

Personal photo

I find it easier to try new foods when I know the prep will be simple.  For the brussels sprouts, I washed and chopped off the ends, cut each sprout in half, then tossed it with olive oil, sea salt and pepper (total prep time:  5 minutes).  Afterwards, I put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and voila!  Ready to eat veggie goodness.

On a complete side note, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Kuhn Rikon serrated knife.  Even though I own and also love this Oxo knife set, I tend to reach for the Kuhn Rikon knives for most of my veggie prep.

Photo courtesy of Amazon

I bought it in periwinkle early last year and loved it so much I went on a hunt for the same knife in other colors a few months later and ultimately bought 2 more in red and green.  (Yes, I have a slightly obsessive personality.)  I use the green for veggies, red for meat, and periwinkle for misc foods like bread.  And it comes with a nifty cover too.

While on the topic of kitchen goodies, I also love these Silicone cutting boards.  I have a similar set (not made by Casabella but these were the most comparable set I could find online) and they're great for separating your meats with your veggies and fish.  Maybe I'll reward myself with an upgraded set once I reach my first 10 pound weight loss.

I bought this Joseph Joseph chopping board set for my MIL for Christmas. She loved it! 

Photo courtesy of Amazon

So my motivation and my scheduling were a bit off this past week, but thank goodness I have about 51 more weeks to redeem myself!