Where have YOU Been?

Hello!

Where have you been?!

The cat's nose is always in the kitchen, checking out what we're doing. And we have been doing, even though the blog has been quiet.

I feel like I am getting my food legs back again, after sometime of not really sure where I was going with it all. After starting Weight Watchers and beginning my running and everything, it was really difficult to talk about food. I have spent a lot of my food reading time reading about running instead, and I am gradually getting stronger. My goal for this year is to gradually (very gradually) continue to build my time and to try and run a half-marathon next year. I know. The physical therapist I am seeing to sort out my incredibly tight leg muscles thinks it will happen. I think it will happen. G thinks it will happen.

But slowly, my head is coming out of the sand and I am starting to get back into thinking about food.

For example... one of my new favorite post-run breakfasts...


Proper oatmeal with sauteed banana. OMG this is so delicious. The banana is sweet and hot and a little mushy with just the stodgy almost rice pudding texture of the oatmeal. It's fantastic, and some days on my "long" run (which is not really long compared to alot of people), it's the only thing I can think of! This was this morning's oatmeal, not after my run (which was yesterday), but before my 45 minute strength training episode.

But what WAS yesterday's post-run breakfast?

You will be so glad you asked...


Whole wheat tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, half a potato with a tiny bit of chorizo and sliced tomato with green onion. YUM! It was 7 points, I think, which totally worked because I had had a decent long run.

And after that delicious reinforcement, I went and cleaned out my closet. Filled two more bags with clothes that no longer fit (yeah! that's a total of 4 bags of clothes!!!!) and organized my closet shelves. I am pretty pleased with myself. I am working on getting more organized at home.

But alas, today has been full of crazy Passover prep (G is Jewish and we are hosting the first night of Pesach at our house tomorrow) and an unfortunate lunch trip to a shwarama place nearby that completely wrecked both of our stomachs. Something about the lunch was not good, and while it wasn't the most enjoyable food ever, I didn't think it would make me sick later. But sick we have been. So it's been a real joy frying 40 gefilte fish balls. Sweet!

Cruisin....

I am back from vacation! I relaxed. I walked around New Orleans. I ran and lifted weights. I ate. I ate. And then I probably ate some more! The cruise was fantastic, New Orleans was interesting, and we really had an overall nice time. (And work didn't seem to implode in my absence, so that was good, too.)

We started our trip with a few days of sight-seeing in New Orleans. Crazy schedules and G being sick before we left meant that we had zero plan when we got to New Orleans. But all was well and we walked around, ate beignets, drank coffee, listened to jazz, and drank. We then met up with our Norwegian cruise and headed off to W. Caribbean. Wow. Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Fantastic! The cruise was very strange, but I really enjoyed our room with the giant window, the restaurants, the pool, the deluxe gym, the outdoor running track, and the incredibly friendly staff.

I have lots of photos but thought I might share a few early on with you folks...

Wait... what? You want more shots of me? *Blush* Of course!

Here I am, rocking my now baggy size 8 jeans and medium shirt. We're about to embark on a day of touring, and....

Hurricane drinking! Oh yeah, you have to do it, right? That was almost nothing but alcohol. The first few drinks (before the ice melted a bit) tasted like cough syrup.

And the best thing I ate while in New Orleans? This beautiful plate of red beans and rice with andouille sausage and blackened chicken... (bad photo...)

Gracious me, but that was delicious.

So what can I say.... New Orleans was pretty, the cruise was great, and the skies were mostly blue...

And yeah, I gained a few pounds on the cruise. The fitness trainer on board said that on average people gain between 7 and 14 pounds on a week-long cruise!!!!!! I believe it, and managed to come in under seven pounds of weight gain -- so go me, go me, go me.

I was not ever particularly motion sick on board the ship (surprisingly) but was crazy motion sick all day yesterday when back on dry land and in my office. I was so dizzy, I felt really out of sorts. It's all gone today, thank heavens. So back to the exercise grind tomorrow, and I've been counting WW points since I returned.

And now for the next vacation... Greece and Turkey anyone????