Go Team Angie and future Valentines Hotties !

I did something I have never done before- joined two weight loss challenges ! Main reason I did so is to keep things fresh and interesting with this journey. I am not in a race to lose the pounds as fast as possible, but rather it is a journey to a new me and a new us. Like any journey, sometimes side trips are necessary to keep the mix interesting. And life would not be as much fun without that stop to see the Worlds Largest Ball of Twine or the Teacup Museum just off the main road. In that sp;irit, I joined the challenges , and I am a proud member of Team Angie and Diet soda diva's Getting Hot by Valentines Day challenge. Both have slightly different objectives and both are populated by a lot of insperational people who are doing their best to become better.

Yesterday was another good day program wise. After a slow start due to the boy sleeping late ( grey skies make him very sleepy lately), we had our breakfast of cottage cheese , cereal and fruit. I have come to think of this as a breakfast sundae and it is fun to mix it in the bowl and thoughtfully munch away. I was of the belif that cereal must only be eaten with milk till I met my husband, who dislikes milk because it is messy. He introduced me to eating cereal with cottage cheese, and I liked it. No sloshing around in the bowl. We tackled some schoolwork and then took our first workout break. I have found the whole exercise thing is easier to manage if we do it in several small sessions instead of one big one. I think it is psycological, but I get a more affective workout in 10-15 minue sessions than blocking out an hour or so for working out. I spend too much time thinking about what I have to do after working out , what I should be doing, and I get stressed. with short sessions, I relax and get into that zen moment.Yesterdays workouts included :
Jillian Micheals Ultimate Fitness challenge 15 min
Stationary bike 15 min
Wii sports (bowling, tennis) 30 min
10 min abdominal work with stability ball and bands
Wii fit 10 min ( Yoga)

After more schoolwork we broke for lunch, and I was craving a creation that I came up with from my last big weight loss journey- chocolate yogurt.
Take plain nonfat yogurt, add a tablespoon of cocoa powder and a tablespoon of splenda and one tabelspoon oat bran.(It's the bowl on the right) Mix and eat. I added this to the planned lentil soup and veggies, and it kept me very full for the rest of the afternoon.

Dinner was my style of pork chops. I do not buy the pork chops as pork chops, but instead buy a big pork loin at Sam's culb and slice it into several pork chops. They come out leaner and cheaper than the lean chops sold in our markets. A few m9inutes with the cutting board and a good knife leaves me with several dinners worth of meat in the freezer. I made these with sweet potatoes, corn and a tossed green salad. Yummy and filling ! later in the evening I grabbed some raw veggies and hummus, which is becoming one of my favorite things to munch on. Then the evening was spent watching Ghost Hunters International and planning next weeks homeschool- two potentially scary things if you look at them in the right light.

Have a great day all !