Sunday was my first 7 mile run followed by a day of rest yesterday. Today, back at it with a 5 mile run. I woke up at 5:15 again to try and run however this time, the dark didn’t stop me—it was the monster of a storm that had just passed. Everything was still dripping and so I just rolled over and went back to sleep. I guess I’ll get my 5 miles in tonight!
2010 PriorFatGirl E-Cookbook?
You helped me put together an e-cookbook last year – so many great recipes that were easy to make! Just like the ladies at church do, but we did it virtually and concentrated on healthy recipes. An entire year has passed and I personally have come up with some new recipes on my own (buffalo chicken anyone?) I can only assume you have come up with some go-to recipes as well.
Would you be interested in doing another one? Do you desire to help make this one bigger & better? Last years cookbook had 50 recipes but I think if we do another one, we should aim to have 100 in this one. To get there, I’ll need help…no way I can do it on my own.
– Thoughts?
– Idea’s?
– Are you game?
Sun-dried Tomatos
Thank you for all your input on Sunday about tomatos. I did not realize tomatos and fridges don’t go together – the tomatos are now comfy on my counter! I’m contemplating two ideas:
- Sun-dried tomatos: Based on the recipes I’ve read, it takes 4-6 hours to make these — and since I love sun-dried tomatos, why not?! Anyone have any links to their FAVORITE recipes?
- Caramelized Tomato Cobbler: The name made me hesitant but after reading Mama in Wonderland’s recipe & recent blog post, I’m definitely intrigued.
Red and juicy!
P.S., is it “tomatos” or “tomatoes”? I always thought it was “tomatos” however my spell check is telling me it is “tomatoes.” Has my entire life been a lie?
Operation sshhh
A little over a month ago, I mentioned I was laughing Operation: ssshhhh. I was feeling like this whole healthiness lifestyle thing had taken over my life…in an obsessed way. We all know I’ve reached out and have been vocal about seeing a therapist and a dietitian to help work through the emotional side of eating healthy, but I got to a point where I felt like all I ever did was talk about calories, being healthy, working out, where I get my motivation from, healthy eating, healthy foods, aaahhhh — the list goes on!
This blog truly has become my passion but, as I mentioned in the Operation: ssshhhh post, I felt like I never talked about anything else. Here is what I came up with:
Here’s how Operation: ssshhhh will work: From this point forward, I will make my relationship with Carlos my safe zone. I will not talk about my weight, my need to work out, how hungry or full I am, calories, nutrition or anything else healthy related. I need to (want to) remove food/calories, etc from being the focal point of our relationship. I want our relationship to be a safe zone where I can feel like I don’t have to hide how hungry or full I am.
Update: eh, so-so. Why is this so hard? Some days are better than others. Over the past month, Carlos has become pretty consistent with going to the gym which means now it is a conversation he brings up every once in awhile. This presents a challenge. I think it is okay when he brings it up but it leaves me wanting to talk about my own journey, which I have. When he brings up his own journey, I want & should be there for him but I should not and cannot turn the conversation around and allow it to be an excuse to talk about it. I need to really focus on this and break the need for me to concentrate so much on talking about this.
So…here is me, rededicating my Operation: ssshhhh.
Operation: ssshhhh
Sometimes (or most of the time?) good ideas are a challenge — this whole Operation: ssshhh definetly is a challenge. Do you ever create a safe zone for yourself? A safe zone from what?
Tuesday Tuesday… I better get going and see what is in store for me today! The sooner we get through Tuesday, the sooner Wednesday will be here!
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Jen, thanks for the shout-out!
Don’t worry, the cobbler is NOT a sweet cobbler! Think more like a potpie. But with tomatoes. (Yes, it is tomatoEs). 
Oh, and hey—I’ve got an apple raspberry crisp recipe up on my site today! OK, so it’s not “health food,” but it IS a dessert that emphasizes FRESH FRUIT. And it is so good you’ll be drooling. 
I am definitely considering making it but do you think it would taste good w/ meat in it? I’m not sure I could get Carlos to eat it without meat. Maybe ground beef? Or sliced chicken all up in there?
Um, I’m not sure about that. My family is (mostly) vegetarian so I focus on meatless meals. However, keep in mind that this dish is veggies and starch; it could easily be a delicious side dish next to baked chicken breast or fish or grilled steak or….. the list goes on and on. It would really liven up a basic meat entree. You could even ladle a serving of the cobbler directly over a grilled chicken breast or some such. But I wouldn’t cook the meat in with the cobbler.
I wouldn’t want to get out of bed either Jen, I woke up really early this morning to get ready to “go back to work” and WOW! I envy anyone who can run in the mornings, I prefer to end my day with it, but always thought how nice it would be to get it out of the way.
Sundried tomatoes sound delish, are you willing to share a reciepe?
I talk to Peter about my journey alot, however it’s usually when I’m struggling and need support. He knows how to motivate and gives me the right amount of push when I need it. I think talking to Peter about it helps me because he’s not afraid to “sugarcoat” the truth, he says what I need to hear, even if it’s hard to hear sometimes
.
Have a great day Jen and a great run tonight!
man I don’t know if I could EVER work out in the morning if it required waking up at 5:15am! I get up at 6:45am now to run and only can do it 2 days a week maximum, but I love getting it out of the way!
I think I’m pretty obsessive about my journey and talking about all things healthy living. I don’t really have a “safe zone” but probably should make one for my own sanity and those around me.
And the sooner we get through Wednesday the sooner I’m on vacation. Sorry… I just couldn’t help myself.
I also wanted to tell you I have an awesome tomato quiche that I love. Here’s the link to the recipe:
http://fatlittlelegs.blogspot.com/2010/05/tomato-quiche.html
Enjoy the tomatoes!
Definitely tomatoes, sorry.
All we talk about in my family: calories, money, and working out. It’s exhausting.
I would love to contribute a vegetarian recipe or two! I’ve come up with some goods ones recently.
I love the idea of Operation Shhhhh. I think so many of us become obsessed and it’s hard to have balance. Good luck to you!
Jen, I am right there with ya on the morning thing. In fact, I just finally owned it that I HATE mornings and waking up to jump out of bed for a run or anything else just fails me! or I fail it or something like that! I am now embracing afternoon/night workouts…it works for me.
YOU have to do what is right for YOU!
Love ya girl! xox
I would love to contribute a few recipes I have concocted, most of them are ones that have stemmed from other recipes, and I’ve made them into my own love.
Having my own Buffalo Chix today for lunch, chix, blue cheese laughing cow wedges, franks hot sauce, corn and black beans, YUM!
Tomatoes is correct.
I’m a word geek though and I pretty much try to let a lot of incorrectly spelled words fly under my radar…otherwise I annoy the heck out of my friends and family.
I’m still trying to figure out when I’d exercise the most consistently. I like the idea of morning workouts because then they are DONE and the rest of the day is downhill from there. But getting up in the morning any earlier than I have to feels insurmountable sometimes. So I’ve been riding my bike in the afternoons. So far it works. We’ll see what happens when it’s too cold for the outdoor bike rides!
“Everything was still dripping and so I just rolled over and went back to sleep.”
I’m confused – I must have missed some sort of logical leap here. Why would things being wet stop you from running? It sounds like it wasn’t even still raining – it was merely wet from overnight rain. Do you typically run on dirt trails that would have been too muddy? I’m missing something here.
There was a time when I saw rain as a barrier to any outdoor activity. If it was raining, you simply stay inside. That was my reality. Then a few weeks ago, my sister in law pushed me out of that comfort zone, and totally changed my perspective. We’d planned a 10K run on a Sunday, and it was pouring rain. I called her up and asked her when we should reschedule. She asked, “why would we reschedule? Aren’t you normally dripping wet by the end of your runs anyway?”
She was right – there was absolutely no reason I couldn’t run in the rain – it had just never occurred to me before. So we ran, we got soaked, and that was that. By the end of the run, I looked the same as I always do – dripping wet. I simply got to that stage much sooner than I normally would have.
Now I no longer see rain as an impediment to running. It’s just another thing, like wind or construction. It’s not a help or a hinderance – it just *is*.
But in a past life, it sure made a believable excuse.
yup, it’s with an ‘e’.
If I had an abundance of tomatoes I’d certainly want to try making sun-dried tomatoes. So good in so many things.
I talk openly & frequently with my husband about weight, fitness, etc. He’s seen me struggle with it for son long and it wasn’t until I started talking with him openly about it that he really understood. He often gives me great feedback and definitely support.
However, I do try to avoid talking soccer around him. I’m fairly involved in my son’s club, as are some of our friends, but we all try to avoid getting into it just because it is so incredibly boring to my husband (and a few of the other spouses). It also helps to keep me from getting so wrapped up in it all and just lets me enjoy the game rather than the politics and all.
I was up at 5:30 this morning (not willingly) and I still didn’t really get in the workout I’d planned. I really tried to get going earlier, but my mojo wasn’t in gear. I ended up skipping my 4 mile run and just doing a weights workout instead. Will have to run tonight. No biggie.
I always want to think it’s tomatos too, but it’s definitely tomatoes!
And with the sundried tomatoes, I always think simpler is better. Just cook them as is, or with a tiny bit of olive oil, and then cook them until they’re a nice chewy, springy texture. You want to cook the moisture out, but if they become dry and brittle, you’ve cooked them too long. Depending on the kind of tomatoes you have/how big they are/etc., the time can vary, so you have to check on them often. Sometimes one tomato will dry faster than the others too, so you have to take them out as they become done, instead of taking them all out at once, or else some might have the wrong texture, or be over/under cooked. Hope that helps!
Hey cuz – best way to think about it is you have “toes” not “tos”….
On another note…I KNOW you and I know that although this morning you didn’t want to go out in the wet/dark streets to run (I wouldn’t either) unlike me, YOU WILL RUN IT TODAY AT SOME POINT!
Sometimes we need to listen to our bodies, what our feelings are as we don’t always know why we feel those ways….who knows, you might’ve slipped on a slippery spot and injured yourself…it’s always best to still do it, as I KNOW you will, but changing times isn’t a bad thing!
I know you well enough to know it wasn’t an ‘EXCUSE’, but rather a time change for when you do run it due to circumstances…I’m never comfortable running in the rain due to slippery spots…I’d rather not get hurt!
LOVE YOU,
cuz K
I’d love to participate in a cookbook. I remember missing out on the one last year and being sad.
I have the same problem with my husband. I tend to turn his discussions about HIS body around on him and end up discussing mine. It’s a problem. I talk (about myself) way too much and not just with him, and it’s a constant challenge for me. I always have to remind myself to shut up and listen.
shhh! i like the power of the pointer finger in front of the mouth. i don’t know, i just do.
i’m all about the new cookbook! cookbooks are awesome.
I always thought it was tomatos too but my spell check makes me spell it tomatoes, so I oblige.
I would love to participate in the cookbook!
Maybe Operation: SSsshhh is hard for you because your healthy lifestyle is such a huge part of your life that it’s hard NOT to share it with Carlos. I don’t think you should feel like you can’t talk about it with him. Maybe you could have him just help you realize when you talk about it too much or become obsessive. But I do definitely understand your desire to find balance in that area, so maybe it’s best to go “cold turkey” for a while until you figure it out.
Tomato if it’s just one, tomatoes for plural. Same goes for one potato and two potatoes!
People who say “The correct plural of tomato is tomatoes” are unreliable. They believe they are right but they are only half right, because the plural of tomato can be either tomatos or tomatoes. The final authority, The Oxford English Dictionary, makes this clear.
The tomatoes spelling is more popular, but it is not the only correct spelling, although many people will vehemently argue that it is.