Easter Treats

So I know Easter is over, by a week now lol.  I do not care though.  I wanted to show off my adorable treats from Easter!!

I made dirt pudding from this recipe on AllRecipes.com.  Keep in mind, this is something that Food Rules would be highly against, but it was so tasty and fun.  Plus, it would fall under the special occasion rule lol.

Food Rules

I recently read Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan.  Let me just say, I feel inspired by the amazing words in this book.  I am pumped to change my (and Nick's) eating habits to better our health and to cut out some of the processed foods we consume.

The book gives readers 83 rules to follow to change their eating habits.  Now, let me explain, I will not be able to follow 83 rules let alone remember all of them.  Pollan, however, suggests that you choose three or more rules to start with.  One from each of the three categories: "What should I eat?," "What kind of food should I eat?" and "How should I eat?"

Throughout the beginning, okay at the beginning of the book Pollan answers those three questions and then explains those answers through the 83 rules.

"What should I eat?"
-Eat food

"What kind of food should I eat?"
-Mostly Plants

"How should I eat?"
-Not too much


I have decided to pick a few of these rules and post the ones I want to follow and how I am following them.  I'll be working on deciding which ones we are planning on following and how to follow them.  I'm hoping to begin working on this project on our next grocery shopping trip.


Pollan, Michael. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. (2011) The Penguin Press. New York

Lazy Day

So really today wasn't lazy at all.  I worked. I ran. I made dinner.  I am now sitting on the couch pretending to be lazy while really stressing over work and running and cleaning up dinner.


BUT

Tomorrow is my day off.  So it is time to be lazy!!!

Quesadillas

Nick and I love Mexican food.  Granted, we usually eat tex-mex and not true Mexican, but we like the idea of it.  I am a big fan of quesadillas; however, Nick doesn't always view them as a full meal.  So we added some chicken, onions, peppers, red pepper flakes and cheese and made it a real meal for him.  They were amazing and just spicy enough.  I added sour cream and guacamole to mine to make it perfect!

Being a Kid

When was the last time you swung on a swing or went down a slide?  Some times it is just nice being a kid.

Running/Jogging/Walking Month 1

I did it! I ran/jogged/walked 4-5 times a week for a whole month.  It was amazing, and I feel amazing for it.

My body and mind have changed so much throughout those 18 pictures (that's right, 18!).  Some days it was easy, I mean truly easy to do 1 or 2 miles; while other days, I wanted to cry it was so hard to get out the door.  My body is responding to the change though.  My legs are stronger and get antsy if I don't use them enough in a day.  I am also able to breath better throughout my work out.  Breathing has always been a struggle for me.  I can't breath in through my nose and out through my mouth like I should.  Instead, I pant and pant and pant through my workouts.  My lungs are getting stronger though and don't have to work as hard. My mind has been the most amazing change though.  I crave the workouts.  We hung out with family on Sunday and even though we walked and played around outside and I even got a bike and rode for a few minutes...I still couldn't stop thinking about whether or not I should work out when we got home.  Craving the rhythm and the adrenaline is amazing.  It keeps me going through the rough days.

As far as health goes, I haven't stepped on a scale...not once.  I don't want to pressure myself like that.  I have tried that before, and I just get depressed or discouraged and my lack of progress.  I can tell you that all of my clothes fit better and that I feel so much better.

With each run, I took a photo.  There are in order above from my first to last run of March.  The amazing Elise inspired the shoe photos.  She has a lovely blog that I can't help but read each day.  She set a goal to run a mile every day from Thanksgiving to New Years and documented it through photos.

I can't wait for the runs/jogs/walks I have in April and the results I know I will continue to see.

April 2012

March is officially over.  Can you believe it?  I sure can't.  Despite my massive amount of goals and my crazy work schedule, it flew by.  Now it is time for April and it's rain, lol.

I am so excited for April this year.  It will be my second month jogging and my first month in a new role at work.  I am nervous about both but believe both will have amazing rewards.  April will also come with a few trials.  The insurance company has deemed my car a total loss...bummer!  We will spend this month finding new ways to save money so we can buy a new car for me.  In the meantime, we have duct taped Maurice together and hope he will survive the drive to and from work for a month or two.

Even though saving money is a challenge, I think Nick and I will be better for learning how to do it now.  Don't get me wrong, we can save, but we have also become accustomed to a certain lifestyle.  We eat out more than we should and see every movie as soon as it hits theaters.  I can't wait to cook more often and to get a chance to anticipate movies while we are waiting for them to hit the Frequent Movie Goer Club at our local theater.

Have a beautiful, rain showery month of April!!!!!