soapy chicken, but I shall try again!

1. I have a new obsession on the web, and that is Kalyn's Kitchen.  Basically a whole slewwww of South Beach friendly recipes, and tried-and-true deliciousness all at my fingertips with pictures, even!I tried a new recipe last night, a "tester" if you will for the South Beach Diet path I'm seriously considering.  I made Baked Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Basil and Goat Cheese, along with Garlic Roasted Green Beans.  And I learned that I am not as crazy about basil as I thought I was...well, not fresh basil anyway.  It almost had a soapy taste to it, for me....so while this recipe is definitely a keeper, I think next time, I will try to substitute the basil for parsley.  That should do it...or even use sweet basil flakes rather than fresh.  We'll see.  The green beans were FAAAAAAAABULOUS, though undercooked...I just didn't have the heart to make the boys wait another 5-8 minutes when they had been so patient already.  But dudes...you really should try this dinner.  It was delish!  Served a little salad on the side...and yummO!

Kalyn's Kitchen

Kalyn's Kitchen

Thanks, Kalyn!!!

2.  It is finally time for me to refocus.  I've decided to take the plunge and subscribe to the online South Beach program.  With a real-life friend who has had success on the plan, promises of reduced cravings and actually shrinking my ridiculous-amounts-of-belly-fat-first, I'm just flat out sold.  I think that the menu planner and shopping list tools alone will be worth $5 a week...at least for a few months.  (Dave Ramsey said it was okay!)  But without some serious planning, I don't think I will make it through the vital Phase 1, and lawsie knows I need all the help I can get for that phase.  The biggest challenge I see?  Labor Day Weekend.  Yep...another weekend away, and a long one at that!  So, I'm tempted to just wait until we get home to dive in.  I can squeeze 2 weeks at home in afterward to make it through the strictest phase of the diet plan.

3. David and I are butting heads a little bit over this whole change in our diets.  His focus is all about "is it low-fat?", to the point that I think he is going to turn into a grilled chicken salad.  So with South Beach, you're not counting calories or points, or necessarily fat intake (though, obviously, it is something to be aware of)...but it is more about the right kinds of fats and the right kinds of carbs/grains, so it's almost a point of contention to balance what will work on the SBD for me, and still fit in to David's rigid views of "healthy".   But can I just tell you, he has easily already dropped a pant size with his conscientious eating and religious bike riding?  I am very verrrry proud of him.  His pants that he had to buy for court (which he originally boasted for their elastic component in the waist) looked ridiculously big on him this morning as he got dressed.  Good job, honey...I am hopefully right behind you!

4.  The exercise mojo is revving back up.  I voluntarily got up at 6:15 this morning with grand plans of sending David to court with a belly full of eggs with bell peppers and onions, maybe a little cheese...but he had already eaten by the time I rolled out of bed. :(  It was alright though...maybe I will try again tomorrow.  But waking up at 6:15 was NOT difficult....much to my shock!  So I told David that I would like to do that on his "riding" mornings, and I will do my work-out DVD and then hopefully have a good breakfast waiting for him by the time he rolls in as well.  All that in time to wake up the bear and get ready for school and work and all the glorious things that each day will hold for us.  (Susie Sunshine, much?)  But seriously....if David can do it, and I'm seeing such great results with him, why can't I do the same?  It would be a great way to start the day, and heaven knows I'm not keeping up with it at lunchtime...so let's give that a whirl, shall we?  Tomorrow is day 1....(insert dramatic tone here).  Wish me luck...and hold me accountable!