If the Shorts Fit

When it's time, you just know it's time. For some people it's a picture. For others it's a whispered comment from a passing stranger. For me, it was a trip to Central Market yesterday evening.

I ran to Central Market to pick up some fresh marinated chicken breasts and a pineapple for Cole to throw on the grill for dinner. We decided earlier in the day that we wanted to do something healthy and fresh. It was the first pineapple I had ever peeled and cut myself, I was so proud, but that's not my point here.

As I dressed to head out, I put on a pair of khaki shorts. And they fit. That might sound fine and good, but just three weeks ago these shorts were loose and baggy and comfortable. And yesterday evening, they fit. I was pretty disgusted.

So today, I'm amping up my attempts to get back into gear. I'm not running back to a Weight Watchers meeting, but I am going to try points again for a while. I know I won't do great this weekend, I never do on the weekends, but my success will be in the trying and making healthy choices for a few days. Then I hope to be able to give it my all with the new week...

Breakfast: yogurt, organic granola, banana: 6 points

Lunch: spinach salad with grilled chicken, apples and vinaigrette: 6 points

Afternoon snack: banana: 2 points
snack cakes: 2 points

Dinner: sandwich: 7 points
cookie: 4 points (I couldn't help it. But I passed up on chips with my sandwich.)

TOTAL: 27. Not good at all, but at least I can say that I paid attention for a whole day!!!

Kahuna's Icehouse: A Review

Cole and I hit Lake Travis today for a little skiing and relaxation, and when we finished with about three hours on the water, I was starving.

We tried to go to Carlos and Charlie's on the water, but they were slammed. Cole remembered noticing a new place yesterday as we were heading home called Kahuna's Icehouse, so we decided to give them a try. And I'm glad we did.

From the outside, it looked like it would be a very casual place, perched on the end of a strip center on Highway 620 just a couple of miles north of Highway 71, so I didn't feel bad about wearing my wet swimsuit and a tank top inside. Plus, how stuffy could a place with an "open" sign shaped like a surfboard be?!?!

As we walked in, I immediately noticed all the TVs (they were watching soccer), surfboards and hula girls decorating the place. There were only employees in there, so that worried me for a brief second, but we quickly found out they were only in their second day of full service. One of the waiters (managers?) that we spoke to gave us a quick rundown of the highlights of the menu. I decided to go with his recommendation of the grilled mahi mahi tacos. They were excellent!!! The fish was incredibly tender, the tortillas fresh, and the cool cabbage was a great complement to the spicy red pepper sauce.

Cole went with a pizza and liked it enough that he brought the leftovers home to have for lunch tomorrow. He said the crust was "okay" but the sauce was very good. That's a high compliment coming from him...

And because I burned so many calories skiing (HA!!!), I decided to try their peanut butter pie. Oh my. If you are a fan of peanut butter, or pie, or Oreos, or any combination of the above, you must try this pie. It was so rich and served at a perfect cooled (not too cold) temperature. It wasn't overly sweet. Everything I can tell you about it was just right.

So, the next time you're out toward Lake Travis, stop by Kahuna's for a beer and a snack, and support a new local small business. Call us and we'll meet you there!!!

Beautiful Food

If you're into food porn, you must subscribe to this site: FoodPornDaily.com.

Many thanks to Nicole over at Pinch My Salt for sharing!!!

Vegas Challenge, SWAK

Cole and I are going to Las Vegas in a few weeks. We're both excited and agreed it would be a good time to challenge ourselves (and each other) to get a few pounds off. So I weighed this morning, wrote the date and the weight on a little piece of paper, and sealed it in an envelope. Cole is going to do the same. Then, on the Friday morning before we fly out, we'll open our envelopes to read our beginning weights and see who did the best!!!

We're still trying to decide on the prize, so if you have any fun Vegas (non-food related) ideas, I'd love to hear them!!!

So, here's to tracking and getting back on track...

Breakfast: yogurt with granola and sliced bananas

Mid-morning snack: 100-calorie chocolate bar

Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich
trail mix

Dinner: grilled stuffed pork chop
sliced apple
parmesan slices
slice of sourdough bread
snack cakes

Not great, but I started out strong.

Do Our Bodies Give Us Credit???

I had a beautiful breakfast this morning: vanilla yogurt with two fresh strawberries, a sliced banana and a sprinkle of organic granola. My body was treated to calcium, potassium, vitamins and natural sweetness. If I were still counting, I estimate it would have been about eight points.

But had I instead enjoyed a Dr Pepper and two Oreos, I would have only used about five points. So my mind started spinning: Do our bodies care more about the calories and points, or the quality of the food we're putting down our throats??? I don't know the specific scientific answer, but I like to think my body is getting more benefit from the healthier (although higher calorie) breakfast. Plus, I'm hoping the healthy breakfast will hold me through the morning where, after eating cookies and washing them down with a coke, I'd be hungry again in an hour...

*****

Well, I made it through to lunch where we had grilled cheese sandwiches, sliced apples and a small bag of chips. Then for dinner, we met Mom and Dannie for Mexican food, and before we ever got to the restaurant, I looked at the menu and decided on my dinner: grilled chicken salad and a cup of soup.

I don't feel like I did half bad for a day of not counting anything...

Where to Begin

I've been absent, busy, unmotivated, happy to not be thinking about food and calories and points for a bit. But I'm about to talk myself back into getting into gear.

Now that things have calmed down after my dog bite, trip to Port Aransas and trip to Washington DC, I can begin to concentrate again on my health.