Automne

Everything hurts. Restarting exercise hurts. It's going to be fun standing in one spot for 6 hours tonight.

Made turkey chili and cornbread (from scratch, not a mix) yesterday. Wouldn't be so bad if I didn't scarf down half the plate of cornbread. I only bought one can of dark red kidney beans as the recipe specifies, so I had to add a can of black beans that we had in the house to get a good bean ratio. Didn't turn out bad, though. Both beans have their nutritional benefits.

Beforehand, I went walking again and jogged a little bit (hence the pain today). I didn't feel so miserable afterward this time because it was way cooler outside. However, on the way back home, I got this horrible and extremely painful stitch in my side. It hurt to breathe and stretching that side didn't help much. I just had to power through it.

Haven't done so well thus far. I was stressed beyond belief yesterday (car stuff, don't ask) and was all over the place today. But I can get back on track tomorrow. It's no big thing and I won't make it one. I'm pet-/house-sitting for my bff, so staying on track will be easy this weekend.

Breakfast/Lunch (I really need to work on my sleep schedule): 1c. oatmeal with 2TBSP flax seeds, 2TBSP natural peanut butter, 1TSP brown sugar/Splenda blend, 4 strawberries, and 3TBSP 2% milk. Whoever came up with the PB in oatmeal thing at 3 Fat Chicks, nice one.

September 1 will officially mark the start my weight loss program. I've spent the past week working on keeping my caloric intake in check. However, yesterday I went off the rails. The Renaissance Festival is not the place you want to be if you're trying to change the way you eat. I don't think an Italian ice, hard cider, a deep fried Snickers, a deep-fried Oreo, crab cake sandwich, and hush puppies are conducive to weight loss.

I'm back on track today and I'll start adding in exercise tomorrow. Depending on the temperature, I'll either walk/jog or just do a Jillian Michaels DVD. I still haven't tried the Yoga Meltdown one yet, so I might do that. My dietician wants me start exercising again, not for the weight loss, but to reduce my stress levels. I think my stress is going to massively decrease in September. I make my final health insurance payment (which means I'm insurance-free until January, but I'll be able to actually save some money, now) and my car will be repaired and inspected then, too.

I'm on my TOM, which means I don't trust anything on the scale right now. I used the weigh-in I had the day before my TOM started (which may not be all that accurate, either considering PMS) for the start weight for 3 Fat Chicks' Biggest Loser Challenge, which was 217.2.

First goal: 199lbs. by Oct. 11

1 tbs. ground saffron dissolved in 2 TBSP hot water (I used a pinch of thread saffron)
1 c. fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)
2 TBSP olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
3 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces
5 medium tomatoes, halved

Baste:
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine half the saffron water and the lime juice, olive oil, onions, salt, and pepper. Beat well with a fork. Add the pieces of chicken and toss well with marinade. Cover and marinate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

2. Start up your grill or oven broiler.

3. Skewer the tomatoes.

4. Spear the chicken.

5. Make the baste and set aside.

6. Paint the tomatoes and chicken with the basting mixture. Grill the chicken and tomatoes 8-15 minutes. Turn frequently and baste occasionally. the chicken is done when the juice that runs out is yellow rather than pink.

NOTE: If broiling, no need to use the skewers.


Super easy, and the chicken stays moist, even when reheating the next day. Goes great with saffron rice and a coban salad.

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