Wednesday, November 23, 2011

A Thanksgiving Menu

Ben and I are staying home tomorrow for Thanksgiving.  We had some invitations, but really just wanted to spend some downtime together for the holiday.

Even though it is just the two of us (and Paco!) we are still preparing a holiday meal.

I thought I would share what we are having.  There are many recipes on the internet that I contemplated; I wanted to share the ones we decided on!

Ben is making his Turkey enchiladas. I will prepare the turkey by braising it.  I am removing the breast meat from the bone,  then pan searing.  I will saute a mira poix, leaks, garlic, 2-3 bay leaves, rosemary and thyme then add chicken stock.  This would actually be great with a brown or beef stock, but I want to keep the more natural flavor of the turkey breast for the enchiladas.  (If you are using beef stock, please add some red wine too to make an amazing sauce!  For more of a "gravy" than a sauce, add about 1-2 ounces of flour after sautéing your veggies.  Cook off the flour , then add your herbs and liquids.)  Braise at 350 until done.  A full turkey (cut into pieces) will take about 90 minutes.  Cover with foil and cook until about 165 degrees.  Because we will be using these in enchiladas I will cook until about 155 degrees as to not dry it out.

Ben makes an amazing green enchilada sauce with green chiles, chicken stock, flour, and chile powder.  He stacks corn tortillas, sour cream,  onion, cheddar cheese, turkey and the sauce and bakes until hot and bubbly.  If I am ambitious enough tomorrow, maybe I will create a recipe.

I am making turkey tamales using this Alton Brown recipe.  I have never made tamales but I love them! I am looking forward to trying this.

I am also going to make a Red Sauce for the tamales using this recipe from my friend Sylvia:

Chile Colorado (Basic Red Chile Sauce)

Yield: 2 cups 
Temperature: Medium, Low 
Freezes Well
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

2 tablespoons shortening 
2 tablespoons flour 
1/4 - 3/4 cup Red Chile Powder 
2 cups chicken or beef broth 
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic
Oregano (optional ½ tsp)
Cumin (optional ½ tsp)

1.Heat shortening in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, I like to cook until the flour turns light brown.
2.Add chile powder and cook for an additional minute.
3.Gradually add the broth and stir, making sure that no lumps form.
4.Add seasonings to sauce and simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Since I had to buy masa harina for the tamales, I may try to make our own corn tortillas.  Would you believe William Sonoma did not have a tortilla press?  I am going to have to go old school and roll these out by hand.  I understand getting them thin enough is the challenge!

For sides, I am making these green beans and roasted brussels sprouts.   While you are on the Once Upon a Chef site, check out the scone recipe.  A-mazing!

Dessert?  Of course!  I won't skimp on Thanksgiving.  I am of the camp that believes that I did not become morbidly obese because of Thanksgiving dinner.  It was the other 364 days a year!

This is the recipe I will be making for dessert.    Cinnamon Chai cream pie just sounded too good to pass up!  I will be using Ginger Thins instead of graham crackers in the crust.

I am looking forward to our non-traditional Thanksgiving meal!

We are not going to run any organized 5k this year; instead, Ben, Paco and I will be heading out for our own 5k!    I am actually quite excited to not set an alarm to wake up on time year to be able to drive downtown and park before the 5k we have run the last two years.   There are no times we have to do anything; I think I am looking forward to that more than anything.  Well, spending the weekend with Ben and Paco is actually what I am looking forward to the most.  I got new running shoes tonight so I am eager to try those out too!

These turkeys walked passed our home this morning; Paco wanted nothing to do with them!



I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Kel

Sunday, November 6, 2011

The First Step...

...is often admitting that you have a problem.  So, here goes.

I, Kel, like to bake.

Nope, that simply does not express it accurately enough.

I, Kel, love to bake.

Hmmm, while that is closer to the truth, I think I need a little more zing.

I, Kel, have a baking obsession.


It was not always like this.  Sure, I remember in high school baking chocolate chip cookies using the recipe on the Nestle package.  I used to babysit for a family, and when they threw big dinner parties, I was always in charge of the baked goods.  As a teenager, I was making Julia Childs' flourless chocolate cake.  I just followed the recipe.  To think, she got all my glory!

There is a precision to baking that I love.  I always so there are those that love to cook, and those that love to bake.  Cooks can take ingredients and swap them out, deciding that today they wish to use twice as much thyme as the recipe calls for, or perhaps to skip the salt, as there is already enough there.

Baking is measuring; it is chemical reactions that should not be messed with.  I really should learn the details of the chemistry, but why?

I came across this English Muffin recipe last week.  I had seen the recipe before, but for whatever reason, the directions on the little red house made me realize that I can do this!  All it would take were two ingredients that I needed to buy; nonfat powdered milk and bar jar lids!

I wish you could have seen my happy dance at the grocery store when I found out that you can buy the jar lids without actually buying the jars!   It was Festival in Vadnais Heights; contact them to see if they have security footage.

I was waxing poetic (ha - in 104 characters or less) on Twitter yesterday about these little babies.


I proudly present to you nooks and crannies!

You don't cut these in half; you gently pull them apart before placing them in the toaster to crisp up.

If you are lucky, you have homemade ricotta and Trader Joe's honey apple butter in the refrigerator.  I make my own luck, and my own ricotta, thanks to this recipe.

I left the house this morning for some exercise thinking it would be pumpkin pancakes upon our return.  Nope.  All I could think about where these english muffins.  With a runny egg.  And black beans.  And salsa.  And cheese.  Don't forget the avocado.  Sorry, no pictures as my appetite would simply not allow it.

So, what is an obsessed baker to do but bake more?  A double batch at that.


Today I successfully made 8 per batch; yesterday I overfilled the lids.

I did not use the gluten in the recipe as the little red house did;  I used white wheat King Arthur flour and was very pleased with the results!


nutrition facts

Fingers crossed that these freeze well!

Enjoy the recipe!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

So Much Pumpkin, So Little Time

I have been eating so many pumpkin-laced foods of late, I am turning orange!

Enjoying amazing beer at Surly's Darkness Day

Of course I am kidding about the turning orange part.  I am not kidding about the pumpkin, however.

Pumpkin chili, pumpkin gingersnaps, pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin pancakes, and a little butternut squash lasagne to break up the pumpkin monotony.

It seems I never use a full can, and end up wondering how I can use the remains that sit in my refrigerator.

Today I decided to jazz up my pumpkin pancakes, and make Pumpkin Gingersnap Pancakes. So good I had to share!  Bear with me; remember I am not a professional when it comes to food styling or photography.

Plain and simple and ready to be dressed. 

Biscoff Spread and Maple Syrup come to the party. 

Banana slices and a piece of bacon complete the ensemble!

Don't get me started on the Biscoff spread.  If you have ever had the Biscoff cookies they serve on Delta Airlines, these are them, in spreadable form.  A teaspoon contributes nothing nutritionally, but it so indulgent and delicious!  If I believed in good and bad I would tell you it makes me feel like I am being bad.  But I don't, so I won't!

Okay, back to the Pumpkin Gingersnap Pancakes

The recipe will make 8 pancakes and the serving below is for one pancake.

1.5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup white wheat flour
1/8th (yes half of a quarter) cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tea baking powder
1/4 tea baking soda
1/4 tea kosher salt
1 tea cinnamon
1/2 tea ginger
1/2 tea cloves
1/4 tea nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (Thanks Anne!)
1 egg
1 tea vanilla
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses

In a large bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients - flour thru nutmeg above. 
In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, pumpkin, egg, vanilla and molasses.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix gently until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated.  Add the cooled melted butter in and mix just until the batter is evenly moistened.  (If you beat the crap out of it, you just made pumpkin pot holders as they will be tough as leather.)

I am going to assume you know from this point how to cook pancakes.  Don't put your griddle pan, electric skillet or frying pan on high and blast the heck out of them.  Medium heat works.   Let your griddle pan heat up after you have mixed your batter; this will give it a time to rest making for a more tender pancake.  (The magazine Fine Cooking told me that!) A drop of water should briefly dance across the pan when it is the right temp.  (Yep, their words again, not mine.) I like to take a little canola oil and a teaspoon of butter and melt it then brush it on my griddle.

I scoop about a quarter cup of batter for these and that is plenty big!  I freeze the leftovers for a quick weekday breakfast too.

If you are cooking in batches, have your oven set at 200 degrees to keep warm while you cook the others.

Here is what enjoying a pancake can do for you:


nutrition facts

Just a few more thoughts to add (totally non pumpkin related!) since I have not been around for a couple of months.

We are enjoying our sweet Paco so much!  He has grown quite a bit since last I shared any pictures of him. He is now up to 7 pounds and I believe this is about as big as he will get.

He despises his collar and leash.  He actually shakes and gets a tear or two in his eye when he realizes it is time for a walk.
Once he is out there, he loves it!

I love his little fluffy poof at the end of his tail!

As for me, I have been busy with work and, well, living.  The only new thing, I guess, is that I changed the part in my hair!  Really!

Two weeks ago:


And yesterday...

I like it!

Oh, yesterday I also had a sweet potato taco for lunch and a sweet potato for dinner.  The orange fest continues.

Hope you all are well out there!

Remember, eat like you mean it. Enjoy some pumpkin pancakes along the way!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Let Them Know You Love Them

You cannot tell me that food does not have power.

Via the electronic world yesterday, I was sent to a blog I had never read before.  The post was called for mikey.

I read it and felt my heart breaking for the blog writer.

Today, again, via the magic of the internet, I am seeing an outpouring of love for this woman and her family.  Take a moment to watch this video.  It is beautiful.

I have mentioned often the food website Tastespotting; I use it as a resource for amazing recipes.  Today, it is all about peanut butter pie, again, dedicated to this one blogger and her loss.

I am left in awe.

I know many of us have spent countless hours telling ourselves that food does not have to be the center of the universe.  I think all of this reminded me today that there are special times for special recipes and special occasions.  Food does have power; a power to create smiles and memories, to help us celebrate, to cause angst and worry to some, and to fuel us.

What this has to do with a healthy journey I am not sure.  I just had to get these words out there.  Hug the ones you love, and let them know just how much they are loved.  Even if that means today you eat pie.

I love you guys!

Kel

Saturday, August 6, 2011

A Perfect Summer Meal

Here are a lot of my favorite foods combined into one meal!

Having bookmarked this recipe for Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad quite some time ago, I decided today was the day to make it.  Fresh local corn is now available, and this seemed like the perfect excuse to fire up the grill.




Actually, the real excuse was for these peaches, but I will get to that in a moment!

I make a very similar salad with just the avocado, tomato and red onion.  Adding the grilled corn was a no brainer; why can't I think of these things?



Well, I did add something!  I added the grilled shrimp.  I marinated the raw shrimp in olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and some red pepper flakes.  Measurements?  Yeah, not so much. I soaked some bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes, loaded these bad boys up and grilled them.


While I realize my siding does not make a great backdrop, I liked this shot of my dinner!


With the leftovers I can guarantee I will add some black beans!

Now, the peaches...

I finally caught up on some reading over on Nutrimirror and read this post by m.o.m. - our resident chefs!  I have always wanted to try grilled peaches.  Maybe sometime I will make them with the yogurt, warm honey and walnuts like Bobby Flay does, but tonight, they will be enjoyed naked.  I cannot believe how much they taste just like peach pie!  I did nothing but brush the grill with canola oil as m.o.m. suggested.  The natural sweetness is amazing!

Speaking of naked...Paco officially has no shame!


Here he is in all his glory; this is his favorite sleeping position on the couch.  He kills me.


Here he is caught in a more serious moment.


This is the little man prancing towards me.

I can't believe how big he is already getting!  He can now go all the way upstairs; downstairs is a different story. He helps me on a daily basis with core strengthening.   I often have to stand on one foot as he attempts to chew off my toes!  He is starting to realize when I say "hey!" that I mean business!

He is lucky he is so cute...

I hope you are enjoying a restful weekend, and have a chance to try this salad soon.  Lots of chopping but so worth the effort.

Here are the salad stats; this was for a 188 gram serving (how precise of me and Nutrimirror).  Stats do not include the shrimp.  

Enjoy!



nutrition facts

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Paco: A Great Excuse for a Party!

Some colorful pictures of paella, the veggie prep, and a few Paco shots.


I am in charge of all the chopping; here are the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, peppers, onions, and garlic.  Not pictured (because they were in the refrigerator): sausage, chicken and shrimp.


This was one HUGE batch of Paella; look at it in comparison to TJ's head!


C'mon over!  There is plenty leftover!


Hot cornbread on the side.


Lemon cupcakes for dessert; the delicious recipe was found on this blog.  


Paco has taken over my favorite corner of the couch.  I can't say I put up much of a battle!


Catching some zzz's before his guests arrive.


A puppy stare down.  That is Paco's new friend Gabby on the right.  He would not leave her alone!

Yesterday was all about party prep; shopping, baking, cleaning (thank you Ben) and paella prep.

Today is all about laundry, relaxing and Paco!  We (Paco and I) were up at 5:55 this morning for playtime.  After breakfast, we (Ben, Paco and I) went for a walk.  At this point, Paco scampers leash-less.  It will be interesting to see how he does when he is tethered.  For now, he stays pretty close and does a wonderful job keeping up with the bi-ped crowd!  

Now, he is sacked out, back in the corner.

Just getting his rest before the afternoon walk!

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Meet Paco Chavez Javier Castroneves!

Hi!



I am a long hair Chihuahua!


This was taken the first time I met my mom.


I crawled right into her lap.


I am always smiling!


Love at first sight!


I even have already been permitted on the couch!




Paco will never replace Bailey, but he has added a new joy into our hearts!

Check out the story on Nutrimirror!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

A Du is Doable!


I feel like Wonder Woman right now!

I did it!

Today, just to see if it was even possible for me to do, Ben and I did a practice duathlon.  The one we are looking to sign up for is a 5k, 18 miles bike, then another 5k.

Today we did 2.3 miles, 17 miles bike, then 2.3 miles again!

Fuel is going to be a HUGE consideration to achieve this.  Fuel, and training, of course.

There are some kinks that still need to be worked out, but I am so proud of myself!  I know I can do this!


A proud, happy, sweaty girl!

How does one refuel after that?

A Smoothie in a Bowl!

By no means is this my creation; KATH makes them all the time.  

I blended:

A frozen banana
1 scoop GNC vanilla protein powder
1/2 tea vanilla extract
1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal
The dregs of a frozen berry blend
Bottom of the spinach barrel (I need to go shopping)
8 ounces skim milk

After it was blended, I poured it into a bowl.  On top I added Ancient Grains Granola, sunflower butter and then melted coconut butter.  If you like Magic Shell on your ice cream, coconut butter does the same thing when you melt it.  (You can actually make your own magic shell at home by combining anything with melted coconut butter.  It solidifies on contact.)

I had the best picture planned; the granola and the sunflower butter sprinkled strategically on top.  Once I added the coconut butter, the weight made a giant whirlpool in the middle of my smoothie!  I watched it all get sucked into the vortex and my pretty picture was not to happen!


You can see a hint of granola here.


There is some SERIOUSLY tasty goodness in those granola clumps!

This is not a breakfast I would have every day.  It was almost 800 calories!  I had torched some serious calories during my duathlon, so today it works!

Time to clean the house (actually I think Ben may already be hard at work doing that), hit the showers and head to the grocery store.

We are having a pizza party here tonight!

Have a great Saturday!

Kel

Monday, July 4, 2011

Where Your Eyes Go, So Goes the Bike

When I got my bike two years ago, one of the first things Ben taught me was about cadence.

Essentially, cadence is maintaining the same number of revolutions per minute.  Sometimes, when you are going up a hill, for example, you need to upshift to a higher gear to maintain your cadence.  Conversely, going down the other side of aforementioned hill, you downshift.

I used to marvel as I watched Ben ride.  He didn't have to think; he knew instinctively when to upshift and to downshift.

I took a motorcycle class a few years ago.  They taught us that when you are negotiating a turn, you need to look where you want to go.  If you spend time looking down at the ground, guess where your motorcycle will end up?

Same is true on a bicycle.  I used to have to remind myself of this all the time.

Today on our ride, I found no thoughts in my head of upshifting or downshifting, or knowing where to look.  It was if I was riding by instinct.

I have arrived.

33 miles today, bringing this weekend's total mileage walking and riding to 90 miles.

Wow.

That is a lot of time for me to think!

I mention the above riding tips, because as I rode today, I did think about how this relates to a healthy journey.

There are times in your life when you are cruising along; you have hit your stride. Along comes a hill.  Maybe that hill is a barbecue, or perhaps it is a stressful event at work that you would normally eat your way through. (Been there, done that.)    There are times when you need to dig a little deeper, do a little more planning; you need to know when to upshift.

You need to keep your eyes on the road, and the health that lies ahead of you.  If you take your eyes off that healthy prize, you end up, just as on the bike, on the pavement. Sometimes you stay there long enough because you are too hurt to get up.  Don't bet yourself up about it, get up, and get back on the trail.

Learning to maintain your cadence on a healthy journey comes with time.  You learn to fuel yourself throughout the day so that you never get famished.  You learn to have snacks at the ready to stave off the call of the vending machine or the cafe at work.  Believe me, those rice krispie treats and Special K bars know my name; I have just learned to tell them to shut up!

You will get there over time; make small changes today that will make big changes in the end.

After our ride today, I made this amazing lunch.  Please do try it!

I got this idea from here.  Her picture is far lovelier than mine!  I imagine mine was just as delicious, however.


Watermelon was a perfect dessert!


The creaminess of the avocado and the scrambled egg with the saltiness of the salmon - BRILLIANT!

I hope you will try this, and to encourage you to do so, here are the stats:



nutrition facts

The toast was made from Great Harvest High 5 Fiber; that an the avocado accounted for 33% of my fiber needs today!

And, hello, look at  that iron!

Off to the kitchen to prepare the rest of the items for the barbecue I am attending today.

Happy 4th!

Kel

Sunday, July 3, 2011

How to Use Up a Lot of Calories!

Thought I forgot about you, didn't you?

Nope, just had some errands to run after my walk this afternoon.  I also started my cupcakes that I am bringing to a barbecue tomorrow.  Didn't sit down to dinner til much later than usual.

If you ask me how many calories are in this dinner, I don't know if I will be able to answer that.  Sure, I logged it, but I may be WAY off on the pork rib recipe!  I am normally good at getting the recipe together, but this time the selection of which country pork rib to pick threw me off and as to how much.  I know uncooked it was 2.75 pounds of ribs, but that included the bones and the fat.  Anyways, these ribs could be anywhere from 300 calories to 500 calories.  Regardless, they were delicious!

Earlier this year, I knew I wanted to make country pork ribs for Superbowl Sunday.  I scoured the internet and landed on this recipe.  They are so easy!  You toss everything in the crockpot and you are done!  Whether for a cold January night or a steamy July day, they are terrific.  Note on the recipe - use a LOT more liquid and seasonings than called for.  I think I triple it.  You will still think you don't have enough but the, um, pork fat tends to do a little basting of its own!


I forced TJ to eat outside just so I could take the picture with outdoor lighting!

I wish I could tell you that the ribs stole the show, or that my sauteed greens from my CSA box this week were the hit, but that would be a lie.  The show-stealer?  The darned boxed cornbread from Costco!


There are real corn kernels in there!

I have a corn bread recipe I really enjoy, but have to tell you  - this is amazing.  Moist, flavorful, and this time I made it with buttermilk instead of plain milk.  Heaven.  210 calories of processed food, but still good.  Not something I eat every day or even once a month. I will stop defending myself if you will quit judging me.  It is good stuff!

The greens - sauteed in a little olive oil with some red pepper flakes and a squeeze of lemon at the end.

Beer by Surly - a local brewing company.  

The way to wrap up a busy, active day!

Kitchen is a mess,  laundry needs to be folded, but I still have half a beer left.

I think I will sit back and r e l a x.  

Goodnight!


4 hours 37 minutes 6 seconds

I went on a 17 mile training walk today. 17.32 miles to be exact; you know how I am able getting full credit.

It is part of the training for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure. I don't follow the documented training schedule for a walker.  With 7 weeks until the event, I am feeling pretty good and quite strong.


Geared up and NOT ready to go.

My legs felt fine after the bike ride yesterday.  I lamented  complained whined to Ben that it was not the distance I was concerned with; it is just so boring!

I headed out determined to make the best of it.


Packed and on my way!

What's in the pack you ask?

A large bottle of water, my garage door opener, sunscreen, chapstick, a peeled orange, a banana, 2 cheese sticks, a granola bar, some spare change and a whole lot of belief in myself.

That's right.  Sometimes you have to pack a belief in yourself  in your bag and take it with you.  At the very least, keep it in your heart.

To keep myself entertained, I watched my Garmin, and watched the miles pass.  Kind of like watching paint dry, you know?  I challenged myself to not let my pace decrease as I went up inclines, and marveled at, how after I refueled, I was able to pick up the pace.

I watched as cyclists sped past me, and families all set out.  I chatted with a little girl as she told me she and her grandpa were racing me. (They won the race.)

After 12.4 miles were done, I headed into Pit Stop 3.  I have various gas station/convenience stores along the way that I stop, grab some water, pee, and text Ben to keep him posted of my progress.

In this particular store, the clerk asked me "Getting in a good workout today?"

"I am training for The 3 Day" I explained.  "I am doing 17 miles today and I have 5.8 to go."

"Good luck with that!" she said, rolling her eyes. "I could never do that."

"Sure you could!" I replied.  I paid for my water, and left.

I took my belief out of my bag, looked at it  for a bit and I held it tight.  The next 5.8 miles flew by.

I thought about this girl, and the truth is, she couldn't do what I was doing at this moment in time.  She didn't believe in herself enough.  She will never be able to accomplish this, or any task she sees as a lofty goal, until she is convinced she can do it.

I thought about things in my own past that had held me back.  The doubts, the negative self talk that has seemed to disappear over the last few years.  

Over 7 years ago, I believed I could be healthy.  I had gastric bypass surgery as my first step/last attempt to make it happen.  I had to believe that it was going to work.  More importantly, I had to believe that I was going to make it work.

5 years ago I finally believed I deserved happiness.  I had to make some extremely painful decisions and choices to make it happen.  Today, I am happier than I ever dreamt possible.

5 years ago I heard a radio ad for the 3 Day Walk and thought "I can do that."  I made it happen.

The very moment you say I cannot do that is like a nail in a coffin.  You are burying a belief in yourself that would otherwise allow you to make it happen.

As I continued to walk, I thought about the power of daydreaming.  Someone very close and wise to me told me yesterday to daydream.  This person has never given me bad advice yet, so I took some time to daydream today.  After all, what is a daydream but perhaps the first step in believing that something truly CAN happen?

Here is what I thought about the rest of my walk.

I believe Karyn, Lynn and I will have a radio show.  We even have a name ready to go.  We just need to get the pieces of the puzzle together to make this happen.  These ladies have an energy that is contagious; I have been so fortunate to be able to meet them.  If you have met them virtually before, you know what I am talking about.  Now take that energy and multiply it.  In person, their health, confidence, energy and a belief in themselves makes them glow.  I believe the 3 of us can make others laugh, can share some thoughts about balance, and can have a ball doing it.  (There ladies - it is in print.  Let's get that skype call going!)

I believe that food is fuel.  I believe it is up to me, or an army of mes, to get this message out there.  You need to fuel your body with the best quality fuel available.  I believe that fresh, minimally processed is best.  That being said, I also believe in your right to choose to eat what you want.  I credit my granola bars today for kicking my butt into a higher gear around miles 10-13!  I will use the Nutrimirror column, this blog, the radio show and whatever media necessary to get this message out there.  Food is not your enemy.  Not believing in YOU is an enemy of your success.

I believe I can make a better, tastier granola bar than the processed one I had today.  Experimentation and details of success/failure coming soon!  

I believe in you.  I think more than anything sometimes others just need to hear it over and over, before they believe it themselves.  It took me a long time to believe in myself; others took the time and effort to believe in me, and now it is my turn to Pay it Forward.

It amazes me how after a long workout, such as yesterday's ride or the walk today, I have thoughts that NEED to come out.  It is obvious that I do a lot of thinking when I have no one to talk to for long periods of time!

By the way, dinner is cooking as we speak.  It was so nice to smell the aroma when I walked into the kitchen after my walk.  Will be back later to share details of what I planned to eat knowing I would have the calories for it!

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful Sunday!

Kel