A Week Off to Myself

I know what you're wondering. It's a question that's been plaguing you for weeks now... and you just haven't had the courage to ask. But I'll answer it for you. Right here. Right now.

Yes. You can make Chinese stir fry with spaghetti squash.

And it's about 150 calories.

That means, you can have an egg roll with it with ABSOLUTELY zero guilt. Because your stir fry is 100% vegetables. You could have crab freaking rangoon with this (if you like that kind of thing... eww...).

This concoction came out of sitting around tonight with 600+ calories left in the day but not feeling any of the regular things that I have in the fridge. Today starts my week of vacation that is also a week without my handsome gentleman who is off doing manly things with guns. I'm hoping he'll bring home some venison for me to try (since I've never eaten it before). Today, I grocery shopped to keep myself from eating out every day during the week.

I went to Target for groceries. They have some fantastic prices on frozen food. Lean Cuisines and such. And great selection too! I got 4 different types of pizza. Produce is ridiculously priced, so I had to swing by the grocery store for my avocados and apples. I also broke down and bought a whole gallon of milk because Target doesn't have store brand in the ½ gallons and ½ gallons of Deans is something like double the price.

I bought some chili, both the Medium Amy's Chili that I like and I'm trying the Amy's Black Bean chili. Got some Fritos to eat with it which is exciting. Got another can of pumpkin since it's getting cheaper as Thanksgiving approaches. Target also has great prices on my protein shake.

Made a stop at the liquor store too. Nothing reminds me of how much I love New Hampshire than a trip to the liquor store. Affordable booze. Got 2 bottles of champagne, a bottle of Jim Beam and a Kahlua sampler for $35. Guess I'll have to swing by again for some vodka. To go with my Kahlua and my gallon of skim milk. White Russians are tasty with fat free milk.

On with the stir fry!!!

I had some mushrooms, red onion and some frozen brussels sprouts. Saute these things together with a little cooking spray. Once you get the veggies finished to your satisfaction, add 1 Tbsp of your favorite Asian sauce (I chose General Tso sauce, but I considered using sesame oil) and 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce. Mix well then throw in 1 cup of spaghetti squash. Make sure everything is heated through then plate it! This turned up at 158 calories for mine, but it would all depend on the type of sauce you use and if you choose different vegetables.

For breakfast this morning I had some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal. As you might have gathered from most of the things I cook, I hate doing things that take too long! An hour in the kitchen, max. Seriously, if I'm making a romantic dinner, I'd be glad to slave, but generally I'm hungry when I start cooking and unless I want to eat a peanut butter sandwich and spoil my meal while I'm cooking, it's gotta be quick.

In the spirit of fast food, I used Quick Oats, which I cooked according to package directions (yea, I'm a rebel) and then mixed in ½ cup pureed pumpkin, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips. Was pretty good!

In exercise news, I've had a pretty active weekend. I'm gearing up for a Turkey Trot in a nearby town on Thanksgiving, so one of my runs this weekend was in that town. Hills. Hills. Hills. And the course is supposed to be hilly so wanted to get some of that in. I did 3.5 miles today and 3.5 miles yesterday. Yesterday's was just short of 40 minutes since it was so hill-acious. My run today was downtown and a slight incline, so did that 3.5 miles four minutes faster. Awesome. I'm going to do a quick 2 miles on Tuesday and then rest on Wednesday. Wednesday I pick up my bib, so I'm pretty stoked!! Sort of getting addicted to races.

3.5 miles, 36.08

This is great for the abs...

I've made a running wish list for 2013. I'd like to run the Capital Area Race Series. You get a special piece of clothing for completing 6 out of 7 races. I did one of the races in the series in June, so I'm excited to give the whole thing a try. The first is a good drive away from here, but it'll be something fun to go toward. I'd also like to do a local obstacle race and I need to find a 10k. I have aspirations to complete a Half Marathon by September. I have one in mind. I like running. It makes my legs look hot. And being bored at 6:30 in the morning leads to pictures of them. Crazy. I know.

Yesterday I also played some soccer with my handsome gentleman and his kiddos. Sort of intimidating because they're all so sports oriented... but I'm proud to say I got a goal in on him. Of course while I was trying to protect my goal, I ran down a slight incline, tripped over myself and face planted in the dirt. My whole front was covered. The zipper and button on my jeans embedded itself in my lower belly. I've got quite the bump... and it's red... and it's gonna be a killer bruise. My elbows kind of got rug-burned from the inside of my sweat shirt. My glasses flew off. And I wouldn't have traded the afternoon for anything in the world.

I have a fun filled week planned for myself. Missing him like crazy but knowing he's off doing what he loves helps. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with a friend that moved an hour and a half away... so I haven't seen her since she moved!! Tuesday I'm dyeing my hair, getting the highlights out and going for a darker brown. Wednesday I'm having a facial and possibly getting my hair trimmed. I'm making up for the money I'm spending on the facial by doing a home hair color. I'd like to go out to breakfast at least one day this week and I know exactly where I want to go! Thursday is the Turkey Trot and I've no plans on Thanksgiving... but then Friday I'm going to see some new friends for dinner. Get some things done on Saturday... and look forward to seeing him again when he gets home...

Hopefully there'll be some sleeping in, too.

No weight loss this week... but I'm still below goal. That's pretty much my weekly aspiration for the rest of my life.