More progress

I stepped on the scale today because the app from FatSecret.com that I use to track my progress on my BlackBerry (link to site in sidebar) told me it was time to.  I expected that I would still weigh 242 pounds because that is where I have been hanging, and I have only hit the gym once this week, and we had off from yoga because of Memorial Day and my eating over the weekend was not ideal.  I did have an excellent day yesterday, and my water intake has remained good, but I didn't expect to see any loss.  In fact, I sort of expected to see a slight gain.

I guess I should expect more from myself.  My weight this morning was 239.6 pounds!  That is a loss of 2.4 pounds since last week, and it marks a grand total of exactly 35 pounds lost since January 4!  And it's a new "decade!"  It's been many years since I was in the 230s, and I was totally pumped to see this number on my scale today!  And my official weigh-in date for the challenge I take part in is Saturday, so maybe I can even tweak myself down a bit more before then!

I do have to admit that I didn't go to the gym today.  I don't have any real excuses for it, but I just didn't want to drag myself out the door.  I am working the next three days, but I have four days off in a row next week, and I plan to make them active ones.  I will have yoga on Monday, and then I plan to hit the gym every day that I have off.  It is so nice to see results on the scale, and even though I slacked off a bit this week, I know my gym habits have a lot to do with the numbers going down, so I will remain committed to it!

I did do some grocery shopping today, and it was interesting to really think about what I was buying.  First, I went to the grocery store, where I picked up some of our usual stuff (pretzels, granola,  lunch meat, and cheese, along with white bread for the Hubs, as well as organic baby carrots, Feta cheese, Chobani yogurt, and flour tortillas for me, not to mention some organic milk for the both of us).  I also perused the meat case to see what my choices were there.  Last night, I stopped at the grocery store to grab some stuff to make a pasta dish for dinner, and I sort of thought that Italian sausage would go well with what I wanted to make.  However, in looking at my choices in the Italian sausage area, I found that there were no options that I could feel good about buying.  After seeing Food, Inc., seeing the conditions some animals are kept in before they come to the dinner table (and especially due to one horrifyingly graphic image of a fully grown cow with a leg deformation being forced to move along even though he was obviously in pain) has made it so I can't just grab a package of Italian sausage and throw it in my cart.  I considered some of the turkey options, as they were lower in calories, but there were no options that mentioned free range meats, and I couldn't justify taking one of them home with me.  We went meatless last night instead, and it was yummy!  If anyone is interested in what we had, I will add the recipe to the bottom of this post.

Anyway, today, after leaving the grocery store, I went up to a local organic  farm that I have started buying from to get some farm-fresh eggs from pastured chickens, as well as some Rainier cherries.  The cherries are amazing!  I bought a quart of them and can't wait to eat them at work all weekend long!  I also really love her eggs, and I bought two dozen.  One dozen is to eat now, and the other dozen has gone into our garage refrigerator so that I can age them for at least a week (preferably closer to two) so that they can be hard boiled and be easier to peel.  After I left there, I was driving past another local farm and noticed that they had their own lettuce and strawberries available.  I don't know that this farm has strictly organic practices, but they are a smaller local operation that I like to support.  I bought a big head of romaine lettuce for this weekend's salads (to go with some organic spring mix lettuce that I picked up at Wegmans last week), as well as a quart of strawberries that will be enjoyed this weekend at work as well.  Next week is when the produce in Pennsylvania will explode, and I expect to be able to get broccoli, potatoes, more berries, and maybe even some peas!  And I can't wait!

Remember to make it a great day, everyone!

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Pasta with fresh tomatoes

1 box pasta (I used Barilla Plus Farfalle, but any kind would work.)
1 pint grape tomatoes (I bought organic.), cut in half.
1 cup shredded Parmesan
Fresh basil to taste, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped (can also use scallions)
2 T butter or olive oil

Prepare the pasta according to package direction.  Drain and mix with butter or olive oil.  In separate bowl, combine halved tomatoes, chopped basil, and chopped onion.  Mix with pasta.  Add Parmesan cheese and mix together before serving.

This is a great summer meal, as it's pretty light but also satisfying.  And it can eaten cold the next day, or it can be heated a bit in the microwave.  You can also mix in shrimp or chicken to bulk it up a bit.  YUM!