Quinoa

Quinoa....say what? We ate a dinner tonight that we couldn't even pronounce. I have since looked it up and the pronunciation is keenwa.

I can proudly report that it was delicious and everyone (all the kids too) liked it! I cooked a little ground turkey with spinach & herbs and then mixed it with the quinoa. Yum! After reading about it this evening I am very excited about the nutritional aspect too.

Now, off to look up recipes for our next quinoa adventure.

Water

I use to be quite a water drinker, but in the past year or so I've definitely decreased the amount I drink. One reason, as silly as it may sound, is that I stay at home with my baby and getting to the bathroom could sometimes be hard. Less water meant less trips to the bathroom. Dumb, but effective.

Lately I have been trying to make sure I get my water in. We all know how important water is, but I recently read that it actually helps metabolize fat. No wonder my rear grew! Ha!

Here are some other reasons water is so important:

-Naturally suppresses the appetite

-Kidneys cannot function properly without it

-It's the best way to overcome water retention

-Helps rid the body of waste

-Helps with constipation

-It's calorie FREE!

There are many many more benefits, so drink your water!

Getting On With It!

I know that have talked a lot about painting recently and I think I know why. We moved into our current house last July and I bought most of the paint for it before we moved in, but only painted my youngest daughter's room until recently. I blamed a lot of it on my baby girl and her non-accommodating personality, which is true for the most part, but it was also a good excuse. In the past few weeks I have gotten my sons room two toned and I've started on the rest of the house. I've even run out of paint!

I think that I have been putting it off because I was scared of how much work it was going to be and how hard it was going to be on me. I didn't want to see just how out of shape I was and I'm often scared to push myself into the unknown. It has been very physically hard on me! I think that anyone who is over weight and grossly out of shape can understand what I'm talking about. I sweat, breath hard, have trouble squatting then standing, and hurt all over. But you know what? I feel good!

Painting, Painting, Painting, & My Weigh-In

I volunteered at my kids' school over the weekend to help paint the elementary building. Wow what a lot of work! I painted like a fool and even had to make myself stop to eat & drink water. On Saturday I was down there until about 9:30 pm and back at it again for a few hours on Sunday. I can definitely say that I ate within my calories and I think that I got enough exercise too! I am so sore! And as if I didn't get enough painting this weekend, I decided that I would start painting my house too. I figured that I am already sore I might as well keep at it.

Today of course is also Monday, which is weigh day. I was hoping for a TON, who doesn't, but I was praying that it wasn't a gain. I know that with a lot of hard work and sore muscles can come water retention. I am happy to log another .8 pounds! Not as much as I wanted, but still a move in the right direction.