Help needed!

Here it is - short, sweet and to the point:  I am asking for recommendations and advice to incorporate into my new healthful lifestyle.  I've bookmarked several blogs that I read daily and I devour (figuratively and literally) most everything that comes my way on the topic of getting healthy.  Food-wise, I'm a volume player.  I like to eat...A LOT!  Exercise - not so much, probably because it's hard for me to move 'all this' around for longer than ten minutes without getting sweaty and winded.  I want to get the most bang for my buck, be it tips on food, exercise, meditation, etc.

Any and all suggestions are encouraged and welcomed!  That is all.  :D

PS - check out myfitnesspal for idiot-proof ways to track what you eat, how much water you drink and how much exercise you do daily.  I just started logging in yesterday and it's a HUGE eye-opener!!!  There are also apps for iPhone and Droid, so you can use it on the run.

Recipe #3 (already tested and approved)

Tonight, I made chicken, edamame and red pepper stir-fry.  I've made it before and it was a keeper.  Most of the week's menus that I chose were Mexican, so it's nice to throw a curve-ball in to break it up a bit.  Tomorrow is either guacamole chicken tostadas (if my brother remembers to bring home a lime) or frozen pizza.

Here is the chicken, edamame and red pepper:

And this pic is the final product.  Brown rice, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, lite soy sauce and corn starch joined their friends in the hot tub before being devoured by my brother and me.  YUM!

Recipe #2 test

And here we have chorizo-topped Mexican pizzas.  They were very easy to make and quite flavorful!  I used pitas instead of tortillas for the crust.  I melted some Mexican blend cheese on the pitas under the broiler for a couple of minutes.  Then I put a bit of cooked chorizo, a scoop of salsa with corn, some finely chopped red onion, a slather of guacamole and another small sprinkle of cheese.  I'm 2 for 2 with new recipes this week.  It's a shame I have to go back to work on Saturday night; I'm enjoying spending my days painting and cooking!

A leap into creativity

Here is my first canvas.  I took me less than an hour to do.  Comments are encouraged!

Recipe #1 test

Today, I made poblano potato salad to pair up with some beautiful steaks I bought yesterday.  I started cooking early because I wasn't sure how long it would take and I wanted to be sure we weren't having dinner at 8 PM.  The recipe is pretty straight-forward and it turned out to be really easy.  I changed it up a bit to suit my taste and my lack of a grill pan.  While I roasted the peppers to char off the skins, I placed the corn on the same baking sheet.  Next time I make this, I may oil and season the corn to add even more flavor to the dish.  Don't get me wrong; it tastes great as is!  I cooked 3# of potatoes, added more sour cream and less mayo and omitted the cilantro.  I'll cook the steaks soon and post a pic of the finished plate before I dive in.  I love to cook!

Answer me this!

A little bit of back story first:  I have been talking to a guy I 'met' via the Internet for almost a year now.  In the beginning, we e-mailed back and forth all the time and peppered in a few phone calls along the way.  He disappeared for the five weeks before Christmas and I had no idea what happened (he states he's in the military and was summoned away and trying to avoid being deployed again).  The eternal optimist that I am, I believe him.  I can't prove it either way, so I give him the benefit of the doubt.  Communications commence and all is well.  Recently, he disappears for another three weeks, this time in an effort to solicit politicians in other states for their blessing to expand the family casino business.

I last heard from him eight days ago.  I have really tried to be nonchalant about the whole thing, at least in public.  Inside, it can tear me to pieces and leave me emotionally battered if I let it.  I fell hard and fast for this man in the first couple of months and it literally broke my heart when I didn't hear from him for that five weeks.  I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen again, but I still have feelings for him, however misguided they may be.

My last communication to him was four days ago.  I am determined not to be so needy and let him initiate the next round of talks.  If he's really interested and missing me, he will wonder what's up and ask.  I will make my feelings known and see where it goes from there.

The question is:  What would you do?

Good morning!

What a beautiful day!  I've been awake for a few hours now and have enjoyed my 2 large cups of coffee brewed with cinnamon and accented with agave nectar and half and half.  Soon, I'm going to get my minimum of 20 minutes of exercise under my belt, then off to shower.  Later tonight, my b-day celebration recommences with a movie and dinner downtown.  We're going to see "The Switch" with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, followed by dinner at Chili's (our usual haunt on the 16th Street Mall).

My horoscope this morning:  Success in a creative field, and possible acknowledgment from the public, could be coming your way, Stephanie. Phone calls sending congratulations may come from distant states or even foreign countries. This is likely to be something you've been working toward for a long time, so relax and enjoy it.  This is something I've dreamed of for a while, so in order to assist it into fruition, I'm going to share the link to my blog with people I follow in Bloggerland.  I'm also going to venture further and start following new blogs.

Veering off course once again - I *love* Pandora Radio!!!  My music preference can't be pinned to a specific genre.  I may have stated before that I have everything from LeAnn Rimes to Godsmack on my iPod.  I can tell you that I don't enjoy most Rap and a lot of Heavy Metal.  I think I just dated myself!  I'm not sure they use that term anymore...  Anyway, my Pandora excursion started with Journey this morning, as it did last night.  That makes me a very happy girl!!!

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with lots of fun!!!

I love burgers!

So, we ended up at the Cherry Cricket for my birthday dinner.  We started with an order of jalapeno poppers and they were phenomenal!  For my entree, I ordered a "Little Cricket" (1/4# patty) with smoked cheddar, bacon and herbed cream cheese and a side of frings (fries and onion rings) that Hamilton and I shared.  He ordered a 1/3# turkey burger with smoked cheddar, avocado and sauteed bermuda onions.  The food was great and the atmosphere was cool, except for a table near us acting like a bunch of asshats.  They were getting their buzz on after work and being quite loud and obnoxious.  It was all we could do to hear each other and we were sitting side-by-side.  Our waiter, Clifton* (thanks, dad!) was great and very attentive.  All in all, it was a good night!  Another day has come and gone, but the calories will sit on my ass forever!

* I thank my dad here because his name is Clifton, too.  He's been gone five years now and I miss him a lot!  I took this as a sign from my dad that he was acknowledging my birthday and it made me smile!!!

Number 38

Yep, it's that day again.  Let's hope this year is better than previous years!  I just texted my brother and stated that I won't be taking calls from anyone I don't regularly talk to, because I don't have to!  I'm not going to be the recipient of anyone's obligatory BS.

So, what to do tonight?  Maybe a movie and dinner?  I didn't see any movies playing that I'm particularly 'dying' to see.  Maybe "Eat Pray Love" again???  ;)  I'm thinking I'd like to go to the Cherry Cricket for dinner.  Can't get better than a big, honkin' burger!!!

I feel the need to list some goals I have for my 38th year on our crazy, mixed-up planet.  I guess I'll put it in the form of a bulleted manifest:

~learn to meditate and do it daily
~adopt some form of exercise and do at least 20 minutes everyday
~blog at least once per week
~incorporate more healthful foods into my daily routine
~cook more often; incorporate new recipes into my repertoire
~take a class:  guitar or piano lessons, American Sign Language
~go to the damn dentist!
~get a massage
~read more instead of watching TV

I could probably go on for days, but that's a good start.  I have already accomplished banning most soda from my diet; that's HUGE for me.  I now drink Sobe Life Water (0 calorie), unsweetened iced tea, coffee and water.  I do sometimes indulge, but only when I go out for dinner, which isn't often.

I also want to get a plan into place to realize my dream of designing/creating (art, photography, fluffy girl clothes and jewelry, etc.) things that people will want to buy so I can be an entrepreneur and get out of the rat race run by someone other than me.  That is the end result I'm going to attain, so now I'll work my way backward to figure out what I need to do to accomplish that.

Alrighty then...enough babbling for now.  Time to get this show on the road!  I have to decide which movie, if any, I want to see tonight and make a decision where to eat in celebration of the day I made my debut in this wondrously hysterical trip we call life.  (((HUGS)))

Eat Pray Love

I went to see this movie yesterday with Cindy on our "Girl's Day."  We both LOVED it!  It really hit home with me as I've been floundering for quite some time as to what to do with my life and in my quest for connection to a Higher Power.  One quote that really struck a chord with us is, "I don't have to love you to prove that I love myself."  Pretty powerful, huh?  I am going to buy this movie when it comes out on DVD because I could watch it over and over again and probably get a different message each time.

I am very envious that Liz was able to leave it all behind for one year to travel half way around the world in order to find herself and own her truth.  I'd love to do that right now, however, my bank is shaking it's head and saying, "Tsk, tsk, tsk."  I'll simply adjust her self-discovery methods to suit me and my wallet.

I could go on and on about this, but I'll keep it brief...for now.  My journey has yet to begin, but I am anticipating it like no other event in my life.  I'm not that great about writing here, but check back for updates.  I'll be sure to write about any and all discoveries I make.