Hiya peeps!  At least it hasn’t been an actual month since my last post.

Let’s see, I’m still an Examiner, am repeatedly sending in I-9’s to my new employer, giving hubby the stink eye paored with a congratulatory one due to his weight loss success, and am down another pound.

Yes, just one more.  I’m walking, but not getting enough sweat time in.  I know I need to, but the fear of hurting myself seems to be taking control of my body. I love how it feels during and after a good workout, but my knee aches so much lately. 

Yes, I know.  I’m using it an as excuse to slack off.  I can always concentrate on strengthening my upper body on the more painful days, but what I know and what I can force myself to do are something different. It’s in my body, yes, but more in my mind.  As I’ve shared before, I tend to go all out and am shocked and depressed when I re-injure myself.  It’s a pattern that I’m sick of repeating. 

Wish me luck.  I am going to put in a minimum of 10 minutes a day into sweat-inducing work.  Be it kickboxing on Spark People, 10 Minute Trainer, or some variation of workouts that I’ve memorized.  If I don’t move more, I will not lose more.  And it won’t matter how much stronger I become if I have these layers of fat covering the muscle.

In the kitchen, I’ll be playing with recipes from several books and websites, including Eat to Live, Weight Watchers, Radiant Health, Inner Wealth, Happy Herbivore, and my fav vegetarian low carb book. .

Speaking of low carb, have you heard of the vegan version of Atkins?  Scary, isn’t it? But it may not be necessarily a bad thing.  Back in my omni days, I followed Atkins and George Stella’s low carb recipes and got down to 203.  I also had a lower amount of energy than I have some days now and my skin looked off.  I’m not saying that low carb is a bad thing, but balance was not my strong suit.  And I didn’t want to cook for myself when I could just grab a shake or bar.  I loved the loss, but don’t want to go back to that.

Balance and sweat.

 Until next time, peace.

Oh man, I’m a slacker. Not really a slacker, just busier than usual. Why? Well, this veggie girl is now Charleston’s Vegetarian Examiner, is working on another gig (wish me luck), has been working on the house, and am cooking dinner almost daily. And not always reheating the majority of it.

Ah, cooking is bliss for me. I love everything up until cleaning, lol. Planning, the list, shopping. It’s all a joy believe it or not. Why am I cooking? Well, this family needs to eat healthier overall and we need to stop going out so much. If I can make the same dinner we’d order out (and I’m up for it, we have time, and the ingredients are on hand), why go out? We had Japanese the other night. Granted, our current fav place would cost around $35 total, but I spent about 45 minutes in the kitchen & rocked the same meal from scratch for free. Tonight we fired up the grill. We dropped a whopping $23 at the store, but bought everything, including the charcoal, and a few goodies for next week’s lunches. Ya’ll, this wahm is tired of dropping between $300-500 a month on meals out. Yes, that’s not a misprint. We could have done many things with that money instead of making business owners happy. But, I need to go forward, not beat myself up.

I’ve pulled out more books, consulted my favorite blogs, and tested recipes on the family. So far desserts have been the biggest hit with everyone, and hubby has been quite happy with curries and soups.

Can you believe I’m being paid to write about food? Me either, lol. I’ve been doing it for years for free. Don’t tell the Examiner, because then I may be out of luck. I decided to apply and got it! Let that be a lesson – step out of that comfort zone every once in a while. As the Vegetarian Examiner I get to write about veggie life in Charleston – dining, shopping, and events – and share recipes and tips for making life easier. I’ve published four articles so far, and I’m just getting started.

Don’t worry. I won’t abandon this blog. My quest for better health is ongoing, so I’ll never run out of topics. I may post more often, actually.

Speaking of health, hubby has been inspired and has been losing weight. He’s down about 1 1/2 pants sizes and looks a few years younger. He’s even more of a hottie! Not because he’s smaller, but because he’s proud of himself and becoming healthier because he chooses to.

Me, I’m holding. I’ve been adding more strength training to my schedule and it shows. My face is smaller, clothes are looser, and I have more energy. Soon the scale will show my progress.

On another note, Friday would have been my dad’s 70th birthday. I’ll be 41 on 3/20, a year older than he would have been they year he died. It’s surreal. I hope to be here for at least 30 more years. At least. I want to experience the life he’s missed. Love and miss you, dad.

Until later, friends. Peace.

That’s right, this wahm lost 9 pounds this month. It may not seem like much compared to some, but this is about me and how I’m doing. The last time I lost this much in a month, I was working out seven days a week, twice a day most days. This time around I changed my eating, cut out a lot of added fat, and walked or did a little Yoga or Pilates. Slow and steady seems better for me in my old age. 🙂

Speaking of old, hubby and daughter each celebrated birthdays this past week, and the birthday cake did not tempt me. Weird, eh? I am the first to snag a piece after the birthday boy or girl. Well, I used to be. Lately my cravings have included berries, oranges, kiwi, and green smoothies. Odd, eh? I used to think so, but not anymore.

This past Sunday I started a two week challenge featured in Tess Challis’ Radiant Health Inner Wealth. I cut out meat, but went overboard on cheese and eggs in the past. Now vegan, I found myself slipping into a bread and frozen vegan food-heavy state. I’m lucky enough to be recipe testing for Tess (so yummy!)and decided to continue making vegan path healthier by undertaking the challenge. No coffee, hydrogenated anything, or artificial sweeteners. Lemon water or fresh vegetable juice in the am before breakfast, fruit,veggies, whole grains, and beans. So far, better than good. I feel awesome, have surpassed hubby & son’s expectations of giving up my morning (and afternoon and evening) cup, and lost a pound after holding at 8 pounds for two weeks. And I’m getting between 8 and 10 servings of veggies and fruit every day. RHIW is a great read, no matter how you eat. And the recipes are killer!

For some reason we decided we’d like to be covered in dog slobber and never have our laps to ourselves. We met a sweet Boxer boy at the Charleston Animal Society yesterday and brought him home a couple of hours ago. The trio of dogs have worn themselves out, one to my left, one to my right, and the other laying across all of the dog beds. More exercise for me! I have no problem taking another lap or two around the block.

And now I’m off to grab a snack while they’re mellow. Pictures will be posted soon. Until later, peace, all.

I have to make a confession. I’m in love. Go Max Go’s Twilight has captured my heart. It was so rich and yummy that I will happily save consumption for a special occasion. Hubby doesn’t mind. He encouraged it.

OK, with that out of the way,I have to again marvel at how easy the transition has been. Yes, I still need to snag vegan vitamins and supplements and have yet to find THE pair of cross training shoes that work for me (and don’t cost a fortune), but cooking vegan and omni has not been difficult. I wonder why I let fear take over instead of taking the plunge. There are two WAHM household birthdays coming (and four family birthdays) at the end of the month, so I think the real challenge is ahead.

We have had pizza twice since I started down this road, one a cheeseless wonder from Pizza Hut, the other was soy cheese, tofu, and veggie bliss on a wheat crust at Your Pie. I should have checked ahead of time, but I believe the cheese was completely animal-free. Hopefully I’ll get the answer later and can share. If it wasn’t, then pooh for not checking first. If so, then sweetness! Either way, we will likely return because of the quick service and flexible menu that made the whole crew happy.

If you want a chance to win Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, swing by Vegan Family Style and comment away. I’ve been following Debra on Twitter for a few months now and am inspired by her progress as she’s becoming healthier. Vegan and raw foods do make a difference.

Speaking of healthier, I’m down another pound so far this week, but my official weigh in isn’t until Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Hubster’s down another five and I’m trying not to be jealous. But I would much rather lose 1-2 pounds a week while eating vegan fare than five pounds while eating a SAD. I feel a lot better.

Peace!