Into The Wilderness

   

There's nothing more romantic than a moonlit walk with my sweetie!

Every week we are tweaking our healthy lifestyle to make it better, more realistic and simpler to stick to. Last year we had pledged to get in 10,000 steps EVERY SINGLE DAY, and we did. All through the 40 days of Lent. And then Easter was upon us and we took the day off from our daily walk. A day became a week which stretched into a month and suddenly we weren't walking anymore. So now we are devoted to going for a walk at least 3 times a week which is WAY more do-able. Jeff and I have been trying out some new walking routes, too. One of the biggest challenges I face is getting bored with our routines. Do you have that problem, too? We walk the same three routes in our neighborhood and aside from the occasional dead raccoon (so gross), the scenery never changes. Jeff could probably continue on the same path every day and it wouldn't bother him a bit, but I have the attention span of a toddler loaded up with birthday cake and pixie sticks. I need new environments and shiny things to amuse me! Preferably ones that are not decaying and covered in maggots. 

Crossing bridges to better health!

  These last couple of weeks Jeff and I have walked through downtown Bremerton, crossed bridges and strolled around Silverdale (a town 6 miles from our front door for those of you not from around these parts). We walked the mall. And yesterday we did a little hiking on some trails. I am not a hiker. I'm not what you would call "outdoorsy". I used to spend a lot of time outside as a kid. But now I'm old and have joints that don't cooperate like they used to. Hiking in the woods is a lot more work than wandering the mall. But MAYBE if we keep tramping through the forest we can work up to real hikes up a mountain. Then I get to go shopping for hiking gear! New shoes, some cute shorts, maybe one of those nifty Camel-Bak hydration pack thingies. And something to carry my Epi-Pen in (I'm allergic to bee stings). Do they have something practical and yet WAY cuter than a fanny-pack? Maybe Jeff will have to wear the Fanny-Pack for me. After all, it could save my life!

I'll get Jeff the green one. I wouldn't want him to look silly.

  Our typical weekly menu has also started to become stagnant. I like to surf Pinterest for new low-carb ideas we can taste-test at dinner time. Here's my Pinterest board-check it out or send me some pins to try out for you:
https://www.pinterest.com/missgigi70/low-carb-meal-ideas/
  This week I donned my apron and pearls to cook up a new dish-Low-Carb Cauliflower Breadsticks!!! 
 So this is supposed to be like Cheesy Bread, but there's no bread or flour up in here! You take a head of cauliflower and "rice" it (pulse it in your food processor until it looks like rice), add egg, cheeses and some garlic and Italian herbs, bake it and BOOM-cheesy bread. I give this recipe 4 out of 5 stars. The "bread" is tasty. The texture, however is not like bread at all. I can only describe it as "powdery". It's very fluffy and crumbles on your fork. I added a lot of extra cheese to mine and I think that's the only thing holding the cauliflower particles together. You can't pick this up with your fingers and eat it like a breadstick. Unless you want it to disintegrate and create a cheesy snowstorm on your lap. Festive!!! So the finished product loses a star for lack of practical application and the name "breadstick" being misleading. More like "Cheesy Cauliflower Confetti". Yippee!!!

Check out the recipe at:
 http://realhousemoms.com/low-carb-cauliflower-breadsticks

 We have incorporated ONE cheat day per week (typically right after weigh-in on Friday mornings. Smart, right?) which is helping subdue the temptation to sabotage our healthy eating plan during the rest of the week. Cheat day does NOT mean we go crazy all day stuffing our faces with bowls full of maple syrup and hot fudge. We simply allow ourselves one meal that is off the menu the rest of the week. This weekend we had crepes for Saturday morning breakfast. Knowing we have a day to relax a little on the low-carb rules helps me be strong in the face of sweet treats. Like when we hosted our church coffee hour last Sunday with my mom. She brought her home-baked-with-love brownies, cheesecake cookies and cowboy cookies. Sinful! I had a very small brownie, which I count as a victory because mom's brownies are one of my favorite things. I didn't unload a whole tray into my mouth. I just ate the one. So yay me!

Katie, my Peanut and me being photo-bombed by baked goods at church!

 On to the Weigh In! Katie remains the same-no loss, no gain this week. Her high school production of Once Upon a Mattress is this weekend. With no dances to rehearse and no swim team practices until the end of summer she is going to have to make a plan to get her exercise in. I hope she decides to join us for some hikes. Or maybe we'll walk the mall together. That could get expensive! Hmmmmmmmmm, let me think on this one for a bit.
  Jeff lost 1.8 pounds this week. He is just over 270 right now and only 1.2 pounds over his lowest weight from last year! 
  I lost .8 pounds this week. A modest loss, but still moving in the right direction. I'm still 1.6 pounds heavier than when I started last year, but we're on the right track! 
  Our team weight loss this week is 2.6 pounds which brings us to a total of 68.8 pounds lost to date!

  Let me know if you try out the recipe for the breadsticks and what you think. Or if you are a hiker and know some great trails we should check out, send me the details. Comment below or email me at sprout624@gmail.com