Weekend Wrap-Up

So, I crawled through a mud pit this weekend. Voluntarily.

Have you ever heard of the Warrior Dash? Well, our city had a family-friendly version – a three-mile walk/run complete with obstacles and a mud pit at the finish. My friend Chemese and I decided to give it a try, and we’re so glad we did! This was a lot more fun than the typical 5K with the extra challenges added.

Here we are before and after the event… just a slight difference.

I went straight from the run to meet the guys and some friends at Chick Fil A, because they were offering free breakfast and we couldn’t pass that up! In the rush to get out the door for the run I hadn’t eaten breakfast, so I did order an 8-pack of nuggets (260 calories). I know I burned more than that on the run!

We’ve spent a large part of the weekend doing things around the house – I was suddenly struck with the need to get more organized (I’m sure Brian was so happy to be included in this whim of mine). We have some lockers we got for free a while back that need some work- the paint was scratched and rusting. I primed them and then started to spray a coat of paint on them, but the paint wasn’t spraying out evenly so I decided to wait until later to work more. Lesson learned: wear gloves while spraying paint… even after scrubbing my hands, I still look wounded:

Once the lockers are all finished I’ll show you before and after shots. We’re going to put them in the playroom to help organize toys, and I think it’ll be a really nice, fun solution. Let’s just hope I’m not covered in red paint too by the time I’m finished with them.

Let’s take a look at food for the weekend:

Saturday Breakfast: Pancakes with Turkey Bacon & Spiced Peaches (320 calories)

 

Great breakfast. I skipped the syrup and spread 2 teaspoons of peanut butter between the two pancakes, and it was so good! I liked this breakfast too because it’d be one that’s fairly easy to eat on the go (aside from the fruit). I ended up eating mine later in the day since I was out all morning with the run.

Lunch: Southwestern Chicken Soup with Grilled Focaccia (410 calories)

 

This was a good, spicy soup with plenty of chicken and veggies. The foccacia bread got tough in the microwave, but that actually was perfect for soaking up soup. I was a little surprised at how many calories were in this meal – maybe because of the bread?

Dinner: Braised Pork with Whole Grain Mustard Glaze & Butternut Squash (330 calories)

 

I’ll be honest – when I peeled back the film the pork did not look very appetizing! Once I tasted it, though, I was won over. It was incredibly tender and flavorful. I would have loved a little spicy BBQ sauce to go with it, but even just as it was I enjoyed it a lot. The squash was slightly sweet and balanced nicely against the saltiness of the pork. And the green beans were perfect! Just the right texture and amount of seasoning.

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Caramel Cookies (130 calories)

Sunday Breakfast: Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal With Roasted Pineapple (370 calories)

 

I never thought I’d look forward to eating oatmeal so much but I actually really like it! Cinnamon has always been a favorite flavor for me too, so this was especially good. I haven’t typically loved the reheated fruit – I prefer it fresh – but the roasted pineapple was good. It almost seemed like a dessert, and I really enjoyed it.

Lunch: Cajun Shrimp & Wild Rice Bowl (350 calories)

 

Brian ate this one… like I’ve mentioned before I just don’t like seafood at all, especially shrimp! I was able to avoid seafood on the Gold plan but receive 2-3 meals each week on the Silver plan that have seafood in them. It’s not a huge issue for me since I just have Brian eat those and then I find a low-calorie alternative. I believe you’re typically able to avoid proteins while on the Silver plan, so there may just be an issue with my settings.

Dinner: Jerk Tofu with Mango Wild Rice (430 calories)

 

This is really a nicely composed dish, don’t you think? When I opened this one I thought immediately how visually striking it is. The sauce on the tofu added some good spicy flavor, but the texture of it still throws me off. If you’ve had tofu before you’d probably really enjoy this dish – I think it must be an acquired taste, though! The broccolini and red peppers were a great side dish.

Dessert: Peach Cobbler (110 calories)

Here’s my video, tacked on a little late because I shot it at lunch Monday (9/12). You can get a glimpse of my office and find out how much weight I lost this past week!