Choices!

I have been wanting to write this for a long time, but haven't had the words or the time really to put thoughts down and just lay it out there. So here it is....

My journey of weight loss has been an on going struggle, one that has seen highs and lows, peaks, valley's, and plateaus. I started with just wanted to train with a group of gals for an upcoming triathlon. Well that was almost 2 years ago! I have since challenged myself in new ways and continued to incorporate movement into my everyday life. Some weeks are better than others and there have certainly been times where the priority to get my butt to the gym or just doing something just isn't happening. This summer has been especially difficult. I find myself stuck in a once a week workout phase, where I just can't seem to workout but once a week. Every week this summer, something comes up where I just don't do it. I feel terrible on the inside, I find myself more frustrated with my weight loss journey now than ever before. Even in the early days when I was just so mad at myself for letting go of myself. When I was straining myself just to make it once around the lap at the gym. I feel like it has fallen on the back burner, when movement of some kind should always take first priority.

I am hyper sensitive about this now as I am less than 4 days away from the Warrior Dash in Colorado that I signed up to do. I am panicking that I have sabotaged my success by not keeping up training and keeping myself physically fit. I guess I have done some self reflection this week and the choices that I have made. As I was sitting on my butt for 3 straight days this week at a training, I started to think about choices. At this training we were fed quite nicely. Breakfast, Lunch, and 2 Snacks. Dammit! I didn't bring my food scale! My portions were out of control, I drank 3 sodas in 2 days, and if they said snack I was eating because I was bored! As I came home on Monday and Tuesday, I felt like crap! I seriously just wanted to lay around on Tuesday night and not move because I felt so disgusting inside and out. My weight had fluctuated and I gained a pound since Monday morning. I typically lose weight during the week(and gain back on the weekends with beer) As I began agonizing over all of the shitty choices I had made, I decided to start Wednesday as a new day with a whole new set of choices....

I can't go back and change the choices that I made on Monday, Tuesday or any other day...but I have all day to make a choice, one choice at a time! One choice, just one at a time. I made a choice that I was not going to eat as many snacks, only one snack. And no soda, but instead water and my portions would be more veggies, and less carbs. I stuck to it and I was very proud of myself! Simple choices, one at a time! I was ready to make another choice....

My very first solo run outside. I know that this sounds silly, for those who know me know that I run. I run in the gym and I always run with a buddy. I am sort of a freak and don't like to be alone on the roadways running and biking. I think that there are lots of bad guys and they are all going to kidnap me. I know silly but I really don't like to do things outside alone. So tonight I came home and decided I was going for a run. And I did! I ran, 3.2 miles in 34 min. Pretty awesome. I came home and had an awesome dinner of an almond butter sandwich, cucumber and an apple. And then some more choices...I could sit around and veg in front of the TV or I could clean up around the house, take the garbage out, give the kids a bath and put laundry away. I chose movement! I felt so good inside and I noticed that I was a better more pleasant mom to Kenley and Avon and I got so much done! It just feels so good!

I have also come to terms with me....I have to be a bit easier on myself and realize that this is not a sprint. This is marathon. It won't happen overnight. It has been almost 2 years of changes and choices, but I still have to work at it daily! I need to stop comparing and do more praise to myself. I need to look in the mirror and love me. The me that I see in the mirror, and not the me from 6 years ago when I was super skinny, and not the me that I think I should be because magazine and media tell me to be. I am beautiful and me and I have to be ok with that. I need to give myself some self affirmations daily to remind myself of how really amazing I am. I am beautiful, talented, amazing and simply the best at being me! The choice is up to me! One choice at a time.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

So this week I received my Bountiful Basket and in it were about a pound of Jerusalem Artichokes. I had no clue what they were(my first thought was what in the world would I do with all of these ginger roots), so I turned to Google.


These are also called Sun Roots and they are part of the Daisy family and grow beautiful flowers like this...Who knew??? Well what the heck was I supposed to make with a pound of the potato like veggie????

Of course....some soup! Many pins on Pinterest came up with Gratins, but on a snowy Wyoming day in the middle of winter...I opt for some soup. One of my all time favorite soups is the Zuppa Toscana from the Olive Garden. I have perfected the soup and it is made frequently at this house! The soup took shape from a Zuppa base.


Ingredients:
1-2lbs of Jerusalem Artichokes
1/2 pound of bacon
1 lb pork sausage(you can use hot sausage)
1 onion
3-5 gloves of minced garlic
3 potatoes
1 quart of chicken stock/broth
1/2 cup of whipping cream
1 pint of fat free half and half
salt
pepper
fresh flat leaf parsley

Start of first by giving these little artichokes a bath and a good scrub down.
Then get some bacon frying in a hot sauce pan. I cut up my bacon into pieces using my kitchen shears when the bacon is semi frozen. It is way easier to handle.

Once it is fried, remove from the pan leaving behind the grease. Set the bacon aside...in my house this is harder than it seems.

Dice an onion and saute in the bacon grease. Add in the minced garlic. Saute until onion and garlic until fragrant and almost clear. Add the sausage to begin browning.

While you are in this process I placed the Artichokes into the microwave peel on. This was to expedite the process of cooking the artichokes longer in the soup because we didn't have the 45 minutes to wait for the artichokes to cook down. I put them on the potato setting on the microwave for 3 potatoes. Once finished, I peeled, cut up and placed in the pot of sausage, onion, and garlic. Cook the sausage through until no longer pink. Peel and cut up the potatoes and place in the pot.

Add the chicken stock and boil for 5-10 minutes. Then add the cream and half and half. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. While simmering dice up the parsley and add in. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes.

You are finished!
Serve with the reserved bacon from before(if there is any left). We also ate it with Sourdough bread for dipping! Yummy!~ I should have taken a picture of the finished product but I was too excited to eat!