Friday Night Bites

So, this post will be sort of a hit-and-run/drive-by, since I'm headed out of town in the morning and haven't packed a single thing...this seems to always be the case the night before I go out of town!

First, I would like to thank everyone who reached out after my last post.  I really appreciate the support and love.  After taking a moment to reevaluate, I am grateful for every experience because it has shaped the person that I will be.  My strength is made perfect in weakness.

Moving on :-)  I made some yummy turkey burgers tonight.  The burger itself is seasoned with minced ginger, garlic, onion, and carrots with a sprinkle of Bragg's and Worcheshire Sauce.  Because I used lean ground turkey, it was very wet so I used a handful of StoveTop... I hope the clean-eating police don't arrest me!  Grilled on the George Foreman and placed on half a Flat Out FoldIt with Greek yogurt.  I topped the burger with some spinach, feta, grape tomatoes and capers.  I am enjoying getting creative in the kitchen.

I had a fruit attack later that night so I pulled out a coconut I bought at the market a few days ago; I should have also bought a manual on how to open it!  After several minutes of trying using a knife and every other sharp object within reach to pierce the "eye", I finally settled on a corkscrew to get to the milk and a meat mallet to crack open the skin...don't judge me!  It was a lot of work, but it was worth the effort!  I had some mango, pineapple with chopped coconut...very hearty and filling...I felt like I was in the Caribbean!  Added a dash of rum into the coconut milk for a real island experience.  Sidenote...I would love tips for opening coconuts in the comments...please and thank you.

In other news...my charms FINALLY arrived (and I'm about halfway to another one!!!)...unfortunately, the bicycle was hooked on the flimsy handlebar, so I'll need to send it back and get a solid bike.

One more surprise simply because I love my readers so much...another round of Just Dance!  I bought Zumba 2 and Just Dance 3 tonight and had a blast learning the new moves (this recording was my 10th song of the night), but my favorite is always this song on Just Dance 2...

Just Dance!!!

Today is a great Friday!!!  I planned to go to Zumba last night, but by the time I got home and got everything settled with my partner and puppies, I was late for class.  For a moment, the old mentality kicked in...I thought you can just work out tomorrow...you're really tired, you need a break...it's okay, you already have a calorie deficit today.  I was almost tempted to listen to the sweet nothings of complacency, but remembered that was the reason my hips are so wide!  I decided I would go for a long walk since I missed class.

I slowly walked upstairs to change into workout clothes, complacency's seduction threatening to overpower my will.  But then, I heard a song in my head.  As I changed, I started dancing until the tiredness subsided...and then I danced harder.  I put Just Dance 2 in my Wii and for 45 minutes, I danced, sweated, lost my breath...but I had fun!  Here's a little snippet:

Sorry it's grainy...camera phone video.

I am learning that my mind is a wickedly deceitful little thing with an aversion to change, but that my body knows what it wants.  My mind wants to make excuses for why I will never make my goal, my mind wants to wallow in sadness and self-defeat, my mind wants to do what's comfortable even if it kills...my body wants to be healthy, my body wants to be free, my body wants to get up and boogie!!!

The scale thanked me for my hard work today!  I FINALLY hit my 10-pound mark...and it feels sooooo good!  As I previously mentioned, I bought a charm bracelet as my motivator and will buy a new charm for every ten pounds lost.  Last week, I decided that for my first ten pounds, I deserved TWO charms...will be posting an update to show you my new goodies, as well as some stats (I forgot to take an official "before" picture and measurements...sorry).