I cannot believe I am saying this but I am glad to be back in Rhode Island!

o

Ok, Vermont is a beautiful state, but so remote. Nothing to do. The weather was bad until Sunday. I mean really bad. Pouring rain. And I never saw so many hippies in my life! They still think it is 1969 there. I could never live there. I guess I am a city girl at heart.

So, now back to my food choices for the weekend. VERY BAD. To give my self a little pat on the back, there were really no good choices to select from. The memorial was catered and it had tons of sandwiches that were loaded with mayo. I had egg salad since it was the only vegetarian choice. I did have chips, which in a way was good since I have not had Fritos in over 10 years. I did not enjoy them. Additionally, I felt crappy eating poorly. I did not have enough water all weekend. I ate cookies, pastry and white bagels... Ugh! Choices I would not make at home.

So, this week, I officially call punishment week! I do have to train for my 10 mile race, so I am off to run 5 miles this morning. I have scheduled another run on Wednesday (5k) with a running group in Bristol and then a 10 mile practice run on Thursday. I am also going to lift weights this am at Bally Total Fitness Powerflex class. Today is usually my off day from working out (yoga day), but since I could not exercise all weekend, I am off to get my day started and my week going in the right direction.

Only good eating this week. I also am reading a book on Vegan cooking called Thrive. It is supposed to give you good eating for running long runs. I need the inspiration!

Strawberry Onion Salad

So, I planned on grilling some nice tuna steaks for dinner tonight with some broccoli and roasted eggplant. Will it ever stop raining in Rhode Island? I think it has rained here every day since I left my home in Florida at the end of April. It is cold here too. Damp and moldy. As I write this it is 64 degrees and miserable out.

So, to change dinner, my hubby suggested ravioli. I thought, hmmm, how can I have ravioli and keep on my weight loss journey? Okay, I can have 4-5 of them at dinner. That is 310 calories & because they are cheese with eggplant -- more protein. We purchased these ravioli's at a place on Federal Hill called Venda Ravioli. So good. They are handmade and wonderful. I will also use their marinara sauce, also keeping the calorie count down. BUT I AM STILL HUNGRY! I think it is all mind over matter.

So, I am going to make a salad to fill me up. It is a strawberry onion salad:

Strawberry Onion Salad

Ingredients

* 3 teaspoons strawberry all-fruit spread
* 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
* 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
* 1/2 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
* 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
* 1 pkg arugula salad mix (about 3 cups)
* 1/2 ripe avocado, cut into 1/4" chunks
* freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium glass bowl, combine the all-fruit spread, vinegar, olive oil, flaxseed oil, salt, and red-pepper flakes until well-blended. Gently fold in the strawberries, bell pepper, and onion. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Place the arugula in a serving bowl. Add the avocado and strawberry mixture and toss to coat well. Season with black pepper to taste.

This salad was delish. Okay, okay, there was one glass of wine with dinner (Sterling Cabernet--so smooth, one of my favorites). You have to have wine with pasta, right?

So, my total calories for the day are: 1595 carbs 216, fat 45 protein 80 all good. My workout netted approximately 700 calories.

I did not get a quick run in first due to my work schedule. But we still got in our hour dog walk this evening (it actually stopped raining somewhat) and we walked at a much faster pace than yesterday, so our dogs are finally getting back in shape. I love the app for my iphone called RunKeeper (free one). Tells you your distance and your pace. Tonight we walked a 19 minute mile (including dog stops).

Maybe I will get some much needed sleep tonight. Especially since the Red Sox played today and I will have nothing to keep me up. That was another initial promise to myself to try to get 7 hours of sleep each night. I am not very good at that. We get up at 5:30AM and when I watch the sox, bedtime is usually 11 PM and I don't fall asleep till midnight. Then I wake up and wake up a few times during the night. I think that might be age related or I have too much on my mind.

So, Good Night All!