Change is in the air

It has been a long couple months since my surgery.  A time of healing and lots of physical therapy to regain as much mobility as I could.  This has not only been a time of physical healing for me. This has been a time of reflection. Time to look back and see how I can do things differently. Time to come up with a fresh plan for losing the rest rest of this weight and getting my body back into shape. I have found myself  rethinking what my food "rules" are and what it is going to take to get my body toned again. After all you can't keep the body you had after being on bed rest for 6 weeks and then limited mobility for several months. I was really shocked at how fast I lost all my muscle tone with this injury,but at least this is something that is fixable.

My big change that I am currently doing is a 30-day sugar fast. During my time of recuperation, I really started to slip back into my sugar cravings. I know for me the best way of handling this is to go cold turkey, completely shut of my access to it. This has not been easy. I can't tell you how many times a day I crave a hot  fudge sundae or some chocolate chip cookies. But I know that this is for my good. If I can just get to day 10 my body should have all that junk out of it.The cravings should be a whole lot less and easier to deal with. I am currently at day 8 and actually starting to feel a bit more energized. I hate the way sugar makes the body so sluggish and tired all the time. My safety net has been a  piece of fruit like a banana or an orange.

My second big change has been in the exercise department. My body has gotten to the point where it is craving to exercise again. My muscle are just aching to get moving . I have started to do my elliptical in the morning to get a little cardio in. I add 1 minute on to my time for every session. I have been taking it slow so far. Before this injury it was no big deal to knock out a 45 min cardio session followed by a 30 min weights session. That is definitely a thing of the past for me, but that does not mean that I just sit around and do nothing. I have to see what my body can handle.What exercises can I do safely and how can I still get the benefit of lifting weights while still protecting my back? These are all questions I am working on answering. Trying new things and seeing just how far I can go without causing myself any pain. So for me this is a time of  learning and regrouping. A time to see where my body is really at and find a way to get it back to where it was. I am not a quitter. I am more than a conqueror!!

Yummy Lentil Tacos

I am always trying to find new and exciting ways to cook beans. We only eat meat as our protein source 2x a week, so I count on the bean department for that most days. I came across this recipe the other day, and like I do with everything I cook, I made this my own. Swap a little of this for a little of that kinda thing. This was what we had for dinner last night and boy was it delicious.


     Lentil Tacos

2 cups dried lentils ( 1 bag)
1 small onion diced
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp oregano
2 garlic cloves minced
4 tsp cumin
5 cups water
salt to taste


Add all ingredients to pan and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low for 30 min. Stir occasionally.
Remove from heat and uncover. Allow to sit a few minutes to thicken. I served this with some rice. We had this on soft taco shells with our favorite toppings. Cheese, salsa, sour cream, whatever you enjoy. This does make a big batch and is great for leftovers. We will be using the leftovers on top of a big salad for lunch today. Simple to make.Chemical free.Easy on the budget. Sounds perfect to me. Enjoy!!!