Sunday, March 28, 2010

I can't believe I haven't updated since January!

Oh man, I'm a slacker. Not really a slacker, just busier than usual. Why? Well, this veggie girl is now Charleston's Vegetarian Examiner, is working on another gig (wish me luck), has been working on the house, and am cooking dinner almost daily. And not always reheating the majority of it.

Ah, cooking is bliss for me. I love everything up until cleaning, lol. Planning, the list, shopping. It's all a joy believe it or not. Why am I cooking? Well, this family needs to eat healthier overall and we need to stop going out so much. If I can make the same dinner we'd order out (and I'm up for it, we have time, and the ingredients are on hand), why go out? We had Japanese the other night. Granted, our current fav place would cost around $35 total, but I spent about 45 minutes in the kitchen & rocked the same meal from scratch for free. Tonight we fired up the grill. We dropped a whopping $23 at the store, but bought everything, including the charcoal, and a few goodies for next week's lunches. Ya'll, this wahm is tired of dropping between $300-500 a month on meals out. Yes, that's not a misprint. We could have done many things with that money instead of making business owners happy. But, I need to go forward, not beat myself up.

I've pulled out more books, consulted my favorite blogs, and tested recipes on the family. So far desserts have been the biggest hit with everyone, and hubby has been quite happy with curries and soups.

Can you believe I'm being paid to write about food? Me either, lol. I've been doing it for years for free. Don't tell the Examiner, because then I may be out of luck. I decided to apply and got it! Let that be a lesson - step out of that comfort zone every once in a while. As the Vegetarian Examiner I get to write about veggie life in Charleston - dining, shopping, and events - and share recipes and tips for making life easier. I've published four articles so far, and I'm just getting started.

Don't worry. I won't abandon this blog. My quest for better health is ongoing, so I'll never run out of topics. I may post more often, actually.

Speaking of health, hubby has been inspired and has been losing weight. He's down about 1 1/2 pants sizes and looks a few years younger. He's even more of a hottie! Not because he's smaller, but because he's proud of himself and becoming healthier because he chooses to.

Me, I'm holding. I've been adding more strength training to my schedule and it shows. My face is smaller, clothes are looser, and I have more energy. Soon the scale will show my progress.

On another note, Friday would have been my dad's 70th birthday. I'll be 41 on 3/20, a year older than he would have been they year he died. It's surreal. I hope to be here for at least 30 more years. At least. I want to experience the life he's missed. Love and miss you, dad.

Until later, friends. Peace.