BACK ON TRACK!

Hello everyone,

I'm now determined once again to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle! It's been a rough couple of months with too much on the go, but there's no better time than the present to commit to a lifestyle improvement plan.

I thought it might be helpful (for me at least) to share my trials and tribulations with all of you in case you can relate to the challenges that come up....

I have started to walk on the treadmill - nothing strenuous, just to get into the habit of getting up and moving more when I'm home from work. I have been reading the Harry Potter series, and I'm on the third book and the chapter lengths seem to be just long enough to be on the treadmill for half an hour. It takes practice to read and walk at the same time, but they are two pleasurable activities that make me feel like I'm multitasking and getting lots done!

Jon and I have also been trying to eat healthier - our favourite lunchtime or dinnertime dish is the following:

make a pot of rice (I really like Uncle Ben's Classiques - long grain and wild rice with roasted garlic)
Follow the recipe.

In a separate bowl, prepare:
can of lentils
cherry tomatoes (halved)
cucumber, green peppers - diced - whatever you have in the fridge to use up
sometimes I throw a tin of tuna in, or pieces of (already cooked*) chicken

you don't really need to add spices, as the Uncle Ben's has a lot in it; if you have fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley - those would be excellent additions
* I added these directions in case Dad tries to make this!!

When the rice is cooked, I throw it in with the stuff in the bowl, give it a good mix, and scoop a few spoonfuls onto a bed of lettuce to make it look nice. There you go! A nice meal.

We serve this on our smaller plates, or a square sushi dish so it looks fancier like we're at a restaurant, and the serving size is smaller so you end up eating less.

(Except dad doesn't like lentils - but I feel full after having a few scoops of this)

Any cooking tips, weight loss secrets are welcome!! Sharing information is okay! We're all in this together!

Jon and I are back on track and hoping to be able to compete for the big pool of money in August for the Waste waist management contest!

Love, Mart