Throwback Thursday

For Throwback Thursday I am sharing a couple of pictures from our first visit with baby Millie.  Actually, at this time her name was Rogue - the litter of puppies were named after characters in superhero movies - Batman, Lois Lane, Rogue, Wolverine, Bruce, etc.  She might still have a bit of Rogue left in her, but when we brought her home we renamed her Millie. After that first visit we had to wait two more weeks to take her home. We adopted her through a humane society and their procedure is to spay them before adoption and they wait until a certain age to do that. It was so hard to wait. More Millie.

This morning I walked about 3.5 miles. For some reason I just can't seem to get my time back down under 15 minute miles like I did several miles in the 10K a few weeks ago. Maybe it was the competition of the race that made me walk faster than I realized. We have a 5K scheduled for next Saturday so I can test my race speed theory.

There always seems to be something new and interesting on my walks.

Yesterday I had a bit of a confrontation with a guy delivering newspapers. He kept driving right up behind me and throwing the paper too close for my comfort. Not to mention Millie did not like it one little bit.  Unfortunately, the guy didn't agree it was a problem since he was just doing his job. Seriously??

Today, I had a couple "things that make you go hmmm?" moments. These vehicles where parked at the end of a driveway with these pieces of asphalt piled in the seats. Where they being used to transport the broken pieces of asphalt?  Is the asphalt expected to keep someone from stealing them?  Are they for sale?  And at 5:30 a.m. there isn't anyone out to ask my burning questions. To tell you the truth, I really wanted to take that green one for a spin...I would have brought it back :)

Much more puzzling (and a little disturbing) than that though was this situation.  Is this ladder placement intentional?  Did someone use it to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night?  Is it an invitation to creepers to peek in the windows?  Either way, in my opinion this ladder placement is a definite problem.

And sometimes there are just pretty things to look at that don't create questions.  I wouldn't mind having these in my yard.

Tonight's dinner is a go to favorite Skinnytaste's Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas, but with homemade salsa verde this time.  We will see if it is as good as the jar.

Happy Weigh-In Day!

Dodging puddles

First things first...today is weigh-in Tuesday.  I happy to report I lost 3 pounds this week.  Remember last week when I said I was disappointed that I only lost 3 and that I would be grateful later for a 3 pound loss?  I am. The first couple of weeks I hoped for big losses to just have that thrill of a fast start.  By the third week I realize things are going to slow down and I am okay with that.When I get discouraged about the day to day grind, I try to think ahead 6 months.  I am sure 6 months from now I would be content having lost at a 1-2 pound pace.

So that brings the official totals to 11.2 lost and 63.8 more to lose my puppy!  You can follow my weigh-ins on my Progress page.

My husband has been working his tail off too and I am proud to say he lost 5 pounds this week.  That brings his total lost to 24.2.  He started a little before me by quitting soda. He drank a serious amount of Coke. It is a hard habit to break and I am SO proud of him!

This morning's walk was good. I had been a little nervous because I'd been having some pain in the back of my thigh and knee area. Last night it was really bothering me. I could feel it a bit when I woke up. However, it didn't bother me at all while walking :)

When we left the house I thought the rain had stopped, but turns out it had just paused.  When I got to the far end of the loop it started again. Thankfully, it was a light rain and actually felt kind of good. I had planned to walk 3 miles, but ended up walking 2.5. I was a little concerned that my phone would get wet with only a pocket to protect it. My pace was about 16:15 minutes per mile. I would have liked it to be faster, but I was a bit cautious with the wet roads. Hopefully tomorrow will be drier and I can work on speed.

My husband has gotten me hooked on Pandora. I have the app on my cell phone now that I can pull up, plug in my headphones and listen to music while I walk. Pandora allows you to choose music you like and it will create a station based on that. I entered Girls Just Want to Have Fun and I got lots of peppy 80s music :)
I am working on a Tools page to feature things that help me through this lifestyle change. I added Pandora today.  www.pandora.com.

I never listened to music when I walked because I hated ear buds and I thought headphones would be annoying - slipping off my head and such. But I got a pair of Sony headphones a few weeks ago and now I am really enjoying the music. I am trying to decide if I want to wear them in the race Saturday. I don't want to look like a goof :) Also, if I decide to stop listening they are a bit cumbersome to carry and I don't like them down around my neck.

Tonight's dinner is a new favorite of mine - Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas from Skinnytaste.com. They are super easy and so tasty. The chicken is made ahead in the crockpot with a jar of salsa verde and a few spices. Then later you use that chicken to assemble the tostadas with a little cheese and jalapenos. Bake to melt the cheese. This morning I cooked the chicken before work - takes about 2 hours on high. I put it in the fridge and then warmed it this evening before assembling the tostadas.

Now, I know many people are going to think this odd but the recipe includes a slaw to top the tostada - red cabbage, cilantro and lime juice. Sounds odd, but so delicious - it adds a freshness and crunch that sends the dish over the top. Not to mention the color is amazing. If you are completely irredeemably opposed to cabbage (like my husband) I would recommend red onions in place of the cabbage. Be sure to read the comment section on Skinnytaste - people have made several tasty suggestions for topping them. I have also used this recipe to make party snacks. Instead of tostada shells I have used tortilla chips or Tostito Scoops as the base. Yummy finger food!! 

For more recipes I have tried and heartily recommend check out Skinnytaste.com on my Top Blogs page.

Skinnytaste Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas