TGIF

So today is my last day of summer vacation.  Back to work on Monday.  I'll admit I'm excited - it will be nice to be back.

So my new work out dvds arrived from Amazon and I LOVE THEM!  I ordered Legs of Steel, Abs of Steel and Buns of Steel.  They are 35 minutes each and I think they are a good workout.  I was in the best shape of my life after a year of bootcamp and lots of the exercises are very similar to ones we did.  I like the "leader" and she doesn't annoy me (like a certain someone, lol)

I tried out two new recipes this morning.  Hungry Girl's Death by Chocolate Cupcakes  I tried one and they are really yummy.  Each cupcake was about 1/3 cup of the batter (I like to use a measuring cup from bowl to pan because it makes them all even).  I had to bake them for about 25 minutes before they were done. Edited to add - make sure to use liners.  I didn't have enough and the 4 cupcakes without liners would not come out of the pan, despite me spraying with Pam before using.

I also have White Bean and Ground Turkey Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili in the slow cooker.  It's not quite done but it smells delicious!  If I like it, I plan to portion and freeze it to take for lunch at work.  Edited to add - it was delicious!  Next time I am going to up the spices as it was a bit bland.

A big part of my weight loss has been drinking tons of water.  WW recommends 6 glasses a day but I try to get at least 9, sometimes more.  The downside of this is I have to pee sooooo often, but it's worth it.  If I've got the munchies I have a big drink first, then get a snack if I need one.  My skin is also a lot clearer. One way to make this easier is to have a bottle / glass that you know the amount it holds, making it easier to track.  At work I have a stainless steel water bottle that holds 2 cups of water.  At home I use a cup with a straw (I really like drinking through a straw, apparently I am a toddler).  It holds 3 cups of water.  I got it at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas and it was 18$ with a margarita in it.  My brothers exact words to me when I bought it "That is ridiculous to spend that much on a glass, you better use it everyday and I will not talk to you for an hour because I think you're being dumb".  Well it was well worth the 18$ and I do use it everyday (and he didn't talk to me for an hour).  I keep it beside me pretty much all the time, which makes it easy to sip throughout the day.

  Talk Soon

J