Spring Break is testing my resolve...

I knew when we started this diet that Spring Break was going to be difficult; being home, around more food and less support.  It's as bad as I thought it would be (although it does help that my mom has jumped on board for the week).  The main issue is that there are endless snacking opportunities at home.  Out here on the farm, you never know when a project will start, and suddenly there's eight extra people at your house and they are all hungry men.  It happens all the time, and it means that there always needs to be extra food around for those emergency times.  Great for all those workers, but for me it's just temptation everywhere!  And without my motivators living a few steps down the hall, it is all up to me to stop myself from eating what I shouldn't.

The first thing I did when I got home was go grocery shopping with my mom.  She wanted to try out our diet for a few days, so she bought some spinach, peppers, sweet potatoes, asparagus, and some chicken breasts.  I also slipped some hot sauce in the cart, but I'm not telling her what I put it in.  My family eats things very plain, so they are too scared to try anything spicy; what they don't know won't hurt them...

She also bought some chocolate covered almonds, for when we are really craving a dessert or something sweet.  Here's a helpful hint if you're a mindless muncher like me: take out three or five or however many you need to satisfy your craving, and then close them and put them away, out of sight.  Too many times at my house we leave things sitting out on the counter and it is all too easy to walk by and grab a handful of whatever it is, simply because it's there.  If you can't see it, it is a lot easier to resist it.

Yesterday for lunch, I made the Southwest Chicken Spinach Salad that you can find on the recipes page (or can SOON find there, anyway).  That was a big hit.  We made more and put it in the fridge so it would be there when we needed to make a quick meal.  Last night, I made chicken breasts with a little bit of Mr. Yoshida's marinade, and I threw in a little garlic powder and some Sriracha hot sauce.  Some of my siblings ate it as a sandwich; I ate mine with some lemon roasted asparagus, and no one complained about anything being too spicy.  (Success!)  Since they liked my chicken marinade, they are all willing to try the next thing I make.  I think I might go with salmon or tilapia.  We will see how far they trust me...














Sandy and Pixie... I miss these two goofballs. :)