wii mania...

35 pounds is my first "big" goal and I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to purchase as a reward for this event. I've narrowed it down to a couple options, but the one I keep coming back to is a Wii Fit. There are numerous reasons I am interested, but the biggest one is that this little machine tracks your progress in numerous ways. It can track changes in your BMI, your balance, strength, and general fitness level. One of the biggest reasons I used to love working out on an elliptical was because every day I could see how many strides I was adding to my workout. Seeing the numbers change was a big enough incentive for me to work that much harder. With winter just around the corner, it would be good to have another option for exercise in my apartment. So wii fit may be the answer. I have 12 pounds to go until I'm at the goal, which will probably be in 2 months or so.

I've also learned an important lesson. NEVER GO TO WHOLE FOODS HUNGRY. I can handle most grocery stores when I'm hungry, as I have a lot of self control and there is never anything there that I could potentially be craving enough to purchase. But yesterday I had a progresso bowl of soup for lunch, which I've found is not very satisfying on it's own. And I had lunch at 12:30, so by the time I was in Whole Foods I was ravenous. I went in with the intention of buying vegan cheese and whole wheat pasta. I left with grapes, a big container of mixed fruit, cauliflower, a small piece of chocolate, a vegan cookie, hummus, pita bread, a box of tiny cranberry orange scones, and a wedge of spanish cheese. It was ridiculous. There were several points in which I could clearly see that I was just hungry and didn't need any of the things in my cart, but oh how I WANTED them. Thank God I had used less than half of my points for the day, because I had calories left to sample a scone, the chocolate, and the cheese. But it's strange how even though I knew I could eat them and even had the calories to do it, I still felt guilty afterwards. I swear to you there was a message from God on the chocolate. No joke. I had eaten the scone and a bite of the cheese and had tore open the chocolate with the intent of eating it in one bite (it was a SMALL piece). But written on the chocolate (I am not making this up) were the words, "Slow down, you move too fast." Touche.

P.S - the Vegan Mac and Cheese was SO good! Dan and I have really perfected this recipe. It's not difficult, in fact it takes very little time and effort. Here is how we do it:

1/2 package of Vegan Cheese (it melts!) - 5 points total
Whole Wheat Pasta of any variety - 3 points per cup
1 package of Boca Ground Meat - 1 point total
1/8 cup of soy milk (or low fat milk if you prefer)

Make your pasta the way you like it best. Cut the cheese up into tiny pieces. Once you've drained the pasta, keep the stove on a very low heat and mix in the cheese bits and the milk. It usually takes the cheese at least 5 minutes to melt completely. Prepare your Boca meat however you like (it cooks in the microwave in 1 minute, but you could also do it in the skillet). Mix in the meat and stir for another minute. Enjoy! Makes 2 servings. 6 points total.