up close and personal

Physical therapists really should come with a warning, something along the lines of "Personal space invader" or "You will be in a PT sandwich between my student and me so please show up clean."  A heads up would be helpful.

So we had those inches of snow last night as promised.  Early this morning the plow came by and effectively blocked the driveway with about 2.5 feet of hard-packed snow - not a job for a wussy shovel.  Darling daughter and I both had to be out of the house by 6:45 a.m. and the husband was still in bed.  Big girl that I am, I got out the snowblower and cleared that puppy! Finished just in time to jump in the car and head to my 7:00 a.m. PT visit.  I am woman, y'all!

What I did NOT smell like
at PT this morning

Of course there was no time for a shower between clearing snow and jumping in the car.  Got my teeth brushed though, which is a big plus.  On the way to PT, I realized that I smelled like the snowblower - I have no idea about the chemical composition - Gas?  Oil?  Sweat?  At any rate, I stunk.  And today would be the day that it was a "hands on" visit as two, yes TWO people - one fore and one aft - had me in the above mentioned PT sandwich while they pushed and smushed my body into submission.  I'm sure they both felt they needed to bathe when they were done with me, or at least wash their hands.  Blech.

The good news is that my hard work is paying off - I'm continuing to improve - slowly getting stronger and more flexible.  Rock on, Nora!

Still have to get my 3 miles in today.  Quality time with the treadmill coming up......

slowly she turns....

I am trying so hard to eat better.  It's not easy for a carb-whore like me to avoid the breads, the Oreos, the fat, the salt, and the grease that I love so very much.  But I think I am slowly making the transformation.  One step forward, ten steps back sometimes......I'm a work in progress.

Mmmmmm, panko crusted halibut....

I was on my own for dinner last Friday after circuit class so I stopped at Kowalski's on my way home to try to find dinner inspiration.  Not the best idea when I'm starving..... Anyway, here's what was in my bag when I walked out of the store (after paying for it of course): fresh halibut, yellow squash, zucchini, baby bella mushrooms and rye berry salad.  Coated the halibut with egg, then dipped in whole wheat panko and baked in the oven......sauteed the zucchini, squash and mushrooms with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper.....ate the rye berry salad as is (and it was delicious!).  A fabulous meal for one!

Saturday: family meal with baked chicken breasts with olive oil and a mishmash of herbs, rosemary roasted red potatoes, asparagus with lemon and slivered parmesan cheese, and spaghetti squash.  Yum! Please note, there was NO bread at any of these meals.  Planning a meal without bread felt wrong, and color me surprised when I didn't miss the bread at all.  I wonder if aliens are taking over my body.  I feel like such a big girl cooking reasonably healthy food for more than one day in a row - especially on Friday when it was just for me.  It would have been SOOOOOOO easy to make a plate of nachos and eat them over the sink.

Mmmmm, grilled tuna steak!

Sunday: family meal (Again! Seems like a rare occurrence these days.) grilled tuna steaks with sesame seasoning,  mango salsa & fresh avocado, and brown basmati rice.  BIG shout-out to the husband for braving the below zero windchill to grill the tuna.

Annnnnd then I had two Oreos for dessert......and another one later to get my full serving of three cookies in.... Oh well.  Rome wasn't built in a day.