I love FALL!!

Whee!!  The weather is finally just the way I like it and I'm so thrilled!!  I've had kind of a strange feeling of peace or calm lately, and I'm trying - without picking it apart too much - to find the source so I can foster this. I think part of is has to do with getting the house cleaned up last week, and we'll need to get back into the habit of keeping it tidy, because I know that's a big influence on my mood.

I also think I'm starting to feel a little more motivated again now that it's cool enough to cook and do whatever workouts I like, etc...

I did a little cooking yesterday, and feel great about that. I did two spinach quiches, one for lunch today and the other to throw in the freezer on reserve. I also bought a bunch of salad fixings and chopped them all up right away and put them in containers for a kind of salad bar system that should make it a little easier and more appetizing to make salads with dinner, or throw one together for lunch. I did some other cut veggies too, and that made it nice to banging together three lunches this morning.

I tried making my own cashew butter, but my nuts just wouldn't "butter" - maybe they were a little too old and dry, I don't know. I've also considered the idea that my food processor just isn't up to the task. It's old and the blade has never been sharpened, so who knows. I'd REALLY like to figure this though, because there's so many great things I could do.

Got a dehydrator on Friday and tried out zucchini chips - they were a little bland, and probably could have dried longer, but I like the general flavor and I think with a bit of seasoning and practice, they could be pretty good. Also made my favorite squash soup and it was YUMMY. Next time I'm going to try doing the squash in the crockpot during the day, but really - it only simmers for 20 minutes anyway. I'm getting a little more fired up about trying new recipes again, and about doing a little meal planning. Hubby is maybe starting to see the value in that (he's hated previous attempts I've made in that realm and not been the most cooperative), so hopefully I can get him a little more comfortable with the idea.


I ran out of smoothie supplies last week, so I experimented with some IF'ing. Both Thursday and Friday I skipped breakfast, which wasn't too bad. I'll admit, I missed it a little, and I was STARVING by the time I got to lunch. But it wasn't horrible. It wasn't the wellspring of energy and clarity that several people say it is, but then I'm not going to expect a whole lot from anything until I've been primal for at least six months maybe more. I think there's still a lot of adjusting my body needs to do.

One interesting thing, which I will most certainly keep in mind: By Friday afternoon, I was craving bread and doughnuts like nobody's business!! This is the first time I've skipped twice in a row, and it must have something to do with that. I've also always held the belief, long before I went primal, that there's some magic on the smoothies that helped curb my cravings somewhat. So my conclusion is either don't IF two days in a row, or be well prepared to deal with the results. Have a really great dinner planned or something to keep my mind off Krispy Kreme. (Note: I had a smoothie this morning and the thoughts of doughnuts are NOT having anywhere NEAR the same effect they did on me Friday)

Working out is going well - I've been pulling out some of my cardio workouts and trying them with more of a "moderate activity level" approach, rather than trying to actively burn as many calories as possible. There's been a thread at VF that I've been following closely because it seems to address this: Does working out too hard slow/prevent weight loss? I'm interested for a few reasons - admittedly, I'd like to lose weight still, but also, I do need to create fitness habits that are sustainable, and while I think a stint of CLX occasionally, or a few killer HIIT workouts will do me good, I'm inclined to believe that I'll do best with a general level of workout that is a little kinder and gentler than I used to think I needed.

To that end, I went ahead and ordered a set I've been thinking about for several months now: Powerfit Harmony. Which is a system of ten 20-min workouts that work together. You can either do a straight up rotation of them all, or you can do doubles to get 40-min workouts, which is what I'll likely do most of the time. It's definitely time for me to start planning rotations again because I've been waffling a little and not making the best of my time.