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Nic and I had a grrl day out yesterday. Oh, we shopped, awww’d over the cuteness that was the baby store filled with many items-o-cuteness that made your heart explode, stuff like that. We hit up a bookstore, ate sushi, and walked into Target, which was the scariest thing you could have ever done at 3pm on a Saturday.

We talked about life. How funky things happen that are unexpected, and sometimes seem horrible at the time, and you wonder how you’ll ever move on, or overcome. But then you do. And life keeps truckin’. And then sometimes unexpected good things happen. You meet someone and you feel that weird flutter you thought was long gone, or maybe you thought you’d never have it like that again. But then you do. Or maybe it’s a little different. Then sometimes, everything sorta feels like in some small way, stuff falls into place for the first time in a while.

Today is Sunday. Today I am going to do laundry. I am currently in the process of cooking a pork roast, with carrots and onion soup mix. It will sit for eight hours. I made homemade salsa, which is probably one of the yummiest salsa recipes I’ve tried. So easy, too. Give it a whirl maybe, if you’re feeling up to it. Let me know how it turned out for you.

It’s all about progression. Living. Doing. Not thinking about doing all the time. After a while, thinking about doing gets old. And then you wonder what it would have been like if you would have done said thing you were thinking about. I think I’ve spent far too long thinking and not doing. That’s going to have to change.

I’m pretty stoked about this week. I tried to focus on really sticking with tracking my allotted points, and apparently, it paid off. I didn’t really work out much this week; I think I walked twice on my lunch hour at work.

I did make one of my all-time favourite recipes this week, that just so happens to be a WW one. Oh, good Lord. I like a lot of simple dishes that don’t require a ton of prep time or skill. If I can dump it all into a crockpot, I’m all over it. So, with that, I give you Beef Provencal:

1 pound lean beef round, cut into 1-inch cubes (London Broil)
1 sprays cooking spray
1 small onion(s), chopped
2 cup mushroom(s), sliced
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
2 large carrot(s), sliced
15 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed, divided **
1 1/2 cup canned beef broth, divided **
14 1/2 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp thyme, or 2 whole sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic. Sauté overmedium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; add toslow cooker. Add carrots.

** (I generally don’t even bother with this step. They do it to make the soup thicker, and I haven’t found that it really works well enough to take the time to drag my blender out and complete this step every single time. I just wind up dumping it all in together.) Place half of beans in slow cooker. Place remaining beans in a blender. Add 1/2 cup of broth to blender and puree.

Add mixture to slow cooker. Add remaining broth, tomatoes, oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper to slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high setting of slow cooker for 6 to 7 hours. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired. Yields about 2 cups per serving.

I hope you enjoy it. You’ll have to let me know how it is. The best part? Four points for a serving! Can’t beat it.

One of things I struggled with this week is feeling like I’m cheating if I grab a little sumthin’ sumthin’ I shouldn’t be. Example: My friend made this ridiculously yummy dessert-ish bread to work yesterday, and every time I walked by, I snagged a little piece. I didn’t know how to begin calculating it into my points, so I just didn’t. And because I didn’t, I started feeling guilty, which lead to feeling like I was cheating myself, and ultimately, a weak ass. It’s silly to let it get to that point, because then it ultimately ends in my seeing the scale, and God forbid I gained a little. I go into this downward spiral on myself about how I obviously can’t do this, blah blah blah, and you know what? It’s totally stupid. Life is too short not to eat a piece of desserty bread, if you want it. What I’ve learned more than anything this week would probably be that there’s moderation to everything. I got my desserty bread, and hey, I didn’t even count it. I just didn’t have five pounds of it.

Started: June 3rd, 2006
Beginning weight: 289.5
As of July 8, 2006: 280.5
Lost this week: -4 lb
Total lost: 9 lbs

A few weeks ago, I watched Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello on Food Network, and I watched him make the most incredible looking roasted tomato soup I have ever seen. I knew I had to try it. So this afternoon, I managed to find myself twelve lovely vine-ripened tomatoes, and everything else I needed to make this hearty soup, at New Seasons, a local grocery store specializing in organic foods.

The whole thing took maybe an hour and a half, including prep time. The ingredients are so simple and fresh; there really isn’t any complexity to this recipe, though the rich hearty flavours will fool anyone.

The first bite was a blast of immense flavours - the sweetness from the roasted tomatoes really stood out, as well as the garlic and basil. The flavours blend incredibly well in this dish. I have to say (and it’s not because I’m partial to my own cooking) that this tomato soup is literally the best tomato soup I’ve ever had, anywhere. Do yourself a favour and give it a go.

I gave my two weeks’ notice today. I’m going to go back to work for a former employer. (Man, I never thought I’d say that.) I’m actually excited about it. The environment’s going to be a lot different than what I experienced, in positive ways. The office seems small and everyone seems cool. The benefits alone are worth going for. The four and a half weeks paid time off cinched it. I think I’ll be just as happy there as I have been with my current employer. Wish me luck!

Matt and I cooked burgers and veggies out on the grill, and it makes me long for summer that much more. There’s nothing better than a good bottle of wine, friends, conversation, and really good food on the grill on a balmy summer evening. We love to grill, and we grill just about anything. One of my favourite meals as of late, is a simple one. We take a bit of ground sirloin and make burgers. You can make a patty, if you want. We’re not too particular - they usually wind up in a giant meat hunk ball thing. Chop the veggies of your choice (we usually use zuchini, red pepper, and onion), into decent sized hunks so they don’t fall down the grill slats. Grill the meat and veggies to your liking (we prefer medium on the meat and charred veggies to bring out the sweetness). Plate everything when it’s done, and top the meat with bleu cheese crumbles. We don’t bother with buns or condiments - it’s perfect just the way it is, trust me. The meal is healthy, low carb, and fresh. Better yet, you can get the feeling of summer any time. If you decide to try it, let me know what you think. If you’ve done something similar, fill me in on different variations you may have used. I’m trying to eat more veggies, and I love grilling. Combining the two just seems like the right thing to do.

Random funny:

Me: I’d be interested in taking up kung pao.

Matt: You mean.. kung fu?