Making the Most of a Rainy Day

When I can't get outside to dig around in the dirt I love to curl up on the couch and catch up on my favorite cooking shows or pour through cook books and magazines.  Although I rarely follow a recipe closely I am inspired by watching the shows or thumbing through the books and mags.  My new favorite book is a Cooking Light book named Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals.  The recipes are either 5 ingredients or 15 minute prep and cook time.  My favorite thing about this book is that each recipe has a full page color photo.  I am 10 times more likely to stop and read a recipe if there is a picture and these are big and beautiful.  For each main dish there is also a recipe for a simple side.  This book is a pleasure to read.  I ordered mine throught Oxmoor House and it is a hardback but I found this paperback version on Amazon.com in case anyone wants to check it out.   The best part of a rainy day is what happened yesterday about 4 pm... the sun returned!  :)  I know we need the rain but can we please just have it at night?  Wouldn't it be great to be able to listen to the rain on the roof while we slept and then wake up to a fresh sunny day?  What's wrong with that plan?


So this morning:  162.5 lbs and 97 glucose.  Sweet and sweet.  Glucose is fabulous - let's me know I am doing something right and the poundage is the lowest yet I believe.  While I have a lot lot lot to go... I've lost 8 pounds so far!  Yesterday Dave gave me a hug and noticed for the first time that I was thinner.  He said, "Wow... my fingertips can almost touch!"  :)  The man needs an ass whoopin!  Why do I love him?          

Last night for dinner I grilled some beef tenderloin.  Oh baby!  I was very proud of myself.  I am usually way more successful with my grill pan over a gas flame than on the grill outside but perhaps I am starting to get the hang of it.  I paired the tiny little steaks with a simple salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, yellow bell peppers cukes with goat cheese and pomegranate-balsamic vinaigrette .  The surprise was the blueberries I scattered on top.  I didn't know if it was going to work but it was really good.  We both thought so.  I love fresh or dried fruit in my salad but had never tried blueberries before.  I planted a couple of blueberry bushes about three years ago.  This year it looks like I will have more than three berries.  How exciting!

Well... now that Monday has arrived I can quit dreading it and start looking forward to the weekend.  :)  This week will be special though.  Tomorrow I am driving west and will have the company of my little  granddaughter Aubrey.  I'm delivering her to her other grandma for a visit.  I also get to visit my nephew Chris  and his fiancé Georgina and daughter Kiera from TN.  Yay!  Lots of things to look forward to this week!  On Friday we are renewing our passports.  Finally a new picture!  In the last picture I looked like... well... really not good!  :)  Every time I look at a camera it shudders apparently because I almost never take a good picture.  It's amazing because I just know I'm not that ugly!  How can the camera be wrong all the time?  :)

Here's to a great week!  Ciao!