...Go Chase Yourself...

After a long break from concerts, I went to see 30 Seconds to Mars with Matt, Tommy, and Judy. Overall, it was one of the worst shows I've ever been to. The opening acts were fine, sound was good, they just weren't bands I was into. 30 Seconds to Mars had sound issues from the start. There were problems with a drum mike at first, distorting the bass and adding static, then some lead vocal mike problems. Despite the issues, the first couple of songs were ok, with the band sounding tight and the vocals spot on - when Jared Leto was singing. He spent a lot of time having the crowd singing for him; not what I came to see. After that, it all went to hell. There were huge pauses, sometimes 5 minutes or more, where there was just nothing going on, and we all just stood around looking at each other. Multiple times, there would be a song started, or a verse sung, just to stop in the middle and move on to something else. People around me started leaving, and the ones who stayed were screaming things like, "Play anything, just play it all the way from start to finish!" I know he was sick, but I came to listen to him sing, not half-hear the crowd try.

All By Myself...

My husband had baseball practice right after work yesterday, and then they went to the batting cages, and then they had dinner together. I had all this energy when I got home from work, so I took the dogs for a walk, and then made a pot of soup with what I had in the house.

Summer Soup

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes (no salt added), drained
2 medium Zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 can Pink Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Chick Peas, drained, rinsed, and pureed
6 cups Broth (I used nonfat, low-sodium Chicken broth)
1 tbsp dried Basil
1/2 tsp dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
1 cup Pasta (I used Tubettini) - optional

Heat the Olive Oil in a large stock pot. Add Onions and Garlic and cook until Onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently to keep Garlic from browning. Stir in Tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Add Zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in all remaining ingredients except pasta, and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Add pasta and cook until soft. Serve with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese on each bowl.

Things Can Get a Little....

This turned out fabulous! My husband loved it, and I'm really looking forward to the leftovers for lunch. I used a shortcut with the Goya Sazon. If you'd rather use spices, throw in some cumin, paprika, salt & pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Quick Arroz con Pollo

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can Rotell (diced tomatoes with green chile peppers)
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup long grain rice
1 packet Goya Sazon

Heat olive oil in large, deep nonstick chef's pan or frying pan. Saute chicken until all pieces are white, about 7-8 minutes. (Chicken will get cooked again, so don't worry about it being completely done.) Remove chicken and set aside. To same pan, add onion and garlic. Saute about 3 minutes, until onion begins to soften. Add pepper and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 more minutes. Add Rotell, tomato paste, broth, rice, and Goya Sazon. Stir well, then bring to a simmer. Cover lightly and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until rice is ready. Do not stir until the mixture has been cooking for 15 minutes, and then be careful to scrape all rice from the bottom of the pan. I served it with shredded Monterrey and Colby cheese to sprinkle, and a dot of sour cream.

...You Been On My Mind

Well, since my last update, I haven't actually lost any weight. I haven't gained any, either. I guess maintenance isn't such a bad thing, right?

Over the past month, I've stepped up my workouts quite a bit. I'm playing soccer three nights a week, and one of those nights is for three different teams. It ends up being about 225 soccer minutes per week. I love indoor soccer; it's so small and close together that you sprint the whole time, instead of spreading out like on a 10 v 10 outdoor field.

Dave and I joined a gym about three weeks ago. I'm still getting my workouts sorted out, but right now I'm doing cardio (generally intervals on the stationary bike) on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (depending on what night I have soccer), Saturday, and Sunday. Then I do a full body strength workout on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I do some legs and shoulders in every workout, but I alternate biceps/back and triceps/chest days.

In the past week, I've lost 1" from my waist!

In other news, Mom has been quite sick recently. A couple of months ago, her seizures began increasing in frequency, and it was decided that she shouldn't drive until they are under control. She has to be without any seizures for three months before she can drive again. She's been to all of her doctors, including the neurosurgeon that did her brain surgery ten years ago, and had every test imaginable, but none have revealed any cause for the seizures.

About three weeks ago, she was taken to the emergency room suffering from extremely low blood pressure. It turned out that she had a major kidney infection, a UTI, and was severely dehydrated. All of that, plus what appears to have been improper high blood pressure medication, caused some cardiac issues. She was admitted to intensive care, and the doctors spent a couple of days diagnosing and treating the infections, and working to maintain a healthy blood pressure level. She was moved out of the ICU when the blood pressure stabilized, but remained in the hospital for just over a week total.

Now she is home, feeling a bit better, but still very tired and week. Her primary doctor has told her not to go back to work until at least February 1st, and prescribed complete relaxation until then. Depending on how she feels next week, she will probably extend the time even longer and go on disability. She's going crazy being at home, with pretty much only Dad for company, but we keep trying to impress on her that being healthy has to be the priority. Since she hasn't been driving, I go down to her house on Saturdays, and take her out to run errands. I always try to work in lunch, as well, otherwise she might not eat anything all day. She claims that she's been eating much better while she's been out of work, so we'll see.

Sky Rockets in Flight...

Mmmm, yogurt!

Every time I go to the grocery store, I pick up something that I feel like I should be eating, and yogurt is usually on that list. I take home a kind that seems healthy and looks like it might taste decent, but end up only eating half of the container. Over the years, I have thrown away many containers of perfectly good yogurt that I let expire uneaten in my refrigerator.

Most of the time, it's the artificial sweetener that gets me. I understand why people try to avoid high sugar foods, but I just can't agree that filling up with chemical sweeteners is a better idea. Besides, they leave horrible aftertastes that stay with me all day, no matter what else I eat. I also don't like the creepy chunks that seem like they can't possibly be real fruit that are typically blended in.

Ok, so normally I am not really a fan of yogurt, but this stuff is actually good! Really, it seems more like pudding than anything. Though sucralose (Splenda) is a primary ingredient, the main flavor that I tasted was caramel. This specific flavor may be too sweet for some, but I was feeling like sweet, and it was perfect for me. At 100 calories, a cup is perfect for a mid-morning or -afternoon snack, or as a nice substitute for ice cream in the evening. I picked up the Chocolate Raspberry as well.