Where has the time gone?

Wow...I can't believe October is almost half way over, and my little man is about to be a year old. I can't believe how fast the first year of his life has gone (especially compared to how slow the 9 months of pregnancy felt!!!). Things have been very busy in my life, and although I've accomplished quite a bit, I never feel like I have enough time to finish the things I really want to.

After taking a break from the gym for a few weeks, I have rejoined and joined a biggest loser competition there. It is a partner competition, and a girl I work with has joined with me. The prize isn't nearly as exciting as the prizes we had when we participated at the hospital, but I get $5 off my gym membership every month and the prize is ok...a night at the Comfort Inn, a meal cooked by a personal chef, and flowers from flowerland. And no, Dana and I will not be spending the night there together!! If we win, I guess we will have to flip a coin to see who gets the prize. Anyway, it is a six month contest, so it will be a longer-term commitment than the other contests I've joined, which is probably a good thing.

I have also decided that I am going to go on the South Beach diet and stay on Phase 1 until I lose 17 lbs, which will be my first goal weight that I am trying to reach. I have thought about it lately, and I realized that I obsess about everything I eat, I think about food all the time, and if I would just put that obsession towards losing weight, I might actually be successful this time. I am so tired of my weight being in the back (or front!) of my mind 24 hours a day, and I really want to be able to wear cute clothes instead of ginormous jeans and sweatshirts. D.R. and I have decided that if I don't get into school (yes, I am applying once again), then we are going to get married in March or April, and I would really like to be able to look back at my wedding pictures and not be disgusted at how overweight I was.

One goal that I am really set on is to make food ahead of time so that I have something healthy available when the afternoon (morning, and night!) munchies hit me and don't end up blowing my diet because I don't have anything available. Also, after I'm done with phase I, I need to stop thinking about my meal plans as a "diet" and start thinking about it as a way of life. I am excited to be able to add fruit and healthy grains into my diet, so 17 lbs, here I come!!! I am going to share some recipes that fit in with my South Beach plan, and I would love to get more recipes from anyone reading that would expand my meal repertoire!!!

Recipe for the Day....Southwestern Style Frittata
Adapted from South Beach Diet Recipe Book

Ingredients:
cubed ham or cooked chicken breast cubes or strips
eggs
vegetables of your choice ... I use green peppers, mushrooms, and black olives
1/4 cup shredded cheese
salsa
Pam

1. Warm a deep, oven-proof skillet over medium heat, spray with Pam once heated. Pre-heat broiler in oven.

2. Arrange meat and vegetables in bottom of skillet, spacing apart as desired - bottom of skillet may be completely or sparsely covered depending on how much meat and vegetables you use.

3. Pour scrambled eggs over meat and vegetables so they are completely covered (using 6 to 9 eggs depending on the size of your skillet).

4. Cook over medium heat, undisturbed, until eggs are almost set and only slightly runny on top.

5. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar or mozarella cheese and dollop with salsa. Place skillet in oven and broil 3 to 6 minutes, until eggs are set and frittata is puffed up on top.

6. Serve with sour cream and salsa to taste. Will refrigerate for 3 days.