OFF & Running

Hey Everyone,

I hope you had a fantastic week. I am thinking that this week was a little better than last week. Still not 100% smooth but moving forward.  

I have been thinking about goals a lot this week. I keep thinking I really should set some for myself so I had something to reach for.  But then I thought if I set goals I am going to really stress myself out about reaching that goal.  I'm not on this journey to add more stress to my life but just the opposite.  So I have come up with a new system for myself (ok maybe it is goal setting in a way). I have to mason jars on one jar I have written removed and in the other jar I have placed ten stones in it. Every time I remove a pound from my body I move a stone over to the jar that says removed. Once I have all the stones in the remove jar I will reward myself no matter how long it takes to move all the stones.

So another reason why I do not set goals is because if I happen to fail meeting a goal I have a habit of giving up. I get depressed because I failed myself and I think I let down my family and friends who are supporting me. Reality is the only person I let down is myself because I have high hopes for myself.  My family and friends will support me even if I did not make a goal.  Isn't it funny how hard we are on ourselves because we think we have failed others. Maybe when I feel stronger I will set goals.  

This past week I have realized how many people I have in my support team.  I am truly amazed blessed and thankful for these people.

This coming week I am going to be mindful when I eat. What I mean is I am not going to do anything, watch anything or read anything while I eat. I will only be in the moment of the meal. I have heard in the past that if you do this then you remember eating your meal and you will not think you are hungry in a short amount of time because you have forgotten you ate. This also slows you down the speed in which you eat. Do you ever mindfully eat your meals?  

Listed below is the great meal my family and I tried this week. I am really enjoying trying new recipes and I enjoy cooking.

You all have a great week,

~Julie

YouTube Channel - Julie's Story

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jgweightloss

Chicken & Sweet Pea Linguine

2-6oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Pound to ½     thickness

½ tsp dried oregano flakes

½ tsp each sea salt & ground black pepper, divided

1 ½ tbsp olive oil, divided

8oz whole-grain linguine

8oz whole-grain linguine

alsamic vinegar

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

⅓ cup mascarpone cheese

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1. Season chicken with oregano and ¼ tsp each salt and pepper. In large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil on medium-high. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into thin strips. Cover with foil to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain pasta.
3. Meanwhile, in the same skillet, heat remaining ½ tbsp oil on low. Add leeks and cook, stirring frequently until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and cook stirring, until leeks are very soft and golden, 2 to 3 minutes more.
4. Increase heat to medium; add peas, mascarpone and reserved pasta-cooking water. Cook, stirring, until sauce is smooth. Add pasta, chicken, lemon zest and remaining ¼ tsp each salt and pepper; toss to coat. Sprinkle with basil.

Per serving (2 cups) calories 317, total fat: 10g, Sat fat 4g, carbs: 37g, fiber: 6g, sugar: 5g, protein: 22.5g, sodium: 192mg, cholesterol: 57mg

From Clean Eating magazine 3/2017