Dear Jennifer Hudson (Week 32)

Dear Jennifer Hudson,

I definitely found my weight loss groove again this past week. I didn't break any records on the scale or anything, but I did lose 7.6 pounds of the 11.2 pounds I had gained in the prior 2 weeks...so that's pretty good. Just 22 pounds away from my goal weight! :0)

If I have done my math correctly, there are 20 weeks left in this year...it was one of my New Years Resolutions to meet my goal weight in 2012. 22 pounds in 20 weeks SHOULD be doable! Only time will tell!

I did some cool things in the fitness arena this past week...usually I just do a 9 mile run around my neighborhood (a few times during the week), but this week, in preparation of my upcoming half marathon race in 2 weeks, I did a 10 mile run, and then a 12 mile run on a different day. I was happy to get those under my belt, and I hope to do a few more "biggies" before race day.

One of the more unique adventures in exercise this week, was the walk I took with my mom and the kids from my mom's house, all the way up to Mt. Helix...

That was a super fun change of pace...and scenery!

Other than the wonderful cake, cookies, and ice cream (my sister made an incredible cookies and cream ice cream!!!) at my brother's birthday dinner, our most memorable eats were:

1. Turkey Nacho Salad...

But believe it or not, that dish was memorable for how gross it was! IMO, the picture looks great, everything looks so colorful!...but in reality, the salad lacked so much flavor! Fail!

2. Grilled Chicken Gyros with a Greek Salad...

Now THIS dinner was AMAZING!!!! I can't get over just how good it was...especially the salad! My taste buds have changed so much in the last 2 years, and things that used to gross me out, have now become some of my faves. Artichoke hearts are one of those things...and this salad was packed full of them! We had a lot of salad left over, and I broke my "never-keep-salad-overnight" rule, and saved it anyway, hoping the lettuce wouldn't get soggy by the next day. Unfortunately, the lettuce did get a bit soggy, but it didn't matter...there were still cucumbers, artichoke hearts, Greek olives, red onion, bell peppers, and feta cheese all still edible!...I warmed up an extra pita bread, spread a generous amount of "Spicy Cilantro Bitchin' Sauce" on it, and then layered all of the edible salad leftovers on top of that, and it resulted in: THE BEST (healthiest) LUNCH EVER!!!

So that's all I have for you this week J Hud. I would love it if I could be sitting here next week and be reporting at least a 2 pound loss on the scale. We shall see...

Your biggest fan,
Elizabeth