Hi guys,

It’s a bit lonely over here since Nick left.  Some of the things I can’t help but notice several times a day are his missing toothbrush and towel.  Plus the fact that his side of the bed never gets messed up.  You’d think that I would have more room when he’s gone, but the girls cuddle so close, one on either side, that I can’t move.  They miss their Daddy, too.

I can’t complain, really.  He hasn’t actually deployed in a while.  It’s just basically a TDY every month.  At least I get to see him for a couple weeks at a time)  Now, once he starts deploying from his unit here, and still has the monthly TDY’s when he’s at home station, I’ll complain (maybe just a little).

Friday I spent the afternoon cleaning the apartment.  The girls were a lot of help…

not!

I also tried to get some work done…

…which eventually led to a The Walking Dead marathon via iTunes.  I want an office space so badly.  I need somewhere that is just mine, with a proper desk and organization system.  (Our lease is up in July.)  A third bedroom would do, but I’d prefer to have two spare bedrooms + a den area.  Who knows?  We may stay here, we may move on base, or we may try to find a house… It’s several months away, so I’m not exciting myself with it yet.

Saturday I went for an early morning jog.  It felt amazing to be outside, with the hot sun pounding down on me!  I’ve always preferred to run when it’s warm out, rather than cool.  I’ll pick a mid-morning, hot and sunny day over a breezy, cool night any time.  Crazy, I know.  I was so excited to run again!  I’ve been nervous to run since my ankle still doesn’t feel 100%.  My doc ordered another x-ray, and the results came back normal… I’ll start physical therapy for it soon (which will likely be a joke, considering I need how to strengthen and stretch my ankle, but it’s free and I might learn something I didn’t know, so I’ll give PT a whirl for the third time.)

I spent most of the rest of my Saturday fighting the urge to order a gluten-loaded, unclean pizza from anywhere!  Nick talked me down, via text.  Then, my littlest sister told me she had a half a pizza for dinner… ahh, how agonizing!  I settled for carrots + hummus and yogurt w/ almonds.  Yesterday was definitely the hardest day on either challenge thus far.  There’s just something about the fact that I know I can’t have it, plus the fact that Nick is gone, that makes eating well very challenging.  Thankfully, I’ve only got a handful of days left at home by myself, and then I’ll be surrounded by mi familia (very encouraging) and Kenzie (would never let me cheat).

Today, much of my day has been spent in the kitchen.  I prepared meals for my lunches/dinners throughout the week.  I made GF Pasta Salad and another ‘meal’.  I had some chicken that needed to be cooked and some sweet potatoes that needed used.  I grilled the chicken up and portioned it in four containers.  I also made some sweet potato wedges.  (I stalk this blog, and used this tutorial for the wedges.)  I haven’t made the peanut sauce yet, but I’ll make that before I eat tonight. (And portion the remaining sauce in three containers.) I’ll also sautee an onion + red pepper.  So, as you can see, the meal will come together wonderfully.  Chicken & Fries w/ Peanut Dipping Sauce.  It may sound a little weird and random, but I’m certain it will be delicious.  I’ve made the peanut sauce numerous times, so I know it’s a winner.  Kenzie’s been telling me to put peanut butter on a sweet tator for several weeks.  It’s about time I try!

I also tried a few recipes that we’re going to be making on Easter.  My favorite was GF carrot cake cupcakes.  O-M-G.  They were freaking amazing (and clean).  It’s my mom’s recipe for carrot cake, cleaned up.  I’ll share that with you another time.  ;-)  The clients I see tomorrow are going to be lucky recipients of the cupcakes, because they are definitely dangerous in my house, with just me to eat (12!) by Thursday. I made deviled-eggs, too.  I was trying to avoid using mayo, so instead I used a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese.   Tomorrow I’ll try to make them with Greek yogurt, but in the end, we may just have to go the ole fashioned way, and use mayo (blah!).  I also prepared a salad dressing for the Strawberry & Spinach Salad.  We’re going to dress it up a bit more, and add some chicken + walnuts (instead of almonds).  I haven’t tried the dressing yet, but it smells good.  That pretty much wore me out – cooking wise, so I’m happy to have all my main meals ready for the week.

Doesn’t it look amazing?  …it was!

That’s all for today, folks!  I hope you have your meals + workouts planned for the week!  Preparation is key to a healthy lifestyle!

Jess

PS: Tomorrow is the debut of my Turn ‘n Burn class at Nellis AFB.  It was popular in Aviano when we (other instructors) tried it, and I hope it will be just as popular here. It’s 45 minutes of heart-pounding spin followed by 45 minutes of powerful yoga.  Hell to the yeah!  We’re gunna get our sweat on!