Tuesday Ramble

Good morning and a happy Tuesday to all.  When classes are in session I usually stay home on Tuesdays to catch up on household things, and even though there are no classes, I still plan on staying in today.  Went running about a lot yesterday and ended up in pain.  When am I ever going to learn that I can't carry the loads that I used to carry?  It's just so hard sometimes to admit to myself that my body is not the same body I used to have and adjust to the new me.

Wasn't planning on going out today, but hubby is sick.  Nasty cold which seems to be settling in his lungs again.  He has Stage 2 emphysema, so that's no good.  Last time I ended up calling the ambulance, and he spent a few days in the hospital for COPD exasperation.  So today I'm going to head to the fruit stand and get all the ingredients for a nice ginger tea.  I use fresh ginger, lemon, cinnamon, cloves, and honey for sweetening.

I was so proud of myself the other night when we went to Sunset Cove.  While everyone got these thick juicy burgers and cheese fries, I settled on a Western Salad with Grilled Chicken--lettuce, tomato, black beans with a hint of cilantro, corn, some shredded cheddar cheese, and balsamic dressing.  So delicious and satisfying.  I was very glad for many reasons that I had made that choice.

However, dessert was another story.  After we left Sunset Cove we stopped at a homemade ice cream shop which was 10 minutes away.

I ended up having a scoop of vanilla fudge and a scoop of chocolate covered with chocolate syrup, homemade whipped cream and a cherry.  Hey, I could have had the three scoop sundae with as many toppings as I wanted so all in all I did well.  And I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I swear, if I worked in that shop I'd weigh a ton.  I remember back years ago, when I was 17 I worked evenings in a bakery.   I ate and ate and ate--eclairs, cupcakes, cookies, sometimes my friend and I even ate a whole cake. But at that time, my metabolism was different, and I never gained. 

To make up for it, on Sunday night I had a salad, and last night I made a delicious vegetable stir fry.   

 Mixed veggies, olive oil, garlic powder, parsley, and Shawarma spice.

(Cumin, Coriander, Allspice, Garlic, Paprika, Turmeric, Salt Recipe)

I adore Middle Eastern seasonings for both their taste and the health benefits they offer, and this is one of the best. I use it on chicken, veggies, just about everything.

Mrs. Santa gave me this little gift the other night.  It's vanilla flavored lip balm.  I imagine it tastes good, but I put aside until Winter comes around.  That's when lip balm comes in handy.