DAY 332 OF 365: TIP OF THE WEEK

So I am back with my tip of the week. Cucumbers are great juiced and even better for your face. After juicing your cucumbers, use the pulp or remnants of the cucumber that can not be juiced and use it as a face wash. You will see a huge difference in your skin. I do the same with lemons. Great for my pores. Well, off to bed. Till tomorrow.

DAY 331 OF 365: LOVE ME SOME COLLARD GREENS

Who would have thought that a leafy green would bring me such pleasure. I had a yearning for some greens and thought I would give the below recipe a try from Greens, Glorious Greens. I had heard rumors that collard greens were not the easiest to cook but took a chance that luck was on my side. What followed was pure Ecstasy. I have made a new friend in collards and I feel that I might be inviting them for lunch and dinner more often. Give the recipe a try and see if you fall in love too.

Collard Greens and Caramelized Onions

3/4 pound collard greens (6 to 7 cups, chopped)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 onions, sliced into crescents
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste

Wash collards, remove stalks and stack 4 to 5 leaves. Slice into strips, approximately 1/4 inch wides and set aside.
In a large skillet or cast-iron pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and sweet. Take care not to burn. Add garlic and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden.
While the onions are cooking, bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil in a 10 to 12 inch skillet with a lid. Add collards, cover, and cook over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The greens are cooked when they are tender but still bright green. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Add greens to onions and garlic. Season with salt to taste and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes to heat through. Serve hot, drizzled with additional olive oil is you dare.


Well I hope that you enjoy this recipe. I know that I did. Now it is off to bed for me. Early session with JC in the morning before a hectic day of meetings at the office. Change is a brewing and that is always a good thing. Till tomorrow.

DAY 330 OF 365: BACK TO THE GYM

So today was my first day back to the gym since Thanksgiving and I am sore as hell. Between the squats and the chest and arm work that we did, I am surprised that I am able to type this entry in the blog. I have noticed that JC no longer takes it easier with me. The days of easing me into the workouts are over and now it is all about jumping right in and pushing my body till it can't go any more. One thing is for sure though, I need to go grocery shopping. I made a nice home cooked meal last night and took the left overs to work today, but now the fridge is looking pretty bare. Hopefully I can make it over to the grocery store sometime this week. I want to try out some new recipes this weekend and I am also craving my holiday guilty pleasure. It is not at all healthy or for that matter even good for me, but what holiday season would be complete without eggnog! With all my hard work at the gym and in the kitchen, I say I deserve some eggnog. Well, I am off to bed. Busy day at the office. Till tomorrow.

DAY 329 OF 365: I LOVE BRUSSELS SPROUTS

I love Brussels sprouts. I hated them as a kid but now I can't get enough of them. My mother gave me some fresh Brussels sprouts (not frozen) to take home from Thanksgiving and tonight I decided to cook them up. Try out my recipe and see what you think. I think that it was a hit with my dinner guests this evening.

Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Walnuts

2 lbs Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 apples, peeled and diced into chunks (baking apple preferred)
1 cup of walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp of maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil and garlic to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the Brussels sprouts, oil, apples, salt, pepper, basil and garlic in a large zip lock baggie and shake up till it is mixed well and spread on a baking sheet. Bake the sprout mixture in the oven for about 35 minutes, mixing it occasionally so as to not brown on only one side. After 35 minutes, pull the baking sheet out and drizzle the maple syrup on the sprouts and sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top. Mix in and bake for another ten minutes or until nice and brown. Serve immediately.

Well, I am off to bed. I am meeting with JC in the morning. Should be an interesting session since this is the first time back since Thanksgiving. Wish me luck! Till tomorrow.

DAY 328 OF 365: BACK TO GREENS

So now that I am juicing more, it makes sense that I would get back into the habit of cooking with greens. This weekend I tried out a new recipe that I thought I would share. Of course it is from my favorite cookbook, Greens Glorious Greens.  I have to admit that I could have eaten this by itself, but it is the perfect side dish. This dish has a subtle flavor of basil and a zip of lemon juice. Try adding 1 cup of fresh corn for additional flavor, color and crunch.

Lemon - Basil Kale

3/4 pound of Kale (about 6 cups chopped)
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
15 fresh basil leaves, washed and cut into fine ribbons
salt to taste
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Wash kale and strip the leaves off the stalks. Discard the stalks. Chop the kale into bit sized pieces. Bring water to a boil in a 10 to 12 inch skillet that has a tight fitting lid. Add the kale, cover, and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Remove and drain.

Rinse out and dry the skillet, then use it to heat the olive oil over the medium heat, lifting and tilting the pan to coat. Add garlic and sizzle for 10 to 15 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent browning and burning.

Add basil and saute for 15 seconds more. Add kale and stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt. Stir in lemon juice and serve immediately.


Well all, I am about to retire to the couch with a good movie. Hard to believe the holiday season is upon us. I might actually tune into a holiday classic and try and get into the spirit. Until tomorrow.

DAY 327 OF 365: LEFTOVERS

So Thanksgiving is over and there are leftovers to be had. As with most holiday gatherings I ate way too much and had one too many drinks but catching up with family was worth it. The laughter was heard throughout the house and there was not a bored guest to be seen. Now I wish that I could tell you that I ate healthy, but lets face it, we all get a free pass around the holidays. It just means that I have to work out a lot harder and believe me, I will. So with that, I bid you good night. Till tomorrow.

DAY 325 OF 365: BREAK FOR THANKSGIVING

Holiday time is here and that means traveling and spending time with Family. Be back blogging on Friday. Till then, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

DAY 324 OF 365: THE PERFECT WEATHER FOR SOUP

I love the fall and the change of the weather. I love walking down the street seeing the leaves change colors and fall to the ground. To me, nothing says fall more than a nice warm bowl of soup and I thought I would post a recipe of this amazing soup that I tried. Straight out of the "Eat Well" cookbook from Williams - Sonoma, this soup is the pure essence of fall.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut & Lime

Fragrant, sweet, and spicy, this butternut soup is spiked with unexpected Thai flavors. Pumpkin can be used in place of the squash; both will give the immune system a powerful beta-carotene boost.

1 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil
3/4 cups sliced shallot
1 tbsp minced or grated fresh ginger
1 clove minced garlic
9 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (about 3lbs)
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tsp lime juice

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until softened, 2 - 3 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Add squash, broth, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Cool Slightly.

Put curry paste in a small bowl and stir in the coconut milk until well blended.

In a blender or food processor, puree soup, in batches if necessary, until smooth. Return to pot and stir in coconut milk mixture.  Heat soup just until hot, stir in lime juice and season to taste with additional Salt.

4 Servings - Source of vitamins - source of fiber


It is the perfect fall meal on a cold day. Curl on the couch with a nice warm bowl of this aromatic soup and enjoy a nice movie. You will not regret it. Enjoy and let me know what you think. It is even a nice starter to Thanksgiving Dinner. Till tomorrow.

DAY 323 OF 365: BACK TO JUICING

So for the first time in a long time I was able to juice, and boy did it feel good. It was just what the doctor ordered. With my crazy hours and hectic schedule, I was missing out on the fresh produce and juicing because it was just going bad from sitting in my refrigerator. I didn't have time to juice or even cook for that matter and because of that, all my groceries were just spoiling. But tonight, I juiced some carrots, spinach, apples, cucumbers and lemons and rewarded my body for making it through a challenging month. Greens really are the cure for everything. I ended up canceling my session with JC for today because of work so I am looking forward to meeting with him on Wednesday. I need a little gym action before the Holidays. We all know what happens when we are around turkey, gravy and stuffing. We help ourselves to second and third helpings. And after we think we couldn't eat another bite, we help ourselves to some pie. But that's what the holidays are for and that's why you have a gym membership! I think tomorrow I will have to do some more juicing and maybe even saute some greens. I say I give my body what it has been missing. And with that my friends I bid you goodnight. I am really loving being able to sleep for 8 hours. I could really get used to this. Till tomorrow.

DAY 321 OF 365: BREAK FROM BLOGGING DUE TO WORK

So I am back to crazy hours this weekend with about 2 to 3 hours of sleep so I am taking a break from blogging. I will be back Monday. Thanks for understanding.

DAY 320 OF 365: SORE AND TIRED

I have to say that the combination of soreness from the gym and the pure lack of sleep are not a great pairing. I basically crawled into bed right now and I want to pass out. JC kicked my ass this morning concentrating on cardio and arms, shoulders and chest. At one point he had me running up 2 flights of stairs four times in under a minute followed by weighted lunges. Needless to say, I was walking, or should I say waddling the rest of the day.
I am not doing that great on the greens and juicing this week. My work load has me so stretched thin that I am surprised that I even remember my own name. Hopefully next week I can get back to juicing and actually grocery shopping. For now, I will be happy that I am going to get 8 hours of sleep, something that I have been lacking. Tomorrow is another day at the office so I need all the sleep I can get. Till then my friends.

DAY 319 OF 365: NOT HOW I HAD PLANNED

So this challenge is not turning out the way that I had planned. When I started this lifestyle change back in January, I had not anticipated the work load and stress that I would be encountering. I feel like work has basically taken center focus and this challenge has been pushed to the sidelines. I am staying true to working out with JC and giving it everything that I have, but as JC said, stress is a catalyst for fat growth. So as I sit at the office, stressing about what needs to get done, I am undoing all the hard work that I put in at the gym. Now don't get me wrong, I am continuing to eat healthy, and work out, but I feel like it is not enough.
The hard part is going to be going into this holiday season and staying true to the healthier me. There is Thanksgiving, and Christmas and all the dinners and parties that go hand and hand with each. And let's face it, there is something about all the good food and desserts around the holidays that makes you powerless. Who can say know to a second helping of turkey and stuffing or a second or third sliver of pumpkin pie. So I guess I have another challenge a head of me. Oh boy, just what I need. Well it is off to bed for me. I am meeting with JC in the morning and I need my beauty sleep. Till tomorrow.

DAY 318 OF 365: A NIGHT OUT

OK so it is 1am and I am tired. Had a fun night out with friends and now I am ready for bed. Just what I needed after a long day at the office. Wish I had more to say. Till tomorrow.

DAY 317 OF 365: ANOTHER LONG DAY AT THE OFFICE

Short and sweet tonight. Another long day means an exhausted Dave. Tomorrow morning I am meeting with JC and I am sure I will leave sore and in pain. But it is all for the greater good. My toned, in shape body. Now if I could only go grocery shopping. My fridge is pretty pathetic. Eggs, milk and orange juice are all that occupies my poor fridge. I know, I know. Not very healthy, but I have been so busy I have not had a chance to stock it with fresh groceries. But I am hoping that this weekend will be a little less hectic and I can sneak away from work to get some healthy food to stock it with. OK, well time to hit the hay. I need a good nights sleep to prepare me for the work out that JC is going to put me through. Till tomorrow.

DAY 316 OF 365: JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY

Holy crap I am sore. My alarm went off this morning and I knew what that meant. That meant my tired ass was about to be handed to me on a silver platter by JC. I was exhausted from a long weekend working and I was not prepared for what was about to happen at the gym. I was put through a mini boot camp to get my heart rate up. JC said it was time to kick my weight loss up a notch and start trimming up my stomach and toning up those abs. He actually had me doing lunges with weights, followed by me running up and down the stairs followed by squats. All that with no break in between. We did three sets of that. By the end my legs were shaking and then it was on to chest and then arms. I pretty much resembled a bowl of jello that had been dropped on the floor. Not a pretty sight. But I have to admit, as sore as I was, I felt energized. So I showered, got dressed and got myself a protein shake before heading into the office.
The rest of the day was spent casting away for Law and Order: SVU and Broken City and also planning for the charity benefit that I am producing in the spring. Long and busy day and all that I want to do right now is curl into bed and call it a night. Besides, it is almost 1am. Well, with that I say good night! Till tomorrow.

DAY 315 OF 365: ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE

Another day another dime. The majority of the day was spent at the office casting Broken City. I was up at 5am and finally made it home by 7:30pm. I slipped into my PJs, poured myself of glass of wine and just relaxed on the couch for a bit. I decided to make pork chops in gravy with some roasted broccoli for dinner. Simple yet delicious. The broccoli was coated with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, oregano and garlic. Roasted to a crispy perfection. I could have been eating broccoli chips they were that good. I ended the night with a bowl of peaches, curled up on the couch watching Once Upon a Time. Now it is time to call it a night. I have a busy week a head of me that will start with a morning session with JC. Till tomorrow.

DAY 314 OF 365: GREEN IS THE WAY TO GO

So with all the stress of work I wanted to get some juicing in this weekend. I need to keep up my energy and strength and lets face it, I need to catch up on my greens. It has been a while since I had some good green juice and my body was certainly missing it. So I thought I would post the 2 green juices that I tried today. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Spinach Energizer

2 cups of baby spinach leaves
1 large cucumber
3 green apples, stalks removed
3 celery stalks
1 baby fennel
1/2 cup parsley

Juice the spinach, cucumber, apples, celery, fennel, and parsley in a juicer. Stir to combine. Makes 2 large glasses


Tummy Calmer

2 cups spinach leaves
1/4 small cabbage
4 fuji apples, stalks removed

Juice and stir to combine. Makes 2 small glasses.


There is something to be said about juicing. My body has actually gotten used to it, so going awhile without juicing kind of pissed my body off. So it was very happy with me today when we tried out these 2 recipes. Hopefully you like them as much as I did. Now it is off to bed for me. I have a 5am call time for Broken City tomorrow and I am not looking forward to that. I am pretty sure that my body is not either. So with that, I say good night! Till tomorrow.

DAY 313 OF 365: I NEED SLEEP

So by now you all know that I am lacking in sleep and my body is not happy about that. So right about now I feel it shutting down and telling me that it needs sleep or it refuses to work. So I have decided to listen to my body. I have opened the windows in my apartment, closed the curtains and I am ready to crawl into bed. I am shutting off my phone and not setting the alarm, only waking up when my body feels that it has recharged. So with that I say good night, sweet dreams and here is to Saturday. Till tomorrow.

DAY 312 OF 365: MISSING SLEEP

If I could spend an extra hour in bed, I would be a happy guy. Sleep has become a luxury that I can no longer afford. How sad is that. Well, at least I am still juicing and working out. I tend to put myself in auto pilot and pray that I don't crash. Coffee has become my friend, and hey, it keeps me regular if you know what I mean. TMI? Well, hey, I am in a sharing mood. Speaking of sharing, I tried this awesome juice recipe the other day. They call it dinner in a glass. Down a tumbler of this nourishing blend of detox that matches style with substance.

1 beet, scrubbed
10 to 12 carrots
2 green apples, stalks removed
2 spinach leaves
2 celery stalks

Juice the beet, carrots, apples, spinach and celery in a juicer. Stir to combine and serve chilled. Makes two large glasses. Perfect for lunch or a juice detox. I am thinking that after Thanksgiving that I will do a green juice detox and clean out this system. I need to detox and destress. Like JC told me on Wednesday, stress is the leading cause of fat growth. So give this recipe I try. I stand by it and recommend it for a dinner on the go, or a nice refreshing lunch. Time to get back to work. If you were wondering, I am still working crazy long hours and the more I write in the blog the less I am getting done at the office. So with that I say goodnight! Till tomorrow.

DAY 311 OF 365: 54 DAYS TO GO

It's kind of scary when you say it like that; 54 days to go. I mean really, where did this year go? I feel like I need to hit the pause button on my life just so that I can breathe and catch up. The lack of sleep due to my crazy hours is not helping any and today JC actually told me that stress is a factor in gaining weight. So, I keep complaining that my mid section is not getting tighter and the entire time it is due to the stress of all the crazy hours. Huh, so I guess I need a less stressful job to really be in shape or at least a job where I can get some sleep. I wish that I had something more exciting to post or a cool new recipe, but alas, I do not. I wish I could say that this weekend I will be testing out a new recipe or two, but instead I will be working at the office. I know, lame, but I have to pay the bills. So, it is back to casting. I still have a lot to get done before heading home. Till tomorrow.

DAY 310 OF 365: LACK OF SLEEP IS CATCHING UP TO ME

So I have begun to feel the effects of the lack of sleep I have had. Take it from me, two days of 2 to 3 hours of sleep is not good for the body. But, I am eating right and drinking lots of water, with my numerous cups of coffee. Lets just hope that I don't pass out of exhaustion tomorrow morning while working out with JC. Also, I should have you know that I have finally mastered the art of boiling eggs. Some may say that it is easy, but for me, it was the bane of my existence. The shells wouldn't peel off or the yolk would be dark brown, or well, they wouldn't be cooked all the way through. Needless to say, I wasn't good at boiling eggs. So I jumped for joy when I finally nailed this easy task. OK, so I am going to get back to work. I have a feeling that it is going to be another late night. Thank god that this films wraps it's week of night shoots on Thursday and goes back to a normal schedule on Sunday. Till tomorrow.

DAY 309 OF 365: GREAT WORKOUT

This morning I met with JC having only slept for about 3 hours. That is what happens when you have a feature film shooting nights and a television series that is filming during the day. We shall see how this week pans out with work and the gym. Should be very interesting. But the funny thing is, when I got up at 6:45am, I was full of energy. I thought to myself, maybe I should only get three hours of sleep every night. So I marched my little energetic self to the gym and cranked out an intense circuit training session with JC working every muscle. Quite impressive if I do say so myself. I felt better than I have felt in a long time. I was waiting for this energizer bunny to fade, but I was still going strong. So I showered and headed into the office for what was sure to be another hectic day in the world of casting. I even made sure to pack a healthy lunch and dinner along with some snacks for the work day. I have learned that if I am going to be stuck in this office I might as well eat right. As the hours go by I am starting to fade, dreaming of how comfortable and warm my bed would feel right about now. So here is hoping that I can maybe get at least 4 hours of sleep tonight. One can dream. OK, enough blogging. Time to get back to work. I have a movie to cast. Till tomorrow.

DAY 308 OF 365: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS MEANS A NICE NIGHTS SLEEP

I love waking up knowing that I gained an extra hour of sleep. Last night I went to bed with the windows open and this morning I woke up, relaxed, refreshed and ready to conquer the day. A cup a of coffee, some morning news and TV and then off to start the day. Had a great morning meeting regarding the charity benefit that I am working on for next spring and then off to work. I know, sigh. Working on a Sunday is no fun. Broken City, the film that I am working on is shooting Sunday thru Thursday and to make it worse, this entire week it is filming nights. Needless to say, I am a 24/7 bodega this week between Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Broken City. Should make for interesting morning work outs with JC. Let's just hope that I don't drop a weight on me while bench pressing or pass out during my crunches. Guess that means extra proteins and vegetables, and hopefully some juicing to keep my energy up. I am not going to have a repeat of what I went through in August with the film Gods Behaving Badly. If you remember correctly, that work week ended badly when it came to my workouts with JC and my healthier me eating. I just need to have the determination and focus that I can get through this. Thank God that this film is only here for 11 days. OK, well I need to get back to work. It is going to be a long night and then I need to be up at 6:30am to get ready for my session with JC. Keep your fingers crossed that I make it through this film in one piece. Till tomorrow.

DAY 307 OF 365: EXHAUSTED

So I have been up since 5:30am and I am exhausted. Had a great meeting today for the charity benefit that I am producing in the spring and then got some work done around my condo. I even squeezed in some work for SVU and Broken City. I finally have a free minute and all I want to do is sleep. Thank god we roll the clocks back an hour tonight. So even though it is midnight now, it is really 11pm. Ok, time for me to call it a night. Till tomorrow.

DAY 306 OF 365: TGIF

Well we finally made it through the week. The only problem for me is that I will be working the weekend also. But, that's okay. There is an end in sight and that is what will get me through. I had a long day at the office today and tomorrow I need to be up and out of the house by 6am to be at a meeting for the charity benefit that I will be producing in the spring. It's extremely exciting, however, I wish that the meeting were a little later so that I could sleep in a bit. Looks like I will be taking an afternoon nap tomorrow when I get home before getting some work done for the office. I wish I could chat more, but it is almost 11:30pm and I need to be up in 6 hours. I need all the sleep I can get. Till tomorrow.

DAY 305 OF 365: HOLY CRAP THERE ARE ONLY 60 DAYS LEFT OF THE CHALLENGE

It is hard to believe that in 60 days this challenge will come to an end. It feels like only yesterday I was on day 60 of the challenge. Now here I am juicing and eating greens and getting up early every morning so that I can workout at the gym. Pretty amazing how different my life is 305 days into the challenge. The best part is that after this challenge is over, I am going to continue juicing and working out and living this healthy life style that I have embarked on.
So I thought tonight I would share a recipe that I prepared recently that I really enjoyed. The recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, " Greens, Glorious Greens". One of my new favorite greens is Kale. From just a simple kale salad with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, to crispy kale chips, there are so many possibilities with this healthy leafy green. Did you know that one cup of kale contains more than 5 grams of fiber (more than a serving of oat bran cereal) but only 43 calories? That same cup provides the daily requirement for vitamins A and C, and 134 milligrams of calcium.

Stir-Fried Kale, Carrots and Walnuts

3/4 pound of kale
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/3 cup of walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 quarter - size slices of fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
2 to 4 tablespoons water or chicken or vegetable broth
sea salt or soy sauce to taste

1. Wash kale and strip the leaves off the stalk, discard the stalks and then cut the kale into 1/8 strips. Cut slices in half and set aside.

2. Heat a large wok over medium - high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil to the pan and swirl around to coat the bottom of the wok. Add the walnuts and toast, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

3. Add the remaining oil to the wok. Swirl again. Add the garlic and ginger and stir - fry for 10 seconds. Add the red pepper flakes and carrots and stir - fry for 1 minute.

4. Add the shredded kale and toss well to coat with oil. Press down on the kale, cover, and let cook for 30 seconds. Stir - fry again and then cover. Cook for 3 minutes longer, stirring contents of the pan about every minute to avoid burning the kale. The steam generated should be enough to complete the cooking process, but 2 tablespoons water or broth can be added during the cooking process if desired, to increase steam and tenderness of kale. Taste and season with sea salt or soy sauce. Remove ginger slices and serve hot, garnished with walnuts.

Give the recipe and try. Maybe this is a new side dish for Thanksgiving or a nice family dinner. Well, I am off to bed. I have a long day ahead of me. First up is meeting JC in the morning and then off to the office for some casting and then a meeting and then prepping for the charity benefit that I am producing in the spring. No rest for the weary. Till tomorrow.

DAY 304 OF 365: SORE

OK so today's blog is going to be brief. After an intense workout with JC this morning, my entire body is sore. We worked every muscle this morning and by the end I had sweat dripping down my face and back and I am pretty sure that I smelled pretty bad too. I spent the rest of the day wobbling around like a penguin and not to mention sitting down actually hurt. So as you might have expected, all I want to do tonight is collapse in my bed and fall asleep. Fingers crossed I pass out and sleep soundly. Till tomorrow.

DAY 303 OF 365: ANOTHER MONTH COMES TO AN END

Is it just me or has this year flown by? I can believe that in less than 65 days, this year will come to an end and a new year will begin. Clearly, I am not where I expected to be with this challenge. My body is not nearly where it needs to be for the photo and my life is not quite as "healthy" as I would want it to be. There have been a lot of factors that have contributed to this but the main culprits are these last couple of months with the crazy hours and my job treating me like a 24/7 bodega. Not to mention the sleepless nights full of anxiety of what the next workday will bring. But, I take it in stride and realize that I still have 62 days to get back on track and prove that a healthier fitter me can still finish first in this challenge. I am meeting with JC again tomorrow morning for what I foresee to be another intense workout. But you know what, bring it! I am ready for it. I am starting to dig myself out of this mini depression and I am clawing my way out to the life that I want. A friend just told me that we have plans Monday night and my first instinct was, wait, I can't because of work. You know what? Wrong response Dave. Instead, I am going to have my assistants cover for me Monday night, and I am going to have a great night and actually have a life. You know, the thing that I am clearly missing. Like I mentioned last night, part of a healthy life style is actually having a life. Enjoying the company of friends and family and enjoying the fruits of working so hard. So my healthier fitter ass will be out having a great evening Monday night. So I leave you with this little healthy snack that I whip up when I am looking for something light and sweet.

Baked Fruit
1 cup of mixed berries. I tend to use the frozen dole fruit. I thaw them out and mix them with 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and some sprigs of mint. I mix them up and place them in a baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, give or take, in a 350 degree oven. The perfect light and sweet dessert. If you want to get really adventurous, get some fat free frozen yogurt and spoon the berries over a scoop of it. Yum!

Well, I am off to bed. Tired and I want to be well rested for my session with JC. Till tomorrow.