Monday again!

Good morning! Just enjoyed a wonderful weekend - relaxing AND working. Not work-work, if you know what I mean... HOUSE work - far tougher and more exhausting that work-work any day. The weekend is my grocery shopping time, and got some very nice things. Nothing too exciting, but enough to stock the fridge for at least till Thursday, and enough to make a wonderful dinner last night along with tons of left-overs to send home with my daughter, who is dog-sitting this week and not in her own kitchen.

Lately on DWLZ, we having some nice discussions on clean eating. Everyone defines it differently, but the common thread is non-processed and whole foods, as much as is possible and enjoyable. For WW followers, it would be very much like "Core" or "Simply Filling." As I've said before, this is my "normal" - just too much of it!

Yesterday was a typical clean-eating day (the exception being one small slice of WW's yogurt pie):

Breakfast: Egg substitute (don't know the brand, but it's one without millions of chemicals and coloring) scrambled with green peppers and scallions. Normally I use only fresh eggs, but I wanted to try this new brand - still not like a fresh egg, but pretty close. On the side I had sliced cucumbers and 1/2 cup of lentils.

Lunch: Green salad with hot-smoked trout. Blueberries.

Dinner: Appetizers: Yogurt and cucumber salad, babaghanoush, feta cheese (FULL fat sheep's milk - but one little piece instead of a whole slab!) and olives; Main course: Grilled onions and zucchini, green salad (tossed with raisins, walnuts and feta), grilled chicken breast.

Lots of swimming and fun in between. This has been the best summer yet. I know people are complaining that it's right up there with record-breakers (at least here in New England) but I am savoring every single day of it. I think I've been in the pool more this summer than the past 10 years combined. However, this is NOT to be confused with exercise. Floating around on a noodle with my feet dangling into the deep water doesn't count as anything except pure relaxation and happiness. If high cortisol levels make you retain fat, then mine should be melting away...

My son is after me to get going on the exercise. Yesterday he caught a good back-view of me while I washed dishes at the sink. In the most LOVING way (I assure you he is my biggest supporter) he said, "Mom, you're not even holding your own - you are gaining weight." Ah... better than a scale. So to support me we are joining a fitness and recreation center and we are going to work out at lunch. He even offered the supreme sacrifice of getting up early so we can work out before work. He totally doesn't need this as he works out and/or runs for more than two hours every night - and that's with a weight vest! Gotta love that boy.

TTYL!