Not every day can be a 1200 calorie day

Thank you, Emily. I was visiting with her yesterday when Dwight clicked in and told me that there were two openings for a wine dinner last night. The spots were already paid for and we needed to be ready in a little over an hour. Of COURSE I said yes. Emmy said it would be so much fun, and I agreed, but was bemoaning the fact that it would put me over my calorie allotment for the day. Then she uttered the immortal words, "Not every day can be a 1200-calorie day, Mom." That put it all in perspective. (Side note: you should really check out her writing. In addition to her blog, she teaches high school English and is an award-winning writer for LivingSocial. She writes beautifully, and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom.)

Not every day HAS been a 1200-calorie day, but about 95% of them have been NET 1200-calorie days. (Gotta love the exercise calories!) I have been eating really healthy and working out pretty regularly since I started this little endeavor the first of the year, so I need to not feel guilty if I indulge every now and then. I have all the eating and exercise parts down; now I just need to adopt a healthier attitude toward food. The mindset could be the most difficult part.

But on to the dinner:

And check out all the wine glasses! This was after our "quaffing", when we sat down to the table.

The chilled cucumber soup was probably my favorite food course of the evening. It was topped with varieties of chopped pear, varieties of chopped apple, and chopped jicama. And there was a little kick to it. I would serve it at home for dinner with a few shrimp on top and some crusty bread. I can think of no more refreshing summer dinner. The wine was very good; I liked it better the more I drank it. Dwight loved it from the start; I am not much of a chardonnay fan, and this was a little chardonnay-ey. The quaffing wine, however, was delicious - it was lighter, crisper, and more acidic. We may have purchased two bottles of each.

ate it all

The salad course was my second-favorite food and my first favorite wine. We bought a case to split with friends. And the price was right for it to be patio-drinking wine.

ate it all

The main course was rack of lamb. I do like lamb quite a bit, but rack of lamb is just too much work to eat. Kinda like Cornish game hens. But it was delicious. Good wine also, but I only had a few sips. After the first three glasses, I was feeling the effects!

ate one piece of lamb and a few of the fingerling potatoes

The shiraz we had with our dessert was the most expensive and absolutely delicious, but again - I just had a sip or two. My tolerance just isn't what it used to be! I could drink way more back in high school, but then it WAS 3.2 beer or Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill. (And kids, the drinking age was lower back then!)

had just a few bites

I felt pretty good about how I managed last night. I wasn't full (albeit a little tipsy.) It was a FUN, spur of the moment dinner with friends and laughter. Life is good.

To back up a few days, I never told you how I fared during our opening meeting dinner. I stuck to club soda (for some reason I was SO THIRSTY), ate the salad, half a piece of bread, the chicken jerusalem, the steamed broccolini, and even though I said I'd skip the starch, I ate the angel hair pasta. I did however, skip the chocolate mousse. And I didn't even feel deprived.

I haven't tried any new recipes; just re-made one of my faves; the Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. I've made it a few times before, and since I actually measured the red onion this time, it was fabulous! And good for lunch leftovers.

Wednesday was a huge workout day, starting with a long walk in the morning. While I do not like the latest revision of the MapMyFitness app, I do like the new display of elevation. Doesn't it look like I climbed Mt. Everest?! Several times?!

I worked in the gardens for almost two hours, and then I mowed. I was one sweaty, tired, hungry girl. I thought that a Green Monster would be the perfect pick-me-up. And it was. Plus, it gave me several handfuls of spinach along with a banana, some of that delicious almond-coconut milk I told you about, and some protein powder. (Speaking of the almond-coconut milk, I decided it tastes a little like a piña colada, minus the rum and the little umbrella. But I can remedy that....)

I am using my massage gift certificate that Dwight gave me for Valentine's Day in a few hours. Hot stone massage, here I come. And then maybe a nap; Ernie woke me up at 3 a.m. and I couldn't get back to sleep. It sure is quiet around here from 3:30-4:30 in the morning. We had a kitty-free zone when I finally went back to bed.

And then tonight - well, it maybe be another non-1200 calorie day. We're having dinner with some friends. We're taking wine and dark chocolate sea salt caramels.