Update, Races, and Recipes

Hey guys!  I'm still here!

I hope you all haven't forgotten about me.  I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged.  Quite frankly, I've had a lot that I've wanted to keep private, so I just haven't come here because I knew I'd have the urge to write about things that I'm not ready to write about yet.

On the weight loss front, not a lot has been happening.  Thanks holidays!  I haven't even weighed myself in about a week, which is scary and I need to get on that, which is even more frightening.  For the sake of my Diet Bet, I need to do it though!  I'll bite the bullet tonight or tomorrow morning.

Last Monday I had my gallbladder removed.  It was a easy peasy.  No problems, not much pain.  I'm really fortunate to have a very high pain tolerance.

I recently learned of a beautiful thing.  Have you all heard of VIRTUAL races where one can earn medals?  Let me be honest and say that I'm a bling whore, and I have already purchased my first entry.  I'm not cleared to exercise from the gallbladder removal for another two weeks, however I fully intend to run this 5k before 12/31 so that I can earn my medal! Check out http://www.willrunforbling.com/ or http://www.fullmedalruns.com/ to learn about virtual races where you can win medals.  I think this is good motivation for me to begin running again.  I love some neck bling, especially when it represents an accomplishment.  Maybe my first half marathon will be a virtual race...

Christmas was good, but now that that's over, I need to REALLY buckle down with food.  Over the weekend I made my high protein Chili and high protein Mexican Chicken soup.  In the chicken soup, I generally put heavy cream to tone down the spice, but this time I didn't have any so I just omitted it.  I didn't miss it at all, so I won't be adding it anymore.  Including the recipes below, because they're both wonderful and healthy :).  Both recipes make a huge pot of soup, so I generally freeze half and eat the other half for 1.5-2 weeks or until I'm sick of it, then freeze whatever is left.  If you all have larger families, this will be great for them, especially with the cold weather.

High Protein Chili

2 pounds fresh ground beef

1 quart tomato juice

1-2 cans diced italian tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained

1 medium-large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup diced celery

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup chili powder (use less for milder chili)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (use more for real flavor)

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar/artificial sweetener

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cook hamburger in large pot.  Add all other ingredients.  Cook on medium for 2 hours, or until vegetables are tender.

Mexican Chicken Soup

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

1 can Rotel (hot or original, your preference)

1 taco seasoning pack (or 1/4 cup taco seasoning)

24-30 oz chicken broth, depending on how brothy you want it

1 (15-ounce) can black beans

3 (15-ounce) cans navy beans

1 (15-ounce) can corn

3 cups cooked chicken breast

Cook the onions in the olive oil until translucent.  Then add all other incredients.  Cook until warm, done :)