I am here!

Ok, I am eating great and exercising daily! Woo hooo! I am losing inches but not a lot of pounds still, I am ok with that because I feel strong and healthy and happy! I am still in size 10... but they are looser, and I tried on a dress of my Moms today to wear to a special event I have coming up - it was an 8 and it fit great!
I have tried some really yummy, healthy recipes lately - that I will get on my food blog ASAP - Like minted rice and garbanzo bean curry, and an awesome cucumber salad that is sooo great - I used fat free greek yogurt and fat free sour cream in it, and my kids ask for it as a snack!!
Now, my biggest obstacle is to be able to fall asleep earlier so I can get up and workout earlier!
I also need to get some kind of calorie counter so I can do that. I write down everything and I am pretty sure I don't eat enough although I don't know when I would squeeze in time to eat more! Here is a typical day (today actually)
B- 3/4 c Quinoa w/ 1/4 c skim milk and 1 TBSP Agave Nectar
*Run 3 miles, Bike 6 miles
L- Smoothie w/ 1 c skim milk, 1 banana, 5 strawberries, 2 scoops "Cinch" Protein powder from Shaklee
*Jillian's No More trouble Zones DVD (which says it is 40 min, but is actually 55)
D- 4 oz Chicken Breast with Lemon Pepper, 2 c black bean and quinoa salad, 1 slice homemade whole wheat bread.
snack - Yoplait Yogurt, the lowfat lemon.

Comfort

Here is what I have been thinking. First of all... that it has been waaaaay too long since I posted. Oh how I missed having a computer! Secondly I have been thinking about comfort food. Comfort food is so complicated, it is different for each person and the reasons we find it comforting are just as diverse. Obviously some part of comfort food being a comfort, beyond the taste, is the feeling behind the food. The memory of your Mom pulling fresh cookies out of the oven, snuggling with loved ones watching a movie and eating popcorn (to this day eating popcorn and snuggling are practically synonymous in my mind), coming home to the smell of fresh bread or waking up to cinnamon rolls and bacon..... See what I mean? COMFORT!
A big comfort food for many is pizza.... imagine why? Dad brings home a pizza and Mom is sooooo happy that she didn't have to cook, there is laughter and talking through dinner and minimal dishes so the family gets to hang out more than usual. In a child's mind.... pizza=happiness. I try so hard to make every family dinner just as fun and loving as the occasional pizza night so that they will have good memories with all food. Snuggling to a movie with apples slices is an example of the habits I am trying to instill in my kids so that they will love good food. So far it seems to be working, but for all of my kids homemade whole wheat bread is their #1 comfort food. Me too..... and I think that is ok. There are worse things, right?
Anyhow... think about it.... what are your comfort foods? Why?