Evening all! Thanks so much for all your concern about my ankle. It’s mainly scraped up and bruised on the top. Thankfully, not twisted or swollen in any way. Either way, you all really are such great blog friends. 🙂

Tonight we enjoyed the most simple dinner. Simple and healthy – my kind of meal. This morning I tossed a couple chicken breasts into the crock pot with cider vinegar, brown sugar, and a BBQ seasoning packet.

At night, all I had to do was chop up a few red potatoes, toss them in olive oil/salt/pepper, and roast away at 400 for 35 minutes. Peter shredded the chicken, plopped it on a sandwich thin, and then dinner was served. BBQ chicken sandwiches and roasted potatoes.

I love me some BBQ!!! I also loved TBL (The Biggest Loser) last night. Nevertheless, I do have quite a few issues with how the show does particular things.

• Too large contestants. I hate how in recent seasons it was all about “the biggest” contestant with the majority needing to lose 200+ lbs. I was very happy to see this season’s contestants aren’t quite so morbidly obese. Many only need to lose 100-150 lbs, which is much more reasonable.
• Not really educating the contestants. I think there is too much time plugging last chance workouts and sponsored products for their low calories, rather than educating on health and nutrition. Also, I think the extreme workouts and calorie counts don’t set them up for success in the future. It just poses an all or nothing mentality for them to go home with.
• Therapist Jillian. I love Jillian and think she is an excellent trainer, minus a few unsafe moves I’ve seen her pull out on the show. However, when she plays therapist it drives me nuts. I think the contestants would benefit more from regular counseling from someone separate from their workouts.
• Too much expected of the contestants’ bodies. These people have not been physically active in awhile. Expecting them to jump into 8 hour workouts a day is not healthy. I do think the challenges to make it onto the ranch last night were more suitable though. Doing 500 steps or running/walking a mile makes much more sense than riding 26.2 miles on the first day like last year.
• Commercials within the show. They were really minimal last night. Let’s see if that lasts.

I must also say that all the contestants had really touching stories and seemed like they wanted to improve themselves inside and out. I really related to the girl who made the red team and had a bad relationship with food as a reflection of her relationship with her mom. It sounded similar to me turning to food in the past as an escape from my dad. That is why I still watch the show. I still admire people seeking to make their lives better. Even if TBL doesn’t have it perfect, the show still helps people who otherwise might never have made that change.

I’ve rambled enough about that show. Time for me to watch one without as much thought. GLEE!! I will leave you with this 6 month belly shot Peter happened to shoot of me. I should have known he was up to no good when he pulled my shirt up. 😉

Have a great night, y’all! Oh I can’t believe I just said that.

• What do you like/dislike about The Biggest Loser?
• What did you have for dinner tonight?

How goes it? Did you have a good night last night with your fall TV? A good day so far? Remember, you make the most of your days! Make the decision to live fully. And for the record, my little “only do what you can today because God has plans for your future” message I’ve been thinking has really helped my mood. You should give it a shot! And check out today's 30 Days post if you haven't already. 😉

Guess what I had for breakfast this morning? If you guessed more pumpkin, you would be right. If you guessed another bowl of oats, you would be right.

If you think the above bowl simply copies yesterday’s bowl, you would be wrong. Today’s bowl included a special addition.

A huge thanks to my lady Janetha for sending me this special gift. It was a total surprise (and totally delicious!). The card it came with now hangs on my fridge to give me a smile.

I love blog friends! They really know how to make this girl smile. From special surprises to your everyday visits and comments. You all seriously make my world a happier place. 😀

I continued a fabulous morning by feeling strong. I hit up Group Power class to lift some weights. I almost skipped thanks to some pain in my ankle. The thought of putting on shoes scared me. Why? Because another one of my dirty little secrets is I am extremely clumsy. Yesterday I tripped over one of M’s toys and somehow scraped up the entire front side of my foot and funked up my ankle in the process.

You can’t really see much detail in the picture, but trust me when I say it’s not too pretty. And it hurts. Putting pressure on it didn’t hurt as bad this morning and, as long as I had the sock pulled up high enough, the shoe didn’t rub any tender spots. So I went for it. I wouldn’t have gone for a walk or done kickboxing on it, but lifting was doable. So I did and it felt good.

After the gym, I had great intentions to hit up a local farmer’s market. The only ones I’ve ever heard about are not too close and on Saturdays, which are hard for us to make it to on a regular basis. So when Peter let me know a farmer’s market was now open on Wednesday mornings at the local fair grounds I had to go. I went. I searched. I drove around for a good 10 minutes like a creeper. I could not find it! Bummer! I really looked forward to it!

• Do you feel blog friends are “real” friends? I certainly do! They cheer me up and cheer me on. They obviously care and show it on a regular basis.
• How do you deem if you’re good to work out or not? If I’m sick, I always give my body a break. If it’s an injured area, I mimic some of the moves to see how it feels and go from there. I always adjust as needed during the workout too.