I didn’t go to bed until 2 am Monday night. Tuesday morning? Whatever it was, it was a time way too late for me. I had to pick up Peter from the airport and due to some inclement weather…

…his flight got in 3 hours late.Then, just as I was climbing into bed at 1 am, Braedon woke up to eat. Ain’t that just dandy? I should have been a very, very sleepy girl all day Tuesday. Yet, somehow, the day turned out better than expected. I got through quite the workout and a fun play date.

Yesterday morning I hit up the gym for some upper body weights and a run. I did the following upper body workout:

[how I create my strength training plans]

I felt okay but dragged butt the entire time. Soooo slooooow. I figured I wouldn’t have enough energy to do much with my run. Couch to 5K called for alternating 5 minutes of running with 3 minutes of walking. I started off slowly but then kept managing to increase my speed over the course of the workout. I still banged out 2.8 miles in 30 minutes, which makes this beginner runner very happy. I love when a workout turns out better than expected. Such a fabulous feeling!

After my workout and a short stopover at home, we visited a park with some friends for a walk and lunch. We walked for about 40 minutes, then settled in for a picnic. I love picnics. Fresh air. Fresh food. Totally works with my beliefs on making life better.

I had to make due with what we had for transportable food, so I went with a Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Burger on a sandwich thing with some roasted pine nut hummus, spinach, and tomato.

It turned out better than expected! I coupled it with some snackage in the form of baby carrots, grape tomatoes, and sliced strawberries.

My friend & I had some cutesy dates.

Aren’t they adorable?! Perhaps even cuter…

Every time we come to this park and feed the ducks, I always get a flashback to doing the same with my mom at our local park when I was growing up. I love my mom! For those of you wondering, she is doing very well. The diagnosis seems better than expected as the doctors believe they diagnosed her very early. She feels great, remains positive, and continues to learn as much as she can to face her MS head-on. If I can be even half the woman and mother she is, I will have grown into someone better than I ever expected.

Question of the Day – What has turned out better than expected for you lately?

Thank you all so much for the thoughts on my internal dilemma. I’m still processing it all and will let you know my final thoughts soon. I certainly appreciate that all of you continue to believe in me and don’t see it as losing credibility. I can tell its a topic many feel strongly about and your continued support means a lot. Thank you.

On to more fun topics. Like food. Check out my fridge right now…

I wish I was kidding. Actually, no I don’t. I love this stuff! You see…I typically shop for my groceries at Kroger. They had Chobani 10 for $10 this week, so I bought 10. Then, I heard from my sister-in-law that Publix also had a 10 for $10 sale. They have all the good flavors! So…*cough cough*…I made a little pit stop after the gym to check what they had available. NEW FLAVORS!!!

Yea. I bought more. I don’t go to Publix often so I had to take advantage of new flavors for sale. You know you would do the same thing. Don’t deny it! Then…the very next day…a package showed up on my doorstep. It was from Chobani. They sent me the new flavors to try, as well as some of their new kid flavors for M.

And although it tempts me to just eat Greek yogurt for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I have managed to consume regular meals. I even discovered a couple new dishes to love in the process. Like this sandwich I tossed together for lunch yesterday…

An egg with a blue cheese laughing cow wedge, tomato, and spinach on my favorite 9 grain bakery bread. When I don’t have leftovers for lunch I usually turn to sandwiches. I discovered that eggs totally beat turkey for a sandwich filler.

I also found a new recipe to whip up for dinner. I made it Tuesday night and it was a total hit! Cooking Light inspired me with this recipe.

Spicy Honey Chicken

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 TBSP honey
• 2 tsp cider vinegar

Cut the chicken breasts into one inch chunks.

Wash hands thoroughly and prepare the spice rub by mixing the garlic powder, chili powder, salt, cumin, paprika, and red pepper in a medium sized bowl. Put chicken in bowl and toss to coat in spice blend.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or add a teaspoon of oil. Cook chicken 5-10 minutes in the skillet until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, mix the honey and cider vinegar together in another small dish. When chicken finishes cooking, pour the honey/vinegar mixture over and toss to coat.

Serve it up! Roasted brussels always make an excellent side.

Question of the Day – What flavor combos are you loving right now?