"New Normal"

I'm now on Day 20 of my second 21 day fix, and I think I would say that the habits I've been practicing and adapting are starting to feel "normal". The food planning and even making healthy in-the-moment choices, when necessary, has become more natural. Walking away from temptations is not so hard anymore (and there are soooo many, especially at work). Planning and following through with workouts is less of a chore and more of a routine.

Thanks to the encouragement of my coach, my focus is more strongly on my non-scale victories and long-term health benefits than on the scale, though I'd be lying if I said I didn't weigh myself regularly.

In just 2 days I'll be recording my second set of official results, and I'm kind of excited about it, but not in a way I'm really concerned with what the scale or the tape measure says. I'm starting to feel transformed-- more like "me" again-- and that's worth more than anything.

So, as usual, let me share some of my delicious Fix-Approved meals with you. I have spent more time in the kitchen these past 6 weeks than any other time in my life, I'm pretty sure, and I'm kind of loving it.

Let me start with this. A couple of weeks ago, Brad and I divided and conquered at the grocery store, and I was in charge of produce.

Squash, Zucchini, and Peppers, Oh my!!

Today, for maybe the first time ever, I noticed that we had cleaned out every bit of the fresh produce, and there was  a LOT of it, but I had to throw away a few slices of bread that had gone stale.  This, my friends, is called "doing a 180".

Here are some of the meals and snacks I've made recently:

Baked cod, sweet potatoes, and a portobello mushroom, tomato, and spinach stir fry

Steak, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and red potatoes

Mediterranean turkey burgers topped with cucumber and with squash and zucchini noodles on the side

This is what my "pizza night" looks like these days. No regrets!

Turkey meatloaf, mashed garlic cauliflower, and sauteed mushroom, peppers, and spinach

Leftover turkey meatloaf and pesto "zoodles"

Tuna salad (mixed with greek yogurt, dill pickle relish, and cucumber) on sprouted grain bread and Fix-approved broccoli and cheese soup

Pecans, unsweetened coconut, and a few slightly melted semi-sweet chocolate chips-- the perfect sweet treat

Also, not too long ago, I got these Shakeology samples in the mail from my coach, and I tried all 3 in a 3-day span!

I thought chocolate would be my hands down favorite, but I might have preferred both strawberry AND vanilla! When I start my Shakeology auto-renewal back up again soon, I might start doing the combo packs or the alternating every-other-month deal because I want to try all the flavors!

Finally, I am now 2 weeks and 6 days from my 40th birthday 5K. I'm pushing forward and getting better. Yesterday, I had my best run yet, and tomorrow, I'm going to do a full 5K on the treadmill to see just how long it takes me. Wish me luck!

I'll be back on Tuesday with both 5K training and 21 day fix results.