My Arm Hurts

Hey friends,

It's been a few days. Good to see you again. I managed to get a fair amount accomplished this weekend. I got my backyard mowed with much effort. I got the lawn mower from someone off of Freecycle (thanks Libby) and both times I've used it, it's taken some serious string pulling action to get started. That's why my arm hurts.

The yard is looking splendid though. I even edged around the fire pit and such with a scuba diving knife I had acquired from some poor soul a few years ago. My yard partner and friend for life, Cassie, brought some plants over, so now we've got some actual progress going. Things are good.

Last night we went to a drum circle at Lake Claire Community Land Trust. It was a neat time. Brought our hula hoops and danced our little hearts out. We met a guy named Twinkie who gave us some leads on some events that sounded quite interesting. Always glad to have options. We didn't get there until after dark, so I'm looking forward to revisiting during daylight hours to check out the gardens. All in all it was a productive and good day.

Today I did this workout. It's one of the few workouts that are filmed in real time so you can follow along with Zuzana if you don't feel like setting your own interval timer or just plain don't have one.  Check it out.

For those of you in need of a bit more motivation or an inspirational word I would suggest you click on that link up there and read what she's got to say. Reading what Zuzana posts' everyday and watching her videos absolutely helps me keep my eye on the prize. I see the changes I have made in myself this far and know that to keep on track I have to be aware of how I am treating myself, and the decisions I make at all times. You can't go do some crazy workout then binge out on fried chicken and jelly doughnuts and think you didn't just set yourself right back at square one. 

This is one of the diet challenges featured on bodyrock.tv/ that sparked my grain-free movement. Going grain-free was a personal decision that I feel I am benefiting from immensely. That diet challenge link DOES NOT require you to give up grains completely, rather adjusts how you eat them. If you are not ready to make the leap into a grain free lifestyle or haven't even given it a thought, you should give this diet a whirl and see for yourself what kind of results you can achieve. 10 reasons to give up grains. <---- those should get your wheels turning.

NOW.

Let's move onto something tasty.

This here is mung bean fettuccine with arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, toasted pecans, and everything else that is delicious. 

I am in love with this pasta. It's only ingredients are organic mung beans and water. Perfect. 

This stuff also has 20 grams of protein per serving. WHAT! Not to mention how delicious it is. 

Grain free and ultra tasty. I'm getting the vapors. 

For two servings I used half a package of mung bean fettuccine (That's a link to order some. You can probably find it cheaper at your local hippie store.)

5 or 6 sun dried tomatoes- sliced (I rehydrate the packaged kind. Oil packed will work too)

1 yellow squash - sliced and diced to your preferred shape and size

 5 or 6 portabella button mushrooms- sliced

7 or 8 stalks of asparagus- chopped

1/2 cup raw pecans - chopped

3 or more Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs dried rosemary or chopped fresh

3 cloves garlic -minced

couple handfuls of arugula

salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flake to you liking 

If you're re-hydrating your tomatoes go ahead and do that. You can start toasting your pecans in a separate dry pan over a low-medium setting. Tossing every so often. It's ok if they get a little burnt. They're gonna be good. 

Get your pasta ready according to the package directions and set aside.

In your olive oil over medium low heat cook garlic first, then add rosemary and the rest of ingredients in order of how quickly they cook. So, asparagus, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes. Give them a little salt.

 I like to keep my veggies a bit crisp and full of goodies, so don't overcook them. 

Add arugula right before tossing in your pasta. Work it all together and add your crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper as you like.

Plate that stuff, top it with your pecans, and BOOM!

You can mix this recipe us as you like. Add in or take out according to what you've got in your kitchen. 

I hope everyone is having a great Sunday night. Thanks for reading and remember to avoid processed junk food. No one wants to look like a brick of Velveeta.