"Beware of monotony; it's the mother of all the deadly sins." -Edith Wharton

I'm still going strong this week. I jogged a solid 4 miles last night, 2.5 the night before. I have figured out that my body is responding more positively to running 2.5 one night and kicking up the next night, alternating between the two. When I take it a little easier one night, my body is better prepared for a longer run the next night. Also, I have figured out (the hard way, on several occasions) that I have to wait at least 2 hours after eating a meal to run...Yeah...If I go too soon, my sides hurt unbearably bad and I can't breathe. So, by trial and error, I think I have finally figured out a good routine with my newly increased running habits. I've upped my calories a bit again because of the increased activity and its just wonderful :) There's nothing better than adding food to my day. I know, it's the little things...haha. I hope all of you are doing well with your progress and I would love to hear from you! If you're having success, tell me about it! If you're still struggling, I'm here for you!

I'd like to leave you with a couple of recipes if ya wanna give 'em a try:

Pumpkin Chili in a Crockpot (me and mom had this last night and it is DIVINE!)
Calories: approximately 390 for 2 cups

-2 pounds ground beef
-1 large onion, diced
-2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
-1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
-1 (28 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
-3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
-1 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
-1 tsp cinnamon
-2 tsp chili powder
-a few scoops of sugar substitute (the kind you can bake with in the big bags)

-Combine all ingredients in crockpot EXCEPT for the beef. In the morning, turn crockpot on low and let cook all day.
-When ready to eat, brown the beef in skillet and add to pot. Let cook for a few minutes, serve.
I added 2 tbsp of non-fat plain yogurt in place of sour cream..but only because we were out of sour cream...It was still good :)


Apple and Swiss Grilled Cheese
Calories: 275

-2 slices reduced calorie white bread (we get Publix brand which is 80 cals/serving)
-3 slices Sargento Ultra-Thin Sliced Swiss Cheese
-1 medium, peeled and sliced apple
-2 tbsp "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" (in the squirt bottle)
-cinnamon and sugar substitute to taste

-In a saucepan, combine apple slices, "Butter!", cinnamon, sugar sub, and a little bit of water. Cover and let cook through until softened.

-Take one slice of "buttered" bread and place "butter" down in pan, place one slice of cheese then a few slices of apple, repeat with remaining cheese and apples until stacked up. Place other slice of bread on top. Proceed to grill like regular grilled cheese.
This sandwich is absolutely AMAZING!!! I could literally eat it every single day....