"Go ramblin' like a freight train and get yourself on track."

Alright kids. I'm proud of the way I behaved this weekend. I ate very well, gave my body some time off from exercise, and I'm back down to where I was a couple of weeks ago. Now, I just need to push past that number and start losing again! No more giving in to temptations, no more yo-yo-ing between the same 3 pounds. I refuse to see a number on my scale higher than what I saw this morning again. The number was great, but I just. want. to get. under. it. I feel pretty confident that I can accomplish it this week. Being stuck on this plateau was no one's fault but my own. I gave in to bad food too often, skipped exercise or over-exercised too often, and was too undisciplined. I've done this so many times and gotten through it everytime, so this will be no different! Weekends like this make me want to do better. When I see that I've done well and that I've accomplished something, I want to keep going. However, it can be tough to get to that point. Sometimes when I just can't seem to keep myself right, I kind of subconsiously give in a continue not doing well...BUT, when I see good things happening, I want to continue in that direction. Yes, it is a vicious cycle and it usually takes a weekend of me being out of the house a lot and away from a kitchen, unable to grab food in between meals and snacks to get me back on track. I wish I could say that I don't give in, but I do. I'm human and I make mistakes. I'm grateful for these weekends, though! I obviously need them sometimes in order to make it right.

And in other news, I wanted to share with all of you the joys of cooking and eating spaghetti squash. If you've never tried it, you should. It's about 45 calories per cup and can be used in so many ways! How do you prepare it you ask?
1. cut in half.
2. gut it (scoop out all of the seeds and pulp, a lot like a pumpkin).
3. sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
4. put aluminum foil on baking sheet, place squash halves face down.
5. roast in oven at about 450 degrees for around an hour.
6. when done, should be very tender and probably a little charred.
7. take fork and just scrape the squash into a bowl. If it's done, it should scrape out very easily and it looks a lot like pasta.

There are several things you can do with it! Here is a list of things I usually do:
1. mix with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" and add garlic and grated parmesan cheese. Pretty much just like a creamy garlic pasta dish.
2. add the butter, cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon bits and you've basically got a lower calorie hashbrown casserole!
3. eat it as a side dish with whatever seasoning you choose.
4. add parmesan, ground beef or turkey or whatever, and pizza sauce and you've got a lower calorie spaghetti!
5. add ground beef, a little taco seasoning, a little sour cream and cheddar cheese and you've got a taco salad!

There are endless possibilities with this squash. I love having it in my fridge and just using it for whatever, whenever. It's super easy, super yummy, so much better for you than pasta and cheap! If you've never tried it, you really should! Most grocery stores carry it, but Wal-Mart could be hit or miss...

I trust that you're all doing well and I hope you have a GREAT Monday and week! :)