small successes

I was so thrilled to step on the scale Saturday morning to find that I lost another 2.8 lbs.  I treated myself to a Java Chip frapuccino from Starbucks and 2 Taco Johns softshell tacos.  I really hadn't expected to lose anything because this week had me pretty stressed out and I skipped going to the Y Thursday night and didn't get up in time to make it Saturday.  So far I have a grand total of 27.7lbs lost.  Looking at the bigger picture, I still have over 100lbs to go, but I like to think of it in small chunks.  Every pound is a victory.  The hardest part to me has been changing my way of thinking.  It's so easy to say "I'm on a diet so I must eat frozen Weight Watchers meals" instead of saying "I'm going to change my life and choose to eat healthy foods instead of fast food and processed foods".  I have been trying to make everything as fresh as I can and I think I am even going to try my hand at making fresh pasta.
When I went to the grocery store Thursday night I picked up some brown rice and black beans, a zucchini and a yellow squash.  I have been checking out recipes but if any of you have any good ones to go with these ingredients that are kid and husband friendly, please let me know!  I have to sneak things like that into our diet otherwise I get nasty faces and no members of the clean plate club.  My family has become reluctant participants in my pursuit of good health.  I even have to pull teeth and drag them by their ears to get them to join me at the Y.  I say that with nothing but love :-)
Despite the rainy weather we have been having, I got brocoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cilantro and a strawberry in their pots and on their way.  I still have a squash and tons of seed packets to get going.  I have wanted to have a garden for so long but have never quite had what it takes.  I mean, I am good at growing flowers but a vegetable is something that has eluded me for years now.  I had some success with cherry tomatoes last year but only ended up with a few that were good enough for consumption.  Between what I can grow on my own and what I can get at the farmers market, I hope to be able to have enough to can and freeze for the winter.  Oh how I would love to not have to buy store spaghetti sauce ever again!
I checked out the movie "Fast Food Nation" from the library and watched it last night.  Man, I don't know that I can ever enjoy a fast food burger again and feel good about myself.  It was an excellent movie that, in my opinion, depicted what is the harsh reality of things that most of us don't see or don't want to think about.  However, I caution you on letting the kiddos watch it.  It has harsh language, brief nudity and some scenes (like on the kill floor at the slaughterhouse) may be traumatizing to younguns.  I understand that some of it might be overdramatized for the sake of making a point, but when you consider that the people that head up most of our government agencies that oversee these industries are from the very industries that they oversee, It only makes you wonder what kind of things they would do to protect their own.
Well, I have a final episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution to catch up on Hulu.  If you haven't checked it out yet, take my advice and do so and while you are at it, sign the petition for healthier school lunches!
Adios mi amigas!