Although we were up late last night, I woke up around 10 and made myself a quick breakfast.  I used up the Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken I made the other day by sprinkling some cheddar cheese on top and wrapping it up in two scrambled eggs.

I will definitely be making this recipe again.  I will also be on the looking for other crock pot recipes.  If you have some good ones, please do share!!

There was a marathon of The Biggest Loser on Bravo – I got sucked in.  I love that show!

Yesterday I mentioned that I don’t really do the resolution thing, but I do have some hopes and goals for 2010.  I wanted to share a few:

• Work on intuitive eating.  It has just been two days of not using Fitday (for real this time) and trying to listen to my body, but I have been so happy those two days.  I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.  It has by no means been simple or perfect – I find myself trying to add up calories in my head sometimes, or fretting about whether I have eaten too much for a meal or for the day.  But whenever that happens, I just try to push the thoughts completely out of my head and focus on something else.  And so far, it’s working.
• Run another marathon, and improve my time.  I’m looking at the Pittsburgh marathon in May and will keep you updated!
• Get my PMI Project Management certification.  I have yet to really start studying, and it’s going to be tough, but I really want to get my certification this year.
• Learn German – I know I’m not going to become fluent in a year.  But I have signed up for my first class (beginning January 23!) and I can’t wait to learn!  Then, next time I go back to Switzerland I can actually talk to some people.
• Incorporate weight training regularly into my exercise schedule.  “Nuff said.
• Incorporate consistent core work into my exercise schedule.  One major goal of mine for a while now has been to work some core and ab work into my workout routine.  Ever since my surgery (over a year and a half ago, gulp…) I have been afraid to do anything that puts any stress or pressure on my stomach area.  Angela from Oh She Glows did a Whittle my Middle challenge in Nov-Dec.  I meant to participate, but like many of the other things in my life I mean to do… it didn’t get done.  Partially because of the hustle and bustle of the season, my birthday, my mom’s visit, etc.  And partially because I just have been putting off getting serious about core work.  Well, Angela is doing another challenge now.  She already started, so I am going to be a few days behind when I start.  But I’m going to try to do it too!
• Really think about and map out a plan for the next few years of my life.  S and I have a lot of dreams and goals, and we get very excited talking about them and throwing ideas around.  But eventually, we have to figure out some concrete steps and where we want to be in six months, a year, five years, etc.  It won’t be easy, but this is the beginning of the rest of our life!

Those are just a few of my 2010 focus points.  I have many others floating around, but I know it’s important to make the high priority ones concrete by actually writing them down.  So hold me accountable, people!

For lunch (S still not awake…), I tried a new recipe for salmon.  In the past, I haven’t had that much luck cooking salmon.  I love it… but it always turns out tough and/or dry no matter whether I try to grill it, sautee it, bake it… etc.  I was actually googling “slow cooking” to try to find some more crock pot recipes when I came across a way to make Slow Cooked Salmon.  It said:

When you cook fish on high heat - the proteins immediately seize up – which is why it’s so easy to overcook fish, and end up with dry, chalky and tough piece of seafood. I mean, if you were set on a blazing hot bed of coals, you’d seize up too, screaming, “HOLY SHIT THAT’S HOT!”

Made sense to me!  So I followed the directions.  I thawed the salmon fillets, and rubbed olive oil on them.  Then I sprinkled them with seasonings (some garlic salt and some crazy seasonings from Switzerland that I cannot read the labels of so thus have no idea what they actually are.  But they taste good, so I put them on lots of stuff!)  Then I put them in the oven at 250 degrees.  I kept an eye on it – the directions said to leave it in for 25 minutes but mine were good after just 15 minutes.  Maybe they were just thinner fillets.

So after 15 minutes, I took them out and:

Plump, juicy, tender, just-done salmon – exactly how I like it!  It was sooo good, I ate half right there off the foil.

I made the other half into a huge salad with veggies, edamame, cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I have found the secret to life perfectly cooked salmon!  Hallelujah!  But of course am open to any other life-changing salmon-cooking methods, too.

I decided to take today as a rest day from exercise and the gym.  My arms are sore from my weights yesterday, and my legs are still sore from doing Jillian’s Fitness Ultimatum on the Wii 2 days ago!!  I love that game.  It doesn’t feel like I’m overly exerting myself at the time, and I always thought that my legs were in awesome shape from all my running, stepmill, etc. – but this game proves that I am missing some muscles in my workouts because I get so sore afterward.  I love it!!!

Instead, S and I went to Barnes and Nobles to enjoy a coffee and some reading.  I read this month’s Women’s Muscle and Fitness magazine.  Believe it or not, I get the Men’s Muscle and Fitness magazine delivered to my house (I got a free subscription) and really like it.  So I like reading the womens’ version too.  When my Muscle and Fitness subscription is up, I think I am either going to subscribe to Women’s Muscle and Fitness or Oxygen.  Although I go to Barnes and Nobles so often that I get to read them both every month anyways!

At B&N, I had a protein bar with my coffee.

I also ate a bag of potato chips that S got with his sandwich.  No pic, though

We got home to find JB and Mendy chasing each other around the house.  I swear, we live in a zoo!  S tried to grab them to calm them down.

It didn’t really worked… I think they just got a little smooshed and even more worked up.  The second he let them go, they went nutso again!

Meanwhile, I made dinner.  I was feeling breakfast for dinner, so I made stuffed protein french toast!

Two slices of whole wheat bread dipped in a mixture of 2 eggs, a dash of soy milk and a scoop of protein powder.

Mixed a little cream cheese with some sugar and vanilla, and put it in between the two french toast slices.

Drizzled some maple syrup and put a dollop of cool whip on top, and VOILA!

So good.

Afterward, I was still hungry so I had a piece of toast with cashew butter and TJ’s superfruit spread.

Dessert?

Wait for it………….

And before bed, a handful of

Hope everybody had a great first day of 2010!