Holiday Weeks

I was at the same weight during my weigh in this week; 155 pounds.  That's good, it's definitely not bad.  As Matt told me, at least I didn't gain.  I know I need to up my activity to help drive my pounds down but with 102 degree heat, it is hard to motivate me.  

Have you had one of these kind of weeks?  A day that you went overboard on eating?  That was 4th of July for me.  It's going to happen and guess what, you just have to move on and not dwell on it.  It did make the rest of the week seriously hard because I didn't have any Weekly Points left to use.  I still went over every day at least 1-2 points, it was really hard to get around.  I just have to look forward and know that next week won't involve a holiday where there are yummy things to eat and so many temptations.  Let's not even think about my vacation in Florida in two weeks.  That week is not going to be tracked!

Today Matt and I decided to paint our bedroom.  I'm really bad at painting and it's hard work.  I dipped out early and Matt finished up the details.  He's happy because I'm really messy.  We chose Voyager by Valspar.  It had a blue tint when it was first applied which I did not like but as it has dried, it's more of a soft grey.  I love it.  What do you think?

I decided to make a little snack since it was about three hours before we planned on eating dinner.    I bought some beautiful okra at the Farmer's Market yesterday and decided to whip up some curried okra with a side of Trader Joe's garlic naan.

Start with fresh okra.  Rinse the pods right before cooking.

Garlic cloves, red chili, cumin seed, and black mustard seed.

Add garlic and chile and some salt to a mortar.

Grind up the spices with the pestle.  It's going to start smelling wonderful!

Add the cumin seeds and mustard seed to a hot oiled pan.  When they start to POP add the garlic/chili mixture.

Let the garlic cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add okra to pan and let brown 4-5 minutes.

Add water (chicken stock would be best) and let simmer 4-5 more minutes.

Serve with naan.  My fav is Trader Joe's garlic naan.

Don't be intimidated by Indian dishes.  Most curries involve basic ingredients: black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic and chilies.  Add your veggies and you've got curry.  I will have to make curried chicken soon and show that recipe.  It's one of my favorite recipes I brought back from living in Fiji.  Have a great week!