Basketball, Hockey, Football food and the BAND

So, despite not having graduate school to contend with- I’m busy. 

It’s college basketball season, which means I spend at least one night a week some time every weekend watching my beloved NC State Wolfpack play- often in person from my seats in the RBC Center.  I’m going to jazzercise 3 nights a week (so long as I don’t have a home basketball game to go to) and I manage to fill our weekends up most of the time.  I thought I’d have all this time- but now I just seem to be building a larger “want to do” list.  Like I “want to” read more, scrapbook the last 3 years of our lives, actually load pictures on the digital picture frame my husband got me LAST year for Christmas. 

I’m working hard at being more organized when it comes to food.  We are definitely eating in more.  (I haven’t been to my favorite local Mexican restaurant since before Christmas- it just hit me today, and even I am shocked, I go through stretches where I can eat here a few times a week).  I’ve found some great products that are helping me to cook quick and healthy meals at home, which is important, because I don’t get home from jazzercise until 7:00.  We’re eating more fish (Trader Joe’s has some really good quality frozen versions, and I try and pick up stuff at my local fish market as well). 

I have finally accepted that dinner does not have to include a starch.  It doesn’t.  I know, this shocks me as well.  Spinach appears to have become my go to- I have tried a variety of fresh spinach salads (2 tablespoons of dressing can fully dress a salad for 2 if you toss the salad in it). Oh and don’t be afraid to add blueberries, sliced strawberries, bing cherries, pears or apples or dried cherries or cranberries and your favorite cheese (I’m going between crumbled blue, feta and goat, again 2 tablespoons goes a long way).  This combo pairs nicely with a moderately creamy dressing like poppy seed or Vidalia onion- just enough to dampen the spinach. And found that I really enjoy cooked baby spinach -not steamed and nasty and mushy- but wilted, in a  sauté pan with a little bit of olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper- just tossed around enough to get it to start to wilt- YUMMY. 

Enjoying life though doesn’t mean I always have time to cook and spending time at basketball games or out with friends means venturing off the fish and spinach menu plans several times a week- which is fine.  My band helps me to control those portions even when the foods aren’t the healthiest. I had back to back dinners this week at the RBC Center for basketball and hockey games- pulled pork BBQ nachos to be exact- and the band helped me from devouring all of it and going back for ice cream.  The band also prohibited me from getting the second (or third) beer since I can’t drink when I eat or an hour after I eat- so my pre-game, pre-dinner $9 large draft was the only beer I drank at the hockey game.  I don’t do a lot of beer drinking with the band (the carbonation and calories and all) but everything in moderation so long as it doesn’t bother my band seems to work fine for me.

The Superbowl is Sunday... fish and spinach don't pair well with football, so it looks like I'll be looking for another option- It wouldn't be the Superbowl unless something was slathered in hot sauce and dipped in blue cheese, but I can make this work too, with a little help from the band.

Oh and the weight loss drought is finally OVER- 3 pounds in 2 weeks- BBQ nachos and all.