Alive and Kicking

Yay for Thursday, friends. We're inching closer to the weekend and sprinkles of fall are finally in the air here in the Windy City. No more blah for me today, either! I plowed through some intense elliptical work for 30 minutes this afternoon and added another 20-minute walk outside. I *had* to get out of the house today. I spend a lot of my day working at the computer. With the sun behind the clouds and a cool lingering in the air, it seemed like the perfect time to head outside. With various errands to run, I earned a total of 10,478 steps (thank you Omron pedometer) for Thursday. I feel good!

I was craving eggs this morning, so I cooked up two eggs with pepper and chives on a Arnold multi-grain sandwich thin for breakfast. I also had some mixed berries and an iced coffee.

Ryan and I are heading to Michigan tomorrow for some Michigan State football this weekend, so for lunch we wanted to use up a few items that have been in our fridge for a bit. We resorted to our trusty Rising Moon Ravioli, Butternut Squash-style. Ryan also cooked up some Rinaldi pasta sauce with garlic and red wine vinegar, plus BelGioioso parmesan cheese. I also had some mixed greens on the side with tomatoes, cucumber, beets (!!!), and some olive oil and vinegar on top. While not incredibly eventful, it was good good good!

I spent a part of my afternoon brushing up on a new CMS program and wrapping up additional odds and ends. Once all was said and done, I grabbed my first apple of the fall -- my absolute favorite, Michigan McIntosh Apples -- for a snack. I added two tablespoons of reduced fat Jif on the side. Love this snack! For those apple lovers out there, what else do you pair 'em up with besides peanut butter?

Dinner, once again, featured Cooking Light's Turkey and Bean Chili. I tell ya, this version is hearty, yet lite. You don't feel quite so full when finished and that's a thumbs up in my book!

Prior to calling it an evening, Ryan and I ran a few more errands around town. We capped things off with our first pumpkin lattes of the season. Oh how I love Starbucks during this time of year. How about you?

At last, the day is done! Time to catch some reruns on TiVo. I hope you had a fantastic day and that you're gearing up for an awesome weekend. Thanks a mil for reading Fighting the Pudge and for supporting my food changes and weight-loss journey. xx

Do any of you use a pedometer? Would love to hear your thoughts on whether or not you think they work, what brand you prefer, etc. I'm experimenting with mine as a means of tracking my daily steps and exercise.