A Confession

First some housekeeping - I decided to link the spreadsheet where I am keeping track of my food budget with the site.  It's on the tab that say "10 dollars per day." This way I don't have to report uninteresting posts that tally where I spent what.  You can just follow along whenever you please.  Of course, when something interesting happens I will blog about it.

Anyway, with that, I must share something else.  Since I do talk about eating healthy once in a while and similar positve life choices from time to time, I feel it's important that I get this off my chest.

It's a confession.

I LOVE FAST FOOD.

... and I know it's filled with drugs, dipped in cyanide and causes most forms of cancer.  I know that chicken nuggets used to be a large pink glob of chicken guts which was then dipped in ammonia, and I know the health value is between zero and none.    

I know.

So don't try to fight me on this, because I already know and I am guessing it won't help.  I already decided I'm okay with it.

I'm not here to defend it, but I am okay with it because it because:

I usually bypass dessert,

I don't buy candy or other junk food,

I try to choose "healthier" options. 

I don't over eat - as in I rarely order the "meal deal". 
and when I'm at home - I mostly avoid overly-processed foods.

__________

We all choose different ways to be healthy or "not healthy" as the case may be.  I have an easy time giving up cake and brownies, but when it comes to Chicken Burritos for $0.89.... I am powerless.

There is a lot I am not saying here - talk about industry practices, poor messages to children, and highly questionable meat sources... and I know I am not doing any of this justice (but perhaps I will speak to that in the future).  

The point I am making here is balance.  The media has turned fast food giants into veritable monsters against humanity (and while some of this is deserved) a lot of it is just looking for blame.  The nutrition facts have been out for a long time, no one forced anyone to eat anything.  Yes - they made it cheap and availible, but is that so wrong.  It was always and still is cheaper to cook at home, albeit more time consuming. 

Running for my Life!

I signed up for the TC 10 mile not quite 3 months ago.  I did not buy new tennis shoes, I did not follow a running plan and I did not significantly alter my diet.

I just fell in love with running.

I find when I spend too much time thinking about tennis shoes, gel and training regimines - something is lost in that, and I don't enjoy it in the same way. 

I know others who swear by all those things (because I do talk about it).... and there's definetly more than a few good arguments for me to adopt some better practices. 

Perhaps I should buy some new tennis shoes, instead of using the ones that I can't remember when I bought them, and probably aren't suited for running. 

Perhaps a new training plan would increase my speed and help me stay on track.

Perhaps

But. I don't really care. 

Mostly, I run alone, often times without music, because running is for me.  

A lot has happend in my life recently, and I find running gives me that perfect time to think. 

1 year ago - I lost my job

3 months ago - I ran my first 5K,

1 week ago - my husband moved 2000 miles away. 

1 day ago - I ran farther than I have before - I ran 10 miles. 

In the last year I have lost a job, probably a husband, and about 10 lbs. 

In the last year I have gained a new better job (2 of them technically), some of myself back, and a legitamite excercise routine. 

It's hard to say what the remedy or life formula is.  What we should do or what we shouldn't.  There are tips and guides but very little of it seems to be universal.  If there is something, then I reccomend not looking to this blog for that anyway. 

Recently though, I was told to "follow my heart", and for something like that I have to be told.

So first I have been trying to find my heart...

Running 10 miles was interesting.  It stunk for a while at first.  I've been fighting a cold, and I woke at 5AM, and I am only a morning person when copious amounts of coffee is involved.  However, somehow around 3 miles the cold lessened and I kept going - and oh by the way there was a half-cup of coffee involved at the beginning of this race. 

Running in a major race is filled with excitement - lots of cheering, lots of people watching.  All of the water stations were sponsors by organizations (mostly local companies).  Around the 6 mile mark Target was sponsoring a station and there was something about the music playing or the barage of red t-shirts or maybe the fact that I was really running in a 10 mile race that caused me to choke up.  Aparently, I can't run and cry well, so it didn't last long, but that's when the feeling sunk in.  I am running for my life.   

When I saw the finish line, and I knew I had made it - I teared up.  A lot has changed in my life - things have been torned down, and things have been built up.  For me finishing this race was that secure feeling that I can be okay on my own.  I can run 10 miles.

Stats: I came in at 1:56:23 - my goal was to beat 2 hours (check!).  It's actually a faster pace then how I ran my first 5K - so kind of neat to see the (slow, but realized) improvement


Thanks to everyone who has had some part in all of this -friends, family and readers. Certainly, I can do things on my own, but it's nice to have friends and family there for support too. Also, lending a listening ear - that's what I like most - thanks for reading.

An Apple A Day

About a week ago they had a sale on apples at Cub - $0.99/ lb.  Tis the season.  Never quite sure what a deal on Apples really should be, but I was attracted to mini-paper bags they were selling them in and put them in my cart.  As an aside, I'd love to make it out to an Apple Orchard this month, but my free time is minuscule and chances are I won't have the time and until the snow flies. 

So I bought apples.  A pretty big bag of them.  I don't know quite what I was envisioning with them, but basically they have become my go to food.  It's so easy.  I just grab one whenever I am feeling hungry and lazy at the same time, which (ahem) is quite often.  So this got me thinking - Apples are probably the healthiest thing I can eat that fits the grab-n-go model.  Not to mention they are affordable and delicious. 

It seems like the old adage "An Apple a Day ..."- doesn't only keep the doctor away (which is an expense) it's a easy/frugal/healthy option "as is".  
    
To the Apple!

An update: 
I have been crediting myself $10 everyday, and have only purchased two things: $1.00 for a bag of popcorn because I was "starving" at work.  $5.78 for Taco Bell dinner, because you know it had been almost a week.  So that puts my current balance at $33.39

The coupon detail came from both of my primary grocery stores recently - Cub and Costco.  So I will be looking forward to planning a trip that doesn't go over my budget. 

Thoughts for you

What's a reliable/frugal/healthy - grab in go food that you always turn to?  I can' think of anything better than an apple, but that doesn't mean you can't.