Warm Spinach & Elk Salad and Weigh-In Weds.

Warm Spinach and Elk Salad, a photo by Sarcastic Quilter on Flickr.

Yum. The recipe for the salad is below. Of course beef can be substituted.

So, onto some good news, I was wrong about my initial weight. I didn’t start this journey (this time) weighing in at 168. I actually started it weighing in at 161. I just realized today that my scale is not calibrated correctly and instead of starting at 0, it actually sits at 7 when there is nothing on it.

So, I was 161 to start, lost 1 lb last week and this week, ta da…. 1 more pound.

But really, it’s SWEET because I lost 7 lbs, just like that, this week. I did what any self-respecting dieter would do to celebrate. I went to McDonald’s and ordered a Big Mac meal! Okay, no I didn’t but I did have a bologna and cheese sandwich on white bread. If Jillian Michaels was a friend of mine, she’d have thrown her hands up in disgust but hey, sometimes you just want a little comfort food!  Overall, my eating habits and choices were pretty good this week.

My 1 lb loss this week is, again, due to lack of movement, I fear. I am not working out as I had planned. I should be more disciplined and work out first thing in the morning but I’ve tried that and if I don’t have something to eat first off, I can barely make it 5 minutes into the work out. Of course, something to eat needs to digest a little so that means I have to have my coffee or I don’t want to move. Really, I AM the couch potato without these things. So, a yogurt, or banana or whatever, digest and while I wait, I start working.

So I work and get sucked in… my morning disappears and then it’s 10am and I have meetings and calls, contracts to review and a shower to get in. Plus I’m hungry because I didn’t eat anything filling in the morning. –sigh- I get sucked back into work. 2pm rolls around and I’ve determined the idea of working out at lunch time has come and gone and maybe I better eat some lunch!

5pm, 6pm… get up, make dinner (if I’m lucky and work permits). Or get up and yell at teenager (cause really, that’s all the enjoyment in my life these days…kidding). Or get up and pee. (not kidding.)

Shut down the computer. I could work out now but that interferes with my daily constitutional at this time… the wine. There are some things I’ll do for better health but giving up my daily glass of wine isn’t one of them. I spend some time with hubs/kids, eat, watch some Jeopardy. This week, browse blogs from the blogger festival but last week, I tried to get some sewing in during the “prime time” of television time. 9/10pm roll around and I could exercise but then I want to go to bed and I wonder if exercising after having wine earlier is a bright idea.

Alas, the day is over and I lay down planning to get up in the am and do better.

So now you know. I have decided this week I’m going to try something different and that is to work out before bed. I can sleep anytime so I am not worried about not being able to sleep after exercising. I think if I’m only having 1 glass of wine around 5pm, I should be fine to exercise at 9pm. If I’m wrong, please do not enlighten me. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Warm Elk & Spinach Salad
fresh baby spinach
3 - 6 oz elk steak (a tender cut)
pine nuts
kernal corn
vidalia onion
dried cranberries (craisins)
(NOTE: Use whatever quantities you need to make this for yourself and/or others. If I were making a salad for only me, I'd use up to 3 oz steak and maybe 1/8 cup sliced onion. A small palmful of nuts, craisins and corn and a cup of spinach.)

1. Grill steak (or broil) until medium rare (or just to medium) and let rest while making the salad. 
2. Lightly toast pine nuts in a sautee in dry pan for a minute or two over medium heat.  Take nuts out of pan and set aside.
3. Chop onion and sautee on medium high heat in a bit of olive oil until tender.
4. Add kernal corn and baby spinach and toss with onions until it is wilted slightly.
5. Place mixture on a plate, top with craisins and pine nuts. Arrange elk over the salad.
6. Optional:  add a light amount of an italian style vinagrette.

Cheers! Beck