Life is Healthy

BIKING

After months of really awful winter weather and so much time spent inside, all I want to do is be outside. Know what I mean?

My vacation to California could have been just a warm-weather tease, but thankfully the nice weather followed me home. Well, sort of. Fifty-five degrees is hardly California standard, but it's not 25 anymore, thank God.

To celebrate the sunshine, my husband and I went on our first bike ride of the season . We drove to one of our favorite rails-to-trails routes along the Allegheny River near Franklin and rode 12 miles. A good start to the season considering we haven't been on our bikes in 5 months. My thighs will protest tomorrow, but I don't care. My face will protest because of the wind burn, but I don't care. Sixty minutes on my bike is worth it all.

What activity do you like to do now that winter is over? What do you look forward to doing in the warmer weather?

Because tomorrow promises to be even warmer, I'll do some gardening. My flower beds are a mess and yet green shoots are popping up all over the place. I just wish I could remember what I planted everywhere. I hate when I forget to keep the little plastic tag from the pot after I replant. Oh well. I like surprises.

SALAD

I didn't realize what a salad junkie I am until I went to a friend’s house yesterday. I packed a salad to eat. I asked her for a big bowl. She gave me a large cereal bowl. I said no, I need a mixing bowl. She looked at me funny and handed me a small mixing bowl. Again I said no, I mean a BIG mixing bowl. She laughed and showed me her collection of large bowls to choose from. I grabbed a big green plastic Tupperware bowl and dumped in the contents of my Ziploc bags.

When I pack a salad, I pack a salad. Half a bag of lettuce, half a bag of spinach, a cup of shredded carrots, 10 cherry tomatoes, 1.5 ounces of low-fat cheddar and three whole-grain crackers. Mix that with my homemade balsamic dressing and I graze for at least 20 minutes. I thought everyone ate big ass salads like that, but apparently not. I admit I'm a little embarrassed.

But I really love volume eating.

When I got home from biking today, I roasted 12 ounces of asparagus in some lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. I ate it all. Tonight for dinner, I made lentil spaghetti sauce and served it with spaghetti squash and broccoli. I ate a ton of broccoli, a ton of squash and just a small amount of sauce. While it looked like a lot of food on my plate, it didn't equal a lot of calories. I ate it all and yet feel satisfied, not full. Again, volume eating.

Do any of you eat this way? If so, what kinds of food do you pack in? And no, chocolate doesn't count - LOL! I wish.