Always Be Prepared

"I will prepare, and some day my chance will come."

- Abraham Lincoln

(This was my "quote" of 2009 that I wrote on my calendar and read every day...still my favorite)

Last night in the bathtub I was thinking about how much time I had spent over the past couple of days preparing meals, packing lunches, getting my gym bag ready for the next day, and setting my clothes out for in the morning.  I was thinking that is probably one of the reasons that I have been able to stick to a routine and be successful at it.  I do everything I can to make sure my day goes smoothly so that I can stick to my meal/exercise plan.  I then got frustrated because no matter how much I try, things never go as planned...kinda like my Tuna Risotto recipe that turned into a 2 hour ordeal/disaster.  I followed the recipe EXACTLY.  I have never made risotto...apparently it is just rice that is prepared differently.  You have to sit there for an hour and add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock every 5 minutes until it reaches this ideal creamy consistency.  Well, it looked edible....

...but it was NOT.  The rice tasted like it hadn't been cooked at all.  I tried to choke it down, but it was not worth it.  By now I had been cooking for almost 2 hours.  I was not just going to throw it away, I was going to salvage it somehow.  I had to take a moment because I was getting a little misty-eyed (I was just so frustrated)...I was reminded, however, that when trying a new recipe you never know how it is going to turn out.  While eating my bowl of cereal I added more water and simmered it for about 30 more minutes.  I do have good news to report though...I just ate it for lunch and I ate the whole container without having to choke it down!  So my blog that I prepared last night to be very sad has a happy ending...being patient pays off!!!!  Needless to say, I will be going out to dinner tonight...I need a break from all this!!!!!

Oh, I ate something else today that was healthy/yummy and filling!  I cooked some steel cut oats last night for my breakfast this morning.  They have to cook on the stove for 30 or 40 minutes(I like my oatmeal very gummy), but were worth it.  Apparenlty they are not as processed as regular oats so they have more nutrients and a little different flavor.  I reheated them this morning and added 1 packet of splenda, walnuts, flaxseed and fresh strawberries and blueberries. 

I know I am one of the few people in this world that has time(or makes time) to boil not one, but two pots of milk because the first one scalded and boiled over.  Call me crazy, but I think it just goes back to being prepared.  I spent the extra time, but I was fuller longer and wasn't tempted to eat something else that wasn't good for me because I was hungry!