THANKSGIVING AND FIRST SKI OF THE SEASON

Kim joined us for Thanksgiving -- we did our traditional cheese fondue plus some random other food items.
I thought the can of cranberry was pretty funny. And it tastes good so there.

Ted and I made a pumpkin pie as a team (he made the crust and I made the filling from our CSA pumpkins) and Kim made an awesome huckleberry pie. We didn't go hungry.

Today I skinned up Big Mountain. It was snowing and cloudy but the snow was powdery good. I'm a TERRIBLE downhill skiier though. My quads are still burning a couple hours later. Ouch.

I did take the "easiest route" as I always do. Skiing powder is both easier and harder I think for a newbie. It slows you down and cushions the falls but makes control a little harder.

Self-portrait. I was pleased with myself for being brave and going out today.

I took a little side junket for a short bit. It was pretty. It's great to be able to get out in the snow and enjoy being outside. I really hope I can get to where skiing downhill is genuinely fun rather than quasi-terrifying and embarassing. There were lots of other people out and I got a lot of encouragement. Which is nice but clearly I was something of a spectacle.

RUNNING

I've basically taken the last couple of months off from running, with a few Sunday runs or short runs to Crossfit thrown in, but today I realized how much I really need running. Those endorphins -- they're real. I love being outside running. I like Crossfit but just don't feel the same after a Crossfit workout as I do after a run. Sonja likes running too.
Eating Paleo has made me pretty bingey this past week. It's not that I'm hungry eating Paleo, but the deprivation doesn't seem to work for me. It makes me want foods I don't normally even eat. I'm not a big candy person, but have really been craving candy. I've become obsessed with oatmeal, which isn't even an exciting food. It puts me back into the mindset where if I'm going to have pizza its the last pizza ever on this earth and I must eat all of it. Not healthy and not a step forward. So ultimately, my concerted efforts to eat Paleo have resulted in gaining a couple pounds. I think I need to step away from the concerted eating-related efforts. I am like the former anorexic without ever having had an eating disorder. It's really annoying.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TED!!!!

Ted is the bestest ever. Really, he is.

OL' CRAZY EYED SONJA (Technically Red Sonja Niteflite, for her homies) is THREE!

Yes, we're the crazy types who celebrate canine birthdays. And the thing about Red Sonja being the shameful kind of dog who was not rescued is that we know when she was born -- in the shop next door when we were at Haymoon Ranch in Whitefish.

What it means, more significantly, is that we've been here in Montana for close to 3 years. She was born about a week before we loaded up the truck and made a new and more chillaxed life away from Chicago. If memory serves, Ted's birthday (the 18th) was spent loading the truck. Another important date in this family. Of course it's more important than the dog's birthday!

Back to the move. As you might guess, I give it two thumbs up. Now if this shoulder season would end already and give us some powder!

Paleo "CousCous"

I suspect no one is particularly interested in my food babble of late, but I thought I'd share something I learned today. Cauliflower makes a great couscous substitute. I boiled frozen cauliflower for maybe 30 seconds and pulsed it in the food processor until it was couscous looking. I put it in the pan with chicken, olives, raisins, sundried tomato, cumin and turmeric and it was great. It would be better with slivered almonds, and the seasoning could probably be more elaborate, but I thought it was awesome. I was surprised by the fact that the mouth-feel was pretty much identical to real couscous. Bizarre. And delicious.

The photo was taken with my phone -- I'm not into food photography as you might now be aware.

WARM UP AND A DO-OVER

They don't go with the topic but I'm posting a couple Halloween pictures. Leslie and Keith came and Keith won best costume for sure with his Mountie costume. Leslie was a Parks Canada person, and for some reason the only other picture I have of her costume is still on my phone.

I did well eating Paleo M-R, but Friday night for dinner I sneaked in wine, beer and a cupcake. Not the end of the world, but Saturday was full-on unhealthy, regardless of your dietary preferences. I ate LOTS of kinda gross food, some really good food, and drank a lot of beer. It was an excellent reminder that if I'm going to eat less healthful foods, I should make them count. Sunday I was craving Kraft Dinner (the exotic version of boxed mac & cheese, which Keith and Leslie brought from Canadia), so I ate it. Lesson #2, when a craving strikes, probably a small amount will suffice. By the time I polished off the box I was not enjoying it and felt uncomfortable. But anyhow, I'm back on the wagon as of yesterday and am going to make a solid effort through Thanksgiving. My friend Chris gave me some great information on Paleo and I feel a little more behind some of the principles and selectively ignoring some of the Paleo principles. The main one I can get behind is de-glutening my diet and, of course, cutting the junk. For the sake of keeping myself in line I am not drinking before Thanksgiving. I am going to cut dairy until Thanksgiving, but not because I'm convinced its a terribly valid restriction from a health standpoint. Not saying I'm any expert or even that knowledgeable about nutrition, but frankly I trust Cheryl and Chris the most and will pretty much do what they suggest :p

As of today my weight is UP a couple pounds, but it's water and will proabably take me until Friday to de-bloat. Again, the weekend binge thing seems *not* worthwhile on a weekly basis since it's obviously what prevents me from becoming the mean lean running/Cross-fitting machine of my dreams :-)