Baby Steps, Giant Gains

I woke up yesterday pain free, the first time in 14 days!

I had been give the OK to start taking "short walks" so the previous day I walked 2.6 miles but it took me 50 minutes. Probably because it was the first bit of activity in four days and my head hurt a great deal.

Today, I woke with no pain, had my protein drink and set off, feeling really good. I walked farther, 3 miles this time and shaved 5 minutes off my time, so I walked farther and faster!

It was early, 6:30 am and a Saturday, so all was quiet. I looked around and thought, I could easily break out in a run and no one would know! I decided against it though, I don't want to push myself too much yet.

This is a good sign, I am getting better. The emotional lift from the respite in pain is amazing, I started to feel alive again.

The headache didn't start in again until 25 minutes after my walk, but the time without it was wonderful!

My family can always tell when I am feeling better, I start cooking! I pulled all the vegetables out of the refrigerator, to see what I could create. I parboiled collard greens, then cut them in a chiffonade. I peeled and cut a bunch of carrots, threw them in a pan added a big bag of mushrooms, cut into chunks, then added the greens.

I oven roasted everything together and after it cooled, I packaged it up in zipper bags, threw it in the freezer and now have my vegetables for upcoming meals.

Collard greens are amazing, they have such a sweet flavor. I never tried them until a friend of mine brought them to me recently. She lives around the corner and signed up for a CSA, but her husband has been out of town a great deal, so she cannot possibly eat all the vegetables, so I am the lucky recipient of her bounty. I have been home, she has been stopping by, it's been great.

Then I started in on Curry Chicken from The Eat Clean Diet cookbook. I have to change the recipe, it calls for chicken breasts pounded thin that will be stuffed and rolled. I have a pound and a half of "chunks" of chicken breast, you can see it in the bowl above.

If the chicken curry tastes good, I will post the recipe, it was easy, especially changing it the way I did.

"R" came by with a bottle of champagne, we sat in the backyard and talked, it was great to have her stop by, I have felt like a shut in, not going anywhere except to the doctor or the store with my husband driving.

I will try to take three walks a day, depending on how I feel. Life is getting better!