Walking the Walk

I spent time reflecting this morning on my intentions, and how my actions are not really supporting them. What am I doing here? How did I lose focus? How did Bright Line Eating become something I had to do as opposed to something I wanted to do? This is the sneakiness of the Saboteur, insinuating little negative thoughts until they upset the cart.

And this is the importance of the actions I have been neglecting. Morning meditation & nightly gratitude are not just decoration. They serve a purpose, an opportunity to reinforce intentions and connect with who we are and what we want. Who I am, and what I want. I realized this morning that yesterday I was feeling deprived - not because it was a truth, but because a part of my brain was being triggered by what I saw and was using any means possible to sway me over to the dark side.

Lying in bed this morning I was still disappointed in myself, but it wasn't a 'what the hell' moment. Instead it felt like a moment of grace where I could think clearly, and remember what is important to the real me right now. Healing my brain. And I have been doing a half-assed job of it. Because I was only focusing on the food, and giving a shrug to the actions and support that are such an integral part of the plan. The plan to live Happy, Thin, and Free.

I spent the morning measuring out pumpkin pie spices and then putting together my third attempt at a Bright Line custard recipe.  This time I added the Ezekiel cereal to the pumpkin mix instead of using in a crumble on top, and went back to just the chopped pecans on top. They were the third protein after my eggs; everything was weighed to be divisible by three servings of fruit, protein, whole grain, and fat. I do realize that no-where in the food plans is cream mentioned, but that is my fat in this dish. Next time I will have some unsweetened coconut to try instead.

So the custard is baking in the oven - three yummy breakfasts for next week - and I have leftovers in the fridge for lunch and dinner. This afternoon I'll use up all the veggies in the fridge to make a bean stoup and prep for salads.

So getting my actions lined up to meet my intentions is the goal. Being true to what I want instead of wandering along and letting life happen. At the eight week mark I was feeling pretty good, with moments of clarity peeking through from a foggy brain, and I want that back. I want to keep my Bright Lines intact from now until my Birthday in the Spring and beyond.

I don't need snacks at New Years or during the Super Bowl. I do need to be in a right sized body and thinking clearly and wearing smaller jeans. I just do.

Prime Rib Soup
I have six minutes to write about how wonderful my soup smells. First I chopped a couple of yellow onions and put them in the instant pot with the ribs from the roast I had cut apart. I covered them with cold filtered water and set the timer for high pressure and 75 minutes. While that was cooking I chopped another small onion, a large leek, a few leaves of kale, a green pepper, and then de-stemmed the last of the fresh thyme. Adding in half a large bag of 'cauliflower crumbles' brought my prep bowl to full. It's nice to have a bowl you can fill up and know it's the perfect amount of veg for a batch of soup. I then chopped the leftover roast , removing as much fat as I could, and opened a can of white hominy.  Once the rib stock was done, I pulled out the ribs and meat that was falling off the bones and added in the bowl of vegetables, hominy, and roast - including all the drippings that were in the container as well.

I set the timer for six minutes this time, and while the veggies were cooking separated the meat from the bones and fat. It was so juicy I didn't want to cook it any more; I'll stir it in once the rest of the soup is done. Which is now. It smells so delicious, just the perfect meal for a cold rainy night. I'm pretty sure that the veg to meat ratio is high, so I know having a bowl will be a Bright Line dinner.