Valentine's Confessions

This Valentine's Weekend was full of friends and fun. Isn't it always a struggle on special occasions to find the balance between "Ah, it's a special occasion! I'll do whatever I feel like doing" and "No. That's not in my diet". The problem with the earlier statement is that special occasions come around pretty often and if they don't you can kind of make them up. The latter statement is a challenge too because life can be tedious without little breaks from everyday discipline that can give you just enough wiggle room to stay on the straight and narrow. So how do you celebrate without guilt or wondering where the joy in life is?
I'm not an expert. I wish I was, but I'm finding my way just like everyone else is. Aren't you suspicious of people who put themselves out there and claim to know everything? Don't you wonder if Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser is ever going to get caught by the Inquirer stuffing pizza and chocolate into her mouth? I do...all the time!
Okay, so I went into this weekend knowing that I was going to have very little control over my dinners on Friday or Saturday night. Friday we had another couple over and it was their idea that the men would cook for the ladies (it certainly wasn't Shawn's--his cooking involves eating out!). They bought and brought the food and we paid for half. The only preparation I did was to make some tapioca pudding that was lightly sweetened with maple syrup to ensure that there would be a reasonably good option for dessert. The rest I was going to flow with.
We had a great dinner that included: Caesar salad & bruschetta, chicken cordon bleu, rice (a roni), honey'd carrots, and garlic green beans. There was also pita chips & hummus out and chocolate cake with whipped cream & strawberries for dessert (I opted not to have). The only questionable decision I made was to have the glass of sparkling wine as the meal was made. An occasional drink is not an issue usually, but this year I am trying not to have processed sugars and I felt that the wine represented a compromise in my resolve. No crazy guilt over it--just a note to self not to do that again...this year.
Saturday's dinner was at the Keg! Shawn had gotten a generous gift certificate a month or so back and kept it a secret. I was delighted when he turned into their parking lot and told me that we could order whatever we wanted. I was very happy and wanted to enjoy this special meal, but I also wanted to make good choices so that the memory of our evening wouldn't be tainted.
Instead of wine (I mean really, I'd just had a glass the night before!) I opted for sparking mineral water which felt just a bit better than drinking plain water. We never order appetizers but this time I ordered their vegetable treo platter that featured mushrooms, sweet potato fries and asparagus spears. By the time we ate the veggies and had some bread, I realized that we could have shared an entree. I barely touched my prime rib and baked potato. Shawn was excited to order his absolutely favorite dessert--the brownie sundae. I was tempted (more for the emotional connection) to pick up the extra spoon and help him out but I couldn't do it without breaking a committment I made to myself. I asked the waiter if they happened to have a dish of strawberries and he said that they really didn't have any healthy dessert options at the Keg. So, I just enjoyed watching Shawn groan as he tried to make room for his dessert.
We went to show after and before we went in, I noticed that they were selling frozen yogurt. I still had that "the meal isn't finished" feeling so I decided to check it out. The only viable option for me was the "no sugar added" frozen yogurt. It had Splenda in it, but I ordered it anyway. I had them mix it with strawberries and aside from the chemical taste, it was the perfect end to my eating for the day.
I'm doing really good, right? Okay, so here comes the confession. On Sunday afternoon our family was having a really good time together and we wanted to do something special together so we...went to McDonalds. We picked it up and brought it home so there was no pop. I also dropped the fries bag upside down by accident, but Shawn quickly salvaged it. So there the Cassidy's sat watching the latest taped episode of "The Biggest Loser" eating hamburgers, chicken nuggets, mcchicken (me), and french fries. Believe it or not, I never made a committment not to eat these foods this year but that's just symantics.
The good news is that the Biggest Loser showed the contestants doing a workout circuit and my kids asked if I would set one up for us to do as a family. So, we went downstairs and did a cardio circuit together for 20 minutes. It wasn't a huge workout but I was happy to see my children eager to move and enjoying our time together.  Maybe it's going to be okay after all!