Let’s see…where did we leave off???

Oh yes, I put this amazing looking soup into the crockpot, set the timer for 8 hours, and….ran out of time before I headed to bed.  Man, that extra hour knocked me out early last night.  The soup looked good and the house smelled fantastic when I turned the pot off with about 1 hour to go, but it wasn’t ‘mushy’ like it’s supposed to be.

  

 

I let the soup cool a bit and had the BOY place it in the fridge before he went to bed (obviously he can stay up later than me).  This morning, I was up before my alarm clock (I’m sure my body will adjust soon).  After some debate and a picture comparison to Jenna’s soup, I decided to put the crockpot back on low heat.  Because of the cooling and condensation, the soup looked watery, so I spooned out ~2 cups of liquid reserve and waited…again!

  

 

As mentioned in the title, I am not the most patient person in the kitchen.  I am a habitual crockpot and oven checker, so I found myself walking back and forth resisting the urge to lift the lid and see if some of the liquid was absorbing.  It’s so hard to tell from the picture below.  I had to get myself out of the kitchen, so I got started on my typical Monday stuff (laundry and grocery list) and did something else SUPER EXCITING (to be shared a little later in the post), and then got ready for my session with the TRAINER.

 

Also, I needed to do my 100 Pushups Challenge pre-test.  As I posted last week, my goal is 60 pushups in 6 weeks.  I noticed that nobody has raised their hand (or posted) to join me.  A few thoughts to try to convince you…

1. You can do pushups in the comfort of your own home (nice during the cold winter)

2. Pushups not only strengthen your arms, but also your core (working pecs=stronger abdominals)

3. Strength training is important for women of all ages to build bone density and improve posture

4. Having a strength goal will keep you motivated as we enter the holiday season

5. Strong arms are sexy!

 

 

Push up pre-test: 25 push ups!

Please excuse the awful scenery.  I needed the BOY to take pictures and he was comfortably seated on his lazy boy and couldn’t be convinced to move for the sake of my BLOG…haha! I headed off for an intense kettlebell strength session with the TRAINER who was excited to hear about my new challenge.  When I got home, my soup finally looked ready.

  

  

 

Doesn’t that look incredible?!  Definitely worth the wait!

  

 

My soup looks and smells amazing.  It is hearty and definitely the mushy consistency that I expected.  Next time around, I will think about adding less liquid initially for a thicker soup and make sure I have the full 8-10 hours to cook.  I am super excited to enjoy my soup for lunch this week!  Your know your mouth is watering too.  Click HERE for the FULL RECIPE.

 

So, did I convince you to do the push up challenge yet?  Why am I so motivated????

I’m striving for toned arms and shoulders in my bathing suit on the Caribbean Cruise the BOY and I just booked this morning!!!  And I only have 2 months to go!!!