Instead of the gym...

I just COULD NOT BEAR the thought of going to the gym and getting on the treadmill today.  I've been fighting some sort of mini-obnoxious-cold-thing all week and, finally, today I just felt completely worn out.  (It doesn't help that Jeremy and I have been staying up until midnight for the last three nights watching two one-hour episodes per night of the last season of Big Love.  Totally obsessed with this show.)  I was already talking myself out of going to the gym before I even left the house this morning, which is highly unusual.  I usually really look forward to my time at the gym.  But I just wasn't feelin' it.  I still packed my gym bag in case I changed my mind.  As my day at work went on, I felt more and more 'blah'.  So, I gave myself permission to skip the gym.  There was definitely a little bit of an internal struggle, since my running opportunities are relatively limited.  But, instead of the gym I:

• went to Old Navy and bought my daughter some new clothes.  I can barely keep her in jeans these days!!
• went to Starbucks and got myself a grande iced latte with 2 Equals (this is the only time I will ingest artificial sweeteners, as I think they are practically poison, but the Equal just disolves so well in the cold coffee and gives it the perfect sweetness.)  And--if you were wondering--no, I do not get my latte made with skim milk.  It's 2% all the way, baby.  We drink 1% at home but, good grief, I only go to Starbucks like 3 times a year, so what the hell.
• went to Walmart to pick up a few groceries.  Yes, we have one of those Walmarts that has a full grocery store.  I used to be real snobby about Walmart and avoid it like the plague.  Then I realized that they sell the big Stoneyfield Farms Organic yogurt for about $2 less than our regular grocery store.  That's all it took.  I'm easy.

And, that was it.  Then it was time to go pick up my son from preschool.  As I was driving there, I was kind of wishing that I was all sweaty and worked-out like I usually am when I go to pick him up.  It felt weird not to have gone running.  It's become quite the habit.  My friend even noticed that I was in the same clothes she'd seen me in this morning instead of my running clothes like usual.  Well, there's always Friday morning...

Tonight I made a really good Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry.  Everybody loved it, so in my books that's a big success.  It was in the most recent issue of Cooking Light (have I ever mentioned how much I love that magazine?).  So, you could probably go to their website and look the recipe up, but I'll save you the trouble and give it to you right now.

Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry

3 cups hot cooked white rice (or it would also be great with brown rice--I have a great recipe for that too)
2 tablespoons dry sherry, divided
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce (I used regular.  For shame.), divided
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pound boneless sirloin steak, cut diagonally across grain into thin slices (great tip: put steak in the freezer for approx. 15 minutes before slicing--makes it a lot easier to slice evenly)
1/2 cup lower-sodium beef broth (again, I used regular.  again, for shame.)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce)  *LOVE THIS STUFF!*
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (I just keep a knob of fresh ginger in the freezer and take it out to grate or chop up when needed.  It stays forever in the freezer.)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (I couldn't live without a garlic press)
4 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup sliced green onions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sugar.  Add sliced beef and stir to coat.  Set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, beef broth, cornstarch, hoisin, and Sriracha.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add beef mixture; saute 3 minutes or until browned.  Remove beef and all juices from pan.  Set aside.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan.  Add ginger and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add broccoli and 1/4 cup of water; cook 1 minute.  Add onions; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add broth mixture and beef mixture; cook 2 minutes or until beef is thoroughly heated and sauce is slightly thick.  Serve over rice.

We at it ALL.  NO leftovers.  It was really good.  And, for some reason, I find Chinese food the most difficult to reproduce at home.  But this had just the right mixture of flavors and little bit of spicyness from the Sriracha.  Sorry--no photos.  Our camera battery is dead and just sitting next to the camera on our counter waiting to be charged.  But the broccoli stayed a beautiful bright green and was perfectly cooked, if I do say so myself.

Last night we tried another Cooking Light recipe: Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce.  It was equally awesome.  But, seeing that I was too tired to go to the gym today, I should get off of this computer and get my butt to bed.

I'm feeling too lazy to come up with any good questions tonight...