For Better or Worse, through Thick and Thin. . .

Shane and I just celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary, and boy, has the time flown. There have been good days and bad days and in between days, but that's why the wedding vows say, "for better or worse", right? The thing is, we've chosen to be together -- through thick and thin. Well, we've been together through thick -- Shane (who was 145 lbs when we married) got up to 190 and I (who had lost down from 180's to 150's when we married) got up to a whopping 236 lbs -- my all-time high. Shane was diagnosed with diabetes and I have PCOS and have not been able to get pregnant in these 21 years. So after some resistance (see previous post), we've embarked -- together-- on this new healthy eating venture. When we married, Shane was one of the pickiest eaters I had known, so this has not been easy for him, but he has been such a trooper. I am so proud of him for trying new foods and being game for all the strange recipes I've been subjecting him to. And he's been so encouraging to me when I have those days when the scales creep up a lb. instead of down and when I'm having a "fat day." I am so blessed to have such an incredible partner.

The results for both of us have been really wonderful, even though we are only a month in. Shane's sugar has been below 100 most days, and he's had no really bad spells since we began this new life together. He's lost over 10 lbs and through our daily pool workouts, he has really toned, and I find myself married to an incredibly handsome, more-fit-every-day man. I've lost a total of 20 lbs since April (11 since we started the new eating plan on June 13.) I'm beginning to be able to tell a difference in the way some of my clothes fit. I've lost just over an inch in my waist and 2 1/4 inches in my hips. Both of us have more energy and feel better. I'm eating less than I ever have, but I am rarely hungry. The food is filling and delicious and there are virtually no cravings. (I say virtually, because I must admit my mouth watered copiously when we passed Krispy Kreme on our anniversary evening out . . . .)

For our anniversary, we drove over to Carolina Beach to watch a free concert and catch the fireworks on the beach. Of course, it had rained, so both were cancelled. That was OK, though. We spread our towel on the beach, picnicked, and watched the clouds, listened to the surf, walked the beach (an extra mini-workout :~). A sliver of moon smiled down on us and our love and our new life together. Then we came home, had our own fireworks, enjoying our new, ever-changing-for-the-better bodies. And even after 21 years, we still make beautiful music together, so we enjoyed a concert after all.

Today, I'm going to share with you a delightful soup that we had for our picnic on the beach. We had a mixed green salad with carrots, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and blueberry vinaigrette dressing and potato and leek soup for 2 in thermoses to keep it warm and creamy. The recipe originally came from cooks.com. We made some slight adjustments, and it was delicious.

Potato and Leek Soup

3 T butter
1 small onion
2 leeks (white part only)
3 medium red potatoes
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat. Chop and cook the onion and leeks until translucent (5-7 minutes). Add the red potatoes, chopped (we left the peeling on one potato and it added lovely color [and some added nutrition]). Add chicken broth. Simmer, covered, until potato is very tender (20 - 25 minutes). Puree soup in blender. (Cover blender with towel, and stop and vent blender every few seconds or it might blow the top off!) Pour soup into thermos(es) and add milk. Stir gently, and enjoy a romantical picnic!