Baked goods and boredom

I have realized my two biggest weaknesses when it comes to weight loss: baked goods and boredom. Boredom especially. I eat when bored, and that tends to be when I reach for crap - ice cream, chips, crackers, etc. And I don't pay attention to portion control. I can do well all day at work when I am in a structured environment and then totally blow it when I get home. I think I need to make a "no eating in front of the TV" rule. (Although we rarely eat at the dining room table, so this will take time to get used to.)

When at work, I tend to fall victim to the temptation of baked goods. The mom of one of our students is a baker and likes to bring us delicious baked goods - cupcakes, cookies, chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake - and they are all amazing. I can never seem to limit myself to just one small taste - I have to have a couple large pieces. This is true if there are baked items elsewhere as well. They are just too tempting.

My other big diet downfall is the dining hall at school. The food is really good and fairly healthy, but it's all-you-can-eat, so I have portion control problems. The temptation of going up for seconds and/or dessert is always a challenge. Luckily this is the last week of school so starting next week I will be bringing my own lunch for the summer, so that will help as I almost always eat smaller, healthier meals when I prepare them myself. It will suck to have to pay for groceries again (I usually eat breakfast and lunch at work), but my waistline will thank me.

I've been doing pretty well with running, 3-4 times per week. We ran a 4 mile race this weekend and I did an extra mile when I got home (we are training for a fall half marathon and our plan called for 5 miles on Saturday), then I did an extra 4 miles yesterday because I felt like it (Joel did 7 so I felt like a slacker even though I was doing extra). I have not been doing anything else, though, like strength training, abs, or walking, so I need to get back into that routine. Well, I did walk once, when I ended a 4 miler at the library, took out some books, and walked the mile home, but that was only the one time lately. I need to do stuff like that more - literally "run" my errands. I need to get a little backpack to make that easier.

I have an easy pork recipe I could share with you. You can roast the pork or cook it in a slow cooker, and then it has a sauce with apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. It's really easy to make and my friend's 2-year-old liked it, too. (I obviously have not tried it myself, but everyone tells me it's really good.) I also have a recipe for pork roast w/cherries that I ate before becoming vegetarian and that is really easy and good, too - also in the slow cooker. Joel and I almost never eat the same thing (me = vegetarian, he = picky), so I like to make big recipes and freeze them in individually-sized containers. That way I can just grab an already portioned meal, thaw and re-heat it, and I'm good to go. If you take a weekend and cook say 4-5 recipes and freeze them this way, it will last you a while before you have to cook again. I know you don't like soup but I will try to go through my recipes and send you any I think you'd like. Do you like mac & cheese?