I just looked at my Facebook counter and it's now less than a hundred days until the cruise! Just a mere 94 days separate me, Ricky and the other Williams Family from the warm sunny Caribbean. We leave on January 2, 2010 and head to several stops on our 7 day cruise. I'm most looking forward to Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands because I've heard it's amazingly beautiful with crystal blue waters and wonderful snorkeling. Other ports include: San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Initially I was totally against any cruise that goes to the Bahamas because I've heard it's crowded and very tourist laden. However, this island is privately owned by Holland America and is supposedly mostly untouched. I'm anxious to see it in person but it looks beautiful online.
In preparation for this, Ricky and I have been working on our fitness. For the last 5 or 6 years, I've tried my best to get into working out. Honestly, it was never something I had to worry about before as my weight has never been an issue for me. With age come changes and even though I've been blessed not to have too many adverse changes I do know that eventually, it's coming. Instead of waiting until it IS a problem, I've decided to attack it head on. Ricky has been helping me train my arms to be more shapely and toned. In return, I have been helping him train his abs with some moves I learned when taking pilates. Everyone says this but working out even when you are exhausted gives you so much energy! You can work of stress you never realized you had. I've been trying to go at least 3 days a week but I was so sore from my first arm workout with Ricky that I had to take a few days off. Note to all women: We are not built like men. I'm convinced that pull ups are not something we are designed to do. Needless to say, I did seven at my first attempt, with assistance, and my goal is to be able to do 10 without help. Ow.
Cooking at home with Ricky is probably one of the biggest joys we have shared together since being married. We both love cooking and at times we have a small battle to see who can make the best dish. I am a firm believer in cooking with fresh natural ingredients--this includes butter and heavy cream (in moderation!), but also fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood, natural herbs and whole wheat pastas. I'd much rather have a small amount of butter than a whole stick of margarine. I will use Splenda only because it's made from sugar but since Ricky hates it we still use regular sugar for baking and sweetening tea. Overall, things are going well. I'm feeling myself getting stronger and Ricky has noticed a significant (positive) change in how his clothes fit him. We keep telling ourselves that these changes are not just for the cruise but for our lifetime! With a history of both high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and cancer in both of our families being proactive with good exercise and diet is not an option, it's a necessity.
If you're looking for a nice, healthy way to prepare tilapia, I stumbled across this in the Whole Foods Application on my iPhone:
Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan and Herbs
290 calories per serving
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tbsps of low fat mayonnaise
2 tbsps of fat free plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tbsp of olive oil
Juice and zest of one small lemon
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tbsp sea salt
1/4 black pepper
4 tilapia fillets
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl except for the fish. Place the fish in a baking dish and coat with mixture. Place dish in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Preheat broiler and cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place each fillet on the aluminum foil and make sure to cover each piece in the marinade mixture. Broil in the oven for about 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
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