As August draws to a close, I am suddenly realizing that my August challenge went to hell in a hand basket. Whenever I have a challenge, and I have people participating with me, you might not see it on the blog, but I personally email the participants every few days to see how they are doing, if they need some cheerleading or just high fives because they are on track.
After I got bronchitis, the more I couldn’t work out to meet my challenge, the less I talked to my participants, and I apologize for that. For the 32 people who joined my August challenge, I will be emailing you today to see how you did, and will be doing a recap tomorrow as well as picking a winner for the case of Chobani and my salsa.
I hope my getting off track didn’t put you off track – and again I am sorry I didn’t personally support the challengers this month. 
I do have to give a shout out to one of my participants though, who I have been emailing simply because she took the initiative to email me, and I thank her for that.
Meet Louise! Louise was my oldest participant at 65 years old. When she first emailed me to say she’ll take on the 100 mile challenge on her exercise bike, I have to say, I initially thought that it might be too much for her. But I couldn’t be more wrong! As of a couple days ago, she was just two miles away from her 100 miles! And knew that by tomorrow she’ll probably exceed her 100 mile goal. I am so proud of you Louise!
Oh, and if you ever need some really creative greeting cards, she makes the cutest ones on Etsy – www.cards4ubylouise.blogspot.com – you are very talented Louise!
Ever leave your camera on overnight? Typically after dinner is when I down load my pictures from the day and spend about 5 – 10 minutes figuring out which ones I want to post the next day. The night before last after I downloaded them, I left the camera on all night, so when I went to take a picture of my breakfast, it was D.E.A.D.
My phone to the rescue! Another slice of my summer quiche, an English muffin and sliced apple. I love that I have all my meds on my desk at the ready!
I have stopped taking prednisone. I am feeling about 90% back to normal. The reason? My doctor said my blood sugars would spike around 200 – um guess again. The first day was fine, but the second day my blood sugar readings were in the mid 200s. Last night before bed my blood sugar was 313! I took 12 units of insulin to bring it down, took my long lasting night time insulin. This morning? My blood sugar was 422! I haven’t seen numbers like that in years. So long prednisone!
Lunch was a bunch of leftovers – grilled chicken left over from our grilled caesar salad morphed into a chicken and spinach quesadilla – on the side is a mixture of 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/4 cup refried beans and 1/4 cup of my grilled cherry salsa, with more salsa on the side to dip my quesadilla in.
Dinner didn’t work out as planned. We are out of charcoal, so the Weber was out. So I went to heat up the gas grill and . . . no gas! Although we tried to think the last time we refilled it and its been a while.
I had Nicole’s pork satay dish on the menu. I made the sauce exactly as the directions stated. Instead of threading the pork, I just sliced of four thin slices from the pork tenderloin. The problem? My indoor grill pan didn’t really get hot enough, so the brown sugar didn’t caramelize as it would have on the grill, then the grill got too hot and the mixture started to burn, so I kept having to move the pork chops around – they were tender, but didn’t get all the flavor as I would have on the grill – it was tasty, but I’ll definitely make this again when we have an operating grill!
I had Tony make his famous fried rice – the only veggies I had in the house were carrots and zucchini – I also diced up some of the leftover beef roast we had last week – I’ve gotten a lot of use out of the leftovers!
The drizzle of the extra sauce and tablespoon of chopped peanuts over the top made this dish for me – that and Tony’s amazeballs fried rice – I swear to God its perfect every time he makes it. And it helped that I picked up a large white rice from my Chinese restaurant on my way home – best $2 bucks to accessorize our dinner. 
I realized I never put any of my food into fatsecret.com yesterday, and now I am running out of time – I am going back to my doctor before work just so he can make sure I am really on the road to recovery. I am so looking forward to exercising next week!
Has anyone been having problems leaving comments? It’s been hit or miss for me – even trying to leave comments from home, or on two different browsers at work – I type the comment, and then it just disappears – so if I normally comment and you don’t see it – its not for lack of trying, but I am still reading!
Who has plans for labor day weekend? I am not sure what we are up to, but I forgot to give a Happy Birthday shout out to my SIL Jody – her birthday was yesterday – Happy belated birthday Jody! She works at a high school and the marching band surprised her by coming into her office and playing the fight song – so cool!
Alright, off to get ready for my doctor appointment – hope everyone has a great weekend and come back tomorrow for my August challenge recap.
Hope you’re feeling better! Your rescued dinner when both grills were out of commission looks like a great save. And, I wish I could make perfect fried rice!
Check with your doctor before you stop the Prednisone– you could have serious problems by stopping that cold turkey.
Yikes, that is crazy with your blood sugar! I hope you recovered enough that going off the prednisone won’t send you in a back-slide. As fort he challenge, I only did it for a couple weeks so I guess I’m not in the drawing. 🙁
You are so sweet Biz. I’m glad you are finally feeling better. Enjoy the holiday weekend.
Wow, go Louise!
That is amazing to hear..so inspirational!
Hope you have a fabulous weekend, Biz!
Kristen, I’ll try to comment on yours again – that was one that was giving me trouble. 🙁
Wow glad you are off the prednisone, scary! And don’t you dare say you are a failure! Life happens, there is always next month!
You are certainly not a failure. At least you didn’t drop off the face of the earth!
I hate running out of grill gas. It almost always happens to us in the middle of cooking and not near the end or before we start.
Failure…. I think NOT! As everyone has commented life sometimes gets in the way. I agree with Marie that it is a good idea to even set a goal. If we don’t have something to at least shoot for we may never even try. You are amazing that you could even post daily. Thank you for that.
Careful stopping cold turkey on the prednisone. Everyone I know who has taken it had to be stepped down on it. That is why it is prescribed for the dosage to decrease each day. Hopefully no problems since you were only on it a few days.
If I may ask… where did you get that awesome looking wok I see in your photo?
Have a great holiday weekend!
Kym, one of the best things my husband brought to our marriage other than himself. . . his cast iron LeCrueset wok. I love it. It cleans up well, holds the heat – it must be 15 years old? I am sure you can buy one if you google it?
Oh my, you are far from being a failure more like a motivator! It was fun getting those miles in. Lost a couple of lbs and certainly felt better and got a good nights sleep. I have found that my blood sugars are not as high in the morning, a plus there. Usually ride my bike in the late evening just before I have to make my husbands late night dinner. (he works 2nd shift and comes home at 1am).
Glad you are feeling better and off that prednisone….the high blood sugar numbers would really scare me. Love your blogs and the great ideas for preparing different recipes…..certainly not a failure there.
Thanks for the “Shout Out” much appreciated. Wrote about my 100 mile challenge on my blog last night with the pictures of starting and ending odometer readings. Thanks again.
Nothing special going on this weekend, need to get ready for a garage sale in a couple of weeks so the garage needs to get straightened and sweaped out.
Louise, congratulations! That is awesome. You are also an inspiration. -Aimee
Glad you are off the prednisone, how scary! I don’t think anyone feels like you failed them, life happens to all of us. Have a super weekend.
I meant my goal by squeaking by. I ran/walk 54 miles and tracked my food 26 days. I lost about 1.5 lbs. I can track my food but I can’t follow the program. I have went over my points almost everyday!
You can’t help getting sick. Hopefully September will be a better month for everyone! It is way hot here in Alabama. Even in the 80’s the humidity makes it feel 10 times hotter. However, I will take the heat over the cold. I couldn’t live where you do because if it is under 70, then I am cold.
I am keeping my fingers crossed on the case of Chobani and the amazing salsa. I love Cherry Anything!!
I know how you feel about the prednisone! I am on a daily dose for Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have been on it since January and everytime they try to wean me off I have a flare up. 🙁
Meh, stuff happens. You got sick, but it could have been an injury, or whatever…that’s why we all have to workout when we are able, because sometimes, we really aren’t.
Glad you are feeling better – that’s the thing with prednisone – it works fast, but with a huge price.
Have a good weekend, and continue healing! September will be your month. 🙂
I see no failure here – I have asthma and have been knocked out by bronchitis. I’ve also had to take prednisone. Both of those would’ve stopped me from posting completely! All I did was sleep – so I think you definitely accomplished something. Sorry about the blood sugar, though, I didn’t know it did that.
My plans are to start cleaning because my friends are on their way down now…..wait, what time is it? 😮
Brandy
Yeah, I didn’t lose any weight in August either. But, I did make it to the gym!
I can’t blame you for that though.
Nah, you didn’t fail anyone. You got sick and you can’t help that. You’re always a great cheerleader too! 🙂 You don’t even have to email me, I did not keep up my end of the deal (and I so wanted some salsa!). The pool was too cold. The treadmill and I got in a fight, what can I say…lol! Tee hee 😉 Louise did great congrats to her! That pork dish looks awesomely good. I only have trouble commenting on one blog and that’s Rhonda’s (Dining Alone). I have to log in sometimes 6-7 or I have to do 3 caption thingys. That’s the only one though. My weekend…closing the pool, going to a friend’s pool party and a skeet shooting contest (can’t wait) and cutting down all my flowerbeds. Yippee Skippy 😉 Hope you have a great weekend Biz!
I know its sad to close your pool since you didn’t get to enjoy it as much as you wanted this month – enjoy the weekend though! 😀
WHoa on the blood sugars, hope you get back to normal soon Biz! Someday you will have to have Tony share his fried rice recipes and video him making it- he is such a character! You are such an encouragement to so many people so I am sure you are forgiven three fold for getting sick;-) Take good care of yourself and get better. We have one last summer hurrah this weekend by going to the Scottish games here in VA. then it is school on Tuesday. Bittersweet. I love summer home with my kids but I guess we do need to get back into a routine. Our house looks like something that can go on Hoarders!! Instead of spring cleaning I have to Fall clean. Have a fun weekend Biz!!
That’s a good idea – that would be a good “Tony” segment! 😀 Enjoy your last weekend with the kids!
Failed? Oh no, no, no. You come to your corner of the web each day to motivate and inspire! You’ve all but failed anyone!
As for the prednisone…holy OMG. That is…insane. So glad you’re off of it now!
I’m sad the satay burned for you! My mom swears by this recipe (she’s made it every week all summer, I swear). I hope you try it again on the grill 🙂
Happy Labor Day weekend, Biz!!
Sadly, I went to the doctor this morning, and I have to ween off of it – so half doses today through Monday – oh well!
And Nicole – it was my method of cooking the pork, not the recipe – tell your Momma I will definitely try this again!
No disappointment here! Truthfully, I’m here for the food porn, Tony’s occasional one-liners, and your killer sense of humor! I wouldn’t care if you never worked out. But I know you (and I!) need to get that exercise in so…
Happy Labor Day weekend!
MaryBe
I can count on you to be the one here for the food porn – thanks MB! 😀
I think it’s great that you make goals whether you accomplish them or not,it still helps to have things to work on. Life, illness, kids get in the way but you just have to keep going.
That pork looks so good. I made a complicated pork recipe last week and it was not nearly as good as I hoped, your recipe looks great.
Thanks Marie – hope you have a wonderful birthday weekend – 39 is young! 😀
Shit happens or should I saw…bronchitis happens! Don’t worry about it! Just the fact that you kept up the blog while sick, is pretty impressive. Coughing will tire you out!
Yikes on the blood sugar! The prednisone has probably done it’s job by now, hopefully. And the pork dish still looks amazing even if you couldn’t prepare it like you wanted. Minus the peanuts of course 🙂
Have a great weekend! My kids get out of school early, so I think we might ride down the beach 😀 Love living so close to the ocean!
Hope you had fun at the beach with the kids Kim! 😀