How Cool is This?

I have just found a new Web site -- well new to me. It's called fitsugar.com. It covers everything, even offering romantic advice, but it also offers healthy snack ideas and fitness news. One of the biggies is that Target Workout is going to offer downloadable fitness videos online. It's only $9.95 a month. Perfect for people who want to try new workouts or just get bored with the same old, same old. Check it out!

I'm planning on starting my exercise routine next week. First I had to ease into this healthy eating thing. Right now I'm aiming for some physical activity three times a week -- and I can't count my weekly stint as a waitress. It doesn't sound like much, but some days I'm up at 7 and don't even make it back to the house until 7 p.m. Then, there's homework to do. So I'm committing to three times a week.

As far as the healthy eating goes, I'm not doing too bad. The protein at each meal is essential. The first day I didn't plan for snacks and by 11:30 a.m. I was ready to gnaw on my own hand. Now I'm packing plenty of food. Usually fruit and carrot sticks for a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Then a Pria bar as a just-in-case.

Tonight I'm trying the vegetable of the week -- Belgian Endive. Apparently it can be served in salads or cooked. It looks kind of like lettuce, but I'm going to try braising it. I've never had braised lettuce before. It's rich in Vitamin A, which is always good for the skin and eyes. I'll let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, if you want to braise some of your own Belgian Endive, here's a recipe, thanks to about.com. I'm going to try substituting olive oil for the butter.

INGREDIENTS:
4 whole heads of Belgian Endive, trimmed and cored*
1 tablespoon butter
juice of 1/2 lemon, about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1 teaspoon
sugar

PREPARATION:
*To core the endive, slice about 1/8 to 1/4-inch of the end off and cut out the small core with a sharp paring knife. In a saucepan over medium heat, saute endive in butter, turning several times. Add remaining ingredients.

Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with beef, pork, lamb, or chicken. Serves 2.