Off days and temptation

Back when I first began serious weight training as a teenager, I was taught the importance of rest and recovery to realizing gains in the areas of strength, aesthetics, and endurance.  However, up until this Sunday I hadn't really allowed myself to have any real off days from my current training plan.

The issue hasn't been a physical one - my use of prioritization and employing a multi-faceted approach to exercise has helped greatly in my body remaining fresh and mostly injury-free, despite working out twice each day.  But this past Sunday I began to feel the mental pressure from the grind of such strict adherence to both my physical training and current dietary practices. So, as hard as it was for me to do, I allowed myself a complete and thorough day off from exercise.

It's now Monday - I'm back in the routine full-swing.  And, as if to highlight the fact that I did indeed make the best decision for my continued success, there is a company sponsored hamburger lunch today.  Had I not hit the pressure release valve yesterday, it's possible that I'd be elbow-deep in fried burger patty grease right now.  In fact, the 'old' me would easily be 2-3 sandwiches in at this point, as the providers of the feast made WAY more than enough (as per usual).

So - as I sit here, with the smell wafting from all the cubicles and desks around me, eating my Chicken Veggie Southwest-style soup...  Here's a recipe.  Writing it down helps me focus my goals - hope it helps someone else out there with theirs, too.

8 oz roasted chicken, chopped

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced bell pepper

2 cups chopped tomato

1 cup RoTel (medium spice)

3 cloves garlic

1 diced jalapeno

4 cups veggie stock

1 medium zucchini (split in half lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4 inch half-rounds)

1 medium yellow squash (same prep as zucchini)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 cup lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Heat the cooking vessel of your choice over medium high heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add onion, carrot and bell pepper with a dash of salt - cook until onions are translucent, stirring frequently.  Add garlic and spices, cook until fragrant.  Add jalapeno, tomatoes. RoTel and bay leaf - cook for about 4 minutes, then stir in stock and lime juice.  Bring mixture up to low boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to meld.  Add chicken, zucchini and squash - continue cooking another 10 minutes.

I wasn't too worried about the macros for this one.  If I could change one thing, I'd have added less acid, as the tomatoes and RoTel proved to be pretty acidic themselves.