Meatloaf, Exercise & Bible Study

I swam today. I was gung ho yesterday and both swam and went for a walk. We've been having nice weather and I'm loving the extra hour of daylight now! Besides getting a new swimsuit, I recently got some new walking shoes. My past three pairs of walking shoes were given to my by my mom, and they were already broken in. This must have sort of spoiled my feet, because my ankles are quite ouchy since trying to break in my new walking shoes. I can't wait until this "ouchy"ness is gone and it seems to be a little better.

I've been busy working on my Ephesians Bible study which I like. It's taking a lot of determination and good time management for the homework part. This is the first Precept Bible study I've really participated in. Covering the Precept Study selected Bible book text, from a lot of different angles, keeps you immersed in the scripture you're studying, and really seems to help it sink into your mind, even if it's scripture you're familiar with.

I made a good tofu and ground turkey meatloaf this weekend. I love meatloaf! I thought the texture and taste was a lot like regular meatloaf. It had a mild but good flavor. My mom said it was good but she'd prefer it with more meat and less tofu. Here is the recipe if you're interested. This recipe is kind of random, since I decided to put a little of my piquant homemade BBQ sauce in it. Instead of the BBQ sauce you may want to try adding some Italian tomato paste, more Worcestershire sauce, or dry soup mix.

Ground Turkey & Tofu Meatloaf

1 tube ground turkey (I think approximately 1 lb.)
14 oz. extra-firm tofu in water, prefrozen & thawed
1/3 cup instant milk
about 3/4 cup water
1 egg
2-3 tbsp. of my piquant homemade BBQ sauce
3/4 cup rolled oats
8 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic pressed
1 small-medium onion, microwaved whole
vegetable oil spray

Slice tofu into 6 large cubes and try to squeeze all the water out of the tofu. Place tofu in a large bowl and crumble it. Add ground turkey and mix well. Blenderize water, instant milk, egg, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, onion and garlic. Add to tofu and meat mixture. Mix well. Add rolled oats (just enough for the right consistency). Place in a pan which has been sprayed with vegetable oil. Shape meatloaf (about 2 1/2-3 inches thick, for quicker cooking). Bake uncovered in 350F preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until done.

I Love Exercise & I Love Studying Ephesians!

I just got home from walking on the track at the gym. Outdoor walks are my favorite but my back needs the kindness of the padded walking track right now, especially since it'll be a at least a few days until I can swim. Swimming is great for my back. Yesterday while I was in the whirlpool at the gym, the whirlpool jet ripped my swimsuit. My swimsuit was old and faded so I needed a new swimsuit anyway. I had to order a swimsuit online and I should have it Friday. I got twenty-five dollars off the price of the swimsuit. While I was walking at the gym today I observed what looked like a Tae Bo class. It looked really fun and like it would be an excellent core work out. I think I want to do this when I get in better shape. They were skipping sideways too! I used to love to do this when I was a kid. I remember I used to say "I could do this forever!" I would need to lose weight before I could do it easily now. I'm trying to eat as sensibly as I can. When I'm able to do a lot of cardio exercise, such as swimming laps and walking, I lose weight. In the past few days my fitness level seems to have improved. It's nice to notice how my breathing gets deeper after a few minutes of aerobic exercise. This happened twice while I was walking today. Staying on track with my exercise is an important priority, which I notice more the older I get.

I've noticed that it really helps, when planning my day, to decide on and really focus on doing the things that matter the most. For example, if there is something I really need to do-- instead of allowing failure in making progress, to cause me to get depressed, I make it my business to make sure I've planned time in my day that will give me a good opportunity to make progress toward attaining that goal. For me this is often related to some kind of housework. Focused work toward attaining important goals is rewarding and the more you practice this the more success it brings.

I've got some catching up to do on my Ephesians Precept Bible study. I've completed one week since last Thursday, but I need to do one more week. I'm behind a week because I started it a week late. Studying Ephesians is a delight! A method used in Precept is distinctly marking different types of keywords in the Bible text. This is fun too. This makes it easy to compile a lot of facts from the Bible text you've marked.