Tomorrow begins my final week of maintenance. Doing this session with Jill has been such a blessing. We have accomplished the journey together, and it has been a joy. I recommend always doing this with a buddy.

We were in Duchesne yesterday and went to town for lunch. Lane chose a Chinese restaurant and I panicked inside. How could you eat chinese and stay 'legal'? Jill said "No Worries, this will be easy!" We chose a shrimp stir fry with veggies, skipped the rice and soup, and it WAS fine. Jill ate the won-tons, but I just couldn't do it. My weight today was actually down from yesterday. Yay.

The greatest discovery of this maintenace phase is when Jill discovered CHIA SEEDS. WE LOVE THEM! they are now a daily part of our menus. Just adding the fiber would have been worth it, but they also supply energy from protein, calcium, and so many other nutrients. I add them to my morning shake, make chia 'pudding' every day and eat some with both lunch and dinner.

CHIA CHOCOLATE PUDDING
2 C ALMOND MILK
2 TLB COCOA POWDER [Regular or Special Dark]
1 Tsp VANILLA
1 Tsp ALMOND EXTRACT
5 packets SPLENDA [or Stevia]
6 TLB CHIA SEEDS

Put cocoa powder in bowl, add almond milk and whip until incorporated.
Add vanilla and almond ext.
Add chia seeds and stir.
Stir about every 10 minutes for 30 minutes or so, until thick.
I like to pour it into three 1-cup containers so it is already portioned out.
I also like to add blueberries or fresh strawberries. That will increase the portions to 4 1-cup containers. Refrigerate and ENJOY!