I want to keep my sweater on.  I can feel the heat on my face, and water sounds better than the hot cup of coffee before me.  But I want the comfort.  The clouds are deep in the sky and from a glance out the window, you'd be convinced it were chilly and crisp.  So my mind registers: Fall.  You need your sweater, with its warm soft knit sleeves folded around you.  And you need that cup of coffee, seeping happiness and strength down your throat and into your soul.

Only, I'm sweating.  And it's muggy.  And I might even be dehydrated.

But I won't give in.  I'm on Pinterest, searching recipes.  I used my crockpot last night and made a magical, delicious impromptu chili.  I don't know if it is really chili, but it had beans and chicken and a tomatoesque sauce, so we called it chili. The perfect "fall" meal.

Pinterest is amazing.  You type in "crockpot recipe" and hundreds of pins come up.  You type in "400 calorie meal" and dozens upon dozens fill your screen. Today, I'm going to type in "400 calorie crockpot recipes"  - I'm pretty confident Pinterest will be up to the challenge.

My arms feel naked - I'm putting my sweater back on.

PS - The berries killed last night.  We won something like 5-0.  And even scored while playing a man down.  Magically, somewhere in the second half, we learned to pass, and communicate on the field. About an hour in to a tied match, we just transformed.  And I loved playing soccer again!!! After 2 blown attempts, I placed one, left footed, it just felt right.

We've hit that spot in the relationship - the one where you realize you really do have to get back to exercise and eating healthy.  It has been a fun vacation from it all.  But gym memberships have been purchased and new recipes are being sought.  Of course the struggle between a night owl and a morning bird is, when to work out.  Lately, we've been heading over after work (usually with roomie Megs), but this means we get back and all start making dinner around 8:30pm.  And for those of you who know my tendency to take a really long time to make a meal.... you realize how late we eat.

Yesterday, I came across this great site - Organized Living Solutions -  and a quick trip from one link to another lead me to a tasty looking (simple) meal!  We had plenty of leftover chicken in John's fridge that we needed to make use of soon.  Perfect!

It was delicious! Though, I was a bit disappointed when I discovered that Couscous really isn't that healthy.  I mean, it's no quinoa.

We were eating within about 20 minutes.  We used craisins instead of the dates.  We did toss in some feta, but we opted out of the sour cream.  This meal is so flavorful, it really doesn't need it.  In fact, a little of the dressing, tossed well throughout, goes a long ways.

Here's to a new season of meal planning, and quicker, healthier dinners.  Any suggestions - or favorite healthy (quick) meals?