Feedin' Sled Dogs & the Primate

I just came in from feeding the dogs and scooping the yard.  As I was leaving for work two weeks ago I asked Ted to switch to twice a day feedings rather than just 1 big meal in the evening.  My reasoning is that they will have a more consistent energy level to help them generate heat during cold weather and of course for running.  Each feeding is accompanied with a goodly amount of water, which is vital to healthy dogs. 

Ted came up with a pretty good system for getting the job done.  As he was showing me his system I was astounded to see much more food remaining in the pantry than I expected yet all of the dogs are of good weight.  In fact, some are a tad on the plump side, though not enough to be a problem.  In fact, this early in the season I like for them to have some reserve on their bodies.  Once the weather turns bitter and we're working harder they'll go through it quickly enough.

I'm also trying to put myself on a more frequent feeding schedule.  Usually I'm religious about eating breakfast, but tend to skip meals during the day.  That leaves me ravenous in the evening, so I tend to resort to "fast and easy".  In other words, nuke something up quick, fry up a burger, heat up a can of green stuff and declare it "grub". 

The downside to that kind of schedule is that so much processed food is so full of fat and simple carbohydrates.  MUCH more than my body needs. 

So, to remedy that I've been doing some research and I'm trying to feed myself very small meals, several times a day.  My goal is to reduce the size of my belly and lose the weight equivalent of at least 1 of my dogs.  One of my larger dogs. 

I've been experimenting with it at work, and so far it seems to be having the desired effect.  I've lost a few pounds (which is NEVER easy while at my place of employment), and I haven't felt like I'm starving myself to do so. 

Of course it means I need to spend a bit more time in the kitchen, cooking better quality food and I have to remember to stop and grab a snack at mid-morning and mid-afternoon.  Something other than a couple of strips of jerky or a hunter's stick and a handful of trail mix. 

Speaking of eating, it's time to feed the primate.  Tonight will be a green salad with a couple of hard boiled eggs and a small potato, topped off with a bit of fresh home-made salsa rather than dressing. 

The salsa is actually a quick and easy fix.  Here's what I did.

First, some tomatoes.  Three big ones cut up into chunks and tossed into the blender.  Then there were four celery sticks, some green onions, some chunks of yellow onion, some cilantro, four pressed garlic cloves and a can of sliced jalapenos.  I spun the blender on the "chop" setting for a few seconds, and the job was done.  I must say it turned out quite nice - but I really like spicy foods. 

I picked up my mail this afternoon, after my nap.  It was a good day for mail, I got a check that is more than the only bill I received, some new silk long johns, a couple of magazines and of course a huge amount of advertising crap that I promptly tossed into the big trash bin next to the post office door. 

I'm feeling pretty content tonight, and looking forward to spending some quality time out in the woods with my dogs.