Help! Attack of the chocolate cravings

Its 12:33 and all I can think about is chocolate.  I am driving myself insane.  

I had a bad morning...lost my metro card (with $210 on it), forgot my lunch on the kitchen counter, and then came to work to find out someone had leaked out information that was not to be made public yet.  Immediately I though, I need a piece of chocolate and then I realized, lent started at midnight.  

This is going to be a long Lenten season...

Sacrifices

Lent. 

 Its something I look forward to and dread each year. 

Lent is a preparation of the believer through prayer, almsgiving, penitence, and self-denial.  I think of Lent as a cleansing for the mind, body and soul.  

I decided over the weekend I would give myself a "final meal" of junk food before I began the lent cleanse.  As I indulged in a meal of Peruvian chicken and cheesecake I began to wonder why I even put the junk in my body.  Although very tasty, its not as satisfying as I would hope it would be.  

Ok, I started with the cheesecake first since it was a treat.  But I only ate half..

If you are looking for the best Peruvian chicken in the DC area, head to El Pollo Rico in Arlington, VA.   Its worth the wait in line (and in the parking lot)

So, I am sure you are wondering what I am giving up for the next 45 days...here it is:

1. Sweets 

(candy, chocolate, ice cream, pies, cake)

2. Soda 

(Even gingerale.  I guess if I am sick my fall back will be water and OJ)

3. Fried foods 

(french fries, onion rings, calamari, anything deep fried)

4. Working out 30 minutes a day

(Ok, so this isn't giving something up, its putting something into my life)

Although you do not need to observe lent on the Sundays leading up to Easter (because they are considered mini-Easters) I am going to try and go all 45 days according to plan.  

Here I go...Head first...oy vey

Fat Tuesday...Today I'm not the only Fatty

Today is Fat Tuesday!! I learned something today when researching this famous "holiday".  Mardi Gras' literal translation means Fat Tuesday in French. I always just assumed it had two names, not that one meant the other.


This year my baby sister is celebrating her spring break in New Orleans and although I hope she isn't earning beads by flashing skin, she is getting to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where it all began, which makes me a little jealous.

Although many people think Mardi Gras is just an excuse for people to party before Saint Pattys Day, its roots began through Catholicism.  Its the "last hurrah" before Lent begins.  Fat Tuesday marks 46 days till Easter and because Easter falls on a different day each year it can range from being a tuesday in February or March.  So enjoy your king cakes, drinks and partying, tomorrow marks the first day of lent, where I will say goodbye to some of my guilty pleasures for 45 days.


Oh yes, and tomorrow I will be one of those individuals walking around with dirt on my forehead...