Goals for next week

I had one goal this week — to stay away from diet soda — and I slipped once. But one can in a week is so much better than the two cans of diet soda I used to drink daily, so I give myself an A. And next week, I'll try for an A+.

I wish I could say I didn't like the taste of the diet root beer I had with dinner two nights ago. I actually LOVED the taste. But I know the chemicals in the soda are just so wrong, so this week I'm aiming for perfection.

My second goal for next week is to increase my 20 minutes of daily exercise to 30 minutes one day. Three weeks ago, when I decided to start exercising daily to Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds," I said I was not going to increase the 20 minutes until exercise became part of my daily routine. I'm there. There is no arguing with myself that I should stay in bed and skip the exercise. I am even waking up 10 minutes before my alarm goes off, so I am downstairs, walking with Leslie and her posse, when I could still be sleeping.

I've grown to love those 20 minutes. And I know that 30 minutes once this week will be OK. In fact, it will be better than OK.

When my kids were young, we had breakfast for dinner at least once a week, a tradition I still do, but now the star is always eggs. One of the easiest recipes I make is Mexican Eggs, which I serve with a salad for a quick weekday dinner.

Mexican Eggs

Half a sweet onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tblsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of half a lime

1 plum tomato, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs

1/4 cup low-fat or skim milk

1/4 cup reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, grated

• Place the onion in a saute pan, place over very low heat, and cook, stirring from time to time, for about 15 minutes, until onions begin to soften.
• While onions sweat, chop garlic and cilantro and juice lime.
• Turn heat to medium, add garlic, and cook about 2 minutes. Add lime juice and tomato and cook a few minutes, until hot. Add cilantro and cook a minute more. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
• Set salsa aside.
• Beat eggs with milk. Add cheese. Add to pan and scramble.
• Serve eggs with salsa on top. Makes 2 servings.