Author: annemariedemyen

Wife, mother, grandmother dogmother - lover of nature, peace and tranquility. RETIRED. Life is good!

Daily Food Diary – Day 222 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 222 of my Daily Food Diary.   222 seemed like an auspicious number so I decided to run it past Google.

The number 222 signifies Balance, Harmony, and Trust.  That sounds pretty good to me!

I started my morning by taking Molly for her morning walk.   It went well – better than usual, so that backed up Google’s prediction for the day. 😊

Daughter, Jennifer and I are taking her dog Sasha to Pet Value today to introduce her to their dog bath.  We’ll see how powerful Number 222 really is.

Molly with Sasha.  Sasha isn’t short of sass and attitude (even when she’s not the big dog).

Yesterday, I learned something new about my eating habits. 

Left to my own devices, I am an evening snacker.  I knew that from the night shifts that Dan used to work and the Dart Nights he goes to in the winter since he retired.   Alone, I could mindlessly munch my way through countless empty calories. 

Now that I am more mindful and accountable for what I consume in a day, that is not so much of an issue.  But, I have a new one! 

This summer, Dan has been golfing quite frequently.  I am fine with that.   He sees his friends, gets out in the fresh (somewhat) air, and is relatively active.  It is all around healthy, quality time for him.  I have my time to do my workouts, read, do my nails, whatever.

The only problem is, supper is generally much later than I am accustomed to.  Even, if I have a good breakfast and lunch – or a hearty brunch, I am ready for supper by 6:30.  By 7:30 I am starving!  I am in a losing battle with any random snack that crosses my path.  Even if I have a good  mid-afternoon snack, it is a struggle until supper is served.  🤦

Daily Food Diary – Day 222

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) scrambled eggs (182)

(3) slices bacon (130)

Snacks:

(3/4) c ice cream with pecans, chocolate sauce, and caramel syrup (421)

(1) almond flour/chocolate chip cookie (50)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(4) oz pork cutlet (240)

(12) crinkle cut fries (82)

(1/2) c gravy (50)

(1) mini cucumber (green) 10

Total net calories: 1168

Net calories goal: 1222 – 1168 = 54 under

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! ❤️😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 221 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 221 of my Daily Food Diary.  ☺️

Today is another  high risk smoke day, so another indoor day.  I had hoped to spend some time walking Molly, puttering around our yard, and reading in our gazebo.  Apparently,  that is not going to happen. 

It is amazing how suddenly we went from, hot, summer days to spending days on end trapped indoors to escape wildfire smoke.  I know we are far from alone in this and much better off than those living in fire zones.  Still, it is frustrating for those of us dealing with chronic lung disease and  environmental allergies.

I miss sunny summer days!

Souris, Manitoba
Wascana Trails outside Regina
Candy Cane Park at Wascana Lake

Daily Food Diary – Day 221

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) plain paratha (240)

(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)

(1) tablespoon raspberry jam (red) (50)

Lunch:

(1) c beef/vegetable stir-fry (brown, red, green, orange, white) (100)

Snack:

(48) oz water

(1) 355 A & W Root beer (170)

Supper:

(2) c homemade beef, barley, vegetable soup (brown, white, red, orange, green) (250)

(2) cheese biscuits (302)

(2) tsp butter (69)

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 😊💗

Daily Food Diary – Day 220 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 220 of my Daily Food Diary.  🌞💞

It has been over a month since I started taking Collagen Supplements.  My nails are stronger and healthier than they have ever been, my hands are barely achy (even first thing in the morning), my hair is shedding less and looking healthier, my skin texture is improving,  AND my sinuses are starting to feel noticeably better.  I don’t know how to describe that, except they feel firmer and less collapsible, if that makes any sense.

A couple of days ago, I mentioned Generational Health here,  on my blog.  I was talking about  the positive health and wellness lifestyle habits that we pass down to future generations.  I was mostly  referring to physical health.

Last night our daughter-in-law sent me a photo of our grandson Cason and son Dan.  Since Cason was a tot he has been playing board games, card games, and doing Jigsaw Puzzles with his parents, older siblings and grandparents.

When we were at Dan and Amanda’s  this spring, Cason brought out a chess board and asked me to play a game.   He said he knew how because he had seen someone playing Chess on one of his kiddie shows.  I was a bit skeptical but, ok then! 

With a little help setting up the board and the occasional advice during the first round, Cason had a good grasp on the game.    Despite my best efforts, he won the second one.

Natural talent, and above average intellect aside, kids need encouragement, support, and adult role models to thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally.

As a parent, I have occasionally wondered  if my parenting was ever effective or appreciated.    Seeing my sons and daughter  parenting their children, it is obvious that they were both. 💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 220

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Honey Nut Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c 2% milk (28)

Lunch:

(1/4) stuffed GREEN pepper (86)

Snacks:

(10) Lay’s lightly salted potato chips (57)

(1/4) c barbecue corn nuts (260)

48) oz water

Supper:

(2) c beef steak and vegetable – green, red, orange &  white stir-fry (200)

(1) c white rice  (242)

(2) tbsp soya sauce (30)

(1) tbsp butter (103)

(5) Gyoza (167)

(1) tbsp Gyoza dipping sauce (15)

Total net calories: 1090

Net calorie goal:  1222 – 1090 = 131 under

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 🌞💕

Daily Food Diary – Day 219 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

It is 219 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary. 

Each month, I choose one aspect of my diet to focus on.  This month, I chose COLORFUL foods. 

Last night, we made enchiladas and Spanish Rice for supper.   We added a fair amount of color.  There was bright red salsa in the rice, white onion and garlic in the enchiladas,  as well as red pepper, green jalapenos, and brown beans.  There was also ground chicken and enchiladas sauce.  That was all wrapped in Grimm’s  cheese  tortilla wraps, covered in shredded mozzarella cheese and the rest of the enchiladas sauce. 

Once the enchiladas were baked and the rice was fried, everything came out a uniform golden brown.

I should have seen it coming, but I was shocked when I added up the calories. 1233 CALORIES!  I ate my entire supper and I was absolutely full, but I feel for people who have to stick to a super strict calorie wise diet.   It is way too easy to devour more than a day’s worth of calories in one meal.   We started out with lean ground chicken, a cup of refried beans, a few vegetables, and a bit of leftover rice and there you go! 1233 calories worth of Enchiladas and Spanish Rice!  It was delicious, but we won’t be  indulging in that again any time soon.  🙄

Enchiladas with Spanish Rice

Daily Food Diary – Day 219

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Honey Nut Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c 2% milk

Lunch:

(1) Apple – red (95)

(1) Kiwi – green (46)

Snack:

(28) Lay’s lightly salted chips (160)

(60) oz water

Supper:

(1) enchilada (870)

(1 1/2) c Spanish Rice (363)

Total net calories: 1571

Net calories goal: 1222 – 1571 = 349 over

That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day! ☺️🌹

Daily Food Diary – Day 218 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 218 days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary.

It is six years since I began posting my blog on WordPress.   I had just given my boss a one year heads up that I would be retiring on my 65th birthday.  

For a few weeks, I had been sourcing out articles on retirement.  I’m not sure what I was looking for –  but it wasn’t the plethora of articles regarding the problems and pitfalls of retirement with less than millions of dollars in the bank, a substantial amount of investment income rolling in each month, and estate planning that I should have began before giving birth to my children (forty some years ago🤦).

Our retirement was not going to meet the standards of the financial gurus who write such articles.  But then our lives had never revolved around our finances.

So, I started a blog to help me find my way from full time employment to successful retirement.

Once I did retire, I soon realized that our  financial situation was  the least of our retirement challenges.   Financially, we are comfortable – even since Dan joined me in retirement.  We manage.

Our health is on shakier ground.   I learned three years ago that to enjoy retirement, I was going to have to get a handle on my chronic lung issues and the lack of strength and stamina that I struggled with.

My health and wellness journey began.  It  has been two steps forward, one step back,  and a series of twists and turns that I could never have imagined.

This year, the biggest and best change in my life has been seeing how I have become a better influence for my children and grandchildren.   It has been seeing and appreciating the time my son and his wife invest in being outdoors and active with their family.  It has been seeing my daughter-in-law and daughter deal with food allergies and personal fitness.  It has been seeing our grandchildren put down their iPads and get out and get active.  It has been seeing our granddaughter Genie & her  husband Alec, happily and healthily  married,  and planning  to one day add  a new generation to our family.  

Health and wellness has become a priority in our family and is the subject of many conversations – conversations started by daughter Jen, granddaughter Prim, or my husband Dan.

This morning, I went looking to source out articles on Generational HEALTH, to get more insight on the subject.

I didn’t look far, but from what I saw Google AI pretty much summarized everything I came across.

“the health conditions, risks, and patterns that are passed down through families across generations”.

That sounds pretty sad, but it is a definition that I see changing – in my family and others.

This is ‘Generational Health’ – Maddy and Prim at Wascana Park with sister Genie
And this – Granddaughter Gabby with brothers Lucas and Cason boating with Dan & Amanda
And this – Genie & Alec celebrating their life together in sickness AND health & fitness (physically, mentally, and spiritually)
And this – starting married life with a healthy bowl of vegetable soup! 😂  

Daily Food Diary – Day 218

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) granola bar (160)

Lunch:

(1/2) stuffed pepper – green, red, white (190)

(1) oatmeal lemon cookie (68)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(5) Hint of Lime chips (125)

(1/3) c Weekender Mix peanuts (240)

Supper:

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) large dinner salad – Romaine lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, green onion – green, tomato, red pepper, radishes – red, sunflower seeds, dried fried onions, Vidalia Onion salad dressing  (263)

(3) sticks pork souvlaki (240)

Total net calories: 964

Net calorie goal: 1222 – 964 = 258 under

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! ❤️😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 217 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 217 Days since I started my Daily Food Diary!  That is 217 days without a single miss! 💖

This month, I am focussed on adding more color to our diet.  This will mean adding some new foods – or at least foods that we don’t make on a regular basis.

Last night, I decided on Stuffed Green Peppers.  If I have ever made them before, it was long enough ago that I don’t remember.   Dan has made them, so he was amenable to the plan and offered to help.

Stuffed GREEN Pepper

We didn’t follow a recipe.  It was just a team effort of this and that and whatever we had in the fridge.

At any rate, they turned out pretty well and gave us ideas for a few more colorful meals.  You might be seeing Enchiladas and Spanish Rice.   I am NOT a squash fan but we might try some Spaghetti Squash.  I used to enjoy cooking  it for our dogs Casey and Kat.  They seemed to like it.  

Casey & Kat

Our weather is warm, sunny, and clear today.  We all took a walk this morning.  I made the full circuit but the humidity didn’t help for sure!

I am just clearing my lungs out with my Aerobika and then I am going to do my Wednesday workout – half an hour of aerobics and half an hour of weights and cardio. 💪

Hopefully, the humidity will drop so I can spend some time outside this afternoon.  Our garden is suddenly entering its jungle phase. 😳

Daily Food Diary – Day 217

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Honey Nut Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c 2% milk (28)

Lunch:

(1) Apple – Red (95)

(1/3) c mixed nuts (216)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(1 1/4) c Caramel Corn (233)

Supper:

(1) Stuffed pepper – green pepper, white onion & garlic, seasoned ground beef, rice cooked in beef broth,  red pepper,  brown mushrooms, green celery, shredded habanero cheese, dried fried onions.  (465)

Total net calories: 1012

Net calorie goal: 1222 – 1012 = 210 under

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 😊❤️

Daily Food Diary – Day 216 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is Day 216 of my Daily Food Diary.

We are home and our heatwave is over.  It is forecast to be cooler and wetter today.   The  humidity is already 100%. (Good thing I watered our garden yesterday!)

Between wildfire smoke and high humidity this summer, my lungs are struggling.  I can’t imagine how I would manage if I wasn’t on inhalers, using my Aerobika, doing  aerobics,  breathing exercises,  weights and cardio,  walking (weather permitting) – and running (a little bit).

It’s funny, in an odd way,  that  I used to think working out was for athletes and healthy young  people who joined gyms to keep in shape.

I am infinitely grateful that I have learned that living a life based on exercise and healthy habits is for anyone wanting to enjoy quality of life. (Even seventy year olds with multiple chronic lung conditions 😊). 

Daily Food Diary – Day 216

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios – no milk (147)

Lunch:

(4) radishes – red/white (21)

(1) c broccoli –  green (31)

(2) pcs celery – green (14)

(1/2) c red pepper – red (23)

(1) tbsp Dilly Dip (80)

(1 1/2) oz marble cheese (170)

(2) oz Piller’s Ham (57)

(9) Lay’s wavy lightly salted chips (131)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(11) Hint of Lime chips (275)

(3) tbsp salsa – red (12)

(1) Rolo ice cream cone (310)

Total net calories: 1273

Net calorie goal: 1222 – 1273 = 51 over

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! ☺️❣️

I haven’t planted sunflowers for years, but always manage to have a few of them pop up in our flower bed.  I don’t have the heart to pull them out as they have always been granddaughter Maddy’s favourite flower.

Daily Food Diary – Day 215 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is Day 215 of my Daily Food Diary and it’s another late day – 2nd in a row.

Yesterday morning we headed to Gravelbourg to put new flowers on my parents and grandparents graves and to freshen up my uncle’s gravestone.

Dan cleaned up the headstone and painted the base yesterday.
I went to paint the letters and the rosary trim this morning.

The original plan was to work together, but one of us had to stay focused on Molly.

We tried having her loose, thinking she would stay close to us.  She didn’t.  We didn’t have the place to tie her down on a comfortably long leash.  Shade was hard to come by…. unlike crickets!   The entire graveyard was covered in little crickets! 

Fortunately, the crickets backed off while I was painting this morning.  I had a bit of an opportunity to empathize with my Dad as he originally carved the headstone. “In the memory of Herman…” must have been heartbreaking so soon after losing his little (younger) brother.    A year later, he would be carving his Mother’s name and date of death on the right side of Herman’s monument.  Thirteen years later, he would add his Father’s to the right.

When my parents bought their own headstone,  they bought one to match for Grandma and Grandpa Martel and placed one on either side of Herman’s. 

Last night I had a nice  visit with my Aunt Lil.   She is doing amazing.  At 91, she is still in her beautiful home, she reads and does puzzles, she has a small garden, she drives to do her own errands, and she BAKES – including her own bread – totally by hand.

I don’t have to look far to find women to admire and inspire in my family.

We drove home earlier today.   Tomorrow, I will be back to posting at my regular mid morning time.

Daily Food Diary – Day 215

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c 2 % milk (28)

Lunch:

(3/4) Lg taco salad (green, yellow, red, white)  w/ fried bowl (645)

Snacks:

(1) Smirnoff Ice (114)

(1) Bottle Pepsi (200)

(30) g Caramel Corn (140)

(1/4) c mixed nuts (180)

(24) oz water

Supper:

(1/4) Lg taco salad (green, yellow, red, white)  w/ fried bowl (645)

Total net calories: 1567

Net calorie goal: 1222 – 1567 = 345

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 🙂🌹

Daily Food Diary – Day 214 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is Day 214 of my Daily Food Diary. 🙂💓

It was a busy day yesterday and today isn’t much better.  I am checking in late, but better late than never. It still counts!

Saturday is my serious house clean of the week.  After I got my aerobic workout done, I scrubbed down the kitchen, vacuumed, and moved furniture to do a thorough sweeping of the living room and the kitchen.  I also washed clothes and bedding, and we gave  Molly a thorough brushing.   And,  I fed the squirrels TWICE.

I also did a bit of garden/yard  work.  A BIG bit.  I watered EVERYTHING, fertilized the flowers and vegetables, and sprayed the tomatoes cucumbers, and peppers.  My ailing tomato plant is still alive, but hanging by a thread.   Most of the tomatoes are suddenly thriving, but the San Marzano are still fighting the rust fungus. 

By suppertime, I was ready for something  simple supper.  

It wasn’t our most colorful meal but there was yellow corn, white mashed potatoes, and dark brown brownies (which probably doesn’t count as a healthy colour). 

Daily Food Diary – Day 214

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) plain paratha (240)

(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)

(1) tbsp jam (90)

Snacks:

(60) oz water

Supper:

(1) Hungry Man Fried Chicken (520)

(1) Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie (50)

Total Net Calories: 793

Net calorie goal: 1222 – 793 = 429 under

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day! 💗 😊

A touch of colour for Mom & Dad’s graves when we go to Gravelbourg.  Always red carnations for Dad and yellow flowers for Mom.

Daily Food Diary – Day 213 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 213 Days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary.  😊🌹

I have completed SEVEN of the twelve months that I set out to post.  Every month I choose a different focus and for August I planned to do likewise.

Choosing a new focus is always a challenge and this month (August) has been the most difficult.  I drew a blank for the past week, I settled on making this a month to focus on weekly meal planning.  But our summers are notoriously short and meal planning is just too September Greige for me to get excited about.

So… I chose to go with COLOURFUL foods for August.   While our garden is struggling this year, we do have a variety of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, rhubarb,  and  several herbs to provide color (and healthy goodness) to our meals.  Of course, we also have access to all of the fresh colorful foods  available at our supermarkets and local Farmer’s Market. 

To kick the month off, I sourced out this short article which offers information on why a colorful diet is beneficial, plus the specific nutrients relative to each basic food color.

Eat the rainbow for good health – Mayo Clinic News Network https://share.google/13HbshB2dmRhHkj45

A bowl of  mini  hot peppers that we harvested from our garden a couple of years ago. 

Daily Food Diary – Day 213

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c milk (28)

Lunch:

(1) mango (135)

(1) kiwi (46)

Supper:

(1) Caesar salad (440)

(12) chicken wing flats (510)

(2) tbsp Frank’s Xtra Hot sauce (26)

(1) pinch of dried HOT pepper flakes

Total net calories: 1009

Net calorie goal: 1222 – 1009 = 212 under

*** Yesterday’s diet entries included the  yellow mango,  green kiwi and lettuce in the Caesar salad,  and the red of the pepper flakes and hot sauce.

That’s it for today.  Take care and have a great day!