Author: annemariedemyen

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 42 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It’s Day 42 of tracking and reporting my daily intake.  It is also two days before I begin Year Four – of the health and fitness journey I began in 2022.  It is ALSO my daughter Jennifer’s 44th birthday! 

Jennifer is my youngest of two sons and one daughter.  When she was born, Mark was 3 1/2 years old, Danny was 1 1/2, and of course Jen was a newborn.   I was NOT in the shape I am today.   I’m glad that young mothers now seem to be much more aware of their health and fitness and take better care of themselves than I did back in the day.   

Celebrating Jen’s birthday last year

We are still in the deep freeze. This morning it is -38c without the windchill.   I won’t be venturing far today.   Dan and I were out and about a bit yesterday.  We went to a mall to check out a couple of sales.   I didn’t break the bank shopping but did come away with a new pair of summer shorts.  We also stopped for lunch at Burger King on the way home.  It’s funny how I miss fast food, but the reality never meets my experiences.  🤔

Food Diary – Day 42

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios & (1/4) c 2% milk.  (200)

(1) Burger King Whopper (without bun), medium fries, medium gravy, three mozza fingers, and  2/3s of a medium root beer  (1251)

(1) c tea (1)

(24) oz water

(2) Bowls of amazing homemade chicken noodle soup (238)

(5) Licorice allsorts (107)

(12) oz water

Total calories: 1889

The BK was not worth the cost, the calories, or the salt content.  And the burger was definitely not worth the effort of eating it with wooden utensils.  I am not sure what the options would be if plastic is no longer allowed, but wood does not cut it. (No pun intended 😂).  The only thing that was worth it was sharing the experience with Dan.  Our meals out in general are few and far between and still moments to be treasured.

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 41 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Good morning to yet another frigid day in Saskatchewan!  I feel for those who have to be out and about in this weather, life and business as usual. 🥶

I have three days remaining to Year Three of my health and fitness journey.  I am satisfied with how this past year has progressed.  While I will always have chronic lung issues – asthma, COPD, & bronchiectasis – I managed to dodge any infections this year requiring antibiotics and oral steroids. 👍 My mental and emotional health has become ever stronger along with my physical strength 👍 I have missed minimal morning aerobics (very minimal due to health issues). 👍 I lost another ten pounds this past year and toned up noticeably. 👍 My life continues  to get easier as I grow progressively stronger! 🤗

I am ending this year on one frustrating note.  My strength and cardio training has been on hold for the past few weeks due to issues with my epigastric hernia.  I have an appointment with a surgeon in a couple of weeks to discuss repairing the repair that I had done three years ago.  In the meantime, I am being cautious.  I have enjoyed  getting out and walking with Dan and Molly in lieu of more strenuous workouts, but on the minus forty days that is not an option.

Molly keeping otherwise occupied on another minus 40C  day.

Food Diary – Day 41

(1) c coffee (1)

(1) Denver (no toast) (2) eggs/ ham/onions (260)

(2) Potato patties (240)

(24) oz water

(1) Mango (202)

(2) cookies (146)

(1) c tea (1)

(1) 6 oz pork chop (283)

(1) c white rice (206)

(1) c broccoli & cauliflower with butter (89)

(6) Large olives (30)

(12) oz carbonated water

Total calories: 1458

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 40 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Yesterday, I posted a few photos of summer in Saskatchewan.  Today is Monday and it is time to get back to the reality of winter in Saskatchewan.

Quick pic of my front yard flower bed. 
Molly Dog –  Her spot was on the sofa beside Dan.  Since we got our new living room furniture, she is torn between Dan and her blanket which I appropriated to protect my chair in case she happened to jump up on it.
Molly and I out walking Waterfall Park yesterday.

It’s a minus 41C (feels like) this morning.  We are in preservation mode at this point.  Dan and I just started a big pot of stewing hen broth.  Tomorrow, we will be warming up with hearty homemade chicken noodle soup.

A couple of chicken soup suppers will be a good thing this week.  First because it will be great for warming us up, second because it will be lean meat and lots of fresh vegetables (plus egg noodles). 

Today marks FOUR DAYS until I complete three years of my health and fitness journey.  When I started out, I was tipping the scales over 160 pounds.   Now I am just a few ounces over 130 pounds.  I would love to weigh in under 130 pounds this Friday.  Our chicken soup might do it for me, especially if I up my aerobics to make up for the lack of weight workouts and minus 40 walks. 

Food Diary – Day 40

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Breakfast Sandwich – Back bacon, egg, cheese & tea biscuit. (465)

(24) oz water

(8) Licorice allsorts (167)

(25) BBQ chips (270)

(1) c tea (1)

(2) chilli dogs – no bun, with cheese, onions, and (14) multi grain crackers (710)

(12) oz Carbonated water

Total calories: 1515

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

No outdoor flowers to enjoy for a while, but the orchid Dan got me last Valentine’s Day is still blooming! (Blooming again for the forth time)

Daily Food Diary – Day 39 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

Day thirty nine and another bitterly cold day in Saskatchewan.  I don’t know if February is typically this frigid or if we are having a particularly rough go of it this year.  It seems worse than ever.

This appears to be  a good day to go through my archives and remind myself that summer does come to our chilly corner of the world. 🥶

Food Diary – Day 39

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) breakfast sandwich – 1 lg biscuit, 1 egg, 1 sausage patties, 1 slice Havarti cheese (490)

(24) oz water

(1/2) pear (70)

(1/3) c raspberries (20)

(5) licorice all sorts (107)

(1) c tea (1)

(1) med salad with pork souvlaki, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cauliflower, radishes, green onions, sunflower seeds, dried fried onion. (430)

(11) Hint of Lime chips (250)

Total calories:  1378

That is all for today. Take care and have a great day! 💗😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 38 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Thirty-eight days in and this isn’t shaping up to be a good one.   A few years ago this would have been one of those days that put me over the edge – or at least kept me clinging to it for  dear life.

There is nothing drastically wrong in my life today.  It is just one of those days where every little thing goes wrong.  

I woke up to a balmy minus 40C  (feels like). In reality it was  only minus 30C.   I made sausage and egg breakfast sandwiches and Dan’s sausage decided not to cook.  My computer was glitching, also my phone.   My phone worked, it just refused to make calls.  Since Dan was going to drive our Maddy to work,  I needed to call her to make sure she was ready.   Dan took the garbage out when he left.   I got into a  battle with the new  garbage bag.  I wanted to put  it in the garbage can and  it did not want to go.    Ultimately, I prevailed, but things got ugly.  Meanwhile, Molly dog was on a tear while I was trying to do a video for my accountability group.  Again, I prevailed but not before I accidentally deleted my video.  Finally,  I managed to complete my aerobics without incident but I have been experiencing coughing and  sneezing fits ever since.  Sigh…

It could be a long day.  I might even make a few poor food choices. 🙄 But this will be a good day to mark on my diary, because I know that tomorrow is another day – and it will be better!   Looking back through this year, there will be more days like today – and more better days that follow.   And this Daily Food Diary will be the solid proof I need  to remind myself that such is life.

Daily Diary – Day 38

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) tea biscuits with butter (234)

(3) slices thin sliced bacon (270)

(24) oz water

(4) air-dried chicken wing flats (320)

(1) egg roll with plum sauce (100)

(1) c tea (1)

(2) chocolates  (130)

(12) oz carbonated water

(3) c chilli with cheese & fried dried onions           (640)

(25) Salt & vinegar chips (270)

(1) c tea (1)

Total calories:  1968

(I knew that one was going to be ugly! 🙄)

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 37 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

I am thirty-seven days in on my Food Diary and my mission to become more mindful and responsible in what I consume.  

This exercise is just part of what has become  my health and fitness journey to adopt a strong and healthy lifestyle. 

I have learned a lot in the past three years but there is one quote that I came across recently that really sums up the method to my (possible) madness.

“If you are persistent,  you will get it.  If you are consistent, you will keep it.“

This quote has been credited to Harvey Mackay who is a successful American businessman, author, and syndicated columnist.

His advice is obviously relative and effective to more than creating a fit and healthy lifestyle.    Words worth noting.   (Take note Genie. 💞)

Granddaughter Genie (with her Mom and our daughter Jen). 
I recently discovered Genie has been stalking me (following me 😂) on my Food Diary blogs. 

Food Diary – Day 37

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) Crumpets with jam & butter (408)

(1/2) c pineapple, (1) peach, (1/2) cup raspberries (123)

(2) cookies (146)

(25) salt & vinegar chips (270)

(2) c beef stew (300)

(2) Tea biscuits (200)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1/2) Bag popcorn (250)

Total Calories: 1699

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 36 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

I’m thirty six days in with my daily food diary and it hasn’t been going too bad so far.  This month, I am counting calories to add to the challenge.  I am  glad February is a short month because I struggle with this exercise. 

Counting calories isn’t that big a deal if one is eating one pear or a bowl of cereal.  If one is dealing with a plate of homemade stew, chilli, or soup, things get complicated.   Then there is meat!  Two slices of thin sliced bacon is 180 calories – RAW bacon.  So what if you cook it in the oven, drain the fat, pat it with paper towel AND use most of it for later use, when it is microwaved and once more patted down with paper towel to remove extra oil.   Air fried chicken wings are 80 calories each.  What constitutes each chicken wing?  Dan and I get packages that are an equal number of drummets and the other piece with two skinny bones.  Dan eats the drummets and I eat the other pieces.  Is each piece 80 calories? Are all pieces considered equal.  No idea!  It gets so confusing!

Speaking of struggling with exercise, yesterday Dan and I took Molly back to Waterfall Park.  As I was getting her out of the Jeep, I caught a glimpse of a dog coming up behind us.  Trying to keep her from mowing me down and bouncing over to make a new friend, I did not even realize the other dog was her bestie Willie from the dogpark.

It turned out to be a great outing.  Molly and Willie walked together, veered off a few times to tumble in the fresh snow, sat to watch the squirrels playing in the trees AND Dan and Randy had the chance to catch up as they walked their dogs.  I wandered behind and managed to get one shot of our little crew.

Food Diary – Day 36

(1) coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios with 2% milk (200)

(24) oz water

(1) sm taco salad with 5 Hint of Lime chips (264)

(1) c tea

(1/2) pkg ramen noodles with vegetables (342)

(2) No Name egg rolls with plum sauce (235)

(2) Riblets (60)

(5) Air fried chicken wings, refried with Frank’s Extra Red Hot and Frank’s Honey Garlic Sauce. (400)

(12)  oz carbonated water

(1) c tea (1)

Total calories:   1404

** Yes, two riblets (I’m not a fan but I like to make them for Dan) and it was 10 wing pieces (not the drummet).  And what is that piece of the wing called?  If they even have a name! 🙄

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 35 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

If our local groundhog declared an end to winter earlier this week, Mother Nature did not get the message.

We got a fresh drop of snow last night, we are expecting a lot more in the next forty eight hours, and while our temperatures are out of the deep freeze, they are  far from balmy.

The good news is, our weather has us craving comfort food, much of which is nutritionally sound.   Our stew last night was full of protein and fresh vegetables and I’m thinking chilli could be on the menu tonight.

This fresh snow also provides an opportunity for a good workout and fresh air.   That snow isn’t going to clear itself and even if Dan gets our (NEW) snowblower back up and running, there are places a snowblower just can’t go.

Food Diary – Day 35

(2) c coffee (2)

(3) Crumpets (240) with butter (68) and jam (100) 

(24) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

(1/2) pear (51)

(2/2) kiwi

(3) cookies (219)

(4) c homemade beef stew (600)

(12) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

Total calories:   1313

Beef stew – Beef, potato, carrot, lo bak (daikon), onion, garlic, mushrooms, peas, turnip, celery,  gravy

That’s it for today. Take care &  have a great day! 💞🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 34 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Thirty-four days in and it seems I am past the worst of the flu that I have been fighting off.    Yesterday I wasn’t dealing with the exhaustion and aches and pains that I had been.  I was even somewhat productive.

I got my aerobic workout done yesterday morning.  I vacuumed the living room and porch (no small task when one has a huge hair shedding Pyrenees).  I  baked a large batch of oatmeal/coconut cookies (not sure why but I had a major craving for them and they are Dan’s favorite).  I worked on my current sewing project. 🤦 And, I made Taco salads for supper, which is always worth the slicing and dicing.   

At the end of the day, I felt fairly accomplished.   After the sewing debacle, I decided to go all out and enjoy a Caesar with my Taco Salad.  I have never been a ‘drinker’ and since I have had to avoid yeast, alcoholic beverages are  typically on my ‘don’t go there’  list.   Last night I was feeling it and today I am paying for it. 🙄

Food Diary – Day 34

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Pear (102)

(1) Granola bar (170)

(1) c tea (1)

(2) Oatmeal/coconut cookies (146)

(1) Taco salad (791)

(1) Caesar (188)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea

Total Calories:  1401

** Taco Salad included: Lettuce, green onions, radishes, tomato, olives, orange pepper, seasoned ground turkey, shredded habanero cheese, fried dried onions, salsa salad dressing, and 5 Hint of Lime Tostitos chips

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 33 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I am thirty three days into my food diary and eleven days away from celebrating the third anniversary of my health and fitness journey.  I am pumped up!

I am also struggling to work my way through some strange form of seasonal flu.  I know it is a flu because my symptoms are a lesser form of all of the symptoms my daughter has been dealing with for the past few days.  It still sucks because I want to be going hard to wrap up YEAR THREE on a high note!  💪

All is not lost.  I will manage a less intense aerobic workout, possibly have a nap, and hopefully complete a sewing project that I am working on – making a couple of rice bag door draft stoppers.    Sewing is NOT one of my talents or passions.  Fortunately, daughter Jen lent me her Maddy’s basic sewing machine because she knew I would get overly frustrated dealing with her own  more complicated electronic madel. 

Two You Tube videos and one speaker phone call with Jen and Maddy AND I got the little beast threaded yesterday. 👍

Food Diary – Day 33 of 365

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) egg omelet with ham & onions    (254)

(2) Potato patties (240)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

(2) bowls Knorr vegetable soup – extra broth and fresh vegetables carrots, onions, cabbage, spinach, and celery.   (140)

(6) soda crackers (60)

(11) Hint of Lime Tostito chips (250)

(1) c tea (1)

Total calories (946)

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