Category: 2025

Daily Food Diary – Day 271 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 271 of my Daily Food Diary. 😊

Today is also Monday.  Yesterday, we had Prim and dog Sasha over for the afternoon and into a sleepover.

It is amazing how well Molly and Sasha get along.  They are both big dogs, both females, and there is never a whiff of an issue.  I don’t think I have ever heard Sasha bark, and when they are together, Molly is too chill to bark either.  Sasha is like her support dog. 😂

Prim, who is thirteen, was likewise amazing.  She made us all quesadillas for supper – including slicing the chicken breasts and vegetables  and cooking them.  She EVEN helped  with dishes and kitchen  cleanup after supper.

This morning she was up (without being called) at 6:30 so she could have breakfast and get home by 7:30 so do her morning chores, finish her homework, and feed Sasha and the cats BEFORE school. 🤗

Prim!

After cleaning up, we played three games of chess.  I won the first, Prim won the second in three moves (with help from a friend she was on speaker phone with), and she won the third – all on her own.  👍

Daily Food Diary – Day 271

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) scrambled eggs (182)

(1 1/2) oz ham (43)

(1) tomato (22)

Snacks:

(6) Hint of Lime Chips (150)

(1) 355 ml RootBeer (170)

(1/2) chocolate/coconut brownies (74)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(1) lg quesadilla – 2 tortilla wraps, chicken breast, green onion, black olives, red pepper, jalapeno, banana pepper & taco sauce (713)

(1) butterscotch brownie (229)

Total consumed calories: 1585

Total used calories: 111

(1) hour food prep/cooking/cleanup (111)

Total net calories: 1474

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1474 = 245 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 269 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 269 of my Daily Food Diary. 💝

Yesterday was a pretty good day in the life of.  I did forget to do my weights after my aerobics and never did get back to them but that is okay.  I will do them today, as well as my aerobics and treadmill.

I made the second of two cheesecakes I had planned to make this week.  The first one was Blueberry, this one Amaretto, chocolate, and Skorr Bits.

We haven’t tasted it yet, but it looks doable.

Granddaughter Genie dropped by after work to pick up some baking.  As usual, we enjoyed the visit and Molly was besides herself.

Today, I am making a large roaster of Smoked Beans to be divided between Jen & girls, Genie & Alec, and us.

It must be fall, I am enjoying my kitchen time. ☺️

Daily Food Diary – Day 269

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c milk

Lunch:

(1/2) c chicken broth (5)

(1) c Apple crisp (227)

Supper:

(1 1/2) servings nachos w/minced turkey (870)

Total consumed calories: 1279

Total used calories: 287

(30) min. Aerobics (176)

(1) hour food prep/cooking/cleanup (111)

Total net calories: 992

Net calories goal: 1229 – 992 = 237 under

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 268 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 268 of my Daily Food Diary! 💗

This year is going by so fast.  I can’t believe October is almost here. 😮   I am not sure what I will be doing as a focus for October, but I am thinking something along the lines of seasonal food trends.  With fall comes soups, stews, Thanksgiving, Halloween… I could work with that.

I did some more baking for Jen & family yesterday.  I have a blueberry cheesecake in the fridge, a chocolate and amaretto one to make today, and a roaster of smoked beans that I promised Maddy & Prim tomorrow.

It has been almost three months since I started taking collagen supplements.  Yesterday, I realized another shift that has occurred over the past few days… I have virtually no urge for between meal or evening snacks. 

I haven’t been snacking that much since I started my Food Diary, but I have still felt really hungry and weak at times ( A lot of times 😁).   That just ‘ran out of steam’ feeling.  I don’t get that anymore.  My stamina is improving with my strength.  ☺️

Last night, after cooking all afternoon, cleaning up, making supper, cleaning up AGAIN, I went into the spare room at nine thirty and did 30 minutes on the treadmill. It is getting marginally easier every time, but still I was proud of myself that I got it done last night. 🤩

Fall is here with a vengeance today.  It is cold and windy.  We are shaking things up a bit this morning.  Dan is gone for a haircut and a bit of shopping while I do my blog and my aerobics.  We will walk Molly once it (hopefully) warms up a bit.

Daily Food Diary – Day 268

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) 2 egg and ham breakfast wrap (495)

Snacks:

(1/2) c no added salt chicken broth (5)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(4) oz baked pork chop w/mushroom sauce (220)

(1)  c white rice (242)

(2) tbsp soya sauce (30)

(1) c broccoli (56)

(1) tsp butter (68)

(1) side salad (187)

(1) PC blueberry cheesecake (190)

Total consumed calories: 1454

Total used calories: 731

(30) min walking (53)

(30)  min aerobics (176)

(4) hrs food prep/cooking/clean up (444)

(30) min treadmill (59)

Total net calories: 723

Net calories goal: 1229 – 723 = 507 under 👍

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 267 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 267 of my Daily Food Diary! 💝

This is starting out to be a good day.  Dan is off golfing so Molly and I went solo on our walk.  We both went the distance without any issues whatsoever. 😀

Yesterday did not go as planned.  I did walk Molly and I got my workouts in.  My baking date with Jen fell apart.  She had errands to run and work to do on her truck..plus a bit of a vehicle tuneup demo that she gave to Maddy and her friends who are all working on their Drivers Training this year.  (If you are going to drive, you should know the basics of vehicle maintenance. 👍)

It was one of the warmest days of our year so far, so baking wasn’t looking like a great idea.  I was happy to water our garden and do a bit of reading.  

First published December 24th, 2024.

I am not too deep into this book, but I am thoroughly enjoying it.   I highly recommend it.  In fact, I think it should be required reading in highschool, recommended reading before getting married, and an absolute necessity before having children and/or grandchildren.

Since I began my health and fitness journey, one unexpected benefit that I have enjoyed is that I worry less about what others are doing, eating, thinking, or saying while being more focused on working on myself.  

This book is next level and well worth the modest price and time it takes to read it. 

Today I have my regular aerobics workout and treadmill time.  I am going to do more baking – alone as Jennifer is at work, and hopefully get more reading time.

Daily Food Diary – Day 267

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) paratha (240)

(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Lunch:

(1) cheese tortilla wrap (170)

(1 1/2) oz sliced chicken (70)

(2) slices bacon (87)

(1) tomato (22)

(1/4) c white onion (5)

(1) c lettuce (8)

(1) tbsp peppercorn ranch dressing (30)

(60) oz water

Supper:

(1) sourdough bun (259)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(5) oz lean ground beef burger (304)

(1) slice havarti (180)

(1) tomato (22)

(1/4) c white onion (5)

(1/2) c spinach (2)

(20) lightly salted ripple chips (160)

(1/2) oz Philidelphia Cheese onion dip (20)

Total consumed calories: 1694

Total used calories: 302

(30) min. Aerobics (176)

(30) min. Walking (53)

(30) min weights (73)

Total net calories: 1392

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1392 = 163 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 266 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

This is Day 266 of my Daily Food Diary! 😊

Yesterday we had a busy and productive day.  We got our garage reshingled.  I can’t see it from our yard but apparently it looks fine and with four experienced roofers it was finished in four hours.    Molly was relieved when they were gone.  She was  beside herself with anxiety while they were up there.  🤔

Back to her happy self 😊

Jennifer, Prim,  and I got a bit  of baking and a lot of visiting in yesterday.  Jen is supposed to return this afternoon for another round

This morning Dan, Molly, and I went for our morning walk.  That was uneventful.

When we got back, I sat down for a minute with my phone before starting this blog and then doing my aerobics and light weights.

I have no idea why, or where it came from, but I found myself going down some rabbit hole of a discussion regarding how today’s young mothers are much better  parents and people than my generation was/is. 

I remember when my eldest was about six months old and I felt likewise.  I am grateful that we did not have Facebook to memorialize my naivety back in those days. 

Like most parents since the beginning of time, I did my best.  Trying to compare how I did compared to my parents or my children? I would win some, I would lose some.  The world changes from one generation to another.  Parenting must  adapt,  even though the basic premise and core values remain the same.

They survived and turned out well enough. Our family is, and always will be, a work in progress.  As will theirs! 💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 266

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c milk (28)

Snacks:

(10) Hint of Lime tortilla chips (250)

(1/2) c nacho cheese (160)

(2)  tbsp salsa (8)

(3/4) c Maple Walnut Ice cream (225)

(10) hazelnuts (88)

(1) tbsp chocolate sauce (52)

(1) tmst caramel sauce (130)

Supper:

(3) c dinner salad (190)

(3) chicken drumsticks (300)

Total consumed calories: 1581

Total used calories: 509

(30) min. Aerobics (176)

(30) min. Walking (53)

(30) min. Treadmill (55)

(2) hrs cooking (222)

Total net calories: 1581

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1072 = 158 under 👍

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 265 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 265 of my Daily Food Diary! 100 days to go and I will have completed a solid year without one miss! 😁🎈

We are having the roof of our garage reshingled today so I took Molly for her walk solo again. That went well so it was a boost for my confidence as  well as hers.

I have yet to do my aerobics but that as well as time on the treadmill will happen today.

And.. This afternoon, daughter Jen is coming over to do some baking with me. 

All things considered, I don’t have much time to blog this morning so I will just leave you with a bit of ‘Food for Thought’.

“It’s your road and yours alone.  Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” – Rumi (my favourite quote ever)
“This is a happy moment!” Thich Nhat Hanh in his book ‘No Mud, No Lotus’ (An unexpected random Sunday afternoon visit from Dan’s cousin from BC)
“More harm is done not by the evil, but by the good who do nothing about it” – Martin Luther King (This rings so true to me.  I have seen bad apples everywhere – law enforcement, court rooms, politics, schools, churches, hospitals….   I get it, but I have never  understood how their good, competent, caring,  decent coworkers, bosses, unions, etc.  can support the rotten apples and ignore the pain of their victims.)
“If you knew it all now, there would be no point to the rest of your life.” Nobody brilliant or famous, just something I said to Genie one day when we were having tea and discussing life.  She keeps it on her list of favourite quotes so I had to include it. 🙂

Daily Food Diary – Day 265:

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Light frosting Shreddies (170)

(1/4) c milk (28)

Lunch:

(6) Gyoza (200)

(3) oz riblets (148)

(1) PC Buttermilk chicken (120)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(8) oz herbal lemon tea

Supper:

(1) pan pizza – tortilla wrap, pizza sauce, ham, pepperoni, onion, yellow pepper, mushrooms, black olives, shredded marble cheese (599)

Total consumed calories: 1266

Total used calories: 390

(30) min walking (53)

(30) min Aerobics (176)

(30) min light weights (73)

(30) min yard/garden work (88)

Total net calories: 876

Net calories goal: 1229 – 876 = 353 under 👍

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 264 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 264 of my Daily Food Diary! 😊

Today is also  son Mark’s birthday.  He lives across the city from us with his fiance and two young sons.  I have not seen him in almost four years, but he is still and always will be my son – and of course I wish him well on his birthday (as well as every other day of the year 🎂💝).

This morning, I took Molly for a walk by myself, as Dan is taking advantage of our gorgeous weather to go golfing.

I came home to have a bowl of cereal and found that the only container of milk in our fridge had not been wrestled open. 🤬

On my first try, with my bare hands, I got that sucker open!

Every day since I started taking collagen, my strength is increasing, and I find myself easily doing things that I have not been able to do for decades (or ever).  It is incredible!

Of course the most incredible thing is how much better my respiratory system is doing.  I will always have asthma and multiple environmental allergies.  But in general, my sinuses, throat, and lungs are feeling strong  and clear.  Much better than they have been for five years.  🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 264

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) thin slices of bacon (87)

(2) eggs (160)

(2) potato patties (240)

(1) tsp butter (30)

(1) small tomato (22)

Snacks:

(1) c caramel corn (160)

(22) Doritos (153)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(12) oz carbonated water

(4) oz ribeye steak (280)

(1) c linguine (200)

(6) shrimp (74)

(3) tsp butter (103

(1/2) c mushrooms (8)

(2) Cloves garlic (4)

(1) tomato (22)

(5) slices cucumber (4)

Total consumed calories: 1549

Total used calories: 114

(30) min. Food prep/cooking/cleanup (56)

(30) min. Treadmill (59)

Total net calories: 1435

Net calorie goal: 1229 – 1549 = 205 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 263 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 263 of my Daily Food Diary! 💖

Today is Sunday and I am looking forward to a laid back day, much of which I intend to spend out in the gazebo reading and enjoying this beautiful, sunny, unseasonably warm day. 🌞💞

Yesterday was a fairly laid back day as well with a couple of notable exceptions.

Late in the evening, our granddaughters Maddy & Genie,  stopped by for a quick visit and a little quality time with Molly. 

They also dropped off a couple of candles that daughter Jen picked up for me at Superstore.  They smell amazing!

The other notable moment for me was making a snack for Dan and I earlier in the day.   Not only did I open the new uncracked jar of cheese with my bare hands, but I also tore open the bag of Hint of Lime tortilla chips likewise! 💪  Since I began taking collagen supplements, less than three months ago, I cannot believe the difference they have made. 😊💖

Daily Food Diary – Day 263

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2) grapefruit (39)

(1/2) tsp sugar (8)

(1) granola bar (160)

Snacks:

(12) Hint of Lime chips (300)

(1/2) c nacho cheese w/salsa (172)

(1/4) c peanuts (240)

(60) oz water

Supper:

(1 1/2) servings homemade Hamburger Helper (615)

Total calories consumed: 1536

Total calories used: 228

(30) min. Walking (53)

(30) min. Aerobics (176)

Total Net calories:  1308

Net calorie goal: 1229 – 1308 = 78 over 👍

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 262 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 262 of my Daily Food Diary! 😁

There is not a lot happening in our little corner of the world this morning. 

We started the day with a nice walk around the neighborhood with Molly.

I didn’t really leave the yard dressed like this nor did I really want to slap somebody 🤦 – but this was a great photo of Molly.

Molly walked particularly well this morning  despite crossing paths with several other dogs, including her old friend Ripple.

Molly & Ripple back in their dogpark days.

I am not anticipating anything happening for the rest of the day, but I am about to do my aerobic workout and then will buckle down to some Saturday cleaning.  🤷

Daily Food Diary – Day 262

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2) grapefruit (39)

(1/2) tsp sugar (8)

Lunch:

(1) sourdough bun (259)

(4) oz roast beef (251)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(2) tbsp horseradish (14)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(2) oz riblets (99)

(6) Gyoza (200)

(3) egg rolls (440)

(1) PC Buttermilk chicken (120)

(6) tempura shrimp (210)

(1) tbsp Gyoza sauce (15)

(1) tbsp seafood sauce (12)

(1) tbsp Dilly Dip (50)

(1) tbsp plum sauce (35)

Total calories consumed: 1809

Total calories used: 548

(30) min. Aerobics (176)

(30) min. Walking (53)

(20) min. Treadmill (35)

(30) min. Light weights (73)

(30) min garden/yard (88)

(30) min. Cooking (56)

(30) min. Cleaning (67)

Total net calories: 1261

Net calorie goal: 1229 – 1261 = 32 over 👍

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 261 of 365 Days

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today it is 261 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary. 💓

Today it is also my sister Elaine’s BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday Elaine! 🎈

Speaking of birthday cake… I love cake, I love icing, and I especially love the icing on commercially made cakes. 👍

Unfortunately, I (as well as my daughter and her daughters) cannot eat yeast and commercially baked anything these days is made with powdered egg whites – which are made with yeast. 

That is just one of the allergy/ intolerances discoveries that I have made recently. 

A few weeks ago, I ate something that should have been perfectly fine.  I immediately got seriously bloated and started experiencing violent abdominal cramps.  🙄

I checked the ingredients and the only thing that was slightly questionable was that the product contained palm oil.  I decided to keep that in mind.

A couple of days later, daughter Jen messaged  me that she was violently ill.  She sent me the nutritional label/ingredient list for what she had just eaten…and it noted  palm oil.

I have been fine since, but Jen has been checking anything she eats for palm oil (she has several severe food allergies so she is generally extra careful). 

She has not been feeling well for some time and been experiencing allergy type issues – but she couldn’t pinpoint the issue.

This morning she messaged me that she happened to notice that the margarine that she has been using for cooking and baking has palm oil in it now. 

No doubt, palm oil is becoming as ubiquitous as yeast!

That is the issue I have with a number of professionals – business administrators, doctors, investment counsellors, chefs apparently… They find one thing that works and that becomes the norm for the entire industry  – until it turns out that the norm doesn’t work all that well. (At least for some  of their customers) 🤦

In the meantime  buyer beware, be mindful, be alert…

Daily Food Diary – Day 261

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) paratha (240)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)

Lunch:

(1 1/2) oz ham (43)

(1) tomato (22)

(12) Doritos (153)

Snacks:

(1) vodka Caesar (168)

(48) oz water

(12) oz lemon water

Supper:

(11) chicken air fried wing flats (468)

(2) tbsp Frank’s Honey Garlic sauce (80)

(1) Serving Caesar Salad (250)

(1) c Apple crisp (227)

Total calories consumed: 1808

Total calories used: 439

(30) min aerobics (176)

(30) min walking (53)

(30) min garden/yardwork (88)

(30) min housework (67)

(30) min food prep/cooking (56)

Total net calories: 1369

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1369 = 139 over

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