Category: Health and Fitness

Daily Food Diary – Day 278 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

This is Day 278 of my Daily Food Diary! 💗

Next Monday (October 13th) is our Canadian Thanksgiving.  Of all the major holidays that we celebrate, Thanksgiving is my favourite. There is none of the stress that comes with all the commercialization of  other holidays.  Thanksgiving is just that, a day to be grateful for what we have and an opportunity to share it with loved ones. 💞

Dan and I are hosting our Thanksgiving supper this Thursday.  It is the best day for those family members who work over the weekend.   And the leftovers they take home will make a handy meal for them, when they will be too busy to cook!

After joining Dan and Molly for a frigid walk this morning (as in our bird bath is now a miniature skating rink), I decided a pot of hearty beef stew was on the menu for tonight.   

Beef gnocchi stew. 😯

Just to note.. Jet Pack/WordPress is glitching out for me.  I find myself unable to like posts or comments.  Hopefully, you are getting my comments. And hopefully… The situation resolves itself soon.

Daily Food Diary – Day 278

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) eggs (160)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(2) sl. Bacon (87)

(1) tomato (23)

(2) potato patties (240)

Snacks:

(1) pkg. Sesame snacks (150)

(48) oz water

(8) oz lemon water

Supper:

(1) bowl Knorr minestrone (66)

(5) soda crackers (63)

(1) cheese tortilla wrap (170)

(2) oz ham (89)

(2) oz marble cheese (227)

(2) green onions (16)

Total consumed calories: 1326

Total used calories: 59

(30) min treadmill (59)

Total net calories: 1267

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1267 = 38 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 277 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 277 of my Daily Food Diary.  😍

Today is Sunday and my husband Dan is out picking up a few groceries.  Yesterday,  he did likewise.  Yesterday, we even went through the fliers together before he went.  I showed him that one store had bags of Halloween Candy on sale.  One brand contained  Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, Oh Henry’s, plus three types of candy that I wouldn’t eat, even if it was leftover.  So.. relatively safe. Right?

He came home with three bags of Halloween candy – all the same – all with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups…..

Basically, I will have one full bag of Peanut Butter Cups and Oh Henry Bars if we get our typical handful of Trick and Treaters…

But it gets better.  He hid them so I would not be sneaking any before Halloween (to save them for any possible Trick or Treaters).   Great idea, EXCEPT…

He hid them behind a bag of potato chips. 😳

There was another bag of chips on this side of the Doritos, but still…

Between Thanksgiving and Halloween, this could be a rough month for my Daily Food Diary. 

Daily Food Diary – Day 277

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Protein Oatmeal Crisp (180)

(1/4) c milk (28)

Lunch:

(1/2) c beef broth (15)

Snacks:

(1) Mott’s Clamato Caesar (168)

(1/4) c mixed nuts (180)

Supper:

(1) chicken burger: sourdough bun, butter, chicken patty, havarti cheese, mushrooms, onion (517)

(25) barbecue chips (260)

(1) pc puffed wheat cake (130)

Total consumed calories: 1480

Total used calories: 176

(30) min aerobics (176)

Total net calories: 1304

Net calorie goal: 1229 – 1304 = 75 over 👍

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

Oh, oh..Now look what he bought me while I was sitting here picking on him.   Thank you, Dear… For ALWAYS doing the shopping and for always thinking of me and for buying me chocolate and flowers.  💞🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 276 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 276 of my Daily Food Diary! 💝

It is three years and eight months since I started my general Health and Fitness Journey – diet, exercise, stress management…

Since I began this journey, I have noticed a number of benefits due to my new lifestyle.  Most, if not all, creep up so gradually that I do not recognize them until one day – poof! I look at the scale and realize I have lost forty pounds, I try on pants that I have not been able to squeeze into for years and they are a perfect fit.  I go to take out a bag of garbage and there is no struggle getting it to the bin out back or lifting it high enough to toss it in…

This morning,  I came across such a benefit that had crept up on me…

The cabinet where I stockpile my OTC medications.

I went to get my vitamins (B12, Lutein, D3) to fill my weekly pill dispenser and I  realized that my cabinet had little else in it.

Over the past few years, I have done away with the giant bottle of Aspirin, the huge bottle of Tums, the cough syrup,  the Imodium, the cortisone creams,  and more.  To be honest, other than the Claritin and my three vitamins, I don’t remember when I used anything in this cabinet. 

Not only this cabinet, but my purse as well, used to look like a well stocked drug store.  😳

I still have my inhalers for asthma, bronchiectasis, and COPD.   I have a bottle of CBD drops and CBD cream (which I seldom use) and I have my Collagen Supplement (which is not going anywhere, anytime soon).

Today it is time to celebrate another win. 🎊

Daily Food Diary – Day 276

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios (147)

(1/4) c milk (28)

Lunch:

(2) potato patties (240)

(2) tomatoes (44)

(1) chocolate brownie (121)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(1/2) c beef broth (15)

Supper:

(1) sourdough bun (190)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(2) oz ham (89)

(1) slice havarti cheese (110)

(3) sliced white onion (32)

(15) Barbecue chips (156)

Total consumed calories: 1242

Total used calories: 243

(30) min walking (53)

(30) min food prep (56)

(1) hour cleaning (135)

Total net calories: 999

Net calories goal: 1229 – 999  = 230 under

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 275 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 275 of my Daily Food Diary – and poof another ten days of 2025 have passed – just like that! 🫰

Yesterday was another somewhat productive day.  It was warm enough to get outside and clean the interior of the Jeep.  It is pretty much all leather,  so climbing around with a spray bottle of leather cleaner,  a wet cloth, and a dry cloth was more doable than the vacuuming extravaganza on Wednesday.

The reward for my efforts was a supper out at Fin’s Fish and Chips.   Their food is hearty, healthy, yeast and palm oil free – and delicious.  🤩

Today is cool and raining off and on.  We got in our morning walk with Molly. 

Which was obviously exhausting…

Dan is off shopping.  I am juggling my morning routine with getting our house in order.  The days have been going by so quickly that I haven’t done a good solid cleaning for a bit and it is beginning to show. 🙄

I still have my aerobics and weights to do, but at least the porch is clean.  But first.. it is time to tackle the kitchen.

Daily Food Diary – Day 275

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(1) tbsp raspberry jam (50)

Lunch:

(1/2) serving Smoked beans (196)

(1) Harvest all beef hot dog (160)

(6) Hint of Lime chips (150)

(48) oz water

(12) oz lemon water

Supper:

(1) Sprite (140)

(2) PC’s  Fin City battered pickerel (500)

(1/2) c coleslaw (104)

(1) c home fries (331)

(1/4) c gravy (25)

(1) tbsp tartar sauce (40)

Total consumed calories: 2007

Total used calories: 422

(30) min. Aerobics (176)

(1) hr clean Jeep interior (135)

(30) min. Treadmill (59)

(30) min walking (53)

Total net calories: 1585

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1585 = 356 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 274 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 274 of my Daily Food Diary! ❣️With September done and gone, I am 9 months done and 3 months to go.

Every month, I choose one focus for my Daily Food Diary.  For October, I have decided to go with Changing Seasons – and how they affect the foods we eat.

October started with the same seasonal indecision that we have been experiencing in Saskatchewan for a couple of weeks.

Yesterday, it was unseasonably warm.  I spent time outside cleaning our Jeep and enjoying the weather.  After supper, I went to pick up our  granddaughter Maddy from her band clinic.  I wore a sweater and left the air conditioner on.

This morning, I picked up Maddy to drive her to school.  I wore my coat and turned the heater on.  Such is autumn in Saskatchewan.

Last night, we went with some hearty fall Smoked Beans for supper – as well as a couple of summery Hot Dogs and a few potato chips.   🙄

It is impossible to predict which direction  this month will take weather wise.

Hopefully more of this! 😃
And NONE of this! 😢

Daily Food Diary – Day 274

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c lightly frosted Shreddies (190)

(1/4) c milk (28)

Lunch:

(2) chicken drumsticks (401)

Snacks:

(28) oz water

(12) oz carbonated water

(1 1/2) serving Crunch & Munch (360)

Supper:

(1) serving Smoked Beans (393)

(2) Harvest Hot Dogs (320)

(20) light salt ripple chips (216)

Total consumed calories: 1890

Total Used calories: 504

(30) min walking (53)

(30) min aerobics (176)

(30) min weights (73)

(1 1/2) hour cleaning (140)

Total net calories: 1386

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1386 = 157 over 👎

Daily Food Diary – Day 273 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is my  273rd consecutive day of posting my Daily Food Diary! 🎀

For some reason it is getting harder to post in the morning these days, but I am getting it done. 🙂

I get up early enough to see the sun rise…and to see weird alien clouds across the street.

Today is shaping up to be another relatively quiet day.  I have my aerobics and light weights to do, a bit of touching up around the house, and I will hopefully get the Jeep cleaned today. 

My big excitement will be venturing over to granddaughter Maddy’s school tonight to pick her up after her band retreat.  It’s only a few blocks from here so the only real challenge will be dealing with the other parents and grandparents who will be doing likewise.   I cannot imagine how this school has such huge band events.   It is nuts just dropping her off at a regular early morning band practice.

Maddy and I went to see a friend of hers who was involved in a band/choir event at his school a few months ago.  There were about fifty people there including the performers.  And there are way more students attending his school. 😧

Anyway, I have things to do so I should get on with it.

Daily Food Diary – Day 273

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter 68)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Lunch:

(1/2) c beef broth (15)

(10) low salt ripple chips (75)

(1/2) PC Chocolate Coconut Brownies (60)

Snacks:

(1/3) c mixed nuts (216)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(1) lg dinner salad – lettuce, spinach, radishes, cauliflower, green onions, dried fried onions, sesame seeds, salad dressing (256)

(2) chicken drumsticks (401)

(1) PC Chocolate Amaretto cheesecake (257)

Total consumed calories: 1641

Total used calories: 489

(30) min walking (53)

(30) min aerobics (176)

(30) min treadmill (59)

(1) hour housework (202

Total net calories: 1152

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1152 = 78 under 👍

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 272 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

This is Day 272 of my Daily Food Diary! 💖

This is also September 30th – mere hours away from October.   It is beautiful out now, with a bit of wind, and forecast to reach 29 degrees Celsius (84 F).  👍

Dan went golfing a few days ago.  The lack of leaves on the fairway was amazing for this time of year!

I am having a good if somewhat muddled day, but I have been for a walk with Dan and Molly.  I have done my aerobics. I am ready to start some laundry as soon as I am done my blog.  And the plan is to clean the inside of the Jeep and do thirty minutes on the treadmill before supper.

My plan yesterday, was to do my treadmill but I tweaked my back walking Molly in the morning.  After Dan rubbed it with CBD cream, I felt so much better I fell asleep at 8 pm and basically slept through the night.   At some point I got off my recliner and went to bed. 🙄

Daily Food Diary – Day 272

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) granola bar (160)

Lunch:

(1/2) c beef broth  (15)

Snacks:

(6) hint of lime tortilla chips (150)

(1) PC puffed wheat cake (226)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(2) servings pork fried rice (894)

(12) oz carbonated water

Total consumed calories: 1447

Total used calories: 445

(30) min aerobics (176)

(30) min light weights (73)

(30) min walk (53)

(30) min food prep & cooking (56)

(30) min yard and garden (88)

Total net calories: 1002

Net calories goal: 1229 – 1002 = 227 under 👍

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

A bit of color in Regent Park, but most of the leaves are still on the trees in the city as well! 🤩

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! ☺️💖