It is Day 153 since I began posting my Daily Food Diary. 🙌. It is amazing how fast this year is going – one day at a time. 🥳
Yesterday, was a very welcome smoke free day.
We were able to take Molly for a short walk over to the dogpark. Her friend Willy was there. They didn’t do a lot of running, but Molly did take one jog across the park when she noticed I was walking the perimeter checking for dog 💩. Willy took a leisurely stroll when he snatched Molly’s water bowl and tried to sneak off with it. 😂
Yesterday afternoon, I was finally able to get outside to do some yard and garden work.
My carnation plant is still waiting to go in the front yard flower bed.But Dan’s Bleeding Heart is continuing to thrive and I got pepper plants in yesterday.Meanwhile, Molly took another round out of my poor little watering can.
Today isn’t looking too promising. I was just outside and it appears the smoke is drifting back in. This could be a laundry and baking day.
Daily Food Diary – Day 153
Breakfast:
(1) Coffee (2)
(1) Granola bar (160)
Lunch:
(1) pear (103) (1 SVG)
(1) peach (51) (1 SVG)
(20) Doritos (255)
Snacks:
(2) mini cucumbers (60) (2 SVG)
(1) c licorice tea
(1) tsp honey (21)
(36) oz water
Supper:
(1.5) Svg. Homemade nachos with unsalted tortilla chips, ground beef with taco seasoning, red pepper, green onions, jalapenos, olives, shredded cheese (852) (2 SVG)
Total net calories:1219
Net calorie Goal: 1238 – 1219 = 19 under 👍
Total servings fruit & vegetable: 6
Fruit & vegetable goal: 7 👎
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
2021 Photo of the garden pond. I’m pretty sure that turtle riding gnome became one of Molly’s casualties. He disappeared a couple of years ago. 🙄
It is Day 149 of my Daily Food Diary and it is shaping up to be another beautiful sunny day in Saskatchewan.
I just got back from a nice walk around the neighborhood with Dan and Molly.
I wanted Dan to take this picture so I could show off my new handy-dandy dog walking fanny pack. I was laughing because Molly was looking at everything except Dan and the camera. She is photogenic but she will not pose. 😂
We are on a great round of visits from the grandkids. Last night it was Prim’s turn. We had monster chicken salads for supper and she finished hers off no problem. After supper, she polished off a bowl of ice cream with fresh fruit. She helped me with dishes 😊…. and we played cribbage. Prim had never played before. I have played a bit but not for at least two years. Fortunately, Grandpa Dan was here to help us with the first couple of rounds.
And yes, Prim WON. At least I got past the skunk line. 🙂
Yesterday, I wrote about my efforts to embody my core values. I have been making a list to use in my daily “I AM” meditation. I don’t expect everyone would agree with the values on my list. I know some of these words could be questionable as values, but they are ‘valuable’ to me. I know some are considered obsolete or a weakness in our society. I don’t. 🙄 I know some would think there are important values missing. I do keep adding to the list and some values are just not my values.
I’m always open to suggestions, if anyone has values to share in the comment section, please do!
Daily Food Diary – Day 149
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) tsp olive oil (40) (.7 grams)
(2) slices back bacon (100) (1 gram)
(2) potato patties (240)
Snacks:
(72) oz water (it was very hot and dry outside yesterday)
(3/4) c French vanilla ice cream (208) (6.6 grams)
It is 147 Days since I began my Daily Food Diary. That is a full 21 Weeks ! 🎉
Yesterday, Dan went golfing at Katepwa, so having completed Molly’s walk and my aerobic workout I was looking at taking a day off.
Such was not the case when granddaughter Genie pedaled up on her bike. 💖😊💖
An older photo of a bike trek to Grandma’s with sister Maddy.
We headed outside to spend some quality time in the garden. At one point, Molly leapt over the strawberry plant in the corner planter to stay close to her favorite human. 🤦
About three hours later, we came back inside. While we continued our visit, Genie painted a couple of little yard ornaments.
I bought the angel one last year as a tribute to our beloved Kat. Genie touched it up to give it a bit more pop. The frog is the one I picked up at the Dollar Store last week.
Genie stayed until Grandpa got back from golf, then headed home before it got dark.
We had a quick supper and that was a wrap for my day. I forget if I mentioned it in an earlier post, but I have been sleeping like a rock! On multiple days I have been out cold by 8 or 9 pm and sleeping until 5:30 am (which is now Molly’s time to start our day)!
It’s hard to lay around once Molly decides it is time to get up.
Daily Food Diary – Day 147
Breakfast:
(1) coffee (2)
(3) 4″ pancakes (259) (2.4 grams)
(1) tbsp corn oil (120) (2 grams)
(3) sausages (405) (21 grams)
(2) tsp butter (69) (4.7 grams)
(3) tbsp Maple Syrup (165)
Supper:
(48) oz water
(1) cheese tortilla wrap (170) (1.5 grams)
(2) Low sodium Top Dogs (180) (5 grams)
(1.5) oz marble cheese (170) (8.5 grams)
(1) tsp olive oil (40) (.7 grams)
(12) Barbecue chips (135) (.8 grams)
(1/5) Red onion (13)
Total net calories: 1473
Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1473 = 230 over 👎
Total Saturated Fats: 46.5 grams
Saturated fats goal: 13.75 👎
WELL! We won’t be having pancakes and sausages again any time soon. 😵
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day!
Today marks 142 Days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary.
Today also marks what would have been my Mother’s 107th birthday! There are two things that make time fly by as we age – having grandchildren and losing parents.
Mom with Rory and Genie.
It has been 12 years since Mom passed away and about 20 years since this photo was taken. It never seems possible how many years have passed.
I always knew, but it is only since Mom is gone, that I fully appreciate how hard she worked to provide a home for us. I see posts from young mothers talking about how hard parenting is. My Mother didn’t really talk about it that much. She probably didn’t have time. 🙄
I am the youngest of six siblings, spanning fourteen years. My Mother first had indoor plumbing when I was SIX years old. I remember boiling water to do dishes. I can’t imagine the work involved in filling her wringer washer, processing each load of clothes, and hauling it out to the line to dry. I will never forget the smell of frozen laundry being hauled in during the winter and the sight of Dad’s long johns – stiff as a board and leaning against the sofa to defrost. Our clothes were always clean and fresh. Our socks always matched and much of our clothes and household linens were ironed – every week.
The laundry was only one of multiple herculean tasks that my mother performed on a regular basis. She sewed, knitted, or crocheted much of our clothes and household linens.
Our home was always full of fresh baking and bountiful meals. Always! And come fall, she spent her days canning, pickling, and preserving.
My Mother never stopped at the basic necessities. In the spring I am reminded of her so much. As I am out working in our yard and garden, I remember her huge garden – rows and rows of corn and peas, lettuce, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes and the like. But it didn’t stop there. From the ‘rock garden’ to every nook and cranny and corner of the yard my Mother grew flowers. Gorgeous flowers! And nary a weed to be found.
Our home was ALWAYS clean but on holidays it shone! (And Mother never met a holiday she didn’t love). Obviously Christmas and Easter were the BIG ones, but every birthday, Thanksgiving, and Canada Day was celebrated. I think she may have made up a few holidays just for the opportunity to decorate and celebrate.
I don’t remember my Mother ever being in any particular rush but she had hard work and efficiency down to a science. Even on a shoestring (and that shoestring got pretty thin at times) our house ran like clockwork. And she ran it with classical music playing in the background on our cabinet phonograph. I have no idea how she managed to stow away enough money to buy that phonograph or the racks of records she played, but she got her money’s worth out of it!
Anyway, I know it’s a few years late, but thank you Mom. For everything. I may not have always noticed all you did for us, but I sure appreciate it now. 💞
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! ❤️☺️
Happy Birthday, Mom! If you need me I will be out back trying to transplant a pansy without killing it!
*** Funny story – one year I had Genie and her stepsister helping me transplant lettuce seedling (don’t judge – I cannot grow lettuce from seeds). Apparently, I cannot ‘teach’ gardening either. Genie had a perfect little row of lettuce plants. Brook had a perfect little row of lettuce plants deep in the ground – with roots topside up, swaying in the sunshine. 😂
It is 139 Days since I began posting my Daily Food Diary! 😎
I completed my round of antibiotics and Prednisone for my recent bout of bronchitis, but the struggle is real. This Saskatchewan rainy season that we are caught up in is just killing me. (Or at least annoying the heck out of my compromised lungs).
One positive of being on the aged side, is that we always have past experience to draw from.
Many years ago, I was driving home from the town where my parents lived. I had been there to see my Mother and my Father (who was in the hospital dying after a four and a half year ordeal with sinus cancer). The weather was brutal – white out blizzard conditions with temperatures in the minus 40 range. I was driving a sketchy little sedan with NO working heater. And… I was driving home to a marriage that was way past its best before date.
I reached a point where I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to make it. I thought of my parents, thought of the three kids I would be leaving to fend for themselves. I cried. (It was ugly).
Then I saw a roadsign a few yards ahead and I decided that I could make it to that sign. I made it home (obviously) one sign at a time. And I learned one of the most invaluable lessons of my life.
Broken down to its smallest denominator I could get through anything.
So yes, I will gasp and sputter and cough my way through one more cool, rainy, humid day. I will do my morning aerobics, clear my lungs, and go get my x-ray done. I will stop at a greenhouse or two and buy some alyssum and hopefully a rhubarb plant…and I will keep on keeping on – One step or yard or sign at a time. ⚠️
Tomorrow, hopefully the sun will shine. Regardless, I will be back to celebrate 140 Days of posting my Daily Food Diary. 💜
Daily Food Diary – Day 139
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2)
(1/2) grapefruit (39)
(1/2) tsp sugar (8)
(1) Granola bar (160) (3 grams)
Lunch:
(1) c lean pork tenderloin stir fry (107)
Snacks:
(6) Mini Easter Eggs (85) (2.5 grams)
(36) oz water
Supper:
(12) oz carbonated water
(4) oz pork chop (130) (1.5 grams)
(1) tsp olive oil (90) (.7 grams)
(1) c brussel sprouts (100)
(2) tsp butter (69) (4.7 grams)
(1) c white rice (242) (.1 gram)
(1 1/2) tbsp soya sauce (2)
(1) side salad w/ Sunflower seeds, dried fried onions, French dressing (250) (2.7 grams)
Total net calories: 1056
Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1056 = 187 under 👍
Total saturated fats: 15.1 grams
Saturated fat goal: 13.75 👎 (but close 🙄)
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞☺️
It is 119 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary. That is seventeen weeks or over one third of the year!
Tracking what I consume every day and putting it together on a post takes minimal time or effort. Making small adjustments to my diet hasn’t been that much of an effort.
Probably the most time, and the greatest effort, that has gone into this practice has fallen on my husband Dan, who does our shopping. He is the one at the source, checking nutrition labels, comparing brands, looking for alternates.
Most of the changes that we have made have come about to his diligence.
Dan bought the oil cruet to keep by the stove so we have taken to using olive oil for pan frying (instead of butter).
He has brought home the new (to us) Mrs. Dash all natural seasonings that I have been using.
He brought home the stevia to replace some of the sugar in our home baking.
He has brought home the Lightly Salted Lay’s, unsalted peanuts, unsalted chips for making nachos and has made countless more positive changes to our pantry – because he took the time and effort to do so.
Not EVERY effort has been a win. Last night we had the first Low Sodium Top Dogs that he had bought (at my suggestion). The 56 gram Harvest Hot Dogs that we generally get have 160 calories and 550 mg of sodium each. The 38 gram Low Sodium Top Dogs have 120 calories and 260 mg of sodium – and none of the taste, texture, or the overall goodness of our regular Harvest Hot Dogs. We are going back to the dogs we enjoy. For as often as we eat hotdogs, and as much as either of us eats, it would be silly to do otherwise.
Most of the changes we have made have been for the better and the benefits have been well worth the efforts. A third of the year in – my Daily Food Diary has been worth the time and effort that either of us put into it. 😊
Daily Food Diary – Day 119
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)
(2) eggs (160) (140 mg)
(1) tsp olive oil (40)
(1) tsp butter (34) (31.7 mg)
(1/4) c green onions (10)
(1/4) c red pepper (12) (1.5 mg)
(3.25) asparagus spears (11) (.8)
(3) slices deli ham (85) (25.9 mg)
Snacks:
(1) c Licorice tea
(36) oz water
(1) c caramel corn w/peanuts (211) (166.2 mg) (15 grams)
It is 112 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary. That is a full 16 WEEKS!
It is three years since I started working on the health and wellness lifestyle that I am living today.
When I began, I had no idea where my first feeble efforts would lead to. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I just wanted to build up some strength and stamina so I could live my life.
Over the past few years, my attitude has changed from “I want to live” to “I want to live WELL!”
I have gone from struggling to dance for a VERY few minutes a day, to doing actual aerobic workouts, walking as much and as often as possible, lifting light weights (when I am not waiting for hernia surgery) – plus living a relatively active life in between.
A couple of years ago, I realized that I could no longer eat yeast. This led to a realization that processed sugar is NOT my friend. Thus began the nutritional portion of my health and wellness lifestyle. I have gone from prepared foods and take out to making meals from scratch & love.
As I proceed on this journey, nutrition (and hydration) becomes more important all of the time. What used to be a frustrating effort is becoming a labour of love. When I can share that love with my husband Dan, both in the making and the eating, it is all the better. 🥰
Yesterday, Dan and I made a pot of homemade chicken soup together. It was all fresh and all good!
A couple of things to note:
* Name brand store bought canned, ready to eat, chicken soup contains 800 mgs of salt per cup
* Our dried ground hot peppers are a mix of Habanero, Ghost, Carolina Reaper, and Chilli peppers grown in our garden. We use a pinch here and a pinch there to kick things up. 😳 🔥
I don’t even know what these were. They came in a package of seeds labeled ‘Hot Peppers’. Picked fresh, there was no heat and not much taste. Sliced and frozen or dried and they are pure HEAT. Odd! 🤔
Daily Food Diary– Day 112
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)
(3) crumpets (240) (205 mg) (3 g)
(2) tsp butter (69) (63.3 mg)
(1 1/2) tsp jam (25) (5 grams)
Snacks:
(1) c Lemon Ginger Tea
(48) oz water
(1) Pear (103) (1.8 mg)
(4) Strawberries (15) (.5 mg)
Supper:
Home made chicken soup:
Homemade broth topped off with one litre low sodium broth, carrots, onions, leek, celery, parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, white chicken, chicken soup base, pepper, sprinkle of fresh ground sea salt, 2 pinches of dried, ground hot peppers, egg noodles. (4) cups (640) (1700 mg)
Today is also Easter Sunday. Happy Easter to you and yours! I hope you are having a special day. Our weather is sunny and warm which makes for a special day for us. Son Dan calling a few minutes ago, made this day even more special!
Today ALSO marks the twelfth anniversary since my Mother passed away. (Hence the yellow flowers, which were her favourite).
My mother was not perfect, and as often is the case with mother daughter relationships, ours was not perfect. (I’m not sure if this is true with most, but in my case I think I resented the fact that she made mothering look so darn easy!) The cooking, baking, sewing, cleaning, home making and mothering in general. She made it look too easy. For the record it isn’t! It is hard work and takes more skill and talent than I ever possessed. 🙄
Mother’s greatest skills shone in the kitchen. It wasn’t just that she managed to prepare delicious meals, year round, on a very tight budget. It wasn’t that she prepared a feast for EVERY single holiday. It was that on top of all that, my mother was way ahead of her time when it came to serving up healthy, nutritious food at every meal she prepared.
My mother was born in 1918. She was third eldest, in a family of ten – seven boys and three girls. Mother obviously did her share of cooking, cleaning, laundry, and the like. Growing up (on a farm no less) there was always plenty of experience to be had. Growing up through the Dirty Thirties, taught her all about doing it all on a tight budget.
When my Mother grew up, she went to work as a cook’s assistant at the Gravelbourg Hospital. There, under the careful watch of the Catholic Nuns who ran the kitchen, Mother learned all about cooking healthy meals and baking appetizing deserts. In those days, feeding patients nutritious, strength building foods was a thing. The meals that patients were fed, were considered as important as the medicines that they were given and the medical procedures that they underwent.
My mother learned a lot about preparing and serving healthy meals in her time working in the hospital kitchen. Over the years, we were fortunate that she used this knowledge and skill to nourish us and ultimately our families.
That will always be remembered – and it will always be appreciated. 🌻💞
* A win for sodium and processed sugar by health guideline standards, but a true win for me and my lungs is 0 Grams of processed sugar! I am not happy with Kraft for putting the five grams of sugar in the barbecue sauce, or for myself for not noticing it. I seldom use condiments and neither Dan or I typically use barbecue sauce. We keep it for company, and I just grabbed it last night, thinking it would be quick and easy. 🤦
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 🌞💞
It is 108 Days since I started keeping my Daily Food Diary.
Over the past 108 days, I have made some disturbing revelations about my consumption habits and the foods that I assumed were healthier (or less unhealthy) than they are.
I have also learned a few ‘good to know’ things. Mrs. Dash seasoning is not only salt free, it is also processed sugar and chemical free! Hard taco shells are relatively low in sodium and contain no processed sugar. I am still learning and appreciating the ‘Lose It!’ App that Terry from http://radicallyretired.com introduced me to. AND… I am still enjoying following Dr. Mark Hyman, who shares a wealth of nutrition information on LinkedIn.
I am excited to celebrate Easter with my first blossom of the season. I cannot plant my seedlings for another month so I’m not too sure how this will pan out in the long run but I thought it was exciting enough to share. 🥰
Morning Glory! 🌞
Daily Food Diary – Day 108
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)
(3) slices bacon (130) (554 mg)
(15) tater tots (233) (333 mg)
Snacks:
(1) c Lemon Ginger tea
(24) oz water
(1) pear (103) (1.8 mg)
Supper:
(3) Taco Shells (195) (82.5)
(6) oz ground chicken (238) (128)
(1) tsp olive oil (40)
(1) tsp taco seasoning (13) (373 mg)
(1/2) c lettuce (3) (1.4 mg)
(1/2) tomato (12) (3.1 mg)
(1/4) c green onions (10)
(10) Doritos (127) (191 mg)
Total net calories: 1152
Net calorie goal: 1255 – 1152 = 103 under 👍
Total Processed Sugar: 0 Grams
Processed sugar goal: < 25 grams 👍
Total Sodium: 1672.5 mg
Sodium goal: 1500 to 2300 mg 👍
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 😊❤️
It is 102 Days since I started my Daily Food Diary in an effort to become more mindful of what I consume. It is also Three Years & Two Months since I started this Health & Fitness Lifestyle that I have adopted.
Over the past few years, I have joined different Facebook Groups. Shortly after I started working out, I joined one that is for those who follow David Goggins. For me, his work pushes me past my comfort zone and challenges me to continually expand my potential. In three years, I have come much further than I would have imagined possible. For a lot of the other members, their goal seems to be about proving the superiority of their political views. 🙄
When, I broke my arm a couple of years ago, I joined a ‘fractured humerus’ group. I know everyone is different, as is every injury. But I was amazed that within nine weeks, I was fully healed, while the majority of members were still confined to a recliner 24/7. I had to wonder if they would ever heal, if they never moved. It seemed to me that my level of activity had given me an edge. 💪
Lately, I joined a group for people with bronchiectasis. I have struggled to find information on this condition – even from health professionals. Most ‘chronic lung disease’ research seems to be aimed at COPD. Many of the new members in this group seem to find likewise. They join asking for tips on what they can or should be doing. Other members offer advice on what tests they should request, which medications are most effective, and which lung clearing devices to purchase. I find it bizarre that they do not mention exercise, diet, or stress control – all of which are far more important than anything for me. 🚶🍎 🧘
I have gotten some valuable information from the different groups that I have joined, but I struggle to stay engaged. It seems that for the most part, I am on my own specific path for this Health and Fitness Journey. As long as it is working for me, I guess it doesn’t matter, but it seems odd – because what I am doing does work for me. 😊
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 