Tag: healthy living

Daily Food Diary – Day 199  of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is Day 199 of my Daily Food Diary and it is 1 week until I turn seventy!

This morning,  Dan was scheduled to pick up  granddaughter  Maddy and drop her off at work.  Since he would be at the southern end of the city, he offered to take me out to Dutch Growers.

Dutch Growers, one of our city greenhouse/landscaping businesses was large when it was in the city.  Now that it has moved to a more rural location, it is massive.

They sell everything Yard and Garden, plus clothing, accessories, jewellery, house plants and home decor.   They have a large four season building that leads to several large enclosed greenhouses.  

I was looking for a specific plant spray (which they do not carry).   But, I had my eyes open for something that I would appreciate for my seventieth birthday present.  I could probably have spent a few thousand dollars on waterfalls, planters,  and fairy statues, but I managed to resist such temptations.

I do have a sizable elephant that I picked up there years ago.

I did walk out  with a serious case of lung congestion.  We were not halfway home before Dan asked me if the humidity in the greenhouses had bothered me. 🤦

Seriously, I have asthma, bronchiectasis, and COPD – and I was so enthralled by all of the huge plants, decor, and miscellaneous goods that I hadn’t even noticed.  (Although, I certainly should have known going in).

It is great that between my daily workouts, my medications, and my general attention to diet, I can forget about my chronic respiratory issues.   But on occasion,  that does come  back to bite me on the butt!

Daily Food Diary – Day 199

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) granola nut bar (160)

Lunch:

(2) c romaine lettuce (15)

(2) green onions (16)

(3) oz canned chicken (150)

(1) tbsp Dilly Dip  (80)

(25) No Name barbecue potato chips (270)

(6) candy coated mini Easter Eggs (130)

* I swear, the bag is ALMOST empty

(48) oz water

Supper:

(2) c chilli with meat & beans (452)

(1) plain paratha (240)

(3/4) c ice cream (180)

(1) tbsp dark chocolate sauce (52)

(1) tbsp caramel sauce (130)

(9) pecans (59)

Total net calories: 1574

Net calorie goal: 1229 – 1574 = 346 over 👎

* Highlighted items contain significant collagen or significant contribute to the production of collagen

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

My garden meditation zone (pre Molly)

Daily Food Diary – Day 181 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 181 Days since I started maintaining and posting my Daily Food Diary! 💃

Today is also July 1st, which means it is Canada Day. For myself and my fellow Canadians. 🇨🇦

It is also means that it is a full SIX months that I have been posting my Daily Food Diary – without a single miss! 💪🥰

Each month, I choose to focus on one nutritional aspect of my diet.

In January, my goal was to track everything that I consumed each day.    I learned that I am a grazer – and the bit of this and bits of that throughout the day were notable!  My main  goal was never to lose weight, but becoming mindful of what I had been eating  did help me do just that.   Since January 1st, I  have dropped from 133.5 pounds to 121.8 pounds.  That is a loss of 11.7 pounds in six months.

In February, I tracked my Net Calories  –  everything I consumed each day minus calories burnt working out and walking.   I learned how easy it is to consume a LOT of calories from fast food, prepared foods,  and desserts. 

In March, I tracked protein.   I learned I eat a lot of protein rich foods.  I do aerobics every morning, walk regularly,  and lift light weights three afternoons a week.  I am working to build muscle and strengthen my bones, so I am ok with the extra protein (as long as it is within reason).

In April, I tracked sodium and processed sugar.  I thought I was doing fairly well at limiting the consumption of both.  I was wrong.  I was still consuming far too much.  I struggled throughout April but I am doing far better now.

In May, I tracked saturated fats.  Again, I learned I was consuming far more than I realized.  That too has improved in the past couple of months.

In June, I took note of the fruits and vegetables I was consuming.  According to the Canada Food Guide, my goal was a total of seven servings a day – not counting potatoes or mushrooms.  I thought this one would be easy.  Again, I was wrong.  Seven servings a day is a lot and my body did NOT deal well with it – especially the fruit.  I will keep trying but … we will see.

JULY is my birth month.  On the 26th, I will be 70 years old!  To celebrate, I am going for a fun focus.  This month, I am going to incorporate foods rich in collagen and ones that encourage collagen synthesis.  Collagen is necessary for healthy skin, hair, and nails.  It is also necessary for maintaining connective tissue, healthy joints, and strong muscles.   It is  important as we age – when our natural collagen production drops.  And it is particularly important when you are affected by a  genetic collagen disorder.   🙄

Dan and I started July off right  with an early morning  walk with Molly.   Coincidentally, regular exercise also helps collagen production and synthesis.

Molly & I at  the Regent Park Pool

Daily Food Diary – Day 181

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(2) tsp jam (100)

Lunch:

(1) Sun ripened tomato tortilla wrap (200)

(1/4) c shredded marble cheese (114)

(3) steps bacon (130)

(1)  tomato (22) (1 SVG)

(60) oz water

Supper:

(1) Sm. Taco Time Mexi Fries (265)

(1) Taco Time Crisp Meat Burrito (428)

(2) Taco Time Hard Shell Tacos (520) (1 SVG)

Total net calories: 1802

Total net calories goal: 1233 – 1802  = 569 over 👎

Fruits & Vegetables: 2 servings

Fruits & vegetables goal: 7 servings 👎

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

Happy Canada Day!

Daily Food Diary – Day 152 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 152 Days since I started my Daily Food Diary! 💃

Our weather is a bit cloudy and chilly today,  but it is relatively SMOKE FREE – at least so far.  I have high hopes that it will stay that way so that we can walk Molly, I can spend time outside working in the garden, and that my lungs and laryngitis will have a fighting chance to clear up today. 🤗

Forest fires are so terrible.  With my somewhat manageable lung issues and allergies, I find the smokey days difficult.  I know that my issues are minimal compared to the people directly affected by these fires – especially those who also have  respiratory issues, the very young, and the elderly.

There have been numerous people evacuated from live  fire zones in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.  Many of these people will have health issues.  Many will be evacuated to smaller centres where healthcare is not readily available and many will be evacuated to cities – where our hospitals and especially our emergency rooms are typically running at over capacity.  

We are often led to believe that the state of our health system is the responsibility of our federal or provincial government.   I agree that government is responsible for the  management of our health system.  I also believe that each of us can do our part to alleviate some, if not all, of the issues affecting our health facilities.

I am NOT suggesting that anyone should avoid using emergency rooms – or any part of our health system. 

But, most of us can do our part to avoid (or manage) our health issues.  Regular activity, attention to diet, adequate rest, stress management,  proper use of prescribed medication or therapy,  responsible/limited  use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs,  and proper  attention when engaged in risky activities like driving, operating power tools and equipment… are all things the we can do to protect and maintain our health – and our health system.

If we do find ourselves in need of medical care, tests, treatments, procedures, we can do our part to make such time as efficient as possible. 

Nothing is done in our health system without showing our health card (if we have one).   While in line, whining won’t help – having  your Health Card in your hand (or at least readily accessible) will.   Dressing appropriately will speed up any test, treatment, examination, or procedure.  Reading the preparation instructions we are given beforehand, will also be beneficial.   Anything done to BE PREPARED is a good thing. 

If we take some personal responsibility for our healthcare our health and quality of life will improve.   It will also help take  pressure off of our health system – always important but especially so in times like these.  

*** I do not work for our healthcare system or any level of government.  In my mind, this is just common sense.  Or should be. 🙄

Daily Food Diary – Day 152

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) scrambled eggs (160)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(2) potato patties (250)

(3) sl. Bacon (130)

(1/2) tomato (11) (.5 SVG)

Snacks:

(1/2) c pineapple (42) (1 SVG)

(3) strawberries (12) (.5 SVG)

(8) oz Clamato juice (60) (1 SVG)

(12) pickled asparagus spears (40) (1 SVG)

(1) c licorice tea

(1) tsp honey (21)

(1/2) oz Dilly pickle peanuts (85)

(1/4) c mixed nuts (170)

Supper:

(2) bowls wonton soup – mini wontons, salt free chicken broth, sesame oil, soya sauce, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, leek, Bok choy, celery, garlic, ginger, hot pepper flakes, black pepper (330) (4 SVG)

Total net calories: 1339

Net calories goal: 1238 – 1339 = 101 over 👎

Total servings fruits & vegetables: 8

Fruits & vegetables goal: 7 👍

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

Daily food Diary – Day 134 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is Day 134 of my Daily Food Diary! Only 231 Days to go until I am a nutritional expert. 😄

After no sleep the night before, I did not make any great strides on my Health & Fitness Journey yesterday.

It gets incredibly frustrating to be tripping along and then have a massively rough day, when you wonder if you are going to survive – much less ever get back on track to bigger and better things. 😬

Fortunately, yesterday wasn’t a total write off.  Dan and I took Molly for a short walk.  As we were passing the dogpark, Dan noticed that Molly’s friend Willy and his human Randy, were there so we stopped to visit.  Ripple, and his human Lyndon, showed up and Molly wasn’t going anywhere.

I left Dan and Molly at the park and came home to do my aerobic workout.  When Dan got home, we headed out to go shopping.

I used all of our Canadian Tire points on bedding plants but I scored big – several herbs, peppers, strawberries, pansies, AND portulaca.

We moved on to Walmart and bought a new coffee maker, a few groceries, laundry detergent AND dog treats.  We picked up dental treats (pricey but not as bad as dental surgery!), bedtime cookies, and general snack treats.

When we got Molly we paid $250.00 for her  plus took her straight to the vet’s for a checkup and her vaccines (another $250.00 ?).  In the past week, we took her to the vet ($442.00), bath at Pet store ($20.00 incl tip), got her a new bag of dogfood ($60.00) and got her treats… ($60.00).   And she needs a new collar. 🤦 Molly dogs are not for the faint of heart!

Healthwise I am hopefully back on track today.  I slept like a rock last night – ALL NIGHT.   This is my last day of antibiotics, three more days of Prednisone, and if we get past this solid rainy day with 92% humidity – I think I will be good to go! 💃

Daily Food Diary – Day 134

Breakfast:

(1) coffee (2)

(1) tsp olive oil (40) (.7 grams)

(1) tsp butter (34) (2.3 grams)

(1) egg (80) (1.5 grams)

(1) slice back bacon (50) (.5 grams)

(1) slice marble cheese (80) (4.5 grams)

(2) potato patties (240)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(1) Lemon oatmeal cookie (68) (.6 grams)

(1) Peanut butter, cream cheese cookie (167) (3.5 grams)

Supper:

(2) x Arby roast beef (no bun) (200) (8 grams)

(1) med Arby crinkle cut fries (390) (3 grams)

(1) Arby gravy (35) (.1 gram)

(1) tbsp Arby Horsey Sauce (60) (1 gram)

Total net calories: 1241

Net calories goal: 1243 – 1241 = 2 under 🙂

Total saturated fats: 25.7 grams

Saturated fats goal: 13.75 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 131 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 131 Days since I started posting my Daily Food Diary. 🎉

My Mother’s Day yesterday was very nice! I spent the day with Dan and Molly, soaking in more heat than we were prepared for!

Dan drove Maddy to work and came home to make me a perfect cheese omelet and bacon breakfast.  He made one stop on the way to buy me a beautiful bouquet of orange roses.

I heard from Jennifer (who was working), Genie & her fiance Alec (who was working, but took time to message all the mothers in his life – 😊), and son Dan called when he got home from work last night.  I didn’t hear from son Mark, (nor expected to) but I did have him, his fiance and his boys in mind.💞

My one big food treat for the day was a little wee chocolate Rolo ice cream cone.  I was up at 4:00 this morning.   I’ll say it was worth it.

Dan made delicious ham salad wraps for supper last night. Neither of us were feeling a hot heavy meal. If it cools off a bit this week, I’m sure we will share a steak one night. 🙂

Today is all about Molly.  I’m going to do what I can with a brush this morning and we will take her to PetSmart for a nice bath.

Daily Food Diary – Day 131

Breakfast:

(1) coffee (2)

(2) egg omelet with cheese (260) (10 grams)

(3) slices bacon (130) (3.3 grams)

(1) tsp olive oil (40) (.7 grams)

(1) tsp butter (34) (2.3 grams)

(1/2 tomato (11)

(2) potato patties (240)

Snacks:

(60) oz water

(1) Rolo ice cream cone (310) (11 grams)

Supper:

(3/4) c Ham salad (235) (4 grams)

(1) cheese tortilla wrap (170) (1.5)

(1) Bick’s Baby Dill Pickle (3)

(6) No Name lightly salted ripple chips (65) (.2 grams)

Total net calories: 1500

Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1500 = 257 over 👎

Total saturated fats: 33.1 grams

Saturated fats goal: 13.75 grams 👎

My stats for the past week show my saturated fats averaged 22 grams per day, which isn’t good, but my sodium was only 1765 mg per day, which I am really happy with. And my processed sugar was 19.58 grams which isn’t bad – but something that I still have to work on. (At 32 grams of sugar and 11 grams of saturated fats, that Rolo ice cream cone did some damage even to my weekly stats. 🙂)

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 127 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 127 Days since I started my Daily Food Diary! 🎉  It has proven to be an effective goal for improving my eating habits.  Becoming mindful of anything we do is a good thing  keeping a food diary definitely keeps me mindful of what I am eating.

Nutrition is important, but it is just one part of my overall health and fitness lifestyle.  This morning, I got to focus on another part – professional medical advice and treatment!

This morning, I paid a visit to my respiratory specialist.  Expecting a refill of my regular inhalers and a “Keep doing what you are doing!”, I wasn’t overly concerned about this visit.

Needless to say, I left the specialist’s office with prescriptions for my regular inhalers, antibiotics and oral steroids for bronchitis, nasal spray for ongoing sinus issues, a requisition for a chest x-ray, and an appointment to go back to see the  specialist in two weeks. 😢

Asthma, bronchiectasis, COPD and bronchiolitis are chronic health issues.  Regardless of how hard you work to maintain a healthy lifestyle, they are always there.  It is frustrating, but fortunately I had a regular visit booked this morning,  and hopefully we can get a handle on this and move forward – sooner than later!

Daily Food Diary –  Day 127

Breakfast –

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Shreddies (200)

(1/4) c 2% milk (31) (.8)

(1) tsp sugar (8)

Lunch –

(3) oz dark, skinless turkey (150) (1.9 grams)

(1) c broccoli (31)

(1/2) cup cauliflower (13)

(4) radishes (6)

(1 1/2 tbsp) Dilly Dip (120) (1.9 grams)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(11) chicken wing flats air fried (420) (8)

(1) tbsp Frank’s Xtra Red Hot sauce

(2 1/2) air fried riblets (123) (1.7 grams)

(1) tbsp Frank’s Stingin’ Honey Garlic (40)

(1) carrot (25)

(1/2) c broccoli (20)

(5) slices cucumber (4)

(1/4) c orange bell pepper (9)

(1 1/2 tbsp) Dilly Dip (120) (1.9 grams)

Total net calories:  1168

Net calorie goal: 1243 – 1168 = 75 under 👍

Total saturated fats: 16.2 grams

Saturated fats goal: <13.75 grams 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 120 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 120 days since I started my Daily Food Diary.

Looking at the results of my calorie counting and sodium and processed sugar tracking yesterday, it doesn’t look good for my progress in this exercise.   But, results do not always tell the entire story.

Last night, I was planning a supper that would have had me meet my nutritional goals for the day.  But plans change.

At lunchtime yesterday, Granddaughter Prim texted to ask if she and her sister Maddy could come for supper.   We went from a supper for two to a ham and scalloped potato family meal – and I hit the ham hard.

Prim and Maddy

We always enjoy time spent with any of our grandkids.  Last night,  we had three big wins to celebrate as well!

1) Maddy who has been struggling with her math,  got the results of her latest math test since starting to work with a tutor  (a retired math teacher who Genie introduced her to) … 48 out of 50!  Big win for Maddy!!

2) Prim and I started talking about obesity and restaurant food.  It might seem like a  strange subject for a thirteen year old, but she instigated it.   That led to her checking out nutritional information for one of her favourite restaurants and comparing a Veggie Burger and a Deep Fried Chicken Burger.  The clear winner (nutritionally)  – Deep Fried Chicken Burger had lower calories, sodium, and processed sugar.  We both learned something new – which is always a win.  And it was a big win for Prim because she learned that, especially when it comes to food – better choices are not always that obvious.

3) The girls’ sister Genie dropped by for a short visit and to drive the girls home after supper.

Left, Genie last June.  Right, Genie last night.

Genie has struggled with health issues since she was born – partly genetic, partly due to being born prematurely.   The last couple of years have been particularly difficult for her.  Since giving up yeast and starting to feel so much better,  I have been trying to convince Genie to try that as well.  In the past few months, she decided it was worth trying.  The proof is on her face! Her bloating is gone, she is feeling much better, and she is so much happier.  It wasn’t all about the yeast, but it was a big win for Genie – and one that encouraged her to adopt other positive changes.

It is always good to see the grandkids.  It is even better when we see them learning  how much power they possess – to deal with the challenges that life hands them and to earn the wins that life has to offer .  🌹

Daily Food Diary – Day 118

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)

(1/4) c milk (31) (28.7 mg) (3.1 grams)

(1) c Raisin Bran Crunch (190) (210 mg) (20 grams)

Snacks:

(44) oz water

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) oz BBQ corn nuts (124) (277 mg)

(1) oz Spicy dill pickles (170) (221 mg)

(1) oz smoked almonds (310) (90 mg)

Supper:

(2/3) c scallop potatoes (15) (620 mg)

(1/2) c corn (62) (10.9 mg)

(1) tsp butter (34) (31.7)

(6) oz old fashion ham (238) (1497 mg)

(1) side salad (90) (115 mg)

Total net calories:  1290

Net calorie goal: 1247 – 1290 = 43 over 👎

Total Processed Sugar: 30.9 grams

Processed sugar goal: < 25 👎

Total Sodium: 3106 mg

Sodium goal: 1500 to 2300 mg 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 107 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It has been 107 Days since I started tracking and posting my Daily Food Diary.  I have learned a lot about my consumption habits and have made a few necessary changes. 🙂

This month my focus has been on processed sugar and sodium. 

Becoming aware of where to find processed sugar in the foods that I eat, has helped me to eliminate the bulk of it.  

Some things, like the matrimonial squares and candy coated Easter eggs, were obviously an issue.    Things like premade pie crust or back bacon have been  more surprising.  It is only one gram here, one gram there… but it adds up,  if you are unaware of it.   

The thing with processed sugar, beyond the many unhealthy things it does to our bodies,  are the things it does to our relationship with food as a whole.  While sugar ramps up our energy in the short term, our appetite comes back with a vengeance and particularly our craving  for MORE processed sugar. 

I have known forever how processed sugar affects my daily diet.   Since keeping this daily diary, it has been interesting to see how MUCH processed sugar affects my daily diet.  This is particularly true if I start my day with sugar packed cereals, store bought muffins  or breakfast bars, pancakes or  waffles with syrup, or the like.   That opens my entire day to bad food choices.

Since starting my Daily Food Diary, I have been relatively shocked by how much sodium I ingest.  I knew there was a LOT of sodium in things like potato chips, condiments,  oriental sauces, canned gravy, bacon, ham, and more.  There have been surprises –  like the high sodium content in Paratha and back bacon!

I am gradually making changes to how I manage my sodium intake.  Cooked vegetables get (salted butter) and pepper – no added salt.  Eggs, raw vegetables, soups or stews, etc.  get a pinch of salt that I can control – NOT straight out of the shaker or grinder hits that I cannot.   Pan frying is done with olive oil rather than buttered salt.   My husband, who does our shopping, has been bringing home  low sodium or lightly salted options. It all helps!

With sodium it is a process, but one that is progressing with the help of my Daily Food Diary.    The changes I have made are  slight and gradual – but that will help me to make them sustainable in the long run. 😊

Daily Food Diary – Day 107

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)

(2) slices back bacon (35) (500 mg) (1 g)

(2) eggs (160) (140 mg)

(5) asparagus spears (16) (10.5 mg)

(1/4) c green onions (10)

(1/4)  c red bell peppers (13) (1.5 mg)

(1/8) tsp salt (291 mg)

Snacks:

(1) c licorice tea

(48) oz water

(20) Doritos (255) (382 mg)

(1/2) c sunflower seeds w/shell (265) (225 mg)

Supper:

(4) oz roast beef (219) (61.2 mg)

(6) tbsp beef gravy (30) (480 mg)

(15) tater tots (233) (333 mg)

(15) asparagus spears (49) (31.5 mg)

(1) tsp butter (34) (31.7 mg)

Total net calories: 1216

Net calorie goal: 1259 – 1216 = 43 under 👍

Total Processed sugar:  1 gram

Processed sugar goal: < 25 grams 👍

Total Sodium:   2492.1 mg

Sodium goal: 1500 to 2300 mg 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 101 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 101 days since I began my 365 Day Daily Food Diary. 

This month I have been tracking the sodium and processed sugar that I consume each  day.   Eleven days in, I should know better than to assume that I have any idea how much sodium or processed sugar there is in something BEFORE I decide to eat it. 

Unfortunately, once again I have proven that I obviously do not know better  yet  – and my assumptions continue to be my diet downfall.   Today’s fail…. 1135 mg of sodium in ONE Paratha! That is almost half a teaspoon of salt in one 7″ flat bread.  (2300 mg/ teaspoon) How is that even possible?   I need to start reading the complete Nutritional Value Label on foods before I eat – anything.   🤦

I made one good decision yesterday.  I chose a really good aerobic workout yesterday morning.  It was a full 42 minutes long and it was intense.  Fortunately, Dan came home with groceries when I was at the halfway point so I had to take a break to help him put them away.    😋

Daily Food Diary – Day 101

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)

(2) eggs (160) (140 mg)

(1 1/2) oz ham (54) (46.8 mg)

(1/4) c green onions (10)

(1) tsp olive oil (40)

(1) potato patty (120) (210 mg)

Snacks:

(1) c Licorice tea

(58) oz water

Supper:

(2) c chilli with ground beef & beans (524) (600 mg)

(1) plain paratha (240) (1135mg) (2)

(1/2) Dill pickle (4) (324 mg) (.5 g)

(2) oz shredded cheese (208) (416mg)

Total net calories: 1078

Calorie Goal: 1269 – 1078 = 192 under 👍

Total Sodium: 2876.5 mg

Sodium goal: 1500 – 2300 mg 😕

Total Processed Sugar:  2.5 grams

Processed Sugar Goal: < 25 grams 👍

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

Flowers Dan bought me yesterday to celebrate completing 100 DAYS of my 365 Day Daily Food Diary. 💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 95 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today marks  95 Days since I began this Food Diary. 

Today is also my husband’s birthday AND his sister Joan’s birthday.   I find it rather fascinating that, not only do they share the same birthdate (other than a four year  difference), but they have sibling cousins who also share the same birthday (also not the same year) on April 12th. 

Speaking of coincidences,  a few days ago I posted a link to a You Tube video highlighting Buddhist wisdom.  It was one of those things I share on here, knowing that our granddaughter Genie follows my blog.  If it was on here, I thought she would see it,  check it out, and probably find it interesting and unique. 

Yesterday, Genie stopped by to lend me a book that she had recently read.   We shared a  cup of tea, a good visit and my giant bag of mini candy coated chocolate Easter eggs.  She is looking and doing great.

Genie’s book – based on Buddhist wisdom

I don’t have a solid grasp on how evolution works, but I was always amazed at how my three children seemed to naturally possess knowledge and skills that I struggled to learn.  I am even more amazed by how emotionally mature, intelligent and strong, our grandchildren are.   All of them – from the time they were tots.  Is that coincidence or evolution?

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (4.7 mg)

(1) egg (80) (220 mg)

(1) tsp olive oil (40 mg)

(1) sausage patty (190) (430 mg) (1 g)

Snacks:

(1) c Licorice Tea

(44) oz water

Supper:

(1/2) pkg ramen noodles (190) (600 mg) (1 g)

(1) c broccoli w/salt & pepper (60) (291 mg)

(3) tsp butter (103) (95 mg)

(3) oz pork chop (236)

(1) dry gin martini (180)

(2) garlic stuffed olives (32) (620 mg)

Total Net Calories: 1147

Calorie Goal: 1269 – 1147 = 122 under 👍

Total Sodium: 2706 mg

Sodium goal: 1500 to 2300 mg 😳

Total Processed sugar: 2 grams

Processed sugar goal: 25 grams  👍

🍸I spent a fair amount of time choosing an alcoholic beverage last night, looking for the least processed sugar.  Apparently, 2 oz of  dry gin has zero sugar, 1 oz of vermouth contains only natural sugar.  A martini seemed an excellent choice this month, until my lips and knees went numb and I remembered that 3 oz of alcohol is way more than I typically indulge in – during  any week much less one day.

🫒 The garlic stuffed olives were simply a bad decision.

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