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. 🥶
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 youare 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! ❤️😊
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! 💞🌞
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! 💞🤗
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! 💞🌞
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! 💞🤗
Down one month – eleven to go! I have maintained and posted my Daily Food Diary for a solid month. So far, I haven’t really changed my diet, other than trying to drink more water and avoiding mindless snacking. I have experienced some benefits from the effort including losing a total of three pounds this month. 👍
In February, I am going to count calories. I did count calories in the past and I’m not a big fan of doing it to control calories. It works, but at what nutritional cost? In my mind, it is rather a drastic measure when used for weight loss. I’m not actually looking for weight loss. I am just working on maintaining a reasonable and healthy calorie count. In future months I am going to focus on specific nutritional targets.
Yesterday, Dan and I celebrated the end of January by taking a hike through a couple of Regina’s best parks – Wascana Lake and Waterfall Park. I love walking and when I can walk through nature with my favourite human and our Molly dog, that is my perfect date.
Wascana LakeWaterfall Park
Obviously these photos were from my archives of summer pics. Climbing icy inclines and stumbling along snow packed trails, in frigid temps, while holding on to a hundred pound dog is not conducive to great photography. It is fun, a challenging workout, and it must be good for developing balance.
Food Diary – Day 31
(1) c coffee
(1) c Shreddies with 1/4 c milk
(24) oz water
(2) ginger cookies
(1) c tea
(1/2) sm bowl mixed nuts
(20) oz water
(1/2) lg chicken pot pie made with puff pastry crust
** Dan made the chicken pot pie for supper and it was amazing. It was filled with leftover roast chicken, onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, peas, potatoes, and gravy.
That’s it for today! Take care and have a great day!
We are wrapping up January and for those of us in Saskatchewan, we are fortunately enjoying some unseasonably warm weather. Our temperatures have been straddling the freezing point for a few days now and I have been showing my appreciation by getting out and about.
I have even been heading to the dogpark with Dan and Molly every morning. Walking there is a bit challenging because our streets and sidewalks are, for the most part, icy ruts and snow banks. Navigating them while walking an excited hundred pound dog is a workout. Yesterday, although the temperatures were mild, the wind was anything but. My lungs did not appreciate the wind. By the time I got home I was pretty much exhausted by constant coughing fits, but after a bit of a rest the coughing subsided and I was able to do my morning aerobics and get on with my day.
Food Diary – Day 28 of 365
(1) c coffee
(3) waffles with butter and syrup
(3) slices thin sliced bacon
(24) oz water
(1) c tea
(2) sm bowls of Hint of Lime tortilla chips with salsa
(24) oz water
(1) Large chef salad
(1) c tea
I came up a bit short on my water yesterday, but my salad included a generous serving of lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, radishes, orange pepper, and green onion. Plus I had a couple of cups of tea. 🙂
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Twenty seven days and I am still here – keeping track and posting my food diary. I am making a little progress and building habits to carry me through the year.
I have been getting outside for some fresh air and a bit of exercise. I kicked that up a bit yesterday.
Dan and I walked Molly to the dogpark in the morning and we spent an hour watching her and her friends cavort, while we got some fresh air and socialized with the other humans.
In the afternoon, I drove our granddaughter Maddy to Walmart to grab a new pair of sneakers. She was in high spirits as she had just finished her finals from her first school semester and was confident that she would make the honor roll. She not only found her new sneakers, but had the funds left to pick up a couple of small things for herself and her younger sister Prim. We came back to the house and I made her favourite Toasted Bacon and Tomato Sandwich and grabbed a box of costume jewellery that I wanted to send over to Prim.
Maddy & Prim with big sister Genie on the left.
I always enjoy time spent with any of the grands and yesterday was no exception. They never fail to amuse me, enlighten me, and inspire me to be better. Whether it is your children, your grandchildren, or any young people that you have regular contact with…
YOUR CHILDREN WILL BECOME WHAT YOU ARE; SO BE WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE…
For better or worse that is the truth!
Food Diary – Day 27
(1) c coffee
(1) 2 egg omelet with ham and green onions
(24) oz water
(1) c tea
(1) sm bowl chips and dip
(12) oz carbonated water
(1) Roasted chicken drumstick and thigh (with skin)
(2) c air fried French Fries with Gravy
(1 1/2) c green beans
(3) sm scoops of Butter Pecan Ice Cream – with 12 pecan halves, 2 tbsp butterscotch sauce and 1 tbsp chocolate sauce (which is why I avoid eating ice cream 🤦)
(16) oz water
That’s it for the day. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Maddy helped me pick out a few packets of seeds to start flower plants in February. 🤗
I have been noting and posting my daily food and liquid intake for twenty six days. I have found some room for improvement, made some adjustments, and have begun to realize some benefits. 🤗
Obviously, my health and fitness journey is about more than what I eat and drink. I do aerobics six days a week, typically do strength training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and I rest on Sunday.
Yesterday, my rest day included time spent grooming our dog, Molly and time outside enjoying a rousing game of fetch. It is a bit challenging when you have a hundred pound Pyrenees who is less than co-operative. 🤦
* My husband Dan helps position and brush Molly. He also gives the porch a good vacuuming when we are done. 💞I don’t fetch.
Food Diary – Day 26
(1) c coffee
(3) Thin slices pcs of bacon
(2) Eggs
(1/2) Tomato
(2) Potato patties
(12) oz water
(1) c tea
(1) Apple
(24) oz water
(12) oz carbonated water
(1 1/2) c pork souvlaki with mushrooms
(1) c cheese ravioli with minimal butter and fresh garlic
(1) sm side salad
(20) oz water
(2) chocolates
(1) c tea
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞🌞
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 