It is 76 Days since I started my Daily Food Diary. One thing that may, or may not, be noticeable is that almost everything we eat for meals is homemade and made from scratch. That is a matter of personal preference, and done in an effort to avoid yeast, which I cannot tolerate.
That being said, last night we tossed a couple of TV Dinners in the oven after getting home from a walk with Molly. We were walking a wide clear, level path. When we came to a section of path that ran parallel to a high ridge of snow and ice, Molly went mountain goat on us.
Dan managed to maintain a hold on Molly’s leash throughout her adventure. I stayed on the nice clear path. Regardless, I managed to slip on a miniscule bit of ice and pulled something in my left knee AND I tripped over nothing and twisted my right ankle. Both are still bothering me a bit today, but I plan to do my aerobics and hopefully head out for another walk.
Food Diary – Day 76
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2) (.3)
(1) c Shreddies (200) (6)
(1/4) c 2% milk (31) (2)
(1) tsp sugar (16)
Snacks:
(36) oz water
(1) c Licorice Tea
(1) pc matrimonial cake (139) (1)
(1/2) c Sunflower seeds (with shells) (70) (5)
Supper:
(1) Hungry Man Chicken Cutlet Meal (550) (23)
Total Calories: 1008
Total Protein: 37.3 grams
Daily Protein Goal: 46 to 58.5 grams
Note: Hungry Man Chicken Cutlet Meal is the only one sold here that does not contain yeast.
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💖😊
I have been recording and posting everything that I consume for the past sixty nine days. Being mindful of every single thing that I eat is a bit challenging, less so as time goes on. Being mindful that everything I eat (at least at mealtimes), also affects what Dan eats, is slightly more challenging. It isn’t that much of an issue. Having been married for almost twenty six years, we have worked out meal plans that work for both of us.
Then there is Molly!
Molly is fed Blue Buffalo dog food, two cups twice a day – plus the occasional dog treat, popcorn, or nut. For the past several months, we have been putting one Omega gel cap in with her morning food. Molly would get up every morning, head outside to do her business, walk the perimeter of our yard to make sure everything was in order, and come back in the house to snarf down her breakfast – including the Omega.
A few days ago, Molly decided that she was offended by the Omega gel cap. She would balk at eating her food, take the Omega out and place it on a small mat, and finally eat her food. THEN, she decided she could not eat until she removed the offending gel cap AND we dumped her food and replaced it with fresh, non Omega tainted food.
This week, Molly will eat her breakfast AND her Omega, BUT only if she sees Dan putting her food and the Omega into her bowl.
Trying to improve my eating habits, and Dan’s by default, has its challenges. Living with a Pyrenees – and feeding one, these days, takes that challenge to a whole new level. 🤦
Food Diary – Day 69
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2) (.3)
(1) c Honeynut Cheerios (147) (2.7)
(1/4) c 2% milk (31) (2)
Snacks:
(24) oz water
(1) c Tumeric Tea
(2) pc’s matrimonial cake (278) (2)
Supper:
(12) oz carbonated water
(1/2) c brown beans (300) (20)
(3) Pork Spare Ribs (300) (16)
(1) Side salad with dressing and dried fried onions (180) (7.7)
(20) oz water (after supper)
Total calories: 1238
Total Protein: 50.7 grams
Daily goal for protein: 46 to 58.5 grams
* The recipe I used for the matrimonial cake called for Maple Syrup instead of sugar, plus it omitted the lemon juice, in the date filling. I am not sure why it would need Maple Syrup or sugar with dates. We didn’t notice the difference in taste using the Maple Syrup, but I certainly missed the lemon juice!
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💗☺️
It is 67 days since I began tracking everything I consume each day. This is just another step to living a healthy lifestyle.
Fresh air and exercise are both important to me as well. Yesterday, I nailed both with a nice walk along the bike paths in the A. E. Wilson Park on the west side of Regina. It is a huge park with playgrounds, a toboggan hill, a creek opening up into at least one small lake, open prairie, and miles of well maintained paths for bikers, hikers, and dogs to enjoy.
It was warm enough to take my gloves off, so I took a few photos. You might have to zoom in to see what I was trying to take a picture of. 🙄
Canada Geese by the open waterDan & Molly – Molly was excellent yesterday, even when we encountered other dogs. 👍Bunnies in the snow
Food Diary – Day 67
Breakfast:
(1) c coffee (2) (.3)
(2) potato patties (240) (2)
(2) Eggs with ham and green onions pan fried in olive oil (260) (24)
Snack:
(24) oz water
(1) c tea
(1/3) c Dill Pickle peanuts (170) (8)
(1/2) c Raspberries (32) (.7)
(1) Vodka Caesar with Pickled Asparagus (178) (3)
Supper:
(1) c Homemade Bacon Beans (300) (12)
(2) Hotdogs (no bun) (360) (12)
(1) Side Salad with dressing & dried fried onions (160) (5)
(14) oz water
Total Calories: 1702
Total Protein: 67 grams
Protein Daily Goal: 46-58 grams
Notes:
It has been a few weeks since Dan bought me a cruet for olive oil to keep on the cupboard next to the stove. We have been using the oil for any pan frying, instead of butter. It has been a simple and painless cut to a less healthy option.
I am fifty-seven days into my Daily Food Diary. I have been using the fitness app Lose It! For 10 days now and it gets easier and more useful every day. I don’t know if I will ever ramp up to the paid version, but will see as time goes on.
These days, I am trying to get more active, do more deep breathing exercises, and focused meditation to get my lungs as functional as possible for my hernia repair. My biggest issue going into this, is that in recent weeks my asthma is triggered easily and often by any stress. AND hospitals stress me out. My surgeon is using general anesthesia to have me as relaxed as possible so I won’t have a coughing fit while he is trying to work on me – but general anesthesia is not the best for someone with my respiratory issues. So… There is that! (as my friend Jackie would say 😁)
Yesterday, I did make a little progress in the activity end of things – and I got some fresh air as well. Dan and I headed down to the walking trails at the south end of the city with Molly. I took the first shift with Molly’s leash. That meant crossing the road, climbing over a snowbank, getting across an icy bridge and travelling down a trail – while holding on to a hundred pound Pyrenees who was excited about being out in the snow, bopping from one side of the trail to the other, and occasionally losing her mind altogether and leaping into the deep snow beside the trail. Half a kilometre in, I was ready to relinquish the leash to Dan so the rest of our walk was a lot less eventful – at least for me.
Molly in her element💓
Food Diary – Day 57
(1) c coffee (2)
(1) c Shreddies with milk & sugar (287)
(1) c Vegetable stir fry (72)
(1) oz pork loin (77)
(24) oz water
(1) c tea
(1) small peach (51)
(2) c fried rice with lean pork loin and LOTS of vegetables – onions, celery, red pepper, & mushrooms (580)
(12) oz carbonated water
(1/2) bag popcorn (190)
Total calories: 1259
Using the Lose It! app I registered -206 calories for aerobics and walking. I’m sure, I earned a few more for sharing popcorn with Molly (which is more physically challenging than one would think – but not in their list of exercises. 🫤)
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!
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! 💞🌞
Trying to write a blog when Molly is climbing on top of me because she wants to sit on my (HER) chair to look out the window. 😯
Day six and Molly is already trying to make this more difficult than it has to be!
Fortunately, I have a bit of extra time this morning for her dog-foolery. Since I was able to make an appointment with my nurse practitioner this afternoon, I decided to forgo my workouts until after I have a chance to talk to her about my hernia experience on Sunday.
It’s funny how we can reach this point in our lives when we are feeling relatively fit and healthy, suffer a minor setback, and suddenly question how potentially frail we may be. Not that I feel that overall frail. I’m just leary about how far I can push things right now without causing a small issue to become a huge problem. I just don’t know, so I’m backing off until I get her professional advice.
Food Diary – Day 6 of 365
(1) c coffee
(2) buttered Eggo’s (waffles)
(3) slices thin sliced bacon
(1) Apple
(2/3) Small bowl mixed nuts (Dan & Molly shared the other 1/3)
(1) c tea
(1) Homemade fajita – ground chicken, red pepper, green onions, sliced mushrooms, shredded cheese in a tortilla wrap – with Fajita seasoning and homemade salsa
(20) Tater tots with Taco Time taco sauce
(12) oz carbonated water
My afternoon tea has been from this delightful collection from ‘Cuppa Tea’that granddaughter Maddy gifted me for Christmas. 💞. There are several assorted packs but that Cherry Trifle is my favourite so far. 😋🎆
That is it for today, folks. Take care & have a great day! 💞🌞
One of those days when I could use a scenic summer drive…. 😊
Today marks the first day of sharing my 2025 food diary. If you checked in looking for hummus or tofu, you will undoubtedly be disappointed. This diary is more about tracking my eating habits and making small adjustments as required, than eating food that tastes like navel lint. (Not that I have ever tasted navel lint, hummus, or tofu.. just saying.)
January 1st didn’t follow our typical meal plan, as it was January 1st we had breakfast a bit later than usual. Being a Wednesday, I was working around a morning AND an afternoon workout. AND ….Being a ‘Dart Night’ for Dan, we had a quick and early supper.
Anyway, here goes. Food Diary Day 1…
(1) cup coffee (to was down my lutein & vitamin D) and to keep from choking on my Advair and Spiriva inhalers
2 egg omelet with ham, cheese, mushrooms, and green onions – light on the salt & pepper
(12) oz. water
Hungry man fried chicken tv dinner (the only Hungry Man that does not contain yeast) with 2 tsp. butter
Dan’s brownie from his Hungry Man dinner
(12) oz. Carbonated water
(1/2) bag extra buttery microwave popcorn*
(8) oz. Water
(2) chocolates
* Full disclosure – I would have eaten more of the popcorn but it is (almost) the only snack I share with Molly and she got excited and stuck her head in the bowl. 🤦
Summer has finally settled in Saskatchewan! None too soon for me and all of the rest of my news for this week is positive as well.
Our garden is showing signs of growth. I took a few photos last Sunday and tried to repeat them this past Sunday as well.
Tiny Tim Tomatoes Garden ShotGarden and Pond
Molly is thriving despite the heat that she is unaccustomed to. Dan has been taking her to the park before it gets too warm out. Her friends have been going earlier than usual as well, so it’s all good. Yesterday, we took her for her annual vet checkup. She passed every test with flying colors. Her weight is a perfect ninety three pounds and her teeth are clean and white. (Yay Greenies!)
Molly 💞
As for me, all is going well! I have not missed a single Monday thru Saturday morning aerobics since the beginning of July. Even more impressive, I have not missed a single Monday, Wednesday, or Friday afternoon strength training session. I have also been clearing my lungs with my Aerobika (morning and night) and have been using my neti pot at least a couple of times a week. And… I have been getting a decent amount of sunshine and fresh air each day.
All of this consistent effort has kept me healthy despite the fact that I spent an evening at our new urgent care centre last week (supporting Maddy who had a severe bout of the flu and a brutal ear infection). The next night I was doing likewise at the Pasqua hospital with Jennifer. Fortunately, they are both pretty much recovered with only minor lingering effects. And YAY for me, I did not catch anything from them or from anyone else at either health center.
There’s not much else to report on. I have a Spirometry test with my respiratory therapist on the twenty-fifth of this month and I am celebrating my sixty-ninth birthday on the twenty-sixth. My goal is to keep nailing my workouts, keep healthy, and crush both my spirometry and my birthday. 😁
Last week, our Molly girl turned two years old. It is amazing how fast she has grown up and how much has happened in these two short years.
First trip to the vet…
We got Molly in April of 2022, one year after I retired. Dan was still working shift work so it was typically just Molly and me. I worked with her a lot in those first few months. She is very smart so she was a quick learner. She crushed commands like ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ in no time!
Molly, ‘sitting’ and smiling.
We made regular trips to the vet for vaccinations, spaying, and post surgery check-up. Molly handled it all like a pro. Her $ value increased exponentially. 💸💸
Even getting around our little house with her BIG conehead.
Dan came with us to help Molly maneuver her first bath. He bathed, I assisted, Molly enjoyed!
One clean, happy, pup!
The steel company that Dan worked for ‘temporarily’ closed down their pipe plant where he worked in February of 2023. He was now home full-time. Molly quickly adjusted to having Mom and Dad cater to her.
And it was perfect timing since I was recovering from the broken arm I received in a collisionwith Molly at the dogpark.
Taking Molly to the dogpark soon became one of Dan’s daily ‘chores’. I went with them until late last fall when my lungs couldn’t handle the wind in the open park. They kept up the routine except for a couple of bitterly cold weeks this January.
At the off-leash dogpark last summer with Ripple, and Willie, and Artie.
Last fall, we also started hiking some of the trails in and around Regina. Molly loved being out in the country. Walking on a leash, not so much.
Out hiking Wascana Trails.
In November, Dan officially retired. Molly went from being ‘MY’ girl, to being ‘OUR’ girl, to being ‘DAD’S’ girl.
Most mornings, Dad feeds her. Later they head to the park, while I do my workout. Molly runs and wrestles with her friends, while Dad hangs out and chats with the other humans.
Afternoons are for resting and waiting for Dad to get back from running errands.
Where is he?
And evenings, after I get to feed her, are dedicated to lounging with Dad. Occasionally I try to join them, but then Molly has to choose between her spot next to Dad or her spot by the window. That never goes well, so it is generally easier to stay in my own little rocking chair.
Just chillin’
I have to admit, I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when this little ball of fur came into our lives. What I thought would be just a ‘big old dog’ has turned out to be anything but‘JUST’ ! When people see her, tell us how beautiful and ask us where they can get a Great Pyrenees of their own, my first inclination is to warn them that we make living with a Molly dog looks way easier than it actually is.
Molly is indeed beautiful and happy. She can be gentle, chill, polite, patient, quiet, obedient and well behaved. She prefers to be stubborn, loud, boisterous, destructive (as in an “I accidentally ate a tree” sort of way). She prefers to get attention when she wants it – in any way she can get it. Her favourite way, is to snatch Dan’s slippers or my pillow or any towel, blanket, cardboard box, pail, or well – pretty much anything!
Regardless, life with Molly is life worth living. Two years down and the best is yet to come. 💞😊
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 