Tag: Saskatchewan weather

Daily Food Diary – Day 99 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Day 99 of my Daily Food Diary and I am still here!  For those who have been checking in on a regular basis, I am happy that you are here and I do appreciate your ongoing support and encouragement. 💞

Our weather continues to improve, our snow and ice continue to melt, and our yard, sidewalks, and parks have deteriorated into mud.

Before we got Molly, I read a LOT about having a Pyrenees.  It wasn’t all flattering, but I was impressed that they have ‘self cleaning’ fur.  That was a big selling point for me.  I was so impressed, I missed the part that explained that these massive, hairy, white dogs will walk, roll, and plow through every bit of mud and crud that they can find and then ‘self clean’ by coming in the house and rubbing themselves against every piece of furniture and fabric that they can reach.  (Molly can reach anything she wants to rub against, around, or over. 😳)

Fortunately, Dan went out and bought Molly a new brush yesterday.  This thing is magical.  I brushed her for half an hour last night and I was amazed.  Not only did it remove mud, tree branches, dead grass  and the like, but it removed a waste basket full of fine undercoat – and did it without filling the air, house, my clothes etc. with those fine little hairs that are generally impossible to control.

Molly’s magical new brush. 😁
There is still some work to do but she is looking pretty presentable 👍

Daily Food Diary – Day 99

Breakfast:

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

(1) Bran muffin (148 mg) (14 grams)

(2) tsp butter (69) (63.3) mg

Lunch:

(2) chicken drumsticks (152) (291 mg)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(1) c Cinnamon tea

(1/2) pear (52)

(14)  raspberries (14)

(6) mini Easter eggs (85) (10 mg) (14 grams)

(4) oz Sunflower Seeds (265) (225 mg)

Supper:

(2) c macaroni & cheese (320)(453.2mg)          (2 grams)

(4) oz minute steak w/seasoning salt & pepper, pan fried in olive oil (346) (190 mg)

(1/2) c mushrooms (fried with steak) (22)

(1) asparagus spears w/ butter, salt & pepper (67) (10.4) mg

Total net calories: 1357

Calorie goal: 1269 – 1357 = 88 over 🙄

Total Sodium:  1823.6 mg

Sodium goal: 1500 to 2300 mg 🙂

Total Processed Sugar: 30 grams

Processed sugar goal: <25 grams 🙄

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 89

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It has been 89 Days since I started my Daily Food Diary.  Some days look better than others. 

This one missed the mark. I went over on calories and I went under on protein.  But, if I average the calories and the protein for the past week, it does average out.  And if I take a panoramic view of how I am doing lately, I am not disappointed.

I have been working at improving my water intake.  I was drifting back to my pre diary days for a while, so have been working on a correction there.  I have also been foregoing the carbonated water for regular filtered water.   I read lately that carbonated water is not recommended for people like me, with lung issues. We will see if this helps.

With the cold wind finally dying down, Dan and Molly, and I went walking yesterday.  We stayed in our neighbourhood, traveling down sidewalks that are still covered with ice ruts, snow, and water.   It doesn’t relate well to what I can claim for calories burnt but it is walking, at a slow pace, all stumbling and sliding aside.  One doesn’t get credit for staying upright for the duration – or for the fresh air that helps my lungs.

I have been sleeping well, using my soft headphones to listen to sleep meditations when I go to bed at night. 

And I have been making progress with my stress and anxiety management, which is huge for controlling my asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis.

Overall, my life is pretty good, and I am doing a pretty solid job of managing my health and wellness.  Candy coated Easter eggs aside… And spoiler alert, if you thought that matrimonial cake went on forever, don’t hold your breath waiting for me to polish off my JUMBO bag of Easter Eggs. 🙄

Food Diary – Day 89

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (.3)

(1) fried leftover baked potato (139) (3.7)

(2) eggs (160) (14)

(3) sm. Slices bacon (130) (8.9)

(1) tsp olive oil (79)

(3) tsp butter (103) (.1)

Snacks:

(1) c Lemon Ginger tea

(27) Old Dutch salt & vinegar chips (250) (2)

(1/2) Cup Sunflower seeds – (120) (4)

(6) candy coated mini Easter Eggs (85) (2.4)

(48) oz water

Supper:

(1) 8 oz bowl Cream of Asparagus Soup (278) (15.3)

(5) soda crackers

Total calories: 1409

Less 75 calories (walking) = 1334 Calories

Daily Goal: 1269 calories – 1334 = 65 OVER

Total Protein: 51.1 grams

Protein Goal: 46-58.5 grams

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 74 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It is 74 days since I headed down this rabbit hole of tracking and posting everything I consume each day. 

Some days, I impress myself.  Some days, not so much!  Yesterday would be  ‘not so much’.

First off, there was the lack of any fruit and very little vegetables.  There was nothing in the fresh fruit or vegetable category.  I have noticed for the past three months that I haven’t been eating much fruit or vegetables – fresh or otherwise.  I do eat a lot of both in the summer but I am going to have to start working  on the other nine months of the year.

Second, this month I have been tracking my protein intake.  It is almost always higher than I would have thought.  Yesterday, I set a dubious record. I did a particularly intense aerobics workout yesterday morning  AND I went outside to get some fresh air yesterday afternoon. While I was outside, I shovelled the snow off of all of our walks, broke up and cleared away some ice, and I did my deep breathing exercises to clear my lungs.  Maybe I needed all that protein? 🤔

I have made progress on the quality of my snacks.  I have cut back on potato chips and that Root Beer that has been sitting on the little table in the porch taunting me is still there.

I have decided  that in April  I am going to track my processed sugar consumption. A woman is supposed to limit her daily sugar consumption to 25 GRAMS.   With that Root Beer weighing in at a hefty 46 GRAMS, it might be sitting there until we go to stay with Lucas and Cason in a few weeks.   They are active enough to burn off a little extra sugar. 👍

Cason & Lucas with their big sister Gabby

Food Diary – Day 74

Breakfast

(1) c coffee (2) (.3)

(1) c Shreddies (200) (6)

(1/4) c milk (31) (2)

(1) tsp sugar (16)

Snack:

(1) c Lemon Ginger Tea

(24) oz water

Supper:

(10) chicken wing flats (425) (46)

(1) tbsp Extra Hot Frank’s Sauce

(3) Egg rolls (225) (3)

(4) Riblets (74) (12)

(12) oz carbonated water

Total Calories: 1356

Total Protein:  94 grams

Daily protein goal: 46 to 58.5 grams

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 72 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It has been 72 Days since I began my Daily Food Diary.  I do not plan  our meals for the week or the day in advance,  consider the calories involved, or the nutritional value.  For me, this exercise is about keeping a record of what we eat, watching for unhealthy trends, and ultimately making  adjustments as I progress through the year.

One thing that I have been doing, adjustment wise, has been tweaking a few recipes, and trying a few new ones.

Yesterday, for the very first time, I baked a loaf of NO YEAST Soda Bread. This was the recipe I used.

https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/irish-soda-bread/

This was my result:

Going into the oven
What came out of the oven…

Honestly, I don’t know what the hell my oven did to my soda bread.  Fresh out of the oven it tasted pretty good.  Neither Dan, nor I, had ever tasted soda bread, but it tasted much like regular bread (sweeter).  It also had a similar texture. We tried toasting it. That was a fail. Rather than toast, it dehydrated. 

I have not really missed bread since I quit eating yeast.  I have missed buttered toast with raspberry jam.  This was not the answer.   AND… I have really missed Baked French Onion Soup topped with croutons and hot melted cheese.  I have tried a couple of other options but they were NOT the answer.  I am going to try making croutons out of this Soda Bread and test them out on a couple of bowls of onion soup for Dan and I this weekend.  Wish me luck! 🤞 

I am  going to check out other Soda Bread recipes to see if I can find one with less sugar.  I don’t know how crucial the sugar is to the texture of the final product.   If anyone has  experience making soda bread, I  would be grateful for any advice!

Food Diary – Day 72

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2) (.3)

(1) c Shreddies (200) (6)

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

(2) tsp sugar (33)

Snacks:

(24) oz water

(1) c Lemon Ginger Tea

(1) Slice homemade soda bread (68) (10)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(1) tsp raspberry jam (17)

(12) Tortilla Hint of Lime chips (300) (4)

(2) Tbsp salsa (8)

Supper:

(4) oz lean roast beef (219) (29.9)

(1) tbsp horseradish (15)

(1) c mashed potatoes (113) (1.9)

(1/4) c gravy (20) (.3)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(7) asparagus spears (23) (2.5)

(1) pc Matrimonial square (139) (1)

(12) oz carbonated water

Total Calories: 1254

Total Protein: 57.9 grams

Protein goal per day: 46 to 58.5 grams

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 51 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

It is the 51st day of  recording my Food Diary and posting it here on WordPress.

Better yet, this is the day that our brutal cold snap finally breaks and our temperatures soar up to the freezing point.  It has been the longest coldest February that I can ever remember, but the worst of it is finally behind us.

We do not have any huge plans for today, but I am looking forward to a walk – outside in the fresh air 😊 – with Dan and Molly.  I’m also excited to be going to Home Depot to pick up some garden seeds.  It is finally time to start some seedlings for our garden so we have them to plant once this snow and ice is behind us.   That is weeks away, but I am still excited to take that first step.

Food Diary – Day 51

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Peach (51)

(1/2) c pineapple

(1) Granola bar (160)

(1) Egg (80)

(3) Slices back bacon (52)

(1) Potato patty (85)

(24) oz water

(1) c Lemon Ginger tea

(1) Homemade oatmeal blueberry muffin            (199)

(5) Licorice allsorts (110)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) Lean hamburger patty (307)

(1/2) Sliced tomato (6)

(1/4) Red Onion (3)

(1/2) c lettuce (3)

(25) Lay’s Classic Potato Chips(160)

Total Calories: (1262)

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 48 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I am 48 days into my Daily Food Diary and 17 days down for tracking my calorie intake.

More days than not this month,  I have consumed more calories than I should, if I am looking to LOSE weight.  Many of those calories tend to be ones that have little, to no,  nutritional value.   So far this month, my biggest  WIN has been that I can see why I am not losing weight and why my diet is not helping me to feel as good as I should.  🙄

Keeping a Daily Food Diary was never just about losing weight, or even mainly about losing weight.  Likewise, it was never meant to be a quick, magical fix for improving my overall health. 

My Daily Food Diary is simply a tool.  It shows me in black and white what I need to do to improve my diet.  It cuts through the excuses and the mindless eating  and will ultimately get me to a point where I am adequately nourishing my body with the nutrients it needs to function at a higher, healthier level.  

Every new day is a new opportunity to do a little better, so that by the end of the year I will have made noticeable progress and eating well is just another part of living well. That’s the plan!

Food Diary – Day 48 of 365

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) Eggo Waffles (330) with butter (103) and syrup (100)

(3) thin slices of bacon (180)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

(2) cookies (146)

(25) Lay’s Classic Chips (140)

(3) Small cabbage rolls (300)

(3) Bulk Barn Allsorts (64)

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) c tea (1)

Total Calories: 1367

Yesterday, I started tracking my calories on an app called  ‘Lose It!’ , recommended by Terry from http://radicallyretired.com. So far it seems simple enough even for someone who is technically challenged (such as myself).   I am still learning the ropes and going back and forth between my manual method and automated,  but from what I have seen, I would definitely suggest checking it out.  

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 47 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

I am  47 days in on maintaining and posting my Daily Food Diary.  I am still discovering things about myself and what I consume on any given day.  

Yesterday,  I had a bowl of potato chips.   Potato chips are one of my biggest weaknesses. 🙄  I learned years ago to take a small bowl of chips and put the bag back in the pantry.   The bowl I use generally holds one recommended serving of chips.  (Ie:  No Name Spicy Barbecue 23 chips = 260 calories or Ruffles Regular 23 chips = 280 calories or Tostitos Hint of Lime 11 large chips = 250 calories.   Yesterday, I chose Lay’s Classic chips. I had 23 chips,  but Lay’s Classic Chips have a recommended serving of 47 chips = 280 calories!  So 23 chips is only 140 calories.  They are no healthier than any other chips – they have more saturated fat and half the sodium of No Name Spicy Barbecue,  but they are a score if one is just looking to  reduce calories.  👍

It is one week until I see the surgeon about having my hernia surgery redone.  My patience is wearing thin.  I have set aside my strength exercises until I get this matter resolved.   I planned to replace these workouts with walks, which is not happening  as long as it is minus forty out.  So, I have been doing my morning aerobic workouts and forgoing my afternoon workouts.  It is frustrating and I am annoyed that I have not taken up something else in the meantime.  I do have options.  I could do step ups? Wall Pilates? Yoga? I could do a lot of things BUT… But what? 🤔

Time to warrior up!

Food Diary – Day 47

1c coffee (2)

(2) Eggs (160)

(4) Thin slices bacon (360)

(2) Potato patties (240)

(24) oz water

(1) c tea (1)

(24) Plain potato chips (140)

(3/4) c caramel corn (120)

(12)  oz carbonated water

(1 1/2) c chicken noodle soup (180)

(2) mini cupcakes (200)

(1/2) c sunflower seeds – shell on (130)

Total calories: 1533

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 42 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It’s Day 42 of tracking and reporting my daily intake.  It is also two days before I begin Year Four – of the health and fitness journey I began in 2022.  It is ALSO my daughter Jennifer’s 44th birthday! 

Jennifer is my youngest of two sons and one daughter.  When she was born, Mark was 3 1/2 years old, Danny was 1 1/2, and of course Jen was a newborn.   I was NOT in the shape I am today.   I’m glad that young mothers now seem to be much more aware of their health and fitness and take better care of themselves than I did back in the day.   

Celebrating Jen’s birthday last year

We are still in the deep freeze. This morning it is -38c without the windchill.   I won’t be venturing far today.   Dan and I were out and about a bit yesterday.  We went to a mall to check out a couple of sales.   I didn’t break the bank shopping but did come away with a new pair of summer shorts.  We also stopped for lunch at Burger King on the way home.  It’s funny how I miss fast food, but the reality never meets my experiences.  🤔

Food Diary – Day 42

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) c Cheerios & (1/4) c 2% milk.  (200)

(1) Burger King Whopper (without bun), medium fries, medium gravy, three mozza fingers, and  2/3s of a medium root beer  (1251)

(1) c tea (1)

(24) oz water

(2) Bowls of amazing homemade chicken noodle soup (238)

(5) Licorice allsorts (107)

(12) oz water

Total calories: 1889

The BK was not worth the cost, the calories, or the salt content.  And the burger was definitely not worth the effort of eating it with wooden utensils.  I am not sure what the options would be if plastic is no longer allowed, but wood does not cut it. (No pun intended 😂).  The only thing that was worth it was sharing the experience with Dan.  Our meals out in general are few and far between and still moments to be treasured.

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 19 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

It’s a new week and another day of focusing on my health and fitness – and specifically this year nutrition and hydration.  Unfortunately, eating well and living active isn’t everything when it comes to staying fit and healthy.   Sometimes, it takes a bit of medical intervention. 

Visiting the Pasqua Hospital Two Years Ago for a broken arm. 👍

This week, I am not dealing with anything serious.   This morning, we braved the frigid Saskatchewan temps because I had an appointment for an ultrasound of a hernia repair I had done three years ago.   (Fortunately, Dan drove me as the streets are solid ice ruts and it was dark, traffic was relatively heavy, AND it is frigid out there).  On Thursday, I am going for routine blood and urine tests.  

Ultrasounds and routine tests are no big deal – at least not  to normal people.  Unfortunately, I do not fall into that category.  As much as I believe in vaccinations, routine and not so routine tests and  examinations, surgical procedures and medications (as a last resort), I struggle.  A LOT.   I get stressed around doctors, nurses, orderlies, technicians and the like.  I cringe at the sight of medical equipment.  I get nervous entering medical facilities.  

Fun fact… I used to sell construction specialty items to medical facilities.   I sold entrance matting, wall protection, privacy curtains, security grilles, and more.   My position occasionally involved site meetings.   Even meeting in a medical facility to discuss wall protection made me nervous. Go figure!

Obviously, two medical appointments in one week doesn’t make this a great week going in, but I am one down and only one to go.

The ultrasound will hopefully lead to a repair of the repair I had done and the blood tests will show that I am back on track with the improvements I have been working to make to my diet. 🤞😉

Food Diary – Day 19

(1) c coffee

(3) Slices thick sliced bacon

(2) Eggs

(2) Potato patties

(12) oz water

(12) oz water

(1) c tea

(1) sm bowl mixed nuts

(12) oz water

(12) oz carbonated water

(1 1/2) bowls wonton soup ***

(2) chocolates

(12) oz water

(1/2) c air fried in shells Frank’s Red Hot sunflower seeds

*** Other than the wontons that Dan made and frozen and the store bought chicken broth  – I made the wonton soup by myself.  (Broth, wontons, chicken, green onions, sliced carrots, broccoli, sliced mushrooms, baby Bok Choy, garlic, ginger, 1/8 tsp dried hot peppers, soya sauce, sesame oil).

Our dried hot peppers are a mix of peppers from our garden – habanero, ghost, chilli, Carolina Reapers, whatever we have.  We dry them and crush them up in our blender.  Dan crushes them up in our blender! I did it the first time and got a puff of fine powder when I opened the blender.  When my eyes finally cleared and I quit coughing, I decided not to do that again. 🤦

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 4 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness, Uncategorized

I’m just burning through this challenge.  I’m already at Day Four and I haven’t had a miss yet! 🤗

We are still huddled down in our extreme  cold spell, so Dan and I spent a good part of the day in the kitchen yesterday whipping up some comfort food to take the chill off.

Dan chopped and I cooked for a pot of Beef, Vegetable, and Barley soup.
I mixed and Dan formed a tray of Baking Powder Biscuits.  The big ones are for yeastless breakfast sandwiches in the days to come.

Food Diary – Day Four

(1) c coffee

(23) mini wheats

(1/4) c 2% milk

(8) oz water

(1) Apple

(2) Bowls of Beef/Vegetable/Barley soup **

(2) Baking Powder/Cheese Biscuits – made with butter and served likewise

(12) oz carbonated water

(1) cookie

** Soup was made with beef broth, beef, barley, onion, leek, carrots, celery, mushrooms, cabbage,  baby Bok Choy and a dash of salt, pepper, and ground hot peppers.

Fun fact… Barley is one of the best foods to eat when dealing with high cholesterol.   Butter is not.  But butter tastes better. 🙂

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

Is anyone else ready for birthday and barbecue season?  ( Genie & Prim)