Tag: saskatchewan

Daily Food Diary – Day 344 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 344 of my Daily Food Diary. 🤩

The win for my December Recap of my Daily Food Diary today is as simple and basic as they come – I started!

My main reason for starting this challenge was to get a handle on foods that were giving me grief and to eliminate them from my diet. 

I decided the best way to do that would be to note everything that I consumed – for a full year.   I figured the best way to keep myself accountable was to post these daily entries on my blog.  Since it was mid December, it seemed to make sense to begin on January 1st. 

It made sense until January 1st…  our house was still filled with caramel corn, chocolates, nuts, and home baking.  And.. I was facing a 365 DAY commitment.

But, you don’t get anywhere without taking that first step – so I started.  As basic and simple as they come, but a BIG win for me!🎀

Happy New Year!

My real time/real life wins for the day today are also pretty basic:

1) I managed a relatively productive day yesterday,  getting in three workouts, starting my Christmas baking, and making an early supper to get ready for Maddy’s band concert.

2) Attending Maddy’s band concert with daughter Jen.  These events are so packed that we get  there an hour early to get parking and seating, which made for some quality visiting time.  The concert was excellent, as usual.  I love that the teachers at O’Neil make these events ALL about the kids, showcasing their talent and their commitment to music.  💝

Maddy – our musical reindeer.

3) I was up at 6:30 this morning to drive Maddy to early morning band practice.  Jen was at work at 6 so could not drive her, walking through their neighborhood, over ice and snow to O’Neil from their house before sunrise is a bit much.🙄   Plus, I got to see Maddy and get some extra driving in… Ok, I missed her school so we did a bit of touring around.   She was still on time – with time you spare. Multiple wins!

4) Bonus win.. I made plans with granddaughter Prim to do more Christmas baking this weekend!

Daily Food Diary -Day 344

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) eggo waffles (270)

(2) tsp butter (68)

(3) tbsp maple syrup (157)

(2) slices bacon (87)

Snacks:

(48) Oz water

(15) Lays chips (218)

(1) almond roca (67)

Supper:

(2) c pork fried rice (580)

(1) butter tart (230)

Total consumed calories: 1679

Total used calories: 379

(30) min walking (137)

(30) min aerobics (171)

(30) min treadmill (71)

Total net calories: 1300

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1300 = 91 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 343 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 343 of my Daily Food Diary! That is a full 49 weeks of maintaining and posting my Food Diary every day!

For my December recap, My Daily Food Diary win for today is another BIG one – possibly the biggest so far!

As part of my overall Health and Fitness Lifestyle, becoming mindful of what I consume each day has helped me to FEEL GOOD.

In July,  I turned seventy years old.  I have no real idea how good I should feel – but I feel good!  When I go out anywhere, I notice the grey haired women around me.  I never know how old they are or any extenuating health issues they may have, but they do not look like me, they do not move like me, and they do not seem as happy as me.  Obviously, I cannot see myself but I know I do not shuffle, I am not bowed over or leaning on the grocery cart for support, or using one of those store scooters.   And, whether I look it or not, I know I am happy.

In the online world, I likewise seldom see myself – especially in those ‘after sixty you should never… articles’.  I read one this week, by a supposed heart specialist, who claimed that while some people may be able to shovel snow until the are 65, however most  people over 45 should refrain from doing so – unless they are using a snow blower or possibly a push shovel (if used with caution).   😳

70 years and feeling fine! 😊

Today I have a few general life wins to celebrate and appreciate…

1) This morning Dan, Molly, and I went for our walk and stopped off at the dogpark.  We didn’t make our full typical route, but Molly got in a few good runs with Ripple. We were out in the fresh air  for pretty much a full hour.. (very fresh air  -30° Celsius  with the windchill or -22° F).  I had no trouble breathing, very little coughing, and I didn’t feel that the cold was unbearable.

2) I got the results from my blood tests that I had done yesterday.  They weren’t as thorough as usual, but everything they tested for came back perfectly NORMAL

3) Yesterday, I did  all of our laundry – I am now officially ready to start tackling Christmas baking.

4) Tonight, I am out and about – heading off to Maddy’s band concert with Jen.

So many wins these days, so much to be grateful for! 🤗

Daily Food Diary – Day 343

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) breakfast sandwich – sourdough bun with butter, egg, sausage patty, havarti (645)

Snacks:

(36) Oz water

(1) PC Christmas cake (240)

Supper:

(2) servings nachos with ground beef, peppers, green onions, black olives shredded cheese, and salsa  (865)

(12) Oz carbonated water

Total consumed calories: 1752

Total used calories: 379

(30) min walking (137)

(30) min aerobics (171)

(30) min treadmill (71)

Total net calories:  1373

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1373 = 164 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 336 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 336 of my Daily Food Diary! 💥

I am three days into my Food Diary recap.  As I have mentioned regularly, this challenge was never about losing weight, however in February I decided to up my effort by counting calories.  This led to 3 distinct wins!

1) I did lose  a total of 12 pounds in 2025

2) Terry from http://radicallyretired.com, a friend that I have made here on Jetpack introduced me to Lose It! an app that has been very educational and extremely helpful in maintaining my Daily Food Diary.

3) Counting calories was far more interesting and educational that I thought it would be.   

I thought I had a pretty good handle on portion control (I didn’t). I was comparing the portions I ate versus those that others ate – like my 220 lb husband, who until recently worked 13 hour, 24/7 shifts in a steel pipe plant.  🤦‍♀️

I also thought I had foods figured out calorie wise..

Salad was good… until I put salad dressing, sesame seeds, or cheese on it.

Nuts are good for you – until you look at the calories in them! (Salt and saturated fats add to the mayhem)

Sugar has tons of calories..not really, but sugar seriously ramps up my appetite so leads to a revolving door of calories

Chicken is low in calories – unless like me you like the dark meat skin on. That is where they hide the calories but that is also where the collagen is – so I have to balance that one.

Anyway, counting calories takes time but I would definitely recommend it, especially if one is trying to lose weight.

I am super late posting today.  I didn’t forget to post, we were just out and about so I did not have time to post …walking Molly, running errands, doing a bit of shopping, having lunch at The Canadian Brewpub – which was win Number 1 today.  Neither of us had brew but Dan’s chicken wings looked delicious and my taco salad was amazing.

Paying our annual house insurance was painful, but I did score a new fridge calendar for win Number 2.

Daily Food Diary – Day 336

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) Denver wrap (537)

Snacks:

(1/8) c peanuts (162)

Supper:

(1) Manwich bun (811)

(8) lightly salted lays chips (116)

(1/2) Oz chip dip (20)

Total consumed calories: 1648

Less calories used: 337

(30) min. walking (137)

(35) min aerobics (200)

Net total calories: 1311

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1311 = 103 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 334 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 334 of my Daily Food Diary! 🔥 That means eleven full months of keeping and posting my daily diary without one single miss! 👏

Today is December 1st.  To round up this challenge, each day  I am going to note one Food Diary WIN that I celebrated in 2025.

When, I started in January, my main goal was to pinpoint foods that I could no longer tolerate in my diet.   My first win came as a complete surprise! 

Just by being mindful of everything I ate  every day, I soon realized how much mindless snacking I did throughout the day.  Much of what I reached for was high in salt or processed sugar. 

Becoming mindful of every bite I ate, or passed on, had a bigger impact on my life.  I became more present and mindful of my life in general.  

Ultimately, I became more aware of my thoughts, emotions, and the choices I made.

We are in the first deep freeze of our winter season.   I have been making the best of it and scored a couple of wins this weekend…

1) I took out the housecoat Dan gave me for Christmas last year.

Like being wrapped in a warm fluffy cloud!

2) I spent some time reading the book that I have been working on – ‘Let Them’ by Mel Robbins.  I have been struggling to read this book (it is me, not a reflection of the book or the author).  Yesterday, I read an entire chapter and was rewarded by this powerful quote…

“The truth is, your life is your responsibility.”

There was a time when such quotes would have spawned excuses and a never ending round of blame games.    Now, such quotes are a huge win.. a huge empowering win. 🤩

No one owes me the life that I want and no one can hand it to me on a silver platter.   It is up to me to make choices I need to make and to take the steps that I have to take, to build the strong, healthy, fulfilling  life that I want and deserve!

Daily Food Diary –   Day 334

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2.5) scrambled eggs (228)

(2) potato patties (240)

(4) very thin slices bacon (87)

Snacks:

(1) Snickerdoodle (90)

(12) g chipnuts (96)

(1) Oz Frangelico (71)

(48) Oz water

Supper:

(2) full bowls won ton soup (450)

Total consumed calories: 1264

Total used calories: 0

Total net calories: 1264

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1264 = 56 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 333 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 333 of my Daily Food Diary. 🥰

Tomorrow is the first day of December.  I have always thought that in December my focus would be to review my 2025 Food Diary.  Since I have been working on being mindful of and grateful for the wins in my life lately, this will work out perfectly.    Everyday, I will note the wins that I have experienced from my 365 day challenge.  🥳

Today it is the coldest of our cold days so far.  Molly doesn’t even seem terribly excited about a walk so I am pretty sure it will be another off day.  Dan’s back  is feeling somewhat better, but another rest day will be good for him as well.

Latest wins…

1) Dan washed dishes after supper last night.  I did wipe them and put them away, but that is easy easy compared to washing, so it was a nice break. 

2) I completed most of our shopping last night.  It took me a long time to get up to speed with online shopping, but nowadays it is a definite win.  

3) I received my 6th monthly shipment of collagen supplements this morning.   They are my first ever subscription order – very handy and a bit of a deal, too.

Definitely the biggest win from my ‘Daily Food Diary’.   These collagen supplements have been life changing – and only  in a good way! 💞

Daily Food Diary – Day 333

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(2) eggo waffles (180)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(2) tbsp maple syrup (104)

(2) slices bacon(87)

Snacks:

(12) Hint of Lime chips (300)

(36) Oz water

Supper:

(1) sourdough bun (190)

(3) Oz roast beef (188)

(1) slices onion (6)

(1) tbsp horseradish (7)

(1/2) c gravy (50)

(2) Belgium chocolate cookies (107)

(12) Oz carbonated water

Total consumed calories: 1405

Total used calories: 205

(36) min aerobics (205)

Total net calories: 1200

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1200 = 8 under 👍

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 327 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 327 of my Daily Food Diary! 😎

I have been trying to be mindful of what I eat (and cook) for almost eleven months now.  I have even been  putting a respectable effort into choosing our menu – especially supper.   Despite all this effort, often – like once a week,  I find out that my  daughter, her daughter, or both of them – made exactly the same thing as us on the same day.   Last week it was Genie.  For supper on Saturday, Dan made Baked French Onion Soup.   After, seeing my blog on Sunday – Genie messaged me to say that she had done likewise for herself and her sister Prim.  So strange – I know Genie makes a lot of homemade soup, but I don’t think either of us make French Onion Soup regularly.  But apparently, when we do..🤔

It is another relatively pleasant day in Southern Saskatchewan – so far!  There is talk of snow but we have dodged it so far. (or at least the snow that comes and stays until spring)

We went for our morning walk.  The  humidity was relatively high (93%) but I still did quite well coughing wise –  a few random coughs, but no coughing fits, so that was good!

Another hand shot today. 

This one is to share my win for yesterday.  I got my wedding rings on.  I haven’t been able to wear them for months –  since I caught my finger on Molly’s chain (leash) when I was walking her.    The swelling in my knuckle refused to go down.   Now it is finally gone. 😁

Daily Food Diary – Day 327

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) 2 egg Denver omelet (235)

(2) potato patties (240)

Snacks:

(36) oz water

(2) Belgium chocolate cookies (107)

Supper:

(3) spring rolls (375)

(3) c chicken stir fry (614)

(12) Oz carbonated water

Total consumed calories: 1573

Total used calories: 137

(30) min walking  (137)

Total net calories: 1436

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1436 = 222 over 👎

That is it for today.  take care and have a great day! 🤗🧡

Daily Food Diary – Day 326 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 326 of my Daily Food Diary. 🙉  It is Sunday and our weather is amazing.  It is a few degrees above freezing, sunny,  warm, and DRY!  

We went for our morning walk a while ago.  The streets were relatively quiet.  We crossed paths with one dog that Molly would have liked to interact with, but they both just wanted to play so it was not a big deal.

On our walk, I coughed three times.  That was not three coughing fits – just a couple of coughs each time to clear my throat.  I am sure that is a three year record. 🤩

Last night Dan made Baked French Onion Soup for supper.   He used lots of onions, unsalted Campbell’s beef broth, toasted sourdough bun, and shredded cheese (marble for mine/mozzarella, provolone, & parmesan for his).   It was our second amazing supper in a row.

After supper we watched a movie (after the Toronto/Montreal hockey game).   We seldom watch movies.  I usually choose the movies we watch and my choices are questionable at best.  ‘Catnado’ hit a new low for me – and that took some doing! Last night we watched one that Dan was interested in seeing.  It was definitely a step up. 👍

The rest of our day today should be quiet.  Dan is going to pick up granddaughter Maddy in a bit.  He will probably let her drive home, as he usually does.  She completed her Driver’s Training course with a very respectable 93% – now she just has to keep practicing until the end of March, when she will be old enough to go ace her Driver’s Test.

Maddy – Her first drive ever. (With her Mom as co-pilot in my Taurus)

  

Daily Food Diary – Day 326

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(3) crumpets (240)

(2) tsp butter (69)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Snacks:

(48) Oz water

(1) snickerdoodle (90)

(1) Matt’s climate caesar (168)

Supper:

(1 1/2) servings baked French onion soup (552)

Total consumed calories: 1171

Total used calories: 337

(35) min aerobics (200)

(30) min walking (137)

Total net calories: 834

Net calories goal: 1208 – 834 = 374 under 👍

That is it for today.  take care and have a great day! 🤗💓

Daily Food Diary – Day 317 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 317 of my Daily Food Diary! 🌞

This morning we were up and about for an earlier that usual walk with Molly. We left the house at 8:30, just as a LOT of people were passing through the neighbourhood on their way to work and quite a few kids were making their way to school. Molly handled the extra foot and vehicle traffic quite well all things considered.

Our weather was fairly decent, but hard to believe it was as decent as our Weather Channel would have us believe. It was supposedly plus 13C with low humidity. It seemed pretty cool and damp to us but we were dressed accordingly so we were comfortable enough.

Yesterday, we had a quiet day around here. We had our walk and I did my aerobics. The rest of the day was spent getting our new phones in order and tidying up the house. I don’t know that I did anything out of the ordinary, but my lungs felt amazing when I headed off to bed last night. Absolutely clear, and I didn’t even cough when I took a few deep breaths just to check them out. I don’t know what happened, but I’ll take it when I can get it and I just hope there will be more days and nights like that in my future. 🤗

This morning, Dan is off for coffee with some of the guys that he worked with. Molly is down for a nap. I should get on with a workout or two while all is quiet on the home front.

Daily Food Diary – Day 317

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) plain paratha (240)

(1) tbsp raspberry jam (50)

(1) tbsp peanut butter (105)

Lunch:

(1) cheese biscuit (129)

(3) oz roast chicken breast (75)

(1/3) c gravy (24)

Snacks:

(1) 315 ml Root Beer (170)

(1/2) c raspberries (32)

Supper:

(2) bowls vegetable beef barley soup (360)

(2) snickerdoodles (140)

Total Consumed Calories: 1327

Total Used Calories: 193

(30) minutes walking (137)

(30) minutes aerobics (174)

Total Net Calories: 1016

Net Calories Goal: 1208 – 1016 = 193 under 👍🏻

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

Regina Floral Conservatory – a few years ago.

Daily Food Diary – Day 311 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 311 of my Daily Food Diary. 🙌

Today we woke up to the first notable snowfall of the season.

With plus 9 degree C temperatures expected Monday, this snow won’t last, but the air was crisp and clean when we walked Molly earlier. 

Fortunately, Dan took the leash while Molly bopped around, zigging and zagging to sniff out anything buried under the fresh snow.  I followed behind, grateful to stay vertical on the snowy sidewalks and icy streets.

Tonight we are celebrating the arrival of winter with a pot of ground beef, vegetable, & barley soup.

Other than that, we don’t have any major plans today.  I have a list of small chores to get done around the house, some aerobics and and a weight session to do, and possibly a batch of cheese biscuits and/or snickerdoodles to get in the oven.  ☺️

Daily Food Diary – Day 311

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1/2) c grapefruit (39)

(1/2) tsp sugar (8)

(2) crumpets (160)

(1) tsp butter (34)

(1) tbsp jam (50)

Snacks:

(2) black licorice Twizzlers (45)

(1) tbsp honey (40)

(14) lightly salted chips (130)

(1) oz chip dip (40)

Supper:

(9) air fried chicken wing flats  (364)

(1 1/2) oz riblets (74)

(6) onion rings (150)

(3) cheese sticks (190)

(8) tater tots (124)

(1) tbsp Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce

(1) tbsp Dilly Dip (50)

(2/3) c Maple walnut ice cream (198)

(2) Belgium Chocolate cookies (107)

Total consumed calories: 1806

Total used calories: 210

(30) min walking (137)

(30) min treadmill (73)

Total net calories: 1596

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1596 = 388 over 👎

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

Daily Food Diary – Day 307 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

Today is Day 307 of my Daily Food Diary. 🌟

For the past couple of weeks, I have been struggling with environmental allergies.   This week, I finally decided that I am better off dealing with the consequences of the allergies than the side effects of the anti histamines I have tried.

This week’s ‘alternative medicine’.

Quercetin: long-term relief, mast cell stabilizer, anti-inflammatory, reduces release of histamines

Face mask: moisturize, reduces effect of watering eyes and runny nose

Cucumber: (not shown) peel and slice, place on eyes to reduce burning

Two Sisters Lip balm: Beef Tallow lip balm used to sooth dry, cracked lips caused by constantly wiping nose with tissues

Local Raw Honey: helps build immunity to seasonal allergies, soothes throat and cough caused by post nasal drip, antioxidant

H20 : Keep hydrated, flush out allergens and histamines.

Aerobika: device used to clear mucus in lungs due to post nasal drip aggravating bronchiectasis

Black licorice: a health risk if consumed in quantity or for an extended period of time – check warnings!  Contains glycyrrhizin which is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant

I am feeling better so far.  Yesterday, I took Molly for another solo walk.  Getting out in  the fresh air helps and she gets easier to handle all the time.  I’m not sure if I am getting stronger or if she is just getting better. 🤷

In the afternoon, I was able to do my aerobics and treadmill.   I am happy with how much easier the treadmill sessions are getting for me.  I keep upping the speed, but still able to finish the session!

Today,  I am going to do another treadmill session and a light weight/cardio session.  I’m still using the right pound weights but happy to be crushing them!

Daily Food Diary – Day 307

Breakfast:

(1) c coffee (2)

(1) granola bar (160)

Lunch:

(1) enchilada (194)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(12) oz 7 up (140)

(3) black licorice Twizzlers (68)

(1) tbsp raw local honey (40)

Supper:

(1) Arby’s Dbl roast beef no bun (200)

(2) tbsp horsey sauce (120)

(1) Gravy (35)

(1) sm crinkle cut fries (390)

(2) cheese sticks (220)

Total consumed calories: 1569

Total used calories: (358)

(30) min walking (104)

(30) min aerobics (174)

(30) min treadmill (80)

Total net calories: 1211

Net calories goal: 1208 – 1211 = 3 over 👎

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