Tag Archives: diet

October 14, 2020 · 9:31 am

What If…

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Tonight is our ‘shopping’ night.

This afternoon, the Real Food website will post its offerings for the week in its preorder section. We have been a bit disappointed the last couple of weeks because they haven’t had many options. They told me when we first found them that they were excited about expanding their selections in their brick and mortar store in Greenwood and would like to cut back on the online preorder stuff. We may have to change our habits and go into the store to see what is available if they continue this trend. We got spoiled really quickly. :0)

When we see what Real Food is offering, we will then consider ordering from Stu’s Clean Cookin.’ They were closed last week, reorganizing in order to drop the third party that was doing much of their prep and cooking in order to do it again themselves. They were unhappy with the quality of the meals, though we thought they were quite good. Their menu doesn’t seem to change. They have 17 meals, though, so there is a good variety.

Our routine now is to eat something frozen 5 nights a week. I then cook something on Saturday that covers us for Sat, Sun, plus maybe a lunch on Monday, depending on the recipe. (This weekend I’ll cook bacon-wrapped chicken breasts and we’ll have veggies or a salad on the side.) This routine helps us a LOT with portion control, is helping us lose the lardage, and allows us to concentrate on things other than food.

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September 28, 2020 · 9:42 am

Diet Day 1:

My husband is basically at his goal weight now. He is very happy about that, and is determined to keep the weight off. We have been really trying to avoid sugar, and his blood sugar numbers are stellar.  :0)  He really likes the Real Food frozen dinners we have been getting. (We pick up our newest order this afternoon.) He has not been throwing much extra bad stuff into our grocery cart, and is encouraging about MY efforts to lose the lard. He told me this morning he was very happy with our eating plan. :0)  Our main source for food is Real Food in Greenwood. We did get some food from Stu’s Clean Cookin’ this past week and put it in the freezer. Since the weather is cooling off, we try to stock up. Living on the top of a ridge line has taught us that having extra supplies in the winter is a very good thing… We will try some of the newest offerings soon.

I have to admit that I’m a bit teed off that my husband has a so much easier time losing weight than I do. He comes in and nukes our dinner, but I’m the one who keeps up with all of the details, makes lunches and snacks, figures out and cooks a keto meal when indicated, cleans up, etc. He does not exercise and has no inclination to. He eats things he shouldn’t, and yet – he has met his goal!

“I” am eating right and exercising (in one form or another) on a daily basis and still have about 30 pounds of lard to lose. I am drinking so much water my eyeballs float. I am making progress, but V E R R R Y slowly.  Since I am definitely not getting any taller, I will just have to continue my efforts and celebrate each pound that finally leaves.

I feel very lucky that we FINALLY found food that tastes good and have figured out a way to plan our eating for the day around the frozen meal we get from the newest good places in Greenwood.

One of these days I’ll be able to tell you I have finally met my goal!

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September 27, 2020 · 9:39 am

Weight Loss Tip 2

Born to Workout

I am feeling more in control of what my husband and I are eating now. We are both happy with the food we are getting from REAL FOOD in Greenwood. It’s delicious. We are basing our eating for the day around the meal we eat from there, having a really light lunch and very careful snacks, if any.

We are lucky to have ANOTHER good frozen food place that just opened recently in Greenwood.  It’s called, STU’S CLEAN COOKIN’.  We looked at their menu online yesterday morning, ordered, and were able to pick up our order after 10:00 a.m. yesterday morning! We had paid online and they had our order ready for us. You can’t ask for faster service than that!  We put that in the freezer to stock up. I like the fact that they list the nutrition of each meal on their website. I look forward to seeing if we like their “cookin.”

We get enough to eat 5 dinners per week and then I cook on the weekend, making one of the keto recipes we like. So far, we are losing weight and really enjoying LIKING our food!

My husband is only a couple of pounds away from his goal weight, but he likes the food so much, he is being VERY cooperative about doing this for the foreseeable future while I continue my efforts to get the lard off. (I have around 30 lbs to my goal, I think.)

With good food for the big meal of the day SO easy, I can concentrate on doing the other things I would like to do, rather than being tempted to feed my face in the kitchen.

Right now, the big project is trying to get my onions harvested without being stung/bitten by more fire ants who have taken up residence in my raised bed, square foot planters, and getting the planters cleaned out, things repaired, the boxes filled with Mel’s Mix, and then covered with tarps for the winter.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

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September 22, 2020 · 10:31 am

Thoughts on a Tuesday 9-22-2020

“The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can,
Hanging so light, and hanging so high,
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.”
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 

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Fall is my favorite season.

I love it when I am a bit too cool and need to throw on a hoodie to be comfortable. I enjoy snuggling under my throw in my recliner and nodding off when I get sleepy. One of my favorite drinks is hot chocolate. A fire in the fireplace is a luxurious, comfort thing. The colors of the leaves lift my spirits.  I hope we get a good, long autumn this year!

Gardening Know How

I got SOME of the onions harvested yesterday before I pulled one and a gazillion ants swarmed out. Thankfully, I was armed with my new 2-gallon sprayer of Eight Bug Killer and hosed down the planter box again. It’s raining today (Tropical Storm Beta) but I’ll try it again when the weather is cooperative.

 

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I also managed to file (or throw away) the huge pile of paper sitting on the table beside my computer yesterday. Today I will tackle August bookkeeping. Hopefully, I can get that accomplished today – since September’s stuff will be staring me in the face soon.

 

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

My husband and I enjoyed Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad for our dinner last night from REAL FOOD in Greenwood. It was truly YUMMY. We are so lucky it is so good and so convenient for us. I also lost a bit more weight! I looked at my records for South Beach and BistroMD, and I’m losing at the same – if slow – rate. If I live 100 more years, I’ll eventually reach my goal! :0)

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Another thing I love about the fall – I can use my elliptical trainer in our garage in a lot more comfort. My husband mounted a wall fan on the wall in front of it for the summer, but I still end up overheated when the temperatures and heat indices go nuts in the summer. I won’t say I look forward to going out there, but putting in the time is much more palatable now.  My yoga stretching in the afternoons is rounding out my exercise nicely.

I don’t have a big project for the day. We drove the trash down to the bottom of the driveway, and I have load #2 in the clothes washer. The dishwasher is running. I’ll go do the elliptical (hopefully doing 35 minutes) and then hit the bookkeeping. I live such an exciting life! :0)

I hope that things are good for you today.

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September 21, 2020 · 10:11 am

A Reason to Love Mondays

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Real Food Co.

 

Last week we had a glorious week of EATING. We discovered REAL FOOD in Greenwood and pre-ordered things for the week. We enjoyed ALL of it, AND both of us managed to lose a bit over a pound!

They post choices for the coming week on Wednesday afternoons. You can pre-order from the website, as we do, or you can simply go into the store and choose from all the goodies in the freezer.  If you pre-order, you can pick up your food the following Monday.

They are open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.  479-414-6337.  964 East Center Street, Greenwood, AR 72936.

Now you see the reason that Monday has become a happy day for us. It’s pick up day for the Lewises!  (We also hope to get a loaf of bread…)

 

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September 16, 2020 · 9:53 am

The Verdict So Far is “Delicious!”

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We have now eaten two frozen meals from REAL FOOD in Greenwood. 964 East Center Street, Greenwood, AR 72936.  (479) 414-6337.

We liked last night’s meal – “Home Fries, Roasted Chicken, Bacon and Cheese” even better than the first night’s, and that’s saying a lot. :0)

I have asked the owner if she would consider posting at least ball park estimates of nutritional information on the website so that we can try to plan around the one GLORIOUS meal we’re eating each day. (We are doing a combination of intermittent fasting and very light lunches.  If we have a snack, it’s a keto-type one.)  This afternoon the choices for the coming week should be posted.

I’m also going to concentrate on my exercising more, now that our weather is cooling off a bit. I’m aiming for elliptical trainer in the morning and yoga stretches in the afternoon, with as much walking in-between as I can get in.

 

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September 12, 2020 · 10:11 am

Relief

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

 

Our last BistroMD meal last night was Salmon. It was mostly edible, but my husband and I both used lots of tartar sauce. (Usually I don’t use anything except maybe a squeeze of lemon on salmon, so I was really disappointed). Neither of us could identify the side veggie, but we each took one bite and that was it. I just looked it up online and it was eggplant with 5 spices. (Maybe it would have been better if they had used 6.) We are in celebratory mode now because we are moving on. (We still have some snacks from both South Beach and BistroMD, but time will tell if we are hungry enough to eat them.)

Today I will cook some pork chops. We will have a side salad and a celebration of small portions of black eyed peas with onion.  We will eat half of this tonight and the other half tomorrow. Monday we pick up our order from Real Food. I’m eager to try that.

As with so many things, their competitor has already sprung up in Greenwood. It’s called, Stu’s Clean Cookin’. I was impressed with the ad in the paper. They list calories, fat, carbs, and protein for each meal listed. They identified some as “low carb,” “contains dairy,” and “contains gluten.” I like that.

So – just as we needed them, we have TWO nice companies preparing frozen meals we can try! I will be doing a lot of label reading. I plan to at least have several meal options available in the freezer while trying to get back into the swing of meal planning for keto eating.

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September 9, 2020 · 11:01 am

Can You Hear My Teeth Grinding?

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

 

Today is the cutoff for making changes to our next week’s delivery from BistroMD. Until yesterday, my husband’s page still wasn’t showing that I had written and asked them to remove snacks from what I thought would be the final week’s order.

When I went to the websites for each of us this morning, each said at the top, “No deliveries are scheduled.” I’m HOPING that means that our memberships are – in fact – cancelled and that we don’t have to pay for and receive another week’s worth, but it isn’t clear. At the beginning, the paperwork said we would have to get ANOTHER week when we cancelled. I’ve been on hold, and have given a call-back number several times, but haven’t been able to reach anyone yet.  All my appendages are crossed that we are finished with this company and can move on after we eat a few more meals from the first week’s order.

In the meantime, we checked out the new Real Food place in Greenwood yesterday. It was so clean it squeaked! There was a choice of four different prepared-by-hand frozen meals in the freezer, and all sounded good. The lady explained to us that now that they have an actual ‘store,’ they will move away from weekly pre-orders and will expand the offerings in the store as they can. This would be very convenient for us. I will need to check out the nutrition labels more carefully, but we could at least have some meals in the freezer for the times I go on strike and don’t have the energy to cook in the future.

I am ready to go back to our keto plan IF we are finished with the Bistro group. I think we have a day and a half’s worth of meals left from the first week, and then we can switch.

GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!   A customer service person from Bistro called me back just now. He confirmed that since it says “no deliveries are scheduled.” on each of our pages, that I cancelled the plans in time that we DON’T have to pay for or receive another week’s worth of food. HOORAAAAAAAAAY!    :0)

Now I will look at the Real Food website and see if they have choices listed for pre-orders for next week listed.

 

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September 6, 2020 · 9:15 am

Decision

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We have cancelled our BistroMD meal plan. We have to accept one more week’s delivery, but then that’s it.

We tried dinner the first night and then lunch and dinner yesterday – plus my husband had two snacks. He said – after tasting the dinner last night – “Three strikes and they’re out.” We will try to eat our way through the rest of this week’s fares plus next week’s, but this plan is not for us. A sample of our conversation: “What is this veggie?” “I think it’s apple.” “I think it’s squash.” Whatever it is, it’s pretty awful.”

Our new plan (after we try to finish the food we have, AND yet to be delivered), is for me to go back to cooking keto. We will also check out a new place called REAL FOOD that opened up recently in Greenwood. At Lunch Bunch the daughter of one of my friends mentioned the place, saying that their frozen dinners, made fresh each week, were really good, and were good for you. That may give us a nice change from all the cooking from time to time.  I will also make a point of cooking so that we have leftovers, so I won’t be spending all my time in the kitchen and cleaning up.

I’m disappointed, but the dinner was so unappetizing last night that I threw mine out, opting for some deli meat, a hard-boiled egg, and a string cheese stick.

There are a few more options we may try, but I’m STARTING to learn that being lazy and trying to avoid cooking might not be the best option long term. We used the South Beach as a kind of ‘reboot’ on our keto efforts. When my husband saw how much time I was in the kitchen, prepping, cooking, and then cleaning up when we had finished the two months of South Beach, he suggested that we try another plan and I – lazy person that I am – caved.

I will concentrate on cooking enough of each keto recipe we love so that we have leftovers for another dinner and maybe a lunch. I will also research how well each one freezes in individual portions.

 

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September 2, 2020 · 10:52 am

Good Morning!

Photo by Fajar Andriyant

I hope that you are having a good morning.

We have two more rainy days before things MAY try to dry out some.  We were out doing errands in the rain most of the day yesterday, and may need to do that again today. Our weather has been really different this year.  There was a pharmacist who came in while we were waiting. She had on wonderful bright red rain boots that came up almost to her knees. I WANT SOME! :0)

As soon as we start getting dry days, I will hose down my garden with EIGHT bug spray, hopefully murdering thousands of the ants who have made a home there. We live on approximately 8 acres, and I have NO idea why they decide to live in boxes that are several feet off the ground that get watered daily and bothered by me when I’m planting, watering, weeding, or harvesting. I still have their bites/stings from my partial onion harvest the other day, having to use allergy medicine and ointment to live through the welts, discomfort, and intense itching. There will be no mercy.

We should be getting our first week’s worth of BistroMD prepared meals this week. They suggest that you begin the program on a Monday so that you’re in sync with the next week’s delivery schedule, so we plan to do that.

I’m feeling the urge to get rid of things again. It may have been brought on by having to clean everything out of the greenhouse that was ruined by the recent storm, but I’m going with it. I will plan to gather at least a couple of extra leaf bags of trash each week. I will gather things to donate as I can. I’m getting more and more ruthless as I do these ‘sweeps,’ and that’s a very good thing. My husband and I are both savers, and we have lived in our home for over 30 years now, so this is an ongoing, HUGE job. I’m thinking that this time I will start in our bedroom…

Try to make this a beautiful day – whatever the weather.

 

 

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August 8, 2020 · 2:29 pm

Earning Gold Stars

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My first gold star for the day was my practice on my elliptical trainer.  I made it to 35 minutes today! This is the first time in MONTHS that I have made it this long, so I’m feeling good about it. I have a box fan attached to the wall in front of the trainer, so I don’t melt into a puddle out in the garage. I also have my MP3 player, with some of my all-time favorite music on it, to listen to. Pretty nice set up, except for when it’s really hot or really cold.

 

 

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I am about to go do my yoga practice for my second star of the day.

I do about 30 minutes or so, mostly of old lady stretches, but also abdominal exercises of various types. I am beginning to feel a difference in how my body is reacting to my practice, after about a month of practicing daily.  I am still fighting general stiffness everywhere (I AM old, you know) but I feel looser, and I have less discomfort. I definitely feel more relaxed after I finish.

I am happy about my daily exercising now. I’m trying to stay motivated, listing elliptical and yoga on my to-do list each day now.

Time for my yoga practice!

 

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August 4, 2020 · 10:34 am

Getting the Lard off Progress Report

Early Morning Showers

I’m feeling good that I am “back in the saddle again” on my efforts to get the lard off and get stronger. I fell off, using everything excuse from the pandemic,  to my husband going to the store with me, and back again, but the fact was I had stopped exercising and I had gained some of my lost weight back again.

We signed up for the South Beach Diet Plan, deciding we would try that for two months to get back on track. It was the closest to our keto eating plan and would remind us how we are supposed to be eating, hopefully giving us a boost. The second month’s order should arrive any day now.  It’s a good thing. We are down to meat sticks and some shakes, so I am DIYing a lot now.

 

To date – since my lardiest – I have lost 36.6 pounds and 40.45 inches. I’m working my way back down to where I was before, and I feel really happy about that.

My exercise regimen – motivated by gold stars on my desk calendar – is helping me feel stronger, a bit more energetic, and definitely looser and more flexible.

Penn Fitness Warehouse

I’m trying to do my elliptical in the mornings, since my trainer is in the garage. I won’t get it done in the morning today, but I can do it when I get back from errands. I started a couple of weeks ago, at 10 minutes. I’m doing 20 each day now.

 

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I am doing about half an hour of yoga stretches plus abdominal exercises each afternoon. I have no clue why I tend to ‘hunch up’ during the day, but I’m almost looking forward to my yoga sessions now, where the first thing is to lie flat on my back, trying to get my back muscles to relax. Thankfully, this is accomplished more quickly now and I am seeing progress in my ability to push a bit farther into the positions, breathing into them. I feel relaxed when I finish, and pleased with my efforts.

By the end of this next month on South Beach, my husband will have probably met his weight goal. I would like to lose another 30 pounds. I am seeing progress on both the scales and the tape measure, plus I feel more in control.

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August 1, 2020 · 11:08 am

Yoga Progress

doyouyoga

Tomorrow I will finish three weeks of doing a 30-minute-or-so session daily. I think it was last year when I discovered SixtyandMe.com   That led to me finding and ordering the “Gentle Yoga” DVD with Cat Kabira teaching basic stretching techniques for ‘mature’ women – even though who had never tried yoga before. I wasn’t interested in trying to fold myself into a paper airplane or tie myself up into a pretzel shape, but I WAS stiff, sore, and feeling pretty brittle. I worked through it, and then decided to simply do the poses that seemed to help me the most rather than having to find time to play the DVD. Cat stressed that it was the PROGRESS that mattered – not whether you actually aced the pose to PERFECTION. I did well for awhile, and then just quietly stopped doing it. My reasons are stupidity and lack of sufficient motivation.

Three weeks ago, when we had decided to do the South Beach Diet plan in order to ‘reboot’ our efforts to commit to the keto eating plan, relearn ‘portions,’ smarter choices, etc., I also decided that I would get back into my yoga.

 

 

After three weeks, I am starting to feel some progress!  I am 73 and RELAXING is a difficult thing to do. Just lying down flat on your back on the mat doesn’t sound like much. It IS – when several areas in your back are clenching. After a minute or so of CONSCIOUS focus on relaxing and breathing, the discomfort and clenching goes away. I am also seeing progress in several of the stretching positions. One came just yesterday. I’m lying on my back with my arms on the floor above my head. I pull up my right leg, bend the knee, lay my leg to my right side. I can DO that on my left. On my RIGHT, that was really uncomfortable. I’ve been doing it anyway daily for 3 weeks, breathing into it and not pushing myself, just breathing into the discomfort and trying to relax. Yesterday I was able to let the leg down almost completely onto the floor without pain! HOORAY!!!!!! I feel better when I finish my stretches, so that’s a wonderful thing, too. Even my husband is trying to encourage me, asking me if I’m going to ‘yoge’ today.

I’m giving myself a gold star for every practice. Likewise on my elliptical trainer session in the garage. I’m going for stars 11 and 12 for the week today.

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July 27, 2020 · 11:33 am

Muggy Monday

Attack of the Cute

My husband and I did a few errands this morning and then I got on my elliptical trainer for the first time in umpteen months. My trainer lives in the garage and it’s really hot out there. I managed 15 minutes this morning – better than nothing. I’ll try it again on Wednesday and see if I can do 20. I will, of course, do my 35+ minutes of yoga stretching and abdominal exercises this afternoon. (I gave myself a star for the elliptical and will earn another with the yoga this afternoon.) :0)

One of our errands this morning was refilling our sweet Molly’s prescriptions for antibiotics and pain/inflammation relief medicines. I’ve told you she has malignant cancer. It’s in one side of her jaw. She has quite a sizable, firm lump there that is growing. The vet and I talked frankly. Molly was 15 in February. We decided to try to keep her as comfortable as possible, giving her as many happy dog days as we can in the time she has left. She is still able to eat and drink, and enjoys demanding to go out, and then come in again – for a treat. I’m making sure we have PLENTY of the two treats she loves, and am VERY freely dispensing them. She has been with us since she was a small puppy. We are cherishing each day.

My husband is grinning because our grass is at the PERFECT stage, according to him – brown and crunchy! He wishes it would stay that way the rest of the summer. We are due for some rain this week, though, so he’ll have to enjoy it while he can. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday forecasts show a good chance of rain, plus a little bit of relief from the humidity.

I made Suzanne Ryan’s (Simply Keto) recipe for keto chili yesterday, and we ate a bowl last night. My husband sighed with pleasure. We will enjoy a bowl for the second DIY dinner, plus one of the DIY lunches this week.

I haven’t decided what my next clean up project will be. I’ll look around and decide priorities, planning on taking a donation to the Disabled Vets in Fort Smith by the end of NEXT week.

I hope that YOU are having a good day today.

 

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July 15, 2020 · 10:17 am

Folding Myself Into a Paper Airplane

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As part of my ‘get-my-act-together’ effort lately, I’ve started to do yoga again. I do “Gentle Yoga” stretches from the DVD “Gentle Yoga” with Cat Kabira through SixtyandMe.  Due to stubbornness and stupidity, I don’t make time for it as I should, even though it makes me feel better. That said, I’ve gotten started again, realizing that over the time I HAVEN’T practiced, I’ve stiffened up again and am feeling sore. DUH!

The fact that the pounds I’ve gained during “COVID-19 stay-at-home-mostly ” are starting to come OFF with our South Beach Diet makes me feel more like exercising. It’s as hot as an oven outside now, so the walking for 10 minutes three times daily they suggest to start is actually twice a day – in the morning and before dark.

It was really hard to get started with the yoga again. It took me several minutes to relax enough to actually lie still and breathe into lying on my back on my yoga mat. Whatever the muscles are behind my shoulder blades were screaming and not wanting to let go. Once I got THAT done, the rest was just moving through the poses I know help me, SLOWLY stretching me out and breathing into each pose, doing what I can do now.

I felt better – plus fairly virtuous – afterwards, so I’ll go back to putting a gold star on my calendar each day I complete the yoga and see if that keeps me going.

Less lard, more flexibility, gold star, and a happy face from me. A good way to spend part of the day!

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July 12, 2020 · 2:27 pm

Today’s Tomatoes

We had a nice bunch of tomatoes ripe today. I now have a bowl of them, plus a container of much smaller, cherry type tomatoes that I will eat with other raw veggies as snacks. This is one of our favorite times of the year. We are rich in tomatoes!!!!

 

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July 12, 2020 · 10:03 am

Balanced Diet

Forwarded by Marsha Koenig

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June 28, 2020 · 9:23 am

Motivation is Funny

Frans Lanting Photography-John Steed via Gitta Newman via Penny Yaffee Krakow

 

During the pandemic my husband and I have gotten lax about our keto eating plan. We are eating mostly that, but OTHER things come home in the grocery bags that “I” didn’t put in the cart. I’ve been cooking healthy, but have little will power when it comes to listening to my husband crunch fritos, Doritos, or potato chips, bagels, no sugar added cookies, etc. I also get cravings for starches – particularly rice. My husband won’t eat any of the substitutes, and usually that is fine. I have mine frozen in portion sizes and can just pull one out – except that I haven’t been. Excuses abound and the pounds gradually return…

On June 22nd we decided to get more serious before things got totally out of hand. Needing something to really get our attention, we ordered the South Beach diet program of prepared meals and eating plan. Our intention is to do this for two months. They include DIY breakfast, lunch and dinner two days per week, so I will still be cooking keto style, but hopefully, we will re-learn portion sizes, good practices, plus hopefully  a recipe or six that we like. I am hoping that at the end of the two months we will be back on track for losing the lard.

Our problem NOW is that because of Covid 19, their staff is cut and they are behind on orders. We ordered on the 22nd and according to their website, our first order has not been shipped yet. I’m hoping the first month’s food will be shipping in the coming week.

A funny thing, though –

Since we made the decision, both of us have eaten more carefully – I guess in preparation for starting the actual program. I’ve lost 3 pounds and my husband has lost more than that. My opinion is ‘whatever works,’ but it’s funny – and GREAT – that the lard is starting to come off again.

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June 14, 2020 · 3:32 pm

Keto Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bowls

I have just finished cooking this for tonight’s dinner (and tomorrow’s, with the leftovers). This is the second time I’ve cooked it, and my husband raved, even though he is not a huge fan of broccoli. Chicken Alfredo has always been a favorite of mine, crossed off my list when I started Keto because of the pasta. This recipe has no pasta and I don’t miss it!

When I told my husband earlier that I was going to fix it for tonight, his one word answer was “YUM!”

Net carbs are 7 grams per serving. This recipe is 4 servings.

I have truly never found a recipe book where we really like most of the recipes until this one. She uses down to earth ingredients so you are not having to hunt all over town or order a bunch of stuff online. They are also not labor-intensive recipes, a big plus in my book, since nowadays we are working outside a lot and I don’t want to go to a lot of trouble for something to eat.

This recipe is now one of our staples.

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May 23, 2020 · 3:06 pm

New Possibilty!

ViralWildlcom

I’m trying to do intermittent fasting and keto in order to lose my lard.  The pandemic is my latest excuse for having trouble sticking to it. The biggest problem for me lately is that my husband is requesting dinners like spaghetti with meat sauce, or one of our favorite dishes – beef with mushroom soup, onions, and things over rice or other pasta.

Lately I’ve had trouble serving my spaghetti sauce over zoodles or spaghetti squash,  or the soup and meat or chicken sauce over cauli-rice or whatever. I’ve really been missing PASTA.

My friend Marsha came to the rescue, telling me about a new non-carb pasta she found. The brand name is Banza, and they make all kinds of pasta – penne, shells, and rotini plus spaghetti.  The pasta is made from chickpeas.  It has a LOT fewer carbs. Not as few as I would prefer, since my goal is to eat 20 grams or less carbs per day, but a huge improvement over regular pasta. I can now splurge every once a awhile, solve my cravings, and hopefully stay on my eating plan.

I ordered six boxes – 2 each of Penne, Shells, and Rotini. I’ll let you know how my new discovery turns out.

123RF.com

 

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May 13, 2020 · 11:59 am

Diet

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Excuses abound. I’m setting the excuse bar at a higher and higher level. (Everyone has to strive for something! )

The pandemic. Staying home. Cold, rainy weather. Husband asking for comfort food.

Then the real reasons – my laziness, my lack of motivation, my weakness.

All combine to add lardage when what I INTEND to do is to continue my efforts to lose the lardage and exercise regularly.

Now I am trying to re-lose previous loss in order to get where I was before so that I can enter new territory on the scales and with my tape measure.

BUT WILL SHE REALLY DO IT?

Hopefully, the answer is “yes.”

Right soon now.

Maybe tomorrow…

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May 9, 2020 · 6:09 pm

Harvest 5-9-2020

These pictures seem like they are the same couple of pictures TWICE. Actually, they are two different batches of lettuce I harvested today. I took two views of each batch so you would get a good idea of how much the head lettuce is producing. This is one view of batch # 1 today.

 

A second view of the first batch.

 

 

Batch # 2

 

Batch # 2

I processed and washed 9 gallon plastic bags of lettuce leaves today. I am rich in lettuce!  Guess who will be eating LOTS of salads starting at lunch today…

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March 14, 2020 · 12:11 pm

Wish

Goodreads

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January 19, 2020 · 4:29 pm

A NICE Keto Bread!

MyKetoKitchen.com

 

I just finished my SEVENTH new recipe for keto bread. I have been trying to find one basic recipe that I could eat when my husband is eating dinner rolls from the deli/bakery,  that I could slice and toast for our dinner/breakfasts, and might be able to use for a sandwich. I know – that’s a lot to ask of one recipe, but I’m not one who loves to spend time in the kitchen. I want to be able to do something reasonably quickly that tastes good and has good texture.

I have to say I’m happy with this recipe. It’s called ‘Keto Bread’ and the source is MyKetoKitchen.com

This is the SEVENTH – and best – recipe I have found. I like the fact that it contains yeast and rises a bit. like actual bread. It has enough that you can smell and taste the yeast a bit, too, satisfying my hunger for REAL bread without containing no-no’s like white flour, regular sugar, etc.

I had all the ingredients on hand except for ‘inulin.’ I looked it up, finding it was a sugar alternative with pro-biotics. I have “Swerve,” and so used it instead. (I ordered the Inulin so that I can use that next time, just in case it does make a difference.)

My bread isn’t as pretty as the one shown above, but it sliced nicely, even though I really rushed it on giving it time to cool completely. (my husband loves warm bread and butter. )

 

This is mine.  The pic was taken after I sliced two pieces right out of the middle of the loaf when it was still hot.  The flavor and texture are nice! If you’re trying to eat keto friendly things, try MyKetoKitchen 

 

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January 14, 2020 · 12:18 pm

Best Friends

Happy Living via Linda Orrell

 

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January 9, 2020 · 4:23 pm

Thoughts on a Thursday 1-9-2020

New Animalbook

We are getting rain. We had some last night, we’re having some today, severe weather possibly tomorrow, then maybe a wintry mix Saturday. I wish that Mother Nature could do this moisture over Australia…

Between storms, my husband and I drove to Ft. Smith this morning to leave our first donation of the year to the Veterans Thrift Town Store. I am really impressed with the people who run this place. The store is always clean, and the people who work there smiling and helpful. The people in the back who help us with our donation are always really nice. We now donate most everything we have there.  If you live in the area, their address is 3500 Jenny Lind Road, Suite B, Fort Smith, AR 72901.  Their phone number is (479) 783-7225. They are open Monday through Saturday, 9am to 6pm.

I am doing better with my keto eating plan efforts and my exercise.  I just took one of our favorites – an egg/sausage/cheese bake – by Suzanne Ryan – out of the oven for our dinner tonight. My husband actually requests this dinner. I serve it with a side veggie or a salad. Delicious. I’ve been doing lots of yoga lately to try to straighten out my back. It’s working. I’m almost back to normal now. A twinge, when I bend forward, like to pick something up off a table, but otherwise good. I’ll try to add my elliptical to the mix very soon.

I’m going to try another keto bread recipe probably tomorrow. The loaf I’m finishing is fine, but my husband doesn’t care for it. I would LIKE to find one that both of us enjoy. The search continues…. oh- I almost forgot to tell you! I’m on the hunt for Crepini Egg Thins with Cauliflower. Walmart usually carries them, but is out of stock at the moment. I’m planning to try using them as a wrap in place of sandwiches, since trying to eat things from rolled up lettuce isn’t really working for me.

It is dark outside, and it’s only 4:30! Looks like we’re in for another storm.

I hope you’re having a good day.

 

 

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December 28, 2019 · 2:21 pm

Busted!

Hillbilly Hijinx

I have been craving BREAD over the holidays. My husband gets freshly made rolls from the deli when we go grocery shopping. I can avoid the strawberry-dessert-cakes-and-ice-cream nightly, and I can avoid the bagels, but I’m REALLY missing rolls and sandwiches lately due to my keto diet. Because of this, I succumbed and ate turkey sandwiches at Thanksgiving and have been eating rolls. The result is I have gained 5 lbs from my lowest. UGH.

Alex Howitt

This isn’t EXACTLY what I saw this morning, but close. I’m disgusted with myself, but am now doing two things –

THING ONE – I ordered – and just received two KETO bread cookbooks!  One is Keto Bread and Pasta by Zara Elby, and the other is Keto Bread Machine Cookbook by Katie Simmons.  I will get busy trying recipes for rolls and sandwich type bread in both of these, hoping I can come up with something that solves my bread-craving problem.  I’ll share recipes with you if I find good ones.

Alex Howitt

THING TWO – I am back in the saddle again as far as doing 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer each day. I did my yoga stretches one day, but not yesterday, so I’m kind of HALF-WAY in the saddle again on the yoga.

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but I AM promising myself to get fully with the program again so I can re-lose the 5 and then lose about another 30. I would really like to get to my goal weight in 2020 and then STAY there.

 

 

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December 19, 2019 · 2:50 pm

Dieting Woes

Slice of Life

My husband gets kudos – and some hostility from me, I have to admit – because he is maybe 5 lbs from his weight loss goal now. I’M the one who is doing all the choosing, cooking, serving, and cleaning up after our wonderful keto meals, mainly from Suzanne Ryan of Simply Keto. He is still eating rolls and bagels, plus a lot of fruit – both ‘no-no’s’ on keto – plus strawberries, dessert cakes and ice cream at night after dinner.  He IS mostly watching his sugar – other than the bear claw he HAD to stop for on the way home from getting groceries with me. He is older than I am and doesn’t exercise at all.  He just got stellar results on his latest blood tests for our primary doctor, significantly lower in EVERYTHING, except one thing that stayed the same. He DID tell her he just ate what I fixed him…. Our doctor was patting him on the head. I DO have to admit I’m relieved and happy for him.

pinterest

I – on the other hand – am still on the plateau from Hell. I’ve really been good, with the exception of when I’m up in the middle of the night, having trouble sleeping, and food CALLS to me from the kitchen. Otherwise, I’ve been good. I’m back on my exercise program. I just finished 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer in the garage. I’ll do my yoga when I return from getting my hair cut this afternoon. I’m trying to pay attention to my macros, but too many times ‘stuff happens’ and we end up stopping for a burger, or….

Excuses run rampant and are becoming more and more creative.

I have about 30 pounds to go – stuck at 43 off and 45 inches off. I want to get the rest of the lard off, but it’s hard to keep going when I’m stuck in a rut. That said, it took me awhile to put ON this lard, so it’s only fair it should take me awhile to get it OFF.

 

 

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November 3, 2019 · 11:05 am

Thoughts on a Sunday 11-3-2019

Aussie Life-kookaburras

“Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree,
Merry merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,

That’s not a  monkey, that’s me. Ha. Ha.”

I love this photo. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually SEEN a kookaburra, much less a glorious whole ROW of them. I always think of the song we sang as children. (I’ve taken some liberties with the words in the lyrics above. WE sang it the way I’ve printed it, which skips two verses and moves the very last line to the first verse.)

I’m happy to report that my husband is doing fine now after his stroke in July. The sudden anger outbursts – apparently a common side effect of strokes – are MUCH fewer now. Though he glosses over the details of how to handle the fact he’s on blood thinners, I’M learning to pay closer attention and make sure things turn out the way they should. He has a dental appointment tomorrow. To give you an example of how he is ‘back,’ he took the Vette to the car wash this morning to clean it up so he can drive it to the dentist’s appointment tomorrow. (He and the dentist talk motorcycles, cars, guns, and such each time he goes.)

I’m also happy to tell you I broke new ground on my scales this morning! The scales actually SMIRKED at me, as we got into fresh, new, lower territory as I grinned back. I HOPE this continues, as I still have a lot of lard I’d like to shed.  Though it is much harder to lose the lard the older you get, I’m proving to myself that it IS possible.

A man contacted me yesterday, discussing buying 5 of my new Unicorn Spit plaques. He’s talking to friends today and is supposed to get back to me tomorrow.  He understands that these are one of a kind and that I cannot do exactly the same thing twice. Fingers – and all other appendages – are crossed. I’m working on flat wooden Christmas ornaments again today, seeing how they will turn out with this same wonderful paint.

The weather is beautiful, with a high in the low 60’s today! Gorgeous fall weather. I’ll try to get outside this afternoon and get a good amount of clean up of our planters done.

I hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying this gorgeous Sunday – AND that you remembered to set your clocks back last night.

 

 

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October 30, 2019 · 12:48 pm

Thoughts on a Wednesday 10-30-2019

Stefka K Foerster – LinkedIn

It’s cold (46 degrees F.) and rainy here today.  We did not get the freeze, but the low is forecast to be 29 tomorrow. BRRR! My husband drove down to get the mail, but we decided today was a GREAT day to stay inside.

Since my husband has asked a couple more times about when we’ll have the Keto Chili again, (Suzanne Ryan, Simply Keto), I got the ingredients into the crock pot first thing this morning. Our son texted from Thailand, asking if I could give HIM the recipe. I took a pic of the page and sent it to him. :0)

Our wonderful bug man, Adolpho from Tri-Hill Pest Control of Fort Smith, came for our last spraying of the year this morning. Since it’s cold and rainy outside, he said he will come back next week to do the outside. I’ve told you before that we think this is a great company and our dogs vie for Adolpho’s attention.

I have decided that I need to be SURE to live at LEAST as long as my husband. He had to have an implant at the dentist’s office several months back. The new protocol is that they do the implant, wait several months and THEN do the x-rays and prep for the new tooth, and THEN insert the actual tooth at a third appointment. I’ve told you my husband had a stroke in July. He is now on blood thinners. He was going to agree to an appointment without telling the dentist’s office about his situation OR checking with our primary doctor. I have now contacted our primary, called the dentist’s office back to explain my husband’s situation so that NOW they will be prepared to handle any problems that might occur.  (I have told my husband that his wife is a pearl beyond price…)

This afternoon I plan to do more experimenting with Unicorn Spit in my art room. I’ve told you that this wonderful STUFF can be used on paper, wood, glass, ceramics, fabric and more. I’ve done the wooden plaques now. Next I’m going to see what happens with tote bags, glass Christmas ornaments, and flat wooden Christmas ornaments, and paper. Can you see me smiling even THINKING about my afternoon?

I’m delighted that my elliptical trainer time and yoga stretching time seem to be resulting in MUCH less pain, stiff joints, etc. This means a LOT at my age – 72 – so I’m really happy about this discovery.  I’m hoping that by the end of the year – or before – I can add something else to the daily exercise mix.

I hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday.

 

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October 27, 2019 · 3:30 pm

Thoughts on a Sunday 10-27-2019

Slice of Life

Today when we were shopping for groceries, we saw families with big pumpkins in their shopping carts. Since we live on top of a ridgeline 650+feet up a steep driveway, we don’t get trick or treaters anymore. I love to see the delight on the children’s faces. I wish I could say we made wonderful jack-o-lanterns when our son was young and we were BURIED in so many trick or treaters we had to BUDGET to be able to pay for all the candy. Alas, I was lucky to manage the traditional jack-o-lantern without cutting off a finger or two. That’s why I truly love searching the net each year to see what the creative people are coming up with. I’m amazed at all the wonderful ideas and the amazing talent I find!

When checking our local weather website, I discovered that starting Wednesday of this coming week, we’ll have FREEZING temperatures each morning! My husband and I were out in the yard yesterday happily looking at some blooming roses, impatiens, and some clematis. It looks like they only have a few days left.

Because of the coming freezes, we got busy with our ‘Prep for Winter’ list. We have added to this list, starting many years ago, having learned the hard way that if we don’t pay attention and be proactive, we end up in a world of hurt with freezing pipes, etc. One year we lost the generator in the well house. We now have  a larger, propane powered generator that is much more reliable. When you live out in the sticks, you learn that you’ll be last in line when help is needed. The more you can take care of your own needs, the better.

So today we turned off our irrigation system that waters all the flowers around the house and on the deck. We unhooked and drained the system as much as possible. We pulled hoses out of the well house and plugged the holes in the brick for the winter. We plugged in a thermostat-controlled electric heater our there, plus lit the pilot light of the propane-powered heater that keeps our pipes from freezing. We then walked around the house, closing outside vents, unhooking hoses, and putting styrofoam faucet covers on the outside faucets. We unhooked the irrigation system hose for the veggie garden and wrapped the control in bubble wrap and a baggie with tape. We ran one of the ride-on mowers out of gas for storage. There is much more on the list, but we’ll handle those another day.

We had a nice texting chat with our son who is back home in Thailand. He is finally making progress on getting his hours straightened out, rather than being awake and asleep and hungry at the wrong times. He is back to morning exercise, meditation, and working with his partners.

I fixed the ‘keto chili’ by Suzanne Ryan of Simply Keto last night. My husband pronounce it “Delicious!” Went on to say, “I’ll be happy to eat this ANY time!” and finally, “Can we eat what’s left tomorrow night?”

I’m going to try to get reasonable pictures of the 5 plaques I painted with the Unicorn Spit stain/glaze and list them on ArtFire.

I’ll also make time for my elliptical trainer and my yoga practice.

I hope you’re having a wonderful, sunshine-y fall Sunday.

 

 

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