Three Things

Three things I have learned:
1.  Sugar is not good; and I gave in this week :(
2.  I am pretty sure wheat causes my headaches
3.  When I have a headache, caffeine makes it worse.

I indulged last night at our small group dinner at Capri K's house and had a little lasagna, a little bread, a little piece of cake and two cookies and diet caffeine free pop.

With in one hour of eating the headache started and continued into the night and today.  It could have been caused by all three of the above mentioned things.  But it is looking good, that I will try harder to stay away from these three things in the new year, because oh baby, I am in pain today!

Sugar and Then Some

more sugar....I gave up the battle of eating no sugar last night.  It was all just so good with some yummy flavored coffee.  I had some wheat also with the appetizers. My eyes started itching and so did the rest of my face and body. Was it the shrimp?  or wheat?  or sugar? or a combination of things?  So back today to no wheat and sugar and no more of anything made out of cream cheese.  This takes every ounce of willpower I have.  

It Wasn't Easy.....

I had a few little gingerbread men with my tea; I tasted a few things with one bite; but I have to tell you when the food is in the house; it is downright hard not to eat it.  Nothing like dessert with a cuppa; a cup of tea or coffee.  Oh so hard to resist; especially Grandma H's sour cream coffee cake. I have made her coffee cake since I was first married and haven't made it in ages. It is the best; moist with a cinnamon, sugar, and chopped nuts for the topping.  I did snitch some morsels as I was cutting it up.  That is almost automatic isn't it when you are cutting cake?  The jello cake was a big hit too.  But the steamers in the evening are the favorites.

Self-Control

This Christmas I wish for peace...contentment with the busyness of the holidays.  I pray for self-control so that I can remain healthy and happy. I know what too much sugar does to my body and my health, so I choose to avoid most of it.  Funny thing about sugar, once you start eating all those little goodies, it is hard to stop and it becomes a permanent part of your diet again.  It is going to be hard I know! 
I choose to keep exercising at the pool because it makes me feel better and is good for my body.  Discipline is hard and all of us struggle in different areas.  I have one area of struggle right now that plaques me and I can't seem to get a grip on it.  I am thinking though, that discipline in one area might lead to discipline in another area.  That is my prayer and self-control is under the fruit of the spirit which I have talked about on my other blog.  
Have a joyous, healthy Christmas!

It's All In The Presentation

For dinner here with our friends last night, I decided to get out the Christmas table cloth and napkins and my mom's gold Rosemary depression glass and the gold silverware.  It looked quite festive.  I made the whole dinner; pot roast with potatoes and carrots and green beans with mushrooms.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.  Then I made the pears. I got very creative and broke some cinnamon sticks in the pears after I put the rum and butter in.  Then, the last five minutes I put a tablespoon of marscapone cheese on the top and served it with whipped cream in a Rosemary dish.  They loved it.  I must say, I do like to be creative in the presentation of serving a meal to company.

A little brown sugar was added in baking

Ah.....the whipped cream; the finishing touch

Believe It Or Not....

I am cooking dinner for our friends tonight.  I know I have mentioned that I don't like to cook anymore, but pot roast with all the veggies is my speciality.  I can already smell it cooking; yum.  I am making the baked pears for dessert and bought some marscapone chesse to dab on top the last 10 minutes they are baking. I bought some fresh flowers for the table and things are shaping up. 
And I know I don't eat sugar and wheat but these Wyoming Whopper Cookies are the best.  They are like 3 cookies in one; peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate chip. I am going to post the recipe. I can't believe I am posting such a decadent cookie on this blog!  I hope to make them tomorrow. You think I can not eat one?   

Don't Give Up

I have to tell myself that just because it is Christmas, I don't have to eat all those desserts.  To eat is just a few moments of pleasure for what?  Gas?  A sick feeling? a few pounds that are harder to get off than they were to get on?  So, not to feel deprived, I will make my yummy pumpkin pie, and my baked pears, and baked banana's are good also (that one's for you Kath), and I will use my coconut sugar to make them.  Hot sugar-free drinks are good too.  In fact, I have to go drink my sugar-free Chai right now.  And, I have to keep up with the swimming even though most of the ladies will not be there the rest of the week. It's an hour and a half out of my early morning; surely I can manage that.  
Time for my wheat-free blueberry pancake with chopped pecans.  I worked hard for it this morning.    

Baked Pears

It's winter almost and this is when I like to make my baked pears.  I cut the pears in half and take off the stem and cut out the seeds and core.  Then I put a little Rum in the hollowed out space; or you can use rum flavoring.  I put in a half of teaspoon of Smart Balance and some sweetener; a little brown sugar, stevia, or coconut sugar.  You can add chopped pecans if you like them.  I add a little water in the dish and bake them at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes until they are soft.  You can use Anjou pears or yellow pears.  Serve warm with a little fat-free whipped cream. 
I just read in a magazine where they added Marscapone cheese; that sounded good and I would add it the last 10 minutes of baking.

Gingerbread Cookies

Why did I buy the bag of little gingerbread men cookies at Target when I love them so much?  Eating them with tea is the best.  Well I had 1 yesterday and 1 today.  I think that is funny-why  just not have any?  Like I've said before, the pleasure of eating something like that is so fleeting, it almost isn't worth it.....almost. I guess if you can limit yourself; a hard thing to do this time of year it might be okay.  I'm a stickler for the rules because that is how I was brought up.  It doesn't matter if they are my own rules. Ha ha.  I tell you, some of the substitute wheat and sugar products make you feel worse than the real stuff.  You are better off not eating anything like that.  My chiropractor tells me to eat food that is as close to nature as you can get.  Oh...where does that put dark chocolate?  And coffee?   And tea?  And honey?  And Stevia?  And German Rock Sugar?  I will have to tell you about that sometime.  Those little gingerbread men are calling my name everyday.  Just eat them and get it over with and don't buy anymore!!!

DaVinci

                           
It was delivered last week and it is hmmm hmmm good.  These sugar-free flavorings make a cup of coffee or a cup of hot chocolate so much better.  Just ask my sistopher as she had the Cinnamon one in her coffee this morning with a little fat-free cream.  Yesterday, I had the Peppermint Paddy in my hot chocolate....very smooth.  It's like drinking an almost calorie-free dessert.  You will have to try some.  I am going to find a store that sells them.  

NO Wheat.....

the last couple of days.  Had a little sugar....one little gingerbread man....or was it two.  And then there is that one piece of chocolate I must have.  I tried my sugar-free DaVinci peppermint patty in my sugar-free hot chocolate and it was hmmmm good.  I have been actually hungry this weekend which is a change for me.  That is why I am going swimming at 7:00 a.m.today with my sister; I am sure we will be dragging ourselves there. She has been wanting to come and try it out.  She has lost weight, you can tell.  But somehow the thought of getting in a pool in the winter is not appealing especially when it is dark and cold when you start out, but exercise with diet is VERY effective.  Get on it people!  Find something.  Riles wanted me to go to Zumba with her Brownie class ha ha.  That one is not for me.  Whatever it is you can do, do IT!!!  And watch that sugar in the next two weeks, so you don't have to start all over again with the weight loss next month.  I am really talking to myself here....

Old Habits

are hard to break.  I had wheat on Tuesday night in the form of pasta in spaghetti and yesterday I had a grilled cheese sandwich on whole grain bread.  Oh, boy, my stomach suffered yesterday afternoon and last night.  Today, I have a headache.  I think there might be something to this wheat sensitivity thing; so today I stayed "clean." 
I mentioned coconut sugar in my last blog and I googled it and found an article about it on Wikipedia.  If you are interested you might check it out.  The glycemic index of coconut sugar is 35 and is classified as a low glycemic index food.  It is considered healthier than traditional white sugar and brown sugar.  It can be used as a 1:1 sugar substitute for coffee, tea, baking and cooking.  It has a high mineral content and is a rich source of potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron.  It also contains B vitamins: B1,B2,B3 and B6. Compared to brown sugar it  has twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc.  It was a very intesting article.  I bought mine at Vitamin world. 

It's even organic!

I Did It!!

Yes, I peeked at my weight again today; back down to my new normal weight of 123.   Anyway, I had to go to the doctor and they weighed me on a digital scale and it was the same....IN BIG BOLD NUMBERS!!
Couldn't miss it.  I have to tell you about a new sweetener I found; it is Organic Coconut Sugar.  It is an unrefined alternative to cane sugar.  1 tsp. has 4 grams of sugar and you use it 1:1 replacement for sugar.  It was great on my oatmeal this morning; good.  It is gluten free and made by MADHAVA.  I also found a sugar-free Chai Tea. It is made by OREGON CHAI.  That was also good.
Good news, my MRI was normal!!!  I am also feeling much better.  What was the pain?  Medication?  Perhaps some intestinal swelling.  The doctor told me to come back in April unless I have problems again.  I really like her; which is saying a lot for me-to LIKE a doctor. 

Don't Do It!!

I just had to weight myself again today...I usually do it on Fridays.  Never do it on a Monday after the weekend.  So I am way up (no pun intended) and can't figure it out at all, except it goes along with my unloverly Mon DAY!! I know, wait (no pun intended again) until Friday.  Everyone always weighs more on Monday.  No more ice cream for me.  I had it 2 nights in a row.  Don and I threw it out; not good for us.  Tonight the chef is cooking up some blueberry pancakes; he is going to BSF and we aren't that hungry.  I will have my gluten-free ones which are quite good.  I will have to snack on carrots later tonight to get some veggies in.  And then weigh in on Friday...no more Mondays!
BTW, bloggers use some of their own language; unloverly being one of them.  I need to make a list of my "blog words."

I Confess......

I had some sugar tonight; slow churned ice cream-pomegranate blueberry-very good.  Okay, but it made me feel yucky afterward.  You know that feeling......just kind of sick and asking yourself  "why did I just eat that?"  It took what 2 minutes?? HA!  2 minutes of pleasure for hours of guilt and yuckiness.  I gotta remember that next time.
I also didn't go swimming this morning because I didn't go today.  I had gone six days in a row; so needed a break; but I had no energy, so I am going tomorrow a.m. before church.  Wonder if I can get the Donald to go with me???

Weight Is Holding.....

between 123 and 124 and has for some time now.  I was down to 122 a week ago; but today I was 123.5.  I am not eating wheat.  I do have some sugar though; pretty hard to stay off it completely.  I eat some wheat-free graham crackers sometimes, a piece of chocolate and I have had some ice cream or frozen banana with a little chocolate sauce on it and I have some wheat-free cereal that has some sugar in it.  
I have stepped up the exercise- this week I walked and swam in the pool 6 days for 40 minutes each time.  I have the gals running a few laps now and boy is that fun.  Norma is always at the lead and no one can catch up to her; which bugs her friend Paulie a great deal.  Boy can those two talk about each other behind their backs. Hmm Hmmm.  I even have Paulie going under water a few times with her super-duper professional goggles.  I enjoy going swimming even more now that I finally know everyone and we move fast while we talk.  Walking against the current is new for me and I am finally able to do it without as much strain as before.  I have gone down 2 sizes now.  Happy about that except my clothes are kind of big.  I feel better and think this is probably a good weight for me.
I really believe that at any age, exercise AND food portions is very important, but especially the older you get.

It Carries It.....

I've been craving a grande peppermint mocha coffee for over a week.  I stopped at Starbucks in Plymouth today and there on the menu....."Skinny Peppermint Mocha."  After asking what it was: They said it was sugar-free peppermint mocha, with skim mild, no whip.  I asked for it in de-caf pronto.  I think I might add the whip next time.  They said every year they carry one of their holiday drinks in the sugar-free.  How nice of them to carry the peppermint mocha for me this year. I've had my fix, but I'm sure I will need more. 

Found It!!!

For all my craving yesterday, the only sweet thing I ate was a piece of chocolate.  But I found some peppermint sugar-free flavoring; Tan Lady at the Rec. Center told me about http://www.davincigourmet.com/ .  Tan Lady knows EVERYTHING!!!!  There is just no way else to describe her.  She has lost 50 lbs or so on WW on-line and waling for an hour or more in the pool five days a week for years I think HA HA.  She and Norma know EVERYBODY!!!!
I started using weights; they are hollow and you can fill them with water to make them heavier.  I didn't do that, but there is quite a resistance using them underwater.  It keeps me from getting bored; something new added to the routine.  It is SO hard to get up and go in the morning when it is dark and cold, but so worth it afterward :)

Cravings

So much for all my talking about no wheat, sugar blah, blah, blah.  I am home from church; yep I have this cough, a low-grade fever and I am just not 100%.  I really don't like to miss church because then I think "what blessing am I missing out on?"  Yep, every time I go, I come home with many blessings.
So, you know what I am craving for lunch?  A bear claw from Panera and a peppermint coffee whatever it's called from Starbucks.  Oh man, that would put me over the edge because that is only what I want for lunch.  Lunch has always been my hardest meal; I never know what to eat.  Generally I do like a soup (tomato) and salad (Harvest Turkey with pear) at Panera.  Hmm...that will be kind of hard to stop there on the way home from church since I am home.  Wonder if I can make myself up a sugar-free lo-fat version of the peppermint coffee.  I'll let you know or.....you can let me know.  

Wheat

I have been eating wheat every day for the last 3 day. Last night Donaldo the chef made a yummy pizza; it was my third wheat meal of the day.  I just wanted to see what happened....and I woke up with a mega headache today....so back off the wheat.  I just need a good bread and I can't find one I like.  They are all heavy and nasty.  So I will be looking for a recipe and try one after the other if I have to in order to find a good one without wheat. If you can help me in my quest-got a little cookbook for you-hey a prize what a great idea.   

Never Say Never

Okay, so I said I was not writing on here again...but I have a few diet related things to say. 
First of all, I have been on a wheat-free diet most of the last 3 weeks.  I have felt a lot better, the headaches aren't as bad and my stomach doesn't hurt as often.  But Wednesday night after my nasty MRI (drinking 3 bottles of contrast, getting an IV, injected with dye, and pushing a high amount of glucose) I had a burger on a bun at the hospital.  They told me to eat because when my sugar dropped it would be too low since I am hypoglycemic. I must say, I was quite sick all night after that. 
 Then yesterday I had to have dressing, or stuffing however you say it. Honestly I couldn't eat it all or my dinner; I think my stomach has shrunk.  Like in "Honey, I shrunk my stomach." Does that really happen?
After swimming today, I weighed myself (every Friday) and I am way down; lower than I have ever been.  Kind of don't get it, because I have felt better.  However, today I have a headache, and a stomachache and I am really thinking WHEAT here!!  OR....SUGAR.  Yep I had some last night.....a little piece of crustless pumpkin pie and icecream. 
Last weekend when I was at Kristopher's I had some wheat and sugar-did not feel so good afterward. 
Have I convinced myself that wheat and sugar aren't good for me?  Yes I have! 
I am still swimming 4-5 days a week and talking to the "girls" while I walk.  So now my total weight loss is 22 pounds.  I get a little worried sometimes when it goes down; but I am wondering if it is the exercise.  What think you? 

Last Post

This is the last post on this blog.  I  managed to be sugar-free for months.  I managed to be disciplined about exercise.  But because of illness, I am not sure my weight loss is accurate.  I basically lost about 20 pounds and went down a size or two, but how much of this is from diet and exercise, I am not sure. I do think the exercise helps slim different parts of your body.  I still eat mostly sugar-free.  I do have some occasionally, but nothing rich and sweet.  I started wheat-free almost 2 weeks ago which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  I have not had much of a headache in five days but whether it is because of the wheat-free diet I do not know.  What I can say is that there is wheat AND sugar in many things; all, so it will taste good.  There is also salt in MANY things especially restaurant food.  And, although, I am eating healthy, none of it has helped the problem in my tummy.
 My next step here is to ask for an MRI because it can visualize tissue problems that a cat scan can't pick up.  I have left a message for my GI doctor's nurse to call me.  That's the way with U of M.  It's not too effective I have learned, but I will be persistent.  It seems like if I eat healthy, I should feel healthy right?  Uh hum!  I am thankful for minimal headaches again and good cholesterol and sugar numbers.  The rest....it seems up to God's timing and diagnoses; something simple and fixable would be nice.  I will stay on the wheat-free diet for 2 more weeks and always watch the sugar since 4 of my siblings and my dad have diabetes.  Sugar really isn't good for you.  I will still swim/walk 4-6 days a week; it is good for stress and energy.  It was fun doing the blog; I love the title, but writing two blogs is hard.  So thanks for reading and your comments.

It Would Be So Easy....

To not go swimming tomorrow.  I didn't go today, so tomorrow is the day.  But when I think of it tonight...sleeping in sounds so much better. 

It would be so easy to eat something with wheat in it.  Just a little bit...you know?  But then I would have to start over.  I want to try this for one month.

It would be so easy to skip my Bible Study tomorrow morning.  I have a lot I want to accomplish tomorrow.  But I love that time I spend...it is special...I need it. 

It would be so easy to eat something sweet and sugary but it wouldn't be good for me and would probably make me sick.

It would be so easy to spend a lot of time on the computer.  But then I would get a bad headache and that would be the end of my day. 

It would so easy to sit and read all day tomorrow, but then nothing would get done. 

The things that are easy aren't always good for you.  Sometimes we just do them because....it is so easy.

Early Morning

The early morning swim is getting harder and harder as it gets darker and colder.  It is becoming a matter of discipline now.  It was so much easier in the spring and summer. The water feels colder when I first get in, but once I get warmed up, it's better. The reward is the hot tub and sauna and feeling energized afterward.  Funny thing is...I am NOT a morning person and now I have become one.  Today, though, I did not feel like socializing with the gaggle of women who walk and talk.  I needed some caffeine.  
 I am beginning my eighth month of swimming.  Donaldo said "that's a huge accomplishment."  Yea it kind of is. 
As far as the diet....my daughter suggested a juicer.  We tried that once and you have to buy bags and bushels of fruits and veggies to have enough to make juice.  We sent it back. 
The doctor suggested I have a test for Gastropareisis.  It is a medical term for delayed stomach emptying.  You eat an egg sandwich with nuclear pellets and they follow them through for four hours to see how long it takes for your stomach to empty.  She said I could have the test or just try the diet for a month.  But the diet has stuff on it I never eat.  White bread, white rice, saltine crackers no fresh fruit or veggies just cooked and canned. And you can only eat small meals-like a palm-sized; you just eat more often.  I don't know if I will do the test or not.  I googled the condition and even if I have it-they try different things to help you manage it and they don't always work.  It is most common in people with diabetes which I don't have. The doctor gave me the choice of the diet, the test or just stay on my wheat-free diet. I see her again December 6.  She mentioned an MRI at some point.
So, I have decdied to just stop eating....peiod.  Nah, just kidding-still eating wheat-free while I ponder. 

Update

Due to a comment from my friend Dottie on the previous blog post, I decided to write an update. It's hard enough to write one blog let alone two:)
 I have maintained a 19-20 lb weight loss.  I am still not feeling 100% and am going to my final doctor appointment tomorrow with a new GI doctor; a woman.  I have also developed a painful condition called "burning mouth syndrome."  It affects my mouth, my tongue and sometimes the rest of my face.
I am actually tired of talking about all this because they can't find anything wrong which makes me feel like "it's all in my head."  My dermatologist suggested I stay off all wheat for a month. Her sister had some similar symptoms and she felt better after a month of not eating wheat.  So I have have been wheat-free for 6 days.  My chiropractor said to eat things that are NOT processed and that are as close to being natural as possible.  Sounds good to me, I've got nothing to lose well...um...except more weight. I am going to look on his web site for links and yummy recipes. 
Not feeling well is a great motivator to eat well but it's not a fun way to lose weight. Is there any FUN way though? 
Hoping the wheat-free might also help my headaches which have returned in number and intensity.  So, this is my journey; not sure why I'm on it.  I am trusting God and trying to take one day at a time. 
I still swim, mostly every day ;  it's harder to get up and go when it's cold and dark, but it is worth it to get up and go. 
Will post some good recipes that I come across. 

Not Sugar Free

But oh so good.  Found it at Costco.  Great in coffee too!

Grandma's Pumpkin Bread

There is nothing like a recipe in a person's own handwriting.  This is Donaldo's mom's recipe-oh so good....probably not so good for you.  She was a wonderful baker and she lived to be 89.  The recipe is especially sentimental when the person who wrote it is gone.  I once went to an estate sale on our street and grabbed up the woman's recipe box.  And what do you think I found?  Recipes from all the neighbors who are now gone.  It was a special find for me. 

                                                 

                                

Stealing Blogs............

 

Yes I have resorted to stealing a blog right off of someone else's blog-my sistopher kindly put this pumpkin pie recipe on her blog.  Thanks Kath.  Hope you can read it.  That's what I get for stealing.

 

All Things Pumpkin

I love to decorate for fall-even more than Christmas.  This was at the Perry Hotel in Petoskey

                          
This time of the year I start craving pumpkin; pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes none of which are sugar free.  I am looking for a pumpkin pie that is sugar and wheat free.  When I find one I will post it! Let me know if you have a recipe.   

Food And Spirits

     
For a quick meal-burger, pizza, salad or sandwich, the Noggin Room at the 100 year old Perry Hotel is tops.  We had a great pizza there and the next night we had a turkey burger.  They give you a big basket of fresh-popped popcorn.  How can you stop eating that?? 
We sat on the porch in the sun late Saturday night and watched people come in and out.  The flowers on the porch were beautiful especially the geraniums.  Don wants to know how they get them so beautiful.   
Downtown Petoskey is a beautiful place to be!

Raw Foods

                         

Have you ever heard about a raw foods diet?  Just read about it in the newspaper; a woman who had breast cancer went on a raw foods diet and skipped chemo.  She has been cancer-free for 6 years.  With the return of my headaches and not being too patient with anymore pain, I am going to look into this.  Let me know if you know anything about it.

All Things Cherry

                          
We first found Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor and fell in love.  Mostly because there are tons of free samples like chocolate covered cherries, dried cherries, salsa and chips, cherries and nuts, jams and so on.  They have a store in Charleviox and when were there Sunday, we felt like we needed an afternoon snack.  Oh yea!  That was the place to go!!  I must say I like their dark chocolate covered dried cherries, but refrained from buying them.  I love cherry almond jam and this dressing look quite different, so after we made pigs of ourselves, we bought these two things.  They also do mail order. And of course there is nothing sugar-free.

Spice

                             
We found this wonderful spice several years ago up north in Alden, MI near Torch Lake.  I would love to go back to that beautiful town with cute shops on beautiful Torch Lake.  It is a bit of a drive from my dad's place, but we found we can buy the spice at Roast and Toast in Petoskey.  So I had to stock up this past weekend.  We use this spice on everything!
I fell off the no-sugar bandwagon this weekend.  The stuff is totally addictive.  Once you take a bite-it's hard to stop.  And my stomach felt better so I felt "I owed" myself.  Funny how we think that. 
My new symptoms are itching all over and I still have a very dry mouth and lips; very uncomfortable.  I see the rheumatologist on Friday.

Lots of Goodies

I found this in "Cooking Light" Magazine.  I am especially interested in "Kristen's Gluten-Free Cherry and Coffee Cake Muffin Mix."  Although it seems a bit pricey.  The Pecan! Pecan Butter looks good too; but pricey also.  Okay it's a fun look anyway!

Hummingbird Bread

                            
The name intriqued me; as you know we are lovers of hummingbirds.  I found this recipe in the newspaper, and it is a healthier version of the original; whatever that was :)  Looks really good!  Still has the good old sugar and wheat. But it would be something good to make for company or to take somewhere. 

                       

Sugar is Good!

I actually baked something the other day and it turned out great!  I still have it.  Of course since it was for our small group, I made it with sugar and I must say, sugar is good!  If I were making it for us, I would skip the sugar or use sugar substitute.  But there is no way around it, sugar makes the recipe!
So what was this yummy thing?  It was apple/pear crisp.  I used 4 ripe Bosc pears, one Rome apple, and one Spy apple.  I doubled the crisp recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook and made it in a 9x9 glass square pan.  It looked and smelled so good.  I wish I had taken a picture.
Now on to a healthier recipe-this looks really good. This might be on the menu for dinner this week.

Slow and Easy

Chef Donaldo went to Costco and while he was there he bought himself a new sloooooow cooker.  We already have one, but this one is better and bigger.  He makes soup once a month for the soup kitchen at church and wanted a bigger crock pot.  And it came with a small cookbook.  I thought this recipe looked easy and really good. 
I hit the 20 lb. mark today.  Not sure if that is good or bad, since I am still not feeling good....and I have no clothes.  But the later is easier to fix.  Especially with sales at Parisian and Land's end "Friends and family" 25% off and free shipping.  I must say I am a fan of Lands End now.  They are really great to deal with and you can take anything back at the Lands End department at Sears. 
I think we will give this recipe a try before next month's soup kitchen.

Yummy Pears

This is just getting to be a plain ole recipe blog. The roasted pears with Honey Yogurt sound Yummy!

                

Spiders

These are the perfect cookies for all you spider lovers.  I think I will plan ahead and give them a try.
          

                                     

Yummy And Warm

I got this recipe out of a magazine and thought it sounded perfect for this time of year.  I think it is worth a try.  If you want less sugar, use sugar-free hot chocolate. 

Crafty Food Ideas

I don't know what got into me this week, but I felt like creating.  I wanted to make some wine vinegars.  They are so easy.  I found some pretty wine vinegar bottles at the grocery store and soaked the labels off.  I added all the fresh herbs into the bottle and vinegar (you have to dump a little out) and let it sit in a window.  The more herbs you have the prettier it looks.  If you want to give it for a gift, you can tie a bow to the top and a list of ingredients.  These had lots of herbs including Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Oregano, 2 or 3 hot peppers for color, Basil and Red Basil which makes the vinegar turn a light shade of pink. I added some edible nasturtium flowers and leaves.  The garlic chives are blooming and the pretty white flowers add some color also. You can use it for an marinade, or you can make your own salad dressing with it. It looks so pretty sitting in the window.   
Yesterday I had to make a salad for a lunch meeting and I made my own dressing from Penzeys Italian Seasoning. I added a few nasturtium flowers to the dressing and also to the salad; decorating the top.  People are always surprised that you can eat nasturtiums.  The leaves have a pepper taste and the flowers have a slight pepper taste. I use the flowers mostly for decoration. Make sure you rinse the center of the flowers out so no little bugs are hiding-you don't want to add that kind of protein to the salad!  

This is one of the wine vinegars that I use-and I soak the label off.  Then I add the herbs....

                         

Exercise

I decided to give the pool ONE more day to heat up and jumped in our 99 degree hot tub this morning. Ah....it was lovely to sit and see the steam rising from the water.  But, I was lacking in exercise today so I decided to take a walk.  Now when I walk, I have to go somewhere, I can't just walk.  So I walked up to TJ Maxx to see if they had any goodies.  Yes indeedy, if you don't go too often, you are ripe for finding something good. There it was, a half priced "Life IS Good" T-shirt with a coffee mug on it in a pretty shade of blue. The mug is pink.  It just jumped off the rack and into my arms. 
I have to be careful now, my tummy has been feeling mostly better for a week now-don't want to gain anymore weight back and I still want to eat healthy, because I believe it is a good thing.  You just have to be careful, that you don't eat too much healthy food you know? 
Going to give the pool a try tomorrow. 

Cool Pool

The Rec. Center was closed all last week for maintenance and they drained the pool and it was re-filled last Thursday.  I went swimming Saturday when they opened and that pool was COLD; lower 70's. I'm sure it was as cold as Lake Superior if you have ever been in that lake you would know how cold it was.  I like warm water; 86 is ideal, I think they keep the pool at the Rec. Center at 84 which I tolerate. I warm up once I get exercising. 
I skipped yesterday; giving it one more day to warm up.  Went this morning; FREEZING.  The power had been off yesterday and the center was closed.  I swam/walked for 20 minutes; it made my ears ache underwater.  Then I warmed up in the hot tub and high-tailed it home to my own hot tub :)

Potent Quotable

                                           

"If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the answer." -----Anon.

HOT

Well true to Michigan weather, it is back in the 90's. But get this, Monday is going to be in the 60's.  Now that is a 20 degree fall.  I really do like this time of year; it is just bittersweet because of what comes after it.
I found a refresing drink and it does have natural sugar in it, but it is so refreshing and is supposed to restore your electrolytes better than Gatorade@ and is better for you.  It takes some time to get used to the taste, but now I like it.  What is this wonder juice??  Take a look, give it a try!
                

Pure, right from the coconut!

                         

What's For Dinner?

Well, Donaldo is mixing up a yummy marinade for the grilled chicken.  We bought some baby squash at the farmer's market which he is going to grill with a little Penzyes' Tuscan Sunset spice and olive oil.  Baby potatoes on the grill are good too.  The chef microwaves them a bit before grilling them.  The peaches we bought aren't ripe enough to grill-but wait-grilling makes them soften up....so maybe. I love this time of year when all the fruits and veggies are so plentiful.  I even bought some "wine" grapes.  I forget what they are called, but I love them.  Yep, I will eat dinner slowly and enjoy all the fine flavors. 

There was a twin squash in that box

Little grapes-sweet with slightly tart skin

We know what this fawn is having for dinner!

                   

Melons

How can this possibly be the last day of August???  Tell me!  I always tell Donaldo that after the 4th of July and my birthday it is downhill from there and not really that much longer.  Being the half-cup full kind of guy, he doesn't pay any attention to me.  But now....you should hear him.  He is already talking about Florida. 
I just love the farmer's markets this time of year and I am hooked on melons.  Since I have had this dry mouth problem that started 2 weeks ago-it is the perfect fruit; so juicy and sweet.  I know there are probably more calories in watermelon, but it is my favorite. 
The only way to use a melon is to cut it up right away or you will let it sit in the refrigerator and never eat it.  That has happened to me many times.  So I cut them up and put the pieces in a bowl and just help myself whenever I want. 
The Northville Farmer's Market is full of produce now-I love going this time of year; they have EVERYTHING!!!  So I will be going tomorrow and will be buying more melon. 
Happy melon eating!!!

It's Fixed, It Came

The pool opened today-yea!! I was over there by 7:15 a.m. walking and swimming with two other "regulars."  My gills enjoyed the swim. Now I have 3 more days until it closes for it's yearly maintenence on Monday for a week.  
My order from from Penzey's Spices came.  It was really fun to open every wrapped bottle.  Chef Donaldo was duly impressed and he used "Arizona Dreaming" on his grilled pork tenderloin tonight. Yummy! 
          

                            

Routine

I am missing my routine of going swimming in the morning.  I already feel out of shape.  This is the 5th day the pool has been closed.  I call every morning, but it still isn't fixed.  The lap pool is open, but I can't do my walking AND swimming, but tomorrow I will be so desperate I will have go in the lap pool where the water is over my head.  Now, I am not too fond of swimming in water over my head.  I like to know the bottom is close by my feet, so I will probably swim under water, grab the side and repeat down the whole lane.  But desperate times make desperate measures!  Luckily we have the hot tub up and working again.  I swear I have grown fins and they need water.  I must tell you, water is very relaxing; that's what it is.
Now on to my lunch today; while Donaldo splurged on a burger and fries for his birthday, I had a cobb salad.  It was the best.  The bowl was really cool in that the front of the bowl dipped towards me.  It was really unique and seemed to make it easier to eat the salad.  They had the yummiest homemade tomato dressing to go on it.  Everything was so fresh and the salad pieces were chopped the way I like them.  I always ask for dressing on the side because I don't like my salad soaked in dressing.  This was perfecto!

                    

No Pool

The pool has been shut down at the Rec. Center since Saturday.  Every morning I call, and it still isn't working.  And then they shut down for a week next week for maintenance. So no pool...and our hot tub is cloudy so Donaldo has to take in a sample of the water to see what is wrong.  Water, water everywhere and not a drop to spare. Our neighbor came home, so now we can't even use his pool.  I might have to resort to walking :(

Potent Quotable

                              
When we read this verse in church today it reminded me of all the seasonings in yesterday's blog picture.
"Let your conversation be always full of grace and seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  Col 4:6
Everything in my herb garden adds flavoring and seasoning.  Think how it enhances our food, so should grace enhance our speech and actions.

A Package Full of Spices

I just had to steal this picture from Capri K (http://caprik.wordpress.com/)  Her husband who does a lot of the cooking just received this order from Penzeys Spice Catalog.  Don't you just love the looks of it all?  This is once catalog I have to get.  I'm thinking they MUST have a web site.  Going to check into that!  Meanwhile enjoy the picture and dream!

Here is the website:  http://www.penzeys.com/

Rosemary

My favorite herb is Rosemary. I love the smell and taste and my mother's name is Rosemary.  In southern climates it grows into a big shrub and does not die in the winter.  When we were in Scotland there was a huge hedge along the drive of the B and B where we were staying.  I loved it!  Rosemary is fine in Michigan until it goes below 20 degrees and then it could die.  Bringing it inside is hard because you have to keep it the right moisture.  It dries out very quickly with the heat on.  Last year I winter-overed a plant up against the house and when it got too cold for that, I put it in the garage and it kind of went dormant. I brought it back out in the spring and it is still growing.  I think it is the first time I wintered-over a Rosemary plant.  I love making herb butter with Rosemary in it.  It is very good on fresh baked bread.

Herb Butter

1 stick of butter
2 TBL chopped chives
1 TBL chopped parsley
2 TBL chopped Rosemary leaves
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Soften the butter
Mix all ingredients in
Put in bowl you are going to serve it in
Make a design on the top
Add a little piece of fresh Rosemary to decorate the top
Serve slightly chilled

What You Need......

This is good for whatever ails you. 

 Seriously though, I saw a cooking show the other night with Donaldo and the woman chef was cutting her lettuce on a cutting board with her super sharp knife.  She said she likes her salad cut in bite-sized pieces.   I usually rip my lettuce apart and  the pieces are usually too big which I don't like.  So tonight I was making Taco Salad with Romaine lettuce and I used the cutting board and and super duper Cutco@ knife and it made nice bite-sized pieces of lettuce.  I decided I like it much better that way. 

                                                                       

Potent Quotable

         
                                 

"How long does getting thin take?" asked Pooh anxiously.
A.A. Milne

24 Hours

                         
After an all-day visit to the ER and 24 hours without eating; I think they are closer to fixing the problem; which isn't life-threatening.  I will know more when I go to the GI doctor next Monday. Going in the spa for the first time yesterday and today is helping my neck, my headache and my stomachache.  There is something about water that is so relaxing.  I hadn't gone swimming for two days, but we went this morning and then made a fast trip to the N.V. Farmer's Market for some fresh veggies and plums.  I just love plums.  I buy these little yellow ones that are so good and you can eat several.  Got a basket of yellow cherry tomatoes that are very yummy and some baby squash to grill-which are better than grilled asparagus! 

Dolphin

                        
I found out today that the gals in the river walk have names for everyone and mine is dolphin.  It is because I walk and dive underwater and all they can see then is a little back-end part of me.  I am all for giving people other names; I do it all the time at the pool in Florida :) I have gone swimming 10 days in a row.  I did not feel like going this morning but ole Donaldo got me up and at 'em.  As usual, I am glad I went.

Potent Quotable

"Achievement seems to be connected
with action. Successful men and
women keep moving. They make
mistakes, but they don't quit." - Conrad Hilton