SPRING ON THE PRAIRIE and WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

IN A SMALL COMMUNITY NEAR BY, they have a TULIP FESTIVAL.  Each year tulip bulbs are planted in their City Park and in their downtown sidewalk containers.  Usually in the month of APRIL, the community celebrates by having venders in the park with other activities to usher in the SPRING.  I'm looking forward to seeing the colorful tulips in bloom.  

This image was found on the internet and isn't from a previous festival.  Still the white, pink and purple blossoms are beautiful together.  Nice selection of colors.  

Spring, where are you?  Just around the bend.  I remember one year where it hit 100 degrees on April Fool's Day.  Jump right into SUMMER for the day.  I suppose it could happen once again. Today's forecast says it will hit 83 degrees.  I'm saying whattttt?  Scattered thunder storms and rain later today.

SPRING:  Looking forward to Spring's milder weather.  Warmer days and cool breezes.  Time to be outside and see nature.  Admiring Nature's flowers and plants in a world full of chaos is a blessing to my soul.  Yard work continues.  

HEALTH JOURNEY:  I won't be having a personal garden this year, but I will strive to eat better by purchasing organic and non-GMO foods while deliberately eating more veggies and fruit. Five servings of vegetables a day and four fruit servings a day is protocol for nutrition.  I have missed the mark when following this advice.  When evaluating what I do eat, I overdo the protein, don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, have done well with lowering dairy intake and grains.  Sugars have not been completely taken out of diet.  

I am more cautious about what I do stuff in my mouth though.  I pay more attention to the added chemicals in highly processed foods then do my best to avoid eating them.  Smaller portion sizes and eating slower do not always take place though.  I'm trying.  Using extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil instead of crisco, sunflower oil, etc.  Grain oils are a no-no.

Drinking spring water, eating soy-free eggs, grass-fed beef, variety of nuts.  Need to add seeds. No coffee and no soda.  Some green teas.      

I will continue taking supplements for a healthier me.  Working hard to lower blood pressure in a natural way.  Same with lowering bad cholesterol and dealing with high blood glucose/diabetes. Lowering weight is a very slow process for me.  Sigh.  Knowing what I am eating will be a conscious decision from here until I eat no more.  Old age should not be a time to downsize the nutrition.  Eating nutritionally dense foods throughout life should be the norm, not the exception.  

Life isn't all about food, but I don't see how I can ignore it when I know that eating poorly adds to health decline.  Poor nutrition, poor choices, poor morals all add up to poor health, poverty, heartache and pain.  

PLANS TODAY:  After a good breakfast, I plan to take a short walk.  Thinning out good 'ole paperwork.  Hubby plans to switch out a switch in one of our cars so when driving the blinkers and brake lights work.  Important to have.    

This week, I will continue going through papers, tidy some on the Junk/TV room and gather items to purge from our home.  Lord, HELP ME get this completed.  No trip to Topeka today as I believe we will stay close to home. 

MEALS ON THE PRAIRIE:  I am so very blessed to have never starved.  Yes, a blessing.  To purchase healthier and better quality food is necessary.  A different variety of foods is educational.  There's an adjustment when switching the types of food I eat that has been ongoing.  Retraining my habits is doable.  It may not be a walk in the park, but doable.

When being informed about how to lose weight, I have been told to eat less and exercise more. Personally, I now know that one should eat MORE, not less of nutritionally dense foods AND stay in motion, rest well, stay well hydrated and stress less.  Hormonal imbalances can be part of the reason weight gain happens.  When one is malnourished, weight gain can happen.  Eating too much protein CAN cause weight gain as the body cannot process it which causes the protein to turn to sugar which turns to fat going to be stored.  

I can eat LESS of the wrong foods.  Portion control.  Eat slower.  Savor the flavor.  For a woman, it is recommended to eat 4 oz. of protein per meal.  Men, 4 to 6 oz.  5 vegetable servings and 4 fruit servings per day.  8 to 10 cups of water a day.  Little dairy.  Little grain.  The food pyramid has changed from what it was in the 1950s.  The food pyramid was deliberately designed to put weight on people so we weren't so skinny.  Things have changed and now peeps are to eat to slim down hopefully be healthier.  Many people that are slim still have health issues.  This isn't right and that isn't right.  The truth of the matter is that in order to be a healthier person we must take action being a healthier person.  Make sense? 

Life isn't all about food.  Healthy lifestyles are important and that involves healthy relationships and choices as well.  Too much stress is never good.  The Holy Spirit will help us in making healthier choices and being better informed.  We must ask for help.  God will see us through.  Our earthly lives do eventually come to an end.  The after life should not be ignored.  There is LIFE in the Lord Jesus when HE is our savior.  Amen. 

MEALS ON THE PRAIRIE:  

Meatloaf with Baby Carrots and Green Beans.  

Used grass-fed beef for the meatloaf topped with organic ketch-up.   Organic veggies.  The portion sizes is good.  No fruit though and there should have been.  Maybe I should think of fruit as the dessert and eat more dessert.  Sorry, but ketch-up/catsup is one condiment I over dose on.  My favorite. 

Meatloaf, Boiled Potatoes and Broccoli.

Pita Bread with Cheese, Red Peppers and Onions.

Popcorn with Seasoning for snacks.

Beef, Rainbow Carrots and Asparagus.

Baked Potato, Cottage Cheese and Side Salad.

Turkey Patties topped with Ketch-up, Boiled Potatoes, 
and Green Beans.

Chicken Breast with Salad.

3 Egg and Vegetable Omelette with Bacon.

The soy-free eggs have been a nice addition to have in our food plan when subtracting other eggs.  I am striving to NOT eat bacon and other pork products, but so far I have only cut way back.  Complete absence from pork hasn't happened yet.  Seldom do I have ham, pork chops or bacon.  Seldom.

Here's to a healthier LIFE.

Blessings On The Prairie,
~d

 

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Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

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Weather will be nice today and turning off cooler 

with rain this week.

The skies are grey overcast.

I am blogging and doing paperwork.

I'm thinking about all that needs done to completely be decluttered and organized.

HOME MAKING TIP: Have fun when cleaning the house.  The work is there because it is our HOME being lived in.

I am tired, but have hopes of going for a walk to take in some fresh air while exercising.

No Breakfast this morning.  Fasting.

My reading pile consist of books about health.

TV TIME: movies such as Robinson Crusoe (2011)

 

Call The Midwife (2022)

American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story (2021)

Menu this week:  Once again it will be lots of veggies, fruit, protein drinks, egg omelettes.

Camera shots and looking around the house:

TO DO LIST:

Stay sane 

Stay simplistic

Purge items to free up space

Prepare for mom's 90th birthday

Start on Grandchildren's Easter Baskets

Thin out paperwork

Visit my elderly mom in the Hospital

DEVOTIONAL: memory verse.

MADE THE MOST OUT OF THE DAY

THIS WEEK WILL BE INTERESTING AS I HAVE PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENTS.  First time evah.  

Today, I got up early and went to Manhattan to do a little shopping before my therapy session. The weather is on the cooler side of things, but a nice day.  Went to STARBUCKS for a Bistro Box then parked the car outside DILLARDS at the Mall to dine in the automobile.  I'd like to get a new housecoat and thought DILLARDS would be a great place to start looking. 

They had two at about $68.  White Turkish robe.  Tried one on and it wrapped around me just a little too snug.  Welp, onto the next place, but first I wanted to see what was in their Kitchen section.  Fun to just look and get ideas.  It's been so long since I shopped Dillards.  They weren't very busy so social distancing wasn't a problem.  

Off to the next stop.  HOBBY LOBBY to get Hubby some art supplies.  They don't have housecoats, but they do have a huge selection of faux flowers and greenery.  50% off LAVENDER came HOME with me to make another wreath.  grins. 

Went to WALMART.  Parked the car then changed my mind and  decided not to shop just yet. Better go to Therapy session, because by the time I drive across town it would be time to go to the appointment.  So off we went across town driving through road construction to the therapist. Sat in the car waiting until time.  When I checked in, the receptionist said she had been trying to reach me and couldn't get through to tell me the therapist is sick.  I have another appointment this week anyways so I'll return.  

There's something wrong with my landline to not be able to get through.  She tried to leave a message and the phone told her to enter a PIN number.  A PIN number?  It has never done this before that I know of, so we tried calling our landline with a cellphone and got the same message. Not sure what that is all about.  

SO I didn't get to see the therapist today.  I told her that I would call a head of time next time to see if the therapist is in.  

Off to TARGET.  I love shopping at TARGET.  Looked in their discount bins.  Found a few little items.  No housecoats.  Maybe I ought to just dye my old housecoat and give it another ten years. Shall see.  

Before heading out of town, I decided to check out GOODWILL and ROSS also FIVE BELOW. Picked up a cute macrame handbag. THE SAK purse at GOODWILL.  Nothing at ROSS.  FIVE BELOW...2 books.  

One book is Grow ALL YOU CAN EAT IN 3 SQUARE FEET and the other, Eat to Beat Illness by Dr. Rupy Aujla.  Purchased these from FIVE BELOW.  They usually have a nice selection of books to choose from.  For some reason I like buying books from time to time.  Since I am in a health mode, these caught my eye.  Great pictures as well.

By this time I was ready to head HOME and call it good.  Tomorrow will be another busy day. PTL.  Drove through the CITY PARK and looked at the gorgeous tulips still displaying their gorgeous colors.  So pretty.  

I made a huge salad yesterday and will use it up tonight along with some small pork chops. Maybe some green beans.  Water to drink.

The salad was made up of kale, olives, cherry tomatoes, spinach, carrots, radishes, chickpeas, black beans, sprinkled with Ocean Spray Craveology.  I have to get some more of this stuff.  On the look out for it.  It adds some umph to a common salad.

Yesterday, we ate some ribs that our Son-in-law smoked.  Wonderful flavor.

When we went to TARGET, we bought a new modern scale.  Tried it out and PRAISE GOD, I had lost a couple of pounds since I went to the doctor's appointment.  Yes, it probably is just water, but still I was glad the weight was less than before.  I have a journey ahead of me and it will take some time to get there.  

Drinking spring water and unsweetened iced green tea.  Eating smaller portions of meat and beefing up the veggies portions.  I believe I need to eat more fruit than I have been.  This morning for breakfast I had a small Red Delicious apple and water because I knew I would be on the go and could pick up a Bistro Box around 11.

FIG NEWTONS came to mind.  I bought some FIG NEWTON cookies at TARGET.  I felt like I needed the figs to help with health.  Went with a whole grain kind.  Haven't tried these before.  Was really good for an afternoon snack.  Only one cookie.

This evening I will need to rest and get ready for the rest of the week.  SNOW is suppose to blow in this evening.  Whaaaah.  It would be alright with me if this didn't happen.  THE LET IT SNOW signs are all put away and SPRING signs are out.  I think it's alright to let the snow go into hiding until CHRISTMAS.

On the HOME front:  The dining room table is filling up as I clear it off.  Oh my.  Dear Lord, help me get to the bottom of this.  Thank you.  I am making progress, but still not.  How can that be?  I did buy a shoebox to put some figurines in for transporting them and storing them for a difference.  So I will say I made progress.

My pile of papers that need to be gone through and filed has shrunk some.  It's ongoing for sure.

I came across a Kitchen idea for our cottage.  By the time I get to where we will live there, I will have had to downsize like mad.  WORKING ON THIS.  This is a mental workout thinking through what to get rid of.  Where will everything go when I get there?  I just about have it figured out.  I think.  Well maybe.

Gathering ideas for now on creative ways to make the cottage more charming and better.  In my head, I entertain the thought for hours.  

JUST GOT A PHONE CALL FROM MY DAUGHTER.  We didn't go to the track meet today, but LIL MISS placed and made her best time ever on a windy day in the one mile.  Hurrah.  Aint that great!

SO very proud of her. 

Proud of all my grandchildren, children and their spouses.  

Love them all.  Amen.

MEAL IDEAS:

I'd better sign off.  Supper tonight was Spicy Pork Chops,

Kale Salad, Buffalo Butler Potato Salad, Green Beans with Iced Tea.

It made for a filling meal and warmed my belly.

There are dishes to wash, laundry to do and a movie to watch.

HAPPY MONDAY and here's to a healthier life.

God richly bless you,

🏡d

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