Tag Archives: Sugar-free

Uncategorized

Preparing…

6 Comments

Day 230 in my preparations to get healthier to meet up with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom in October (6 months and 17 days to go)

Today my plan is to tie up some loose ends:

  1. Quick Taco Skillet Casserole–I promised to tell you what I thought of this recipe.  Mike and I really liked it.  It easily made enough for two dinners for the two of us, so we’re having the leftovers tonight.  It is basically glorified Spanish Rice.  But it does use quick brown rice and no added spices, so it didn’t shoot my blood sugar level up.  That is always a win!
  2. Thinking about and planning for our new kitty.  My friend Joan has two cats that fight something fierce.  Mike and I have agreed to give Mary Ann a  home with us, so by this weekend we will have a fuzzy friend living with us.  Pretty excited about that one!
  3. Organize a few more things for the Women’s Retreat (Cafe Chocolat) at our church next month.  I want to get as much ready as possible before my surgery.  (See #4 below)
  4. I see my oncologist tomorrow.  Hopefully after that meeting we can get my surgery scheduled.  The sooner that part is behind me, the better.  Talk about doing something to improve my health, right?  I’m pretty sure my health will improve dramatically when they cut out the cancer!  BTW: I wonder how much a uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries weigh…instant weight loss.  😉  However, I do NOT recommend this type of weight loss!  Honestly, People, if I can’t laugh about this whole thing, then I’ll just cry all the time.  I like laughing much better!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Uncategorized

October Game Plan

1 Comment

Day 228 in thinking about hanging with Mickey in October

Today’s plan is to think about what I definitely want to experience at the parks in October.

Magic Kingdom (My absolute favorite park!)

  1. Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid
  2. 7 Dwarves Mine Train
  3. Peter Pan’s Flight
  4. Mad Tea Party
  5. Splash Mountain
  6. Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road
  7. Pirates of the Caribbean
  8. The Haunted Mansion
  9. Carousel of Progress
  10. And the best ride ever-It’s a Small World

EPCOT

  1. Soarin’
  2. Spaceship Earth
  3. The Seas with Nemo and Friends
  4. Universe of Energy
  5. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
  6. France’s Movie

Disney Hollywood Studios

  1. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
  2. The Great Movie Ride
  3. Muppet Vision 3D
  4. Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
  5. Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular
  6. Toy Story Midway Mania
  7. Voyage of the Little Mermaid
  8. The Magic of Disney Animation

Animal Kingdom

  1. Dinosaur
  2. Festival of the Lion King
  3. Finding Nemo-The Musical
  4. Kali River Rapids
  5. Kilimanjaro Safari
  6. Primeval Whirl

I get so jacked up thinking about it that I can hardly stand it.  And there’s even something that I am more excited about than all of the above: shaking Mickey’s hand and having my picture taken with him.  Woo hoo!

Meet you the Kingdom!

Uncategorized

Cooking Up a Plan

2 Comments

Day 225 in cooking my way to a healthier me to pose with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom in October

Today is all about a recipe.  I may have mentioned this book before.  It’s called Betty Crocker 30 Minute Meals for Diabetes.  As I am pre-diabetic, I try to eat as diabetes-friendly as possible.   This book has been a real Godsend.  So tonight’s new recipe is Quick Taco Skillet Casserole.  I like quick, I like tacos and I like casseroles, so it sounds like a winner to me.

The prep time is 25 minutes for 6 servings.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 pound (extra-lean) ground beef
  2. 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
  3. 1 and a half cups uncooked instant brown rice
  4. 1 cup chunky-style salsa
  5. 1 and a half cups of water
  6. 1 can (14.5 to 16 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
  7. 1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
  8. 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

Directions:

  1. In a 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain well.  Return beef mixture to skillet.
  2. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-high; cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until water is absorbed and rice is tender.  Stir before serving.

Sounds great, right?  I’ll let you know how it tastes.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

Uncategorized

Wise Words from Walt

Leave a comment

Day 224 in my journey to a healthier lifestyle for meeting up with Mickey (6 months and 23 days to go)

Today’s plan was to eat in a healthy manner, and I have managed to do that.  I feel a lot better than I did last night after having a sugar binge.  I feel mellow and satisfied.  I don’t mind telling you, I like this feeling.  It’s way better than a sugar-crazed crab-fest.  You’ve heard of mean drunks?  I am a mean sugar-fueled sugar addict.

Jake and Eliza gave me an Artfolds book for my birthday.  It’s really a cool idea.  You fold each page according to some lines on them.  When you’re finished folding the whole book, you have a piece of art, kinda like origami.  My book finished up as a Mickey Mouse head.  Perfect, right?  I love it.  And along the way there are quotes by Walt Disney.  Well I finally finished all the folding today.  And here is a quote that I found particularly fitting for my life right now: “Life is composed of lights and shadows, and we would be untruthful, insincere, and saccharine if we tried to pretend there were no shadows.”  Isn’t that cool?  Sometimes it’s just good to recognize that life has its ups and its downs.  I want to embrace both in my life.  I want to savor every experience, even the not so fun ones.  I think it’s really the only way to know that you have lived life, and not just sleep-walked through it.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Uncategorized

Still Planning

Leave a comment

Day 222 in my attack on being healthier to meet up with Mickey

My plan for today was to “pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again.”  I am back at work after two sick days.  My stomach and head have been acting up.  Today my headache is gone, and my stomach is at least manageable.

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about our trip to Walt Disney World in October.  God’s timing is amazing.  I should be able to get through surgery and any following treatments well in advance of our trip.  Thank you, Lord!  I can hardly wait to be sitting at Olivia’s Cafe at Old Key West having dinner with my family.  And I’m even more determined to go for it.  Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, here I come!  And this might just be the time I finally ride Kali River Rapids.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: Thanks for all the messages and prayer support.  I can feel the prayers.  Here’s a great verse from the Bible that I ran across today: “God Most High, have pity on me!  Have mercy.  I run to you for safety.  In the shadow of your wings, I seek protection till danger dies down.  I pray to you, my protector.” Psalm 57:1-2  God is good all the time!

Uncategorized

Back To It

3 Comments

Day 219 in my planning to meet up with Mickey in October (6 months and 28 days to go)

Today’s plan: make a menu for the week, make a grocery list for the week, go grocery shopping, deliver a dinner to a friend who recently had surgery, go out to a belated birthday dinner with the kids.

  1. menu-check
  2. grocery list-check
  3. grocery shopping-check
  4. deliver dinner-called to make arrangements and was told they do not need our dinner tonight, as their daughter (her husband, and child) is coming up to visit and bringing dinner
  5. belated birthday dinner withe the kids-yet to come

I am feeling much better than I have the last couple of days.  My energy level is better and the cramping and bleeding have subsided.  Whew!  So now it’s back to normal, until the next step is revealed.  God is good all the time!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

Uncategorized

Another Payday Weigh-day

Leave a comment

Day 215 in my race to meet Mickey (7 months and 2 days to go)

Today’s plan was to step on the scale again and see what’s happening.  The good news is: another 1.6 pounds down.  Yahoo!!  So now I’m down 41.6 pounds, and it feels good!  Even laying down in bed at night feels more comfortable than it has for a long time.  Hopping into the car and buckling up is much easier.  And it’s easier to slide in and out of booths in restaurants.

Now that spring is spring-ing, I hope to be more intentional about my walking.  There may be some challenges in my immediate future, as I am having some health issues, but I will face them in the company of a Savior who loves me.  “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13  That is so comforting.

I’ll let you know more, as I know more.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: Keeping my sister-friend Joan in my prayers.  Her surgery went very well yesterday, but she’s running a fever today.

Uncategorized

Today’s Good News

3 Comments

Day 214 in my dance toward meeting up with Mickey

My plan for today was to go for my post-bloodwork check.  So I did.  And the general news was good.

Blood Glucose A1C=6.1

Blood Pressure= 126/84

My doctor was thrilled with those results and with the 40 pound loss since she last saw me.  Seriously, my numbers haven’t been that good in more than 5 years.  That is exciting news.  Apparently I do much better when I cut out sugar, eat more vegetables, move more and embrace life more.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Shout out to my sister-friend Joan.  She came through her knee replacement surgery with flying colors this morning.  Yay!

 

Uncategorized

Staying on Track

Leave a comment

Day 213 in my staying the course to meet up with Mickey

Today’s plan was to stay the course.  Make the best choices possible in my eating and move as much as possible at work.

Rather than sitting at my desk, while food was loaded into a van at work for delivery to a homeless shelter, I got up and helped bag the groceries and load them onto their carts.  Then someone else showed up to finish helping to load the van.   I also made sure to get up and walk every hour or so at work, so I wasn’t seated at my desk for the entire seven and a half hours.

Tonight I’ll have some of my homemade pea soup, with whole grain bread and fresh veggies on the side.

Not a very exciting post today, but this is my real world, and sometimes it’s quite boring.  I don’t really mind boring.  I am not a drama junkie, so I like a general lack of drama.  For today, it’s all good.

Meet you at the Kingdom!