A new me

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I have been working on the new and improved me. And can I just say that it is kicking my ass. All this exercise and calculating fat - calories. Man no wonder I'm overweight. Don't get me started on portion control.... LOL! But in all seriousness, I have been doing really good. The 400 calorie meals are a big help and so is SparkPeople. I am keeping track of my eating and exercise habits. So at the end of the week I see that it is working. I will do an official weigh in on Tuesday. Then I can change the little wiget on the sidebar.

Even though I'm not posting a great deal, rest assured I am still reading your blogs.


I have been tring to get the family on board with this whole deal as well. Last night I made the first of many new recipes.


Chicken and Corn Chili

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, cored and chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 can (14.5 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed

2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 teaspoon salt

Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and green pepper. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander and chili powder; cook 1 minute.

2. Stir in chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Stir corn, beans and salt into pot. Heat through. Spoon into bowls and top with shredded cheese.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Amount Per Serving

Calories 276

Total Fat (g) 8

Saturated Fat (g) 2

Cholesterol (mg) 48

Sodium (mg) 706

Carbohydrate (g) 28

Fiber (g) 6

Protein (g) 25

Ratings*- Family thought it smelled really good. They didn't like the way it looked so we ate in the dark..... Really it was almost dusk and the kitchen light was on so it illuminated the dining room just a bit. It really helped. Taste was very good. Not beef chili, so don't have that expectation. But it was very good and it will be going in to my main stay recipes for the winter. Plus, it was so filling. One serving did it for me with a plain piece of bread!

I will be trying out another new recipe tonight so I will try and get it posted for you!

Gotta Run....... No really I think Jillian Michaels from biggest loser is stalking me.... LOL! To many workout videos with her... To funny!

Yart

The results are in....

I have a high cholesterol number for not fasting.... It scared me very badly thinking that something that I have very much control over was out of control. So I have recommitted myself to diet and exercise with my doctors blessing. She agrees that I need to try a few other things first before we go the medication route.... So happy about that!!!!

I have added to my daily regime Red Yeast Rice with CoQ10 and Omega-3 fish oil in conjunction with all the other supplements I'm on. Doc even said that exercise is not a problem for me. Thank the gods that I have no other health concerns.

The down side is that because I am so young if this doesn't come down, I'm going to have big problems for the rest of my life. I plan on being around for a very long time to come. So with that said.....

Grim and I have been back to the gym everyday. I have cut out the majority of cholesterol from my diet. And I am going on the 400 calorie fix diet. The diet is from 1200 to 1600 calories a day. This is doable. Really it is to the point that I am eating way more real food and I'm full not wanting anything else..... ( Well at least up until the sun goes down and I want snacks.) But I have a plan for that also! Pretzels and fruit!!!

Doc wants to see my back the end of April. She will draw more blood then and wants to see that I have lost 12 pounds. Like I said it is doable. A pound a week for the next 12 weeks.

Here is what I have been doing:
2 ounces of walnuts a day
30 minutes or more of walking/exercise
eating cheerios w/almond milk for breakfast
logging everything I eat on spark people
taking the new supplement
adding benefiber to my diet.....2teaspoons to start
eating 400 calorie meals +/- a few calories

Since I went to the doctors 2 weeks ago I have lost 1 pound. I know it could be water weight.... But I'm taking it dammit! LOL~!

As far as the anxiety.... Got that figured out... I now know what was causing it and I have dealt with the problem instead of medicating. And the shakes.... I have been eating snacks later in the evening and the shakes when I wake up are gone... Must be part of the hypoglycemia. I don't care they are gone for now... If they come back then I will deal with them then. No Parkinson's, thank the gods!!!

With all of this yucky medical stuff going on, scaring the begesus out of me..... I haven't felt up to doing much. But that didn't stop me from shopping.... Shopping always makes me feel better....ahhhhhhh! Oh well, the family kind of called my bluff. See I can sew, somewhat..... Straight lines, almost! How this all came about was that we got talking about the SHTF. Picky monster said we will be ok, cause mom can doing most of the stuff we buy. She can cook from nothing and can keep us warm and make our clothes. I can cook from nothing and I can sew and work yarn for blankets to keep them warm, but I don't know how to sew clothes. Never thought I needed to know how. I know I run a sustainability blog and didn't think I would need to sew clothes.... Guess where my head was......?!? Maybe it was just a denial thing..... if I don't think about it I won't ever have to do it.

So what do you think I did? I went the store and looked for patterns. And it just so happened that they were on sale for $.99 each. Simplicity patterns for that little, tiny bit of money. Of course you know what I did. Yep, I made Grim sit down with one book and me with another. We picked out a lot of patterns. Then I got the fabric and accompanying notions. I am going to make 4 dressed for me and 2 dress shirts for him.

I guess since the Biggest Loser is almost on I will have to start on them tomorrow.

Gotta Run,
Yart

Haven't fell off, yet!?!

The Earth that is.... I have just been under the weather and gaining weight.... which is adding to my health woes. Still don't know what is wrong with me. I am still experiencing pressure in my chest and a heaviness in my diaphragm. But I did find out why my arms were going numb and I had a horrible ringing in my ears.... I have gained weight and my bras were cutting off circulation.... yep, good thing I caught it in time.... Could have been considered brain dead... LOL! The morning shakes are still occurring... but I did stop taking all meds. I will be restarting the Donnatal tonight. Why didn't I get back on it sooner you ask... Well, the other morning... we are leaving to get the monsters to school and just as I was telling them to be careful, there might be ice..... I fall on my right side. Nothing broke, but very bruised.... Thank the gods for Epsom salts! So with taking all the Motrin I didn't' want a drug interaction. Tonight is the night to get rid of the shakes..... Hopefully! If it works then I can call the doctor and see what we can do. I am still waiting on the results from her office (as the hospital didn't run the blood they took from me)! I'm hoping that the blood work is fine. Then we can get down to the knitty gritty! I really think that my weight has a ton to do with why I'm feeling like shit. I didn't exercise the two weeks around Christmas and then I figure I pulled a muscle the second visit and that's partly to blame for my trip to the ER. Since we haven't gone back so the weight is creeping back on. 


But today I managed to get my butt on the exercise bike I have in the basement.... 20 minutes and 3.871 miles done. I am going to try and get on in 20 minute increments, but do an hour a day till I feel well enough to get back to the gym.


Just thought you all might like to know what's been going on here!


Gotta Run,
Yart

Series Part 2

Wills, now I know none of us really want to think about dying. Unfortunately, we can't make any deals to make our time on this earth last any longer. Eventually all of us are going to meet our Maker...... Who ever he/she might be!

One thing that we can do is help to elevate some of the problems our loved ones might face after our passing. One thing our wills help with is final arrangements. Do you want to be cremated or buried? Do you want to have a wake, do you want to be laid out, do you want a ceremony at the funeral home or at a church? Does your family know your favorite hymns? Now I know some of you are saying if they are your family then they should know these answers. I think your right, but some family's just don't discuss death.

To make a will you can find an attorney, get a computer program or use an online program to help you. Just a point of reference..... With an attorney, they can keep it safe and do updates when you need to make them.
The next thing you might want to cover is if you have small children who will take care of them, when your gone. Is is a spouse or a parent? Is there any money to help in their care? Do you want them to go to college? Are there any family secrets that they should know about? Here the sky is the limit, as to what you might want them to know. Are there any religious preferences?

Then there are your assets. How will they be divided? Who gets what? And who doesn't get anything? Again with this section the possibilities are endless. If you have an ex will they be included? If your unmarried will your partner be looked after?

Something else you should consider is who will you name as the executor of you will. This is the person that will help to make sure that your final wishes are fulfilled to the best of their ability.

Now that I have brought up this absolutely horrible topic.... I need to sit down with Grim and fill out the paperwork that we got from the life insurance company that will serve as a will for us. Then I think we will find a lawyer to keep the will in their safe keeping. If they won't do it then it will be a safety deposit box.

Gotta Run,
Yart

Not Dead But thought I might be.....

I know I haven't been around for a while. I have really didn't feel like writing..... I was going through some stuff. I guess the holidays were more stressful then I had thought. Then as we waited for Grims' doctors appointment I became terrified. I say terrified because I don't feel he is ready to go back to work. And if the doctor were to release him... then Grim goes back to work and gets hurt.... Work would not cover him, saying that he was in an auto accident and the insurance would not cover him because the doctor released him.... So it would have been a mess. Luckily, the doctor is keeping Grim off for another 6 weeks. But for me the damage was already done.

I ended up in emergency Wednesday night. I had pressure in my chest, I was feeling light headed, shaky, and I was scared I was having a heart attack. I got 2 E.K.G.'s, chest x-rays, baby aspirin and a really nasty tasting stuff to drink. No heart problems.... Yeah!!! But they did diagnose me with Esophagitis – acute. Basically, heart burn, burned my esophagus. So now I'm on pepcid ac and donnatal. I have an appointment to see my regular doctor on Tuesday. The ER doc suggested that I have a stress test just to rule out everything.... even though he saw nothing on the E.K.G or the x-rays.

So with all this mess having happened, I have a had a few thoughts of what needs to be done.... Simply I thought I was dying..... And what would my family do without me. Because of that I am going to start a series of the steps I'm going to take to make sure if something were to happen to me that they would no what to do. The first step is one that I was smart enough to take a few years ago. I got life insurance. It's not a huge amount but it will be enough to bury me and money leftover to take care of final expenses.

There are several types of life insurance.... Since I'm not an insurance salesperson, I will give you the information I find on-line. Wikipedia says there are Term, Whole, Universal, Limited-pay, Endowments & Accidental death. To find out more information you can go HERE and read the entire article. Now we all know we need to have some form of life insurance. But even if you can't afford it there are other important things that need to be done.
Here is a list of what this series is going to cover:
Wills

Important documents, like the kids immunization records

Where the bills are and how they get paid

How to grocery shop and keeping track of recipes

Making sure your family knows you love them, even after your gone

Getting a lawyer or a safety deposit box

Internet passwords and how to handle blogs, emails & yahoo groups

Plus whatever else I can think of.

Gotta Run,
Yart

January 1, 2011

Wow! We made it to another year, or if your a 2012 theroist only a year to go! Yeah, I think.... LOL!

I know that today starts us on a new journey, there are new calanders to mark up and lists to make, ohhhhh the resolutions to fail miserably at.... Yep, hungover and not very jovial. So your asking yourself then why am I on the computer. Well, I want to take a moment or two to look back at 2010. It was a very eventful year for us.

Grim was in a serious motorcycle accident. Spent the rest of the year recouporating. Had surgery and is still alive to talk about it. Yes, I joke, only because thinking about the alternative is not a great thought.

We really didn't get alot done around the house, due to Grim's injuries. But we did get a rainbarrel, composter and the walkway on the boulevard paved. I got several blueberry plants (hopeing they survive, bad luck with them), planted an apple tree with 4 grafts on it, bought a pear that is the same way, but never got it in the ground (don't know if it will survive the winter). My bedroom got painted and the kitchen got finished. The garden grew, but not very productivly. This way simply because I had no time for it. With Grim and the monsters home.... We wanted to play. The garden suffered but still offered quite a bit of bounty.

Speaking of food, we were able to add more dry foods into the mix as well as more #10 cans of food. I canned several things for the first time this year, corn, bbq sauce, ketchup, and watermelon jelly. I got way better at making bread. Even found a recipe that the whole family likes and is error proof. Now if I could just get the buns right.... I know it will come in time. We even have more meat canned this year. I love the pressure canner.... I'm still scared of it.... But everytime I use it I consult the book and I follow the step by step directions and it comes out right. Fear can be a good thing, it tend not to allow complaicency to rule.

We downsized a buttload of stuff. Its on the agenda for doing the same this year. Most of the stuff was donated. Some of it we had a couple yard sales. We didn't do to bad. Got rid of stuff and made some money to boot. I still have boxes of paperwork to go through, that's a story for another day. I like this cleaner house. No one is tripping over stuff, well not all the time anymore.

With getting rid of stuff Grim and I were also able to pay off debt this year. There is still more lurking. But we are being diligent and making it go away. We were able to pay off our largest pastdue bill and that has been a great weight lifted off our shoulders. I know some might be wondering why we are buying stuff while we still have debt. It is because when we had some financialy difficulties, I called all of our debtors. I asked if I could lower the minimum payments, or forgo the interest or anything. A few were willing to work with us. The others that we are dealing with one at time now would not. They wanted what they wanted and how they wanted it. This was there right. I was the one that foolishly said that I would pay outlandish fees if I could not pay the bill for whatever reason.  And that is part of the reason that Grim and I are on the path we are on now.

Ok, sorry if that was TMI, but its out there now. The monsters had some great accomplishments this year. Teenage monster, made it through another year of marching and her band came in 5th in the state. She went to homecoming by herself and met up with friends. And she just missed her acidemic letter by a couple of tenths. (she is already lined up for it this year). Picky monster has gained so much confidence because of bowling. She is meeting new people and not shying away. And she is doing way better in school this year. I think she is finally getting it. Mouthy monster, she is gettin older and mouthier. She is still such my baby though. I just know in my heart of hearts that she is going to be the con artist of the family.....(see had you going thinking I was going to get all mushy... LOL) No matter what comes that childs way she will be fine.

With 2010 behind us, I want to look at one more thing me. I didn't get my ankle taken care of and it still bothers me. I didn't loose any weight. And I didn't learn any new skills. But what I did do was learn to overcome my hurt ankle. I was able to tone up a bit.... No really my legs are looking good... Just don't look up.... LOL! And I honed my knitting and canning skills. My oh my, my communication skills have gotten better, as you couldn't tell.

Goodbye 2010!

Hello 2011, may you hold the blessing of the past and promises of future!

Gotta Run,
Yart