2016 so far

It's been quite a year. December of '15 we went on our first Disney cruise. AWESOME! Between them and Princess, they are our favorite lines. It didn't hurt that we got to see Star Wars: Force Awakens the night before it premiered. YEAH! Then, in February, we went with a great friend of ours for a long weekend at Disneyland (CA). It's always fun to travel with friends. Then, we hit the trifecta with going to Disney World (FL) in May. Go Mickey for taking our money! LOL
After that, I thought we were done. But, hubby decided to take some friends up on their offer to go on an Alaskan cruise in August. What a trip. We had so much fun and met some great people. The scenery, of course, was gorgeous. Hubby talked about having a summer home in either Washington or Alaska because the weather was nice compared to hot as hell Texas. We can dream, right?

Now, our dynamic has changed because hubby is working a different schedule. It's an adjustment but you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

The holidays are just around the corner and for once, we aren't traveling to see everyone. My sister is coming to see us for Thanksgiving weekend and a good friend and her son are visiting for a week right before Christmas. So we won't be lonely. In fact, it's very sad but we've had our Christmas tree up since November 6 because of the change in our schedule. As my friend told me, Happy HallowThanksMas.

I'm still working on becoming a better sewer/quilter. I've made a couple of small projects and right now, I'm working on two big ones. A Christmas one, that I have to totally rethink because I ordered my fabric online and got a background color that just won't work, and a Disney Princess (imagine that) one, that so far, looks really good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll be my first big, good looking quilt instead of just a table topper.

Ten more days (11/27/16) marks FOUR years of being cancer free! I can't believe it! I feel very fortunate to have been given the chances that I have received.

I hope everyone is healthy and happy. Sorry about the rambling, nobody ever said I was the best of writers HA!

Live, love, laugh!

Joey Feek

Seeing and reading about the passing of Country singer Joey Feek makes me feel saddened and extremely grateful. I didn't know her personally nor did I know her and her husband's music. Their story, is not much different than mine except I had different options.

I too, have gone through Stage 4, Cervical Cancer not once, but twice. The second time, I was not offered Chemotherapy or Radiation. I was simply offered a major surgery that included a full hysterectomy, and the use of two stomas for the rest of my life. I was told that if the surgery wasn't done, I would have 6 months to a year to live.

I actually took a week or two to think about it. It's not that I didn't want to live, I was scared shit-less because I'd never had surgery before, much less, something so dramatic.

On November 27, 2012, I had the surgery. I was declared cancer-free for the second time. It has now been almost 3 1/2 years with no issues.

She was the same age as me. It makes me sad that she wasn't given similar options as mine. I know that Cancer affects everyone differently. It just breaks my heart that she leaves behind a loving family and a young daughter.

RIP Joey Feek I'm glad you are no longer in pain.

FUCK CANCER!

Quilt top

Well, once I got started, and I got my machine working properly. This only took me about 2 1/2 hours to sew. Not bad for my second quilt top!

Vacation 2015

For only the second time in our lives, my sister and I are going on vacation together. The hubby is joining too, of course.

Just in time, even though it is a wee bit early, for our 40th and 50th birthdays coming up later this year.

We are super excited to go to new places, try new things and have fun!

Can't wait to let you know all about it.

Live, Laugh and Love!! <3

Redbook's snack lover's diet

This was originally published in Redbook Magazine in September, 1992.

Redbook's Snack Lover's Diet

1,200 calorie diet
Why this diet works:
You're never more than an hour or two away from waiting.
Instead of denying your cravings, you satisfy them
There's plenty of variety to prevent boredom
No calories to count
No guesswork at the supermarket or hours in the kitchen: Mos of the food is brand-name or grab-and-go.

***Products might no longer be available in 2015

ANYTIME AND AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE~~~
Herbs and spices
Horseradish
Lemon or lime juice
Mustard
Sweeteners (Equal or Sweet 'N Low)
Vinegar
Coffee
Tea
Club soda, sparkling water, seltzer
Sugar-free carbonated beverages (soda)
Sugar-free powdered drinks, i.e. Kool Aid, Crystal Light etc
Water

SNACK 1: BREAKFAST(under 200 calories) Select one item from A and one from B

A. CEREALS AND BREADS

Cheerios,1 1/4 cups
Total Cereal, 1 cup
Wheaties, 1 cup
All-Bran Extra Fiber, 1/4 cup
Bran Flakes, 2/3 cup
Shredded Wheat 'n Bran, 2/3 cup
Post Raisin Bran, 2/3 cup
Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran, 2/3 cup
Multi Bran Chex, 2/3 cup
Wheatena High Fiber Toasted Whole Wheat Cereal, 1 oz (1/3 cup uncooked)
Instant Quaker Oatmeal, Regular flavor, cooked, 1 packet
Aunt Jemima Homestyle Buttermilk Waffles, 1
Hungry Jack Microwave Pancakes, Original, 1
Eggo Waffles, 1
Weight Watchers Microwave Breakfast French Toast with Cinnamon, 1 slice

B. DAIRY

Cottage cheese, 1/2 cup, nonfat or 1% fat
Milk, skim or 1%, 1 cup
Yogurt: Plain, nonfat, 8 oz
Dannon Classic Flavor Vanilla Lowfat, 1/2 cup
  Dannon Light Nonfat, any flavor, 8 oz
                Kraft Light n' Lively 100 calorie, any flavor, 8 oz
                Weight Watchers Ultimate 90, any flavor, 8 oz
                Yoplait Light, any flavor, 6 oz

MAY COUNT AS ONE A AND ONE B:
Healthy Choice Breakfast Western Style Omelet on English Muffin


SNACK 2: MORNING BREAK (under 200 calories)  Select one item from A and one from B

A. FRUITS and JUICES

Apple, 1 medium
Banana, 1 small
Blueberries, fresh or frozen, 1 cup
Cantaloupe, 1 1/2 cups cubed
Dates, 4 medium
Grapefruit, 1/2 large
Honeydew melon, 1 1/2 cups cubed
Pear, 1 medium
Raisins, 3 tablespoons
Juice: 6 oz of Grapefruit juice cocktail, 100% orange juice, Libby's Juicy Juice 100%, or Apple juice

B. BREADS AND CRACKERS

Hostess 97% fat Free Blueberry or Apple Streusel Muffin, 1
Sara Lee Deli Style Bagel, Cinnamon & Raisin, 1/2
Thomas' Honey Wheat English Muffin, 1
Wonder Cinnamon Raisin Bread, 1 slice
Oatmeal goodness Oatmeal and Bran Bread, 1 slice
Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Crackers, 3 squares
Quaker Multigrain Rice Cakes, 3
Sunshine Animal Crackers, 10
Wasa Extra Crisp Light Wheat Crispbread, 4 slices.

SNACK 3: LUNCH (under 200 calories) Select one item from A, B, and C

A. PROTEIN POWER

Canned Seafood and Meats:
  Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in water, 2 oz
  Starkist Solid White Tuna in Water, 2 oz
  Rubinstein's Pink Salmon, 2 oz
  Louis Kemp Crab Delights, 3 oz
  Swanson Premium Chunk White Turkey in Water, 2 oz
Cheese:
  Borden Lite-Line, American, Cheddar or Swiss, 2 slices
Peanut Butter:
  Jif Extra Crunchy, 1 tablespoon
  Skippy Creamy, 1 tablespoon
Lean Cold Cuts:
  Butterball Fresh from the Deli Smoked Turkey Breast, 6 slices
  Hillshire Farm Deli Select Smoked Beef or Corned Beef, 6 slices
  Louis Rich Deli Thin Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, 5 slices
  Oscar Mayer Lower Salt Ham, 3 slices
Egg Substitutes:  (1/2 cup)
  Fleishmann's Egg Beaters
  Morningstar Farms Cholesterol Free Scramblers

B. BREADS, CRACKERS, BEANS, & PASTA

"Light" bread, 2 slices
Regular bread, 1 slice
Wonder Light Hamburger or Hot dog bun, 1
Devonsheer Garlic Melba Rounds, 7
Old London Melba Toast, Whole Grain, 5 slices
Ry Krisp Seasoned, 4 triple crackers
Old El Paso Taco Shells, 1 1/2
Flour tortilla, (6 in), 1
Pita bread, 1 small
Green Giant Chili Beans in Caliente Style Sauce, 50% less salt, 1/3 cup
Green Giant Garbanzo Beans, 50% less salt, 1/3 cup
Leftover cold pasta, without sauce, 1/2 cup

COUNT AS ONE A AND ONE B
Campbell's Healthy Request Ready to Serve Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup, 1 can

C. RAW CRUNCHY VEGETABLES

1 cup of any one (or combination) of the following, plus as much lettuce as you like:

Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Green beans
Green pepper
Onion
Radishes
Scallions
Tomato (1 medium)

SNACK 4: MIDAFTERNOON (under 200 calories) Select one item from A and one item from B

A. CALCIUM BOOSTERS
Reduced-Fat Cheeses:
  Kraft Light Naturals Reduced Fat Cheddar or Monterrey Jack, 1 1/2 oz
  Laughing Cow Reduced Calorie, Low Fat, Low Cholesterol Pasteurized Cheese Product, 2 wedges
  Weight Watchers Natural Sharp Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Flavor, 1 1/2 oz
  Polly-O Part Skim Mozzarella, 1 1/2 oz
  Sargento Natural Lite Lowfat Ricotta, 4 oz
Milk, skim or 1% fat, 1 cup
Yogurt (see choices under Breakfast, B)

B. FRUITS AND JUICES
Apricots, fresh, 4 medium
Apricots, dried, 7 halves
Cherries, fresh, 12
Grapes, 15 small
Kiwi, 1 large
Nectarine, 1 medium
Orange, 1 small
Peach, fresh, 1 medium
Plums, fresh, 2 medium
Raspberries, fresh, 1 cup
Strawberries, fresh, 1 1/4 cups
Tangerines, 2 medium
Watermelon cubes, 1 1/4 cups
Del Monte Chunk Pineapple in it's own juice, canned, 1/2 cup
Del Monte Lite Snack Cups, Diced Peaches or Mixed Fruit,4 1/2 oz can
Libby's Lite Sliced  Pears in Real Fruit Juice, canned, 1/2 cup
Musselman's Natural Apple Sauce, 6 oz
Tropicana Twister Light Fruit Beverage, 12 oz
Ocean Spray Low Calorie Cran-Raspberry Drink or Cranberry Juice Cocktail, 10 oz
V8 100% Vegetable Juice, Light 'n Tangy, 8 oz

SNACK 5: DINNERTIME (about 300 calories) Select one item from A, one from B, and two from C

A. MEAT, POULTRY & FISH Weigh food raw after removing fat and skin. Bake, broil, grill, poach or steam

Beef top round, steak or burger, 4 oz
Beef flank steak, 4 oz
Boneless chicken breast, 4 oz
Fish, any type, 4 oz
Sardines, canned in tomato sauce or mustard, 3 oz
Scallops, 4 oz
Shrimp, 4 oz
CONVENIENT CHOICES:
  Banquet Healthy Balance Baked Chicken Breast Nuggets, 3 oz
  Jennie-O Turkey Ham, 4 oz
  Louis Rich Boneless Honey Roasted Breast of Turkey, 4 oz
  Mrs. Paul's Light Fillets 'n Sauce, 4.1 oz
  Tyson Marinated Chicken Breast Fillets, Lemon Pepper or Butter Garlic, 3.75 oz

B. GRAINS & HIGH-CARB VEGETABLES Measured or weighed after cooking
Pasta, 2/3 cup
White or brown rice, 1/2 cup
Near East Barley and Wheat Pilaf Mix, 1/2 cup made without butter or margarine
Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice, Original Recipe, 1/2 cup
Baked potato, 1 medium
Pillsbury Idaho Spuds Mashed Potatoes (made with diet margarine and skim milk), 1/2 cup
Bird's Eye Cooked Winter squash, frozen, 8 oz
Bird's Eye Green Peas, frozen, 5 oz
Lima beans, fresh or frozen, 2/3 cup
PictSweet Express Whole Kernel Corn, frozen, 5 oz package

C. OTHER VEGETABLES Select one each from two of the following categories:
FRESH VEGETABLES: 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked:
  Asparagus
  Broccoli
  Brussels sprouts
  Cabbage
  Carrots
  Cauliflower
  Green beans
  Green pepper
  Greens (beet, collards, kale)
  Mushrooms
  Okra
  Onions
  Summer squash
  Tomatoes
  Turnips
  Zucchini
FROZEN VEGETABLES - measured or weighed after cooking:
  Bird's Eye Chopped Spinach, 4 oz
  Bird's Eye Individual Green Beans, 4 oz
  Green Giant American Mixtures, Manhattan Style, 1/2 cup
  Green Giant American Mixtures, San Francisco Style, 1/2 cup
  Green Giant Harvest Fresh Sugar Snap Peas, 1/2 cup
SALAD GREENS
  Any type lettuce, fresh spinach, endive or escarole, 2-3 cups
  Dole Salad Mix, 2-3 cups
  Dole Washed and Ready to Use Cole Slaw Mix, 1 cup

SNACK 6: EVENING CRAVING (about 100 calories) Select one item from A OR one from B

A. SWEET
Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups, 2, 1/2 oz rolls
Brach's Jelly Beans or Licorice Twists, 1 oz
Entenmeann's Fat Free Loaf Cake, Chocolate, Golden, or Marble, 1 1/2 oz slice
Jell-O Free Pudding Snacks, Chocolate Vanilla Swirl, 4 oz
Klondike Lite Frozen Dessert Sandwich, 1
Nabisco Mini Chips Ahoy! Bite Size Chocolate Chip Cookies, 10
Sealtest Free Nonfat Frozen Dessert, any flavor, 1/2 cup
Simple Pleasures Light Frozen Dairy Dessert, any flavor, 1/2 cup
Kellogg's Cracklin' Oat Bran, 1/2 cup
General Mills Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, 3/4 cup
General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 2/3 cup
Weight Watchers English Toffee Crunch Bar, 1
Weight Watchers Mint Frosted Brownie, 1

B. SALTY
Bachman Twish Pretzels, 1 oz
La Choy Chow Mein Noodles, 1/2 cup
POPCORN, POPPED:
  Jiffy Pop Light, Butter Flavor, 4 cups
  Betty Crocker Pop-Secret Light, Natural Flavor, 4 cups
  Orville Redenbacher's Natural Light Popcorn, 4 cups
Nabisco Low Salt Wheat Thins, 12
Nabisco Premium Bits Mini Premium Crackers, 24
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish tiny Crackers, 33
Pringles Light Original Potato Crisps, 11
Ralston Traditional Chex Mix, 1/2 cup
Sunshine Oyster and Soup Crackers, 25
Weight Watchers Honey Roasted Peanuts, .7 oz pouch

EXTRAS: (50-60 calories) Select two each day
Cream Cheese, Kraft Light Philadelphia, 1/2 oz
DIET MARGARINE, 2 tablespoons:
  Fleischmann's Extra Light corn Oil Spread
  Mazola Extra Light Corn Oil Spread
  Promise Extra Light
  Weight Watchers Extra Light Spread
Ketchup, 2 tablespoons
Carnation Coffee-mate Liquid Non-Dairy Creamer, 3 tbsp
Parmesan cheese, grated, 1 tbsp
Old El Paso Medium Thick 'n Chunky Salsa, 1/3 cup
Kraft Free Nonfat Tartar Sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp
Kraft Sauceworks Sweet 'n Sour Sauce, 1 tbsp
Kraft Free Nonfat Mayonnaise, 2 tbsp
Kraft Miracle Whip Free Nonfat Dressing, 1 1/2 tbsp
Weight Watchers Fat-Free Mayonnaise, 2 tbsp
SALAD DRESSINGS:
  Hidden Valley Ranch Take Heart Reduced Calorie, Original Ranch, 1 1/2 tbsp
  Kraft Free Nonfat, Blue Cheese, 2 tbsp
  Seven Seas Free Nonfat, Italian or Red Wine Vinegar, 3 tbsp
  Wishbone Healthy Sensation!, French, 1/2 tbsp
  Wishbone Light Reduced Calorie, Thousand Island, 1 1/2 tbsp
SPREADABLE FRUIT:
  Polaner All Fruit, any flavor
  Smucker's Simply Fruit, any flavor
  Welch's Totally Fruit, any flavor
Sugar, brown or granulated, 2 tsp
SYRUPS:
  Aunt Jemima Lite
  Log Cabin Lite

SMART STRATEGIES:
Eat all the food recommended
Because convenience foods can be very high in sodium, compare the levels listed on individual items.
If you substitute brands, stay with the calorie allowance shown
Take a multivitamin with minerals every day
Check with your doctor before you start this diet.

Anne M. Fletcher, M.S., R.D., is author of Eat Fish, Live Better (HarperCollins, 1989)

Chicken Tacos

These have become a huge hit at our house over the years. They are easy, light and extremely yummy!

Chicken:                                                    
2 lbs chicken breast
1 bottle Italian Dressing
Salt/Pepper/Garlic to taste                                  

Trim the fat off of the chicken. Marinate with dressing and seasonings in the refrigerator, for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Grill until no longer pink, cut into small cubes

Salad:
2 cucumbers
2 bunches green onion
1 bunch cilantro
salt/pepper/garlic to taste

Make sure all ingredients are clean. Peel and seed cucumbers. Cut into small cubes.
Slice green onions into small pieces. Cut stems off of cilantro, chop. Add seasonings and toss to mix. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Corn Tortillas:
Heat griddle or pan until warm. Heat tortillas approximately 30 seconds on each side.

Top tortillas with chicken and salad.

If you decide you want a sauce, we have found that Ginger Soy or Sweet and Sour sauce work the best.

As an extra bonus, add a slice of avocado.

Pick up and ENJOY!


P.S. this salad also works well with grilled shrimp ;)

Holidays

Thanksgiving with Hubby's family was wonderful. It was the first time that ALL of us have been together in I believe it's been three years. It was great to see everyone and catch up. We would have liked some more time with some, but having to get back home is understandable.

Christmas will be quite uneventful. We will be home this year. We might have some friends over for lunch but that has yet to be determined. We haven't put any decorations up, so unless you look at the calendar on my desk, you can't even tell it's the Holidays around here. That's ok. We have each other and that's what matters.

If you're traveling this year to be with loved ones, please be safe. I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season spent with family and friends and surrounded by love.

Happy New Year!!!