One more treatment to go

One more treatment to go

I am so glad we only have one more to go, the chemo is taking a lot out of me my breathing and energy being the worse and for the first week now after I cry all the time for no real reason but then that at least gets better Jonathan continues to try and keep me laughing  cheering me up in so many ways, he has done better at understanding I do not mean to be so cranky and mean at times and I am doing better at apologizing.

My last treatment is the day after thanksgiving I normally decorate for Christmas that day and weekend but seeing as I will be at my very worse those days I have slowly started decorating now it will be so nice to be mesmerized by holiday lights and decorations when I get home from chemo. I love the holidays what a treat for the end of treatment Christmas and the season of hope and love. my favorite season of all.

in only one day have my kitchen and my sitting area near the sliders to the deck where i watch the birds with Barnaby, almost done i don't know why but it seems even more festive than past years it is like Santas own house lol well it can only be a good thing, some of my favorite memories was decorating the house with mom or maybe seeing how much she enjoyed doing it she also went all out with decor and food oh so many treats. and I still love listening to classic Christmas music with memories of all the Christmas seasons past singing with mom and now Jonathan ok I could go on and on about Christmas I love it so much but what I love most is people seem nicer and more hopeful, giving, helpful, and so loving this time of year. have a wonderful holiday season. Have a great Thanksgiving Christmas and New year blessings and hugs all.

a message just after chemo 5 from me.

Christmas is coming I was feeling awful and having to rest just after chemo Jonathan cheered me up making holiday cookies awww my awsome husband love him so much 

I Love Christmas how about you all?

Christmas past

Christmas with Jonathan

A couple days until chemo number 5

I have noticed this month I am getting sicker not in the way of cancer but the chemo is taking a lot out of me I am tired I get out of breath easier my blood pressure and pulse rise fast when upset now and my legs give out more often, the first half I was feeling better I think becuase it was getting rid of cancer so I was feeling stronger what I didn't realize or actually forgot was what the chemo actually does to your system I  had a friend die during chemo becuase of the chemo she got  pneumonia and died on Christmas at her daughters house this was in the 90s . I know today we are getting more steroids and the thing that I get on my arm for next day shot to boost my immune system.

I am a little afraid of these last 2 on if my system can take it I was glad I could get things done before but now it seems I rest a lot more. well, I can not wait until they are done and I pray I will need no more treatments for years.

In our yard sits our “new” used Chevy Tahoe. We saw it on Craigslist and it looked great. The owner had done a lot of work on it replacing parts that weren’t a problem yet but could be in the next 5 years as he actually was planning on keeping it, but he and his wife just had a baby and she wanted a smaller SUV and her father gave them a 5-year-old Cherokee. You do not turn a gift like that down, especially when it suits a new family. Jonathan went to look at it and found a kind young man who explained and showed him all that was done and receipts. Jonathan drove it and it was so roomy and comfortable and drove perfectly. It is fully loaded, and for a 2004 it looks and drives like new, I saw only one tiny scratch on the hood and a small rip that we can fix in the driver’s seat. The Carfax also documented all the work that had been done and listed only one report of damage. It turns out that the previous owner’s wife had backed into a trailer and broken the taillight, no other damage or dents. While it is definitely older, than we really planned, I haven't seen such a clean and beautiful older vehicle as this or ridden in such a smooth vehicle in years. That year Tahoe gets great marks for reliability and pretty much anything that may fail after years he preemptively replaced, awesome!

In talking with the man we found out he is a state trooper and just seemed to be a really nice person. He could have gotten top money for it, but we got it for a lot less, like 1/3 less because he really just wanted to get back the money he had put in since he had been blessed with the new Cherokee from his father-in-law. It was still just about all we had scraped together for a vehicle because even with insurance we still have thousands to pay for with my chemo and treatments. The trooper paid for a new inspection, even though it is valid until January, which will be today, and if they find anything he said he would fix it or give us our money back and signed a statement for that. I want to thank this man from the bottom of my heart, Jonathan loves it and is so comfortable in it as it is so roomy and everything adjusts, the driver’s seat, steering wheel, and even the pedals, so cool. This vehicle is truly a blessing I thank the trooper and God for making our lives so so so much easier. I also thank previous owners for taking such good care of it and being such great drivers. we are BLESSED

Banana bread

3 almost bad bananas then make banana bread right? I am making banana bread

Banana bread both regular great recipe  and an even better tasting diet recipe I made up with this recipe we love it 

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

METHOD

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

Subs i use for diet wich tastes even better than this recipe as is lol

I use splenda for sugar I use half cup splenda and half cup applesauce for sugar and  large egg white instead of egg and margerine instead of butter

 RASPBERRIES ARE IN SEASON AGAIN

welL MY RASPBERRIES ARE IN SEASON AGAIN, THEY RIPEN TWICE ONCE EARLY SUMMER AND AGAIN LATE SUMMER. I ENJOY THEM IN CEREAL LIKE OATMEAL AND GRAPENUTS OR AS A SNACK, BUT MOST OF ALL IN SMOOTHIES OH YES I LOVE MY SMOOTHIES AND REAL FRUIT ICE CREAMS.

I WAS READING RECENTLY THE BENEFITS OF CERTAIN BERRIES FOR PEOPLE WITH SUGAR, WEIGHT, AND BLOOD PRESSURE ISSUES. A REGULAR DIET WITH THEM IN IT HELPS PEOPLE WITH THESE ISSUES. SO SOME OF THESE BERRIES ARE BLACKBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, CHERRIES AND CRANBERRY I AM UNSURE ABOUT BLUEBERRIES THEY ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITES SO I EAT THOSE OFTEN ANYWAY.

AS ALWAYS FROM YOUR OWN GARDEN, FRESHLY PICKED, GARDEN STANDS, ORGANIC AND NON SPRAYED ARE BEST, ALWAYS CHECK FOR WHOLE BERRY CONTENT IN DRINKS IT IS BEST TO JUICE YOURSELF IF YOU CAN. I HAVE SEEN MANY SITES TODAY DEDICATED TO JUICING. ANYWAY JUST MY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS I EAT SOME OF MY FRESH RASPBERRIES OFF THE BUSH.
 

you can make this same recipe below with raspberries clean and freeze first
fill ninja or processor half full of berries
 add a cup to cup and half milk or even what I use now almond milk with vanilla flavor
 teaspoon vanilla  
add sugar or sugar substitute if desired spin till soft serve ice cream enjoy.

add whip cream or sprinkles even chocolate chips or candy on top

DIABETIC SMOOTHIES 

Berry Smoothie
Servings: 4 = 3/4 of a cup
1 (8) ounce plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk or almond
milk
3 packets of  sweetener or 1 tsp  Measure
3 cups of frozen strawberries
1 cup of crushed ice

Combine the first 3 ingredients into a blender.
While the blender is on, add the strawberries slowly.
Blend until it is at your desired consistency
Add ice cubs through the lid and blend until it is smooth.

you can also add a small banana for flavor

-------------------------

Invent Your Own Smoothie

Smoothies are the easiest, yummy, sweet, delicious summer treat and are great for everyone, not just those who are diabetic. Here is how to create and be inventive.

2 cups plain low-fat Yogurt
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit (or 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit and 1 cup of no sugar added frozen juice)
1 cup crushed ice
give it a try if you want you can add a little milk for more smoothness

That’s all you really need to know!

My Condiment Summer Salad Dressing

Summer is here and with it come summer salads of all kinds. I think I eat salads of all types more than anything else at a BBQ.
So in that spirit here is my “Condiment Summer Salad Dressing”.

Ingredients:

5 heaping tbsp mayo or miracle whip, for a healthier salad, use the low fat/light version

½ tbsp Dijon mustard

½ tbsp regular mustard

1 tbsp creamy horseradish OR ¼ tbsp regular horseradish

1 tbsp pickle relish

1 tsp catsup, for a bit of zing

1 diced small onion, always great in the mix, but optional

Salt

Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Directions:

Blend everything except the salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning in a bowl.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning across the top and blend well.
Add to the salad of your choice and mix thoroughly
Taste test your salad and sprinkle some more salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning as needed.

Ideas:

I use this for both potato and macaroni salads. In my macaroni salad, I add tuna and peas, in the potato you can add a hard-boiled egg if you wish. Experiment with this dressing, I think you will find it is very useful.

you can make a dip for kielbasa by taking a few ingredients away and subtract these items 

subtract 

Italian seasoning 

pepper and salt

onion 

ketchup

pickle relish

instead, add 

honey

and diced kielbasa for dipping

Eggrolls, The Healthy Way

Eggrolls, The Healthy Way

We make this for ourselves at least once a month and always make a bunch for parties. You can’t even tell they are healthy versions. It was a great net find!

Egg Roll Ingredients:
2/3 cup coarsely chopped celery
2/3 cup coarsely chopped carrot
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound ground turkey (preferably 93% lean)
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 egg roll wrappers
1 large egg white
Sauce Ingredients:
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions (optional)
Light cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°. To prepare egg rolls, combine celery and carrot in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until finely chopped. Combine celery mixture and cabbage in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave at high 5 minutes; drain. Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add turkey; cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cabbage mixture, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, and pepper. Cover and chill 15 minutes.
Place 1 egg roll wrapper at a time onto work surface with one corner pointing toward you (wrapper should look like a diamond). Trim 1 inch off right and left corners of wrapper. Spoon 3 tablespoons turkey filling into center of wrapper. Fold lower corner of wrapper over filling. Fold in trimmed corners. Moisten top corner of wrapper with egg white; roll up jellyroll fashion. Repeat procedure with remaining wrappers, turkey mixture, and egg white.
Lightly coat egg rolls with cooking spray, and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until golden brown.
To prepare sauce, combine 3/4 cup soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon ginger; serve with egg rolls. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:
1.5 eggroll per serving; 79 calories; 8 g carbohydrates; 11 mg cholesterol; 2.5 g fat; 532 mg sodium; 5.7 g protein; 18 mg calcium; 0.9 mg iron; 0.7 g fiber

Moms recipes 3 HAM SALAD & HAMBURG CASSEROLE

Ham salad 

My Mom made great ham salad, and I went looking on the Net for exact measurements. I knew how to make it but wanted to write it down. Do you think I could easily find it, lol. This is for sandwiches, some call it a spread now, and you could use it on crackers.

Ingredients

    * Ham I like honey ham

    * Diced small Onion

    * 2 tablespoons pickle Relish or piccalilli (Mom used her homemade)

    * 4 tablespoons mayo

    * 1 teaspoon Mustard regular or Dijon- this is optional

Instructions

In a food processor, or grind by hand like my mom did, process the ham until you like its consistency, making usually around 3 cups.

In a large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients. I use 2 tablespoons of relish and a teaspoon of mustard at times (I do not always use mustard and it is not in mom's recipe) and 4 tablespoons mayo and a small onion finely chopped, and then add ham. You may have to adjust amounts, but be careful not to make it too mushy or runny.

In a tiny bowl, I start taste testing you know what you and your family will like then chill and serve for sandwiches or on crackers.

Josie's Hamburg Potato Casserole

Ingredients

3 lb of 97% Lean Ground Beef

3 Tbls White Flour

Salt and Pepper

1 1/2 Cups Milk

5-6 Medium Potatoes - peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 Medium Onion sliced

Onion Salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°

Pre-cook the potatoes and onions in the microwave for 4 minutes.

Brown ground beef with some onion salt and pepper. Do not drain if using 97% lean, if using less lean ground beef you may need to drain off some, but not all, fat.

Once fully cooked sprinkle with flour and blend in until the fat is absorbed and you cannot see the white of the flour, then stir in the milk until you get the consistency of a gravy you desire.

Add some chopped onion as it finishes up.

Add salt and pepper if desired.

Scoop the ground beef and gravy mixture into a lightly buttered baking dish.

Take the pre-cooked potato and onion slices and stand them up in the beef mixture as we want brown in the oven.

Bake in the 375° oven for 35 min or until the standing potatoes and onions are browned with crispy points