Chicken Parmesan Balls…not a good thing

We left Corvallis for Klamath Falls around 1pm so we arrived in town just in time for dinner. I'm sure Klamath Falls has some very nice restaurants, but that is not where we ate dinner. We chose Ginos.  In our defense,  it got good reviews, although afterwards we decided it must be for their breakfast burritos.  The general atmosphere should have been a red flag but we chose to ignore it. It was a sports bar/ restaurant/general store/convenience store all in one. Elizabeth and I split the chicken parmesan, but when it came I told the waitress that there was a mistake, we got meatballs, and that is when she explained that they made their chicken parmesan in BALLS. I think really it is just a new way to use chicken nuggets. I ate 2 and gave up. We also ordered minestrone soup which is usually a safe bet, but not at Ginos. When they saw how little we ate of it they didn't make us pay. All this to say that eating healthy on the road is difficult even if you make a conscious effort and that Emma had the best dinner of all with a bag of chips and a Twix!

Healthy Food is a Beautiful Thing…and beautiful food is a healthy thing.

Summer in Oregon: THE BEST. So many berries and fruits for the picking that there is no reason not to get your daily dose of anti-oxidants. The prettiest foods really are the healthy ones to, so to simplify my goal of healthy eating, I really just need to shop for the pretty foods! I love the colors, especially of blueberries. This past weekend, Molly, Elizabeth and I went blueberry picking with 2 kiddos in tow and and hour and a half later we had 98 pounds of goodness. Picking blueberries is a little addicting, and even though about half way through I knew we had plenty, I just couldn't stop because they are so easy to pick and I kept thinking about all my recipes that use blueberries. We have been eating them off the counter, but this morning (feeling a little better) I put them in yogurt. I saw the tiniest of bugs on one of them and could not get it off, but I ate them anyway because I know that in the 4-5 pounds I consumed while picking, I had my fair share of bugs. Breakfast was healthy and beautiful!

Happy Birthday to me!

 I turn 56 years old today and am giving myself a gift; a year of health.  I am always setting up programs with goals in mind. Here are a few that I have used with varying success.

Nickels for Newsies: Basically a bribe for getting my girls to tell me the details of their dates and romances.

Safety in Siena: When Elizabeth went to Italy to study abroad, this was a set of guidelines to keep her safe ( and keep me from worrying.)

A Dream a Decade: This one in progress, but when my girls turn a decade, i.e. 20, 30, 40, who knows if I will be around when they turn 50, that year of the birthday I try and help them achieve a dream.

This latest program is for me though; one year, birthday to birthday of health in all aspects of my life. About two years ago I lost 30 pounds, and over the last 6 months, I have put maybe 10 of them back on.  Clothes that used to be a little loose, now are uncomfortably tight.All I know is that I feel better when I eat healthy. I have ditched the scales and am not getting hung up on a number. I have been a walker for 40 years, and I love to walk, bike and swim, and I exercise 4-5 times a week. But I love to eat-ALOT. That is the problem, this gift to myself is to fix that problem. Not the loving to eat part but the ALOT part. And change the types of foods I eat. So here goes. I am starting with eliminating Coke and fries from my life. I know I will never not eat chocolate, so I shouldn't even make that a goal, but Coke and fries contribute nothing to my nutritional health and so I can be done with them. I am going to try and post every day, mostly to be accountable to myself. Day 1 was successful, usually my birthdays are loaded with good food and a special chocolate cake, but 4 of us came down with a flu bug that makes eating, let alone gorging,  impossible. Maybe that was a gift….