Increasing Barley in my diet

Previous post regarding this recipe French Onion Soup with Beef and Barley
I've learned that it's 9 WW points.  This is why I like Cooking Light's recipes more than Weight Watchers, there is still flavor and stuff in Cooking Light.  It's good to know though, so I can be respectful of the amount that I should be eating, and just take my time enjoying it.


Today I upset myself by reading a LiveStrong article.  You know the kind of article that says eat right & exercise and that is it, if you are not loosing weight you aren't working hard enough.  Not like there are other hormonal factors to consider, or the fact that health eating can be different for different people.  Almonds in high amounts are pro-inflammatory for me, and yet when I did Medifast they encouraged the consumption of almonds as a light snack since it had less fat. There are other higher fat nuts that are better for me, not so inflammatory and yet if you have PCOS and don't have nutrition information given to you by some one who knows you can be doing things that are considered 'healthy' that might sabotage you.  Right now I can feel that I have not had enough greens lately, and since I don't have fresh right now I will need to make a big bunch or broccoli to eat with dinner tonight.  These are things I never would have thought of last year.  Making these changes for my health may seem minor to some of you, but t makes a big difference in my day. 

I read the InCyst article about picking a trainer today, it was empowering.  There are things to know about yourself, that not all exercise and diet gurus are going to know.  Work with people who can adjust for your unique self. 

Did I tell you? My dad finally read up on PCOS. I know, it's a been a while and he's in the medical field but it was not something he dealt with on a daily basis so it was not priority number one.  My husband still does not want to know or read anything about it. Let me just say, "oh, the joy".  But here is the good part, he finally asked what I could eat, and how I was doing with it all. 

I keep it simple, it helps me.  The less processed the more okay I am with it, and if it's a choice between two evils I choose the lesser.  If I must snack and there are gooey chewy bars and almonds, I'll eat some almonds.  Then there are the days I loose all will power...I have begun not to lose hope when those days happen. I just get right back on track and continue on.  This is a journey towards health, I'm doing better little by little.

I've also learned that I will never be a coupon queen.  Dried beans are my ways of saving, bulk health foods, farmers markets.  I used to try even with non-edible items but I've learned that most of the items that have coupons are things that I really should be leaving alone.  There are times when I get to use a coupon or two, but nothing like the savings you'll see on the shows. These are things that I now plan around since I know I have to have a stock pile for the winter.  I know that dried beans and rice will keep if they are in air-tight sealed containers.  Costco became the big hero again for their huge bags of dried beans and rice.  I will find more brown rice, but right now I have to mix it in the jasmine stuff anyways since my hubby cringes at the thought of brown rice. 

All this to say, I like this recipe that includes Barley, and I will keep trying new things. There is another slow cooker one with black beans that looks good, burritos filling. yummy.

A story about popcorn

I have not liked popcorn since I had braces way back in junior high. The kernel's getting stuck in my teeth and trying to get them out was awful. Now it seems all the toxins and chemicals added to the microwave stuff is not worthy of ingesting.

So this Christmas we bought an air popper, my husband loves popcorn! The first batch he was so-so about, but after that he's not popped one bag in the microwave. Our newest addiction has me craving popcorn too, cinnamon sugar. I know, it has sugar. But it's less than in cookies and muffins or brownies so it still helps us snack lightly and deliciously.

Here is proof that if you are open to change you can develop new loves, even if previously you had not liked a particular item.  I've learned this with mushrooms, onions, cauliflower and now with popcorn.  I'm going to continue being open to embracing new vegetables and bringing health and balance back into my life. I hope you remain open to change as well.

a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law, I love it!

final version

Cinnamon sugar mixture.

Weekends are for Fun

This weekend my hubby and I visited his sister and family out in the hills, it was beautiful. The weather was a perfect fall day.  Mom and brother-in-law took off for a ride on his new motorcycle and Sis-in-law and Little Miss and I went for a walk.  It was a great day.  Their house is beautiful and they are almost all settled in from their recent move.

This summer has been busy and flew by rather quickly for all of us, this weekend was a perfect time for us all to get together and spend some quality time catching up and enjoying the late summer weather.

Trip down memory lane...part two

Finally...the rest of the story.

Our Labor Day travels took us first to a small little town outside Yakima WA. From there we traveled onto Bremerton WA.  It was fun to see where hubby spent his early youth, and to see how different it was from where he lived when I first met him.

This is where I keep getting to share fun new things with my hubby. 

dinner with the family

The house with a view I'm very fond of

Shuffle board any one?

Coloring?

I will post more pictures soon. There was a show with heckling from the parents, it was awesome! 

Ear Aches and all that can come with it

I have not posted my second half of my vacation yet, I'm truly sorry about that.  I will eventually get around to doing it, and art and all of that, but right now I've been tired.  Let me tell you a bit more about our vacation, because in all of the fun there was one part that was uncomfortable, and then in the end it turned painful.  No emotional pain, don't worry, pain killers took care of it, but I did get to go to the ER first.

Did you see the spin on that? "Get to"...rather than let's say "have to".  I could have stayed in pain longer, but I did finally go of my own free will to the ER, a place that freaks me out, stinks, and I'm sure will make me sicker by being there than if I had stayed home.

Back to the beginning though.  In our adventure up to Washington, my ear began to ache, and then it got all clogged up...well I thought it was clogged up.  This is why I got the ear wax clearing up kit, and squirted water into my ear, and held my head to the side hoping all the stuff would drain nicely onto a towel rather than my shirt.  From what I know now, this was the wrong decision to make.  My ear problems began to worsen and my cousin and his adorable wife, both Dentists decided to pull out the ear probe and check out my rather upset ear.  Just to let you know, this is not the first time I've been around them with some form of medical mishap, I think they bring it out in me, or my body knows they will get it or try to figure it out...or maybe it's just kismet.  What they determined after consulting their medical books, and seeing I did not have wax in my ears, was an ear infection. This was news to me, I've never really had this before...still wishing I could say I have never had this before.  I was then told that only antibiotics would cure it, and to make an appt. with my doctor.

We left Washington armed with knowledge, and a drawing of what my infected ear looked like.  Some where between their house and work the next day things took a really unpleasant turn.  There was more pain, and seepage.  I do not do well with bodily fluids seeping out of me, eewww gross.  I tried to call for an appointment and found the number had been disconnected, tried the next day...this time looking for a new doctor.  That night though, the pain was so intense, I called my dad. He confirmed that I was not being a baby, and that at 9pm it was important to head to the ER, or if we were lucky and open urgent care.  We were not lucky so we sat in the ER until the wee hours of the morning until I was finally helped, and then give Rx to fill as soon as I could.  We left at 3am the next morning, we had been there about 5 hours.

I learned a few things, the extra pain was cause by a rupture, water was not allowed in my ear, and only antibiotics would clear it up.  If it did not clear up with the antibiotics, I might need stronger antibiotics, and I may need a patch on my ear.  I'm not sure if she only said ear, or eardrum....

I have been living with a clogged feeling ear since Labor day weekend, roughly half the month.  My antibiotics ran out a few days ago, and now my some times my ear pops open like it wants to hear again, but then it gets all shy and closes back up.  I really miss hearing with both of my ears.


I did see my doctor, and have now been referred to an ENT.  I've always wondered how the process began with seeing specialists...I'm not curious any more, it can stop at any time.  They have not called yet, so I have not yet seen them, but each time I head back to the Dr's office (back I am going back a few more times for other fun PCOS  type things) they check my ear and tell me it is healing.  This is good to know because I can't check  myself and I really want to meddle, to clean it out and help...but I've been told this would be bad.  Although I have had some really gross stuff come out of my ear now, stuff that might even turn the stomach of one pretty famous ogre.

I've been MIA, and this is why. I'm really sorry. I've neglected my duties in helping my friend recover from her surgery... and that makes me feel bad, but I've almost fallen asleep with her there a couple of times and it's getting embarrassing.  I'll post more, soon...when I'm not so tired and drained of energy.  There are other fun things that have happened...I'll even get the picture my cousin drew on here soon.  I've been given permission to turn it into an abstract. It will go well with my soon to be other health type paintings that are mulling around in my mind and really need to be put to canvas.

Happy trails all.....

  As promised, a picture of what I've been told my ear looked like over the Labor Day weekend.  The stuff at the top is normal stuff collected by the ear, the black dot is a black and white version of the red spot that was the injury.  There was an inflamed bump with a red  gash type thing, I was told it looked like someone poked me with something, and it was swollen around the injury. All of this was before the rupture that I learned about at my visit with the ER doctor. 

Trip down memory lane...part one

One of my favorite scenes in Washington

This is the ending picture of a lovely surprise journey we took over the Labor Day weekend.  I was lead to believe we would be staying in the local area, but there were plans forming in hubby's mind that he had decided to surprise me with, and it was a wonderful surprise.  First we went to see where he grew up, and then we went to see my Aunt & Uncle, and my cousin's and their kids.  I love traveling so does hubby, but it's lots of fun when he does things like this to surprise me.
Some people have hobbies together, or have other things they like to do together, we like to travel.  Of course we like things like movies, and bowling as well...but really we like to go to new places.  Three day weekends provide a great time for us to get away together.

This journey began with a rouse and ended up in a small town, where I got to see places that my hubby grew up in. He doesn't tell stories like my family does, but this sort of thing works too. 

outside house he lived in a long time ago

Park in Wapato right down the street from his old house

Outside the old church, he used to walk his dad to this church

a re-enactment of a bicycle accident

The day was filled with lots of memories as my hubby showed me where he spent his younger youth growing up in Wapato Washington.  We had a lovely lunch and continued on our journey to see my family in Bremerton Washington.


 I will post more pictures and the second half of our journey later.

First Swimming lessons were held here

It was lots of fun to see this quite town and walk around all the places and see how much has stayed the same.

The Madness Continues

Two weeks ago my house guest heart patient decide it was time for him to go home.  He packed up his things and  asked us to drive him home.  The good news is, he was taken off of most all of his restrictions, and was fine to get back to a bit more normal routine.  We had splurge even and went to get ice cream together.
The week after my father-in-law headed home my friend went in for her surgery.  I knew this one was coming, and I had already agreed to assist.  I was there through out her surgery and was so glad that she did not have any issues with breathing or anything during the process. It went very well.  The after affects have been a bit more than either of us expected, and we have learned so much more about each other though this process.  Nothing like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire together!  I will spare you all the details and her and I some embarrassment, but there are a few saying that we now know to be incorrect about what friends can and can not do.
Now if all of this going back and forth to the Dr.'s office wasn't fun enough, I've been trying to get caught up at work, and now my sister-in-law is moving! Another thing I knew was happening, and was completely exited for.  It all seems to be converging on one weekend though, and wow, I'm a bit overwhelmed with all that I have decided to tackle.
I'm sure if my mother was here she would tell me to slow down and get some rest, but I just can't seem to do that right now.

On a bright note, I got my monthly box of vegetables today! I keep thinking it is coming later in the month, and am surprised when it arrives a week earlier than I anticipated.

Monday 08/15/2011 - Friday 08/19/2011

Service: Regular

(Weights are approximate)

	4	cnt	Dinuba	Red Plum
	2	lb	Dinuba	Flame Seedless Grape
	1.5	lb	Our Farm	Yellow Squash, summer
	1.5	lb	Our Farm	Slicing Tomato
	1	cnt	Our Farm	Assorted Melon, musk
	1	cnt	Salinas	Bunched Broccoli
	1	cnt	Our Farm	Assorted Eggplant
	1	pt	Our Farm	Assorted Tomato, cherry
	1	bu	Watsonville	Green Leaf Lettuce

So, it looks like I will get to incorporate eggplant into something this week.