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You all know that tim is a dear, dear friend. And you may have gathered that was me he was talking about in the blog. Well, i wanted to update you on some things. First off, about 3 weeks ago, i was told that i had to limit my coffee to just 2 cups (ok they are 20 ounce cups) and that i wasn’t to have a can of soda with lunch anymore. i am to drink at least one 32 ounce bottle of water a day, and look to increasing that. i have noticed some changes from just this little change. i’m not snacking in the afternoon, and not falling asleep on the couch as soon as my butt hits it. i may have noticed a difference in my skin, but too soon to tell on that. At this point i'm at about 1 and ½ bottles a day. What makes this so challenging for me is that i really dislike water. It’s sometimes got a funny taste, or it’s got no taste at all so why bother? There’s also this thing that i can’t drink cold beverages that aren’t like GLACIAL cold. As soon as the water in the bottle, cup or glass has no ice, i’m done. What’s helped greatly, besides tim’s encouragement, is that i’m adding limes, lemons, mint, and cucumber to my water. i’ve found a water bottle that has a little basket thing in it for just this reason. Lime and cucumber are so far the winner! So that’s one change i’ve made. After talking with tim last week, in a conversation that was the precursor to the blog post, i committed to trying “refrigerator oatmeal” every day for breakfast. i’m not a breakfast eater, not hungry in the morning. In fact, the thought of food in the morning turns my stomach. i chose this as it would be the easiest thing for me in the morning, as mornings with 17 year olds can be rather hectic. he and i talked about recipes, his is in the blog, and i looked up several different versions. i bought some nice plastic bowls with tight fitting lids, the old fashioned rolled oats, some good cinnamon, golden and regular raisins. i’m using ½ cup oats, and about a tablespoon of each type of raisin and a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon. i shake it up to mix it, then cover it with milk. i’m using 2% lowfat. i’ve found that putting it together takes no time at all, and i’m doing it right after dinner, while the kitchen is being cleaned up. So, i’m on day 3 as i write this and there are a few things i’ve begun to notice. Most impressive is that i've not forgotten my breakfast at home once. After getting past the whole “But oatmeal should be hot” thing, i'm able to eat it all. i’m also ready to eat lunch at lunchtime. Previously, i wasn’t always ready to eat at noon. Surprising me the most is that yesterday and today, i was actually hungry by the time i got to work. This, y'all this, is big. Just thought i'd let you know what’s happening, and maybe show you that what tim was talking about, eating real food, doesn’t have to be a big production. If you missed the original blog post, you can find it HERE my thanks always to tim, he's always been so encouraging and is so very dear to my heart

I believe you should eat when you are hungry, so not necessarily three meals a day. I don't always eat breakfast. So, today my very dear friend said she was hungry. Tra-la-la ... So eat! Ah, but there is the rub. It was breakfast time and she's at work. I was a bit growly this morning, snappish, so when she showed me a picture of a package of Instant Oatmeal with maple syrup and brown sugar, I was bitter. I said, get some real food. While it's better than some things, instant oatmeal is chopped up so small, so it will 'cook' when boiling water is poured over it, or it's microwaved. And because it's so small, your gut has nothing to do, except absorb all the sugar and flavouring in it. You will be hungry again in an hour. The glycemic load of instant oats is higher than large flake, so they offer less sustained energy than do the large flake. Please, please please, eat REAL FOOD! Please do not say, tim, I do not have time, or tim, this is much too hard. Because neither are true. My go to muesli is simple, good for you, it tastes good and you can make up a lot of it, keep it in dry form and then just add milk before you go to bed. Or a quick search on the internet will bring up a ton of recipes if you want them. Or use your slow cooker to make oatmeal ... mmmm it's warm, creamy and waiting for you in the morning. I've used this one: https://simple-nourished-living.com/crock-pot-apple-oatmeal/ I have 5 small plastic tubs they each hold about 1.5 cups. What do i do with them? Make muesli, of course! I put in each: 1/3 cup of large flake oats 1 tablespoon (approx, or to your taste) each: seedless raisins and pecans, or dried cranberries and walnuts. A small sprinkling of saigon cinnamon (or whatever you have) Put the lids on and add milk to cover each night. Sometimes i will add a couple of tablespoons of finely grated carrot for a change and sweetness. Personally do not add sugar or honey, but if you think you need it go ahead. But the dried fruit and carrots if you use them will add sweetness. Add some seeds if you like, such as sunflower or chia. Just cover with your preferred milk ... we use skim, but you can use whatever including nut milks. But please make sure you leave it in the fridge overnight! You can warm in the microwave if you don't like really cold foods. Like me ... room temperature. I've been know to heat ice cream slightly. Invest a little time to eat healthier breakfasts. It's fast and better for you, and also less expensive. Enjoy and eat healthy!!