How I Start My Day

I'm a creature of eating habits. I'm quite happy to eat the same thing everyday, provided it's something I like. It takes the decision making out of the equation and that suits me just fine. I like all breakfast foods but this is my diet appropriate breakfast of choice these days.

This is one cup of cooked oatmeal (I see I could have cleaned up the edges of my bowl --- I microwave it and it almost overflows), 1 -1 tablespoons of chia seeds (for nutritional powerhouse goodness including the required protein) stirred in, and then half a cup of blueberries and some raspberries. Usually I just have the blueberries but when I saw these beautiful raspberries I had to have them. They are a very nice addition. I then top it all off with a bit of skim milk. I get organic milk when I can but often, even when it's available, the expiry date is often less than ideal. I'm to have a cup of milk but since there's hefty bit of calcium in the chia seeds, I just pour on enough to suit my oatmeal, which is probably close to half a cup.

And that's it. Very filling. Very yummy. With the berries, I don't need any sugar. I try to have a serving of blueberries every day, though I will soon be switching it up with Saskatoon berries because my frozen blueberries are almost gone. I wish I'd bought more to freeze at the time because they're so much better than purchased frozen blueberries. Bigger. Juicier. Tastier. I'm learning to not just enjoy food but to treat it like medicine and balance my intake accordingly. I didn't use to think so much about that, even though I ate a fairly healthy diet. I pay more attention to the nutrients I need to maintain optimal health and try to get those in. I'm happy to say that dark chocolate has a place in my diet! YEAH!!

I have some happy observations to report on this Thanksgiving holiday Monday. I can feel continued improvements in my joints. I'm walking a bit better. I haven't had any real soreness (my feet used to hurt awfully sometimes) for quite a while. I'm generally moving about a lot better. I'm so excited by the progress in my left shoulder. I think it's starting to thaw. Lynne thought it was probably due to start easing up and she's right. I was surprised today when I could not only touch my fingers behind my back but I could actually clasp my hands! That's progress considering a few weeks ago I couldn't even get my left hand back past my side! Maybe I'll be able to wear some of my shirts and jackets this winter after all!

My hair is still clown hair. Bummer. At the end of this month it will be a year since it started growing back. I was hoping for better progress. I think it will be another year before I have something that doesn't look immediately identifiable as "cancer hair". I SO look forward to the day when I feel I don't look like someone who has had (or has) cancer.

Dinner tonight at Don and Syl's! Mmmmmm ...