My favourite Notebooks

an idea born from need

I was looking for somewhere to write down a new business idea that I had, I know this may sound ironic, but couldn’t find anything handy. I do realize that most people keep notes on their phones/computers/tablets, but wanted a pen & paper. That’s when I decided to create my own.

My first notebook from Amazon

The process

I watched videos, listened to podcasts, talked to friends, trial-and-error and finally I figured it out. I decided to make several notebooks to match different needs. You can find more information on the My Favourite Notebooks page by clicking the tab at the top of the page or by clicking this link.

coming soon

I have several new notebooks, geared towards Gaming i.e. My Favourite People are Gamers or in the USA it would be My Favorite People are Gamers.

Karenlee

“Plan for tomorrow, because tomorrow you won’t have time”

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Christmas list with a boost

It’s almost that time and just yesterday I told someone that I was 75% done my Christmas shopping.  They responded with “what?” and “already?”.  Now, I know that I’m not unique (at least not in this instance) when it comes to early shopping.  There are many out there that are just as eager to get the list all checked off, which leads me to this post, the List. I’d like to share with you some ideas that I have around my Christmas list and especially the stocking stuffers.

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Covid 19lb, it’s a real thing

After being home for over a year, with no routine of “moving-around”, this Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a gain. On the scale that is. Both my husband and I have put on the pounds this year and are looking for a way to get back on track. With that said, my first step is to tell someone about it. I choose to tell you.

Karenlee and Martin
I have to be honest, this is a WAY better photo of Martin than it is of me!
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A simple way to get back on plan

I promise I did post.  Well at least I thought I had.  It turns out I posted my husbands challenge as a Page, lesson learned.

Let me start with addressing how that challenge went, or rather didn’t for me (my story later).  My husband had moderate success, when he stuck to his plan, but otherwise his weight remained the same.  Here is a quote from Martin (my husband)

“I planned for a pound a day, hoped for ½ pound a day and at the end I lost about 10lb.  But, since this was over the holidays, I gained that back.  So, I’m where I was when I started.  Which I consider a success.  I’m doing it again, but with more moderate expectations.”

Holiday drive with husband
Going for a drive over the holidays with my husband.
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Our Vacation 2.o

At this time last year my husband and I embarked on what would be a life changing vacation. Nothing earth shattering, but rather a pivotal moment in our health journey. Last year we “ate” our way through Maine (USA), Quebec and Ontario. Lots of deep fried food, sugary car snacks and of course poutine. I’d like to say that this year was different, and maybe it was but that didn’t stop us from enjoying our vacation, especially if that meant trying food from the different regions of Quebec or enjoying corn on the cob prepared by by son’s girlfriend 😊. This year it was a healthy journey!

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ALTERNATE DAY FASTING – WEEKS 3 & 4

I’ve combined weeks 3 & 4, mostly because I was too busy last week to set aside the time to really write about the fasting experience. But the other reason was because I actually went up in weight on week 3. Mother nature played a role in that and the change in workload (re-deployment) I missed two workouts. But the overall 4 week total was acceptable, read on to find out the pros and cons, as they relate to my experience with alternate day fasting. Also, I’ll show you how I made these Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites you see here.

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
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ALTERNATE DAY FASTING – Week 2

This week was not the biggest change that I’ve seen, especially given that I mostly fasted for two days. Mostly. That my friends is the kicker. I have to amend my schedule again, but this time it’s because I find it too hard to fast on a workout day. I found myself eating a small amount, after the workout and while I didn’t feel guilty (notice how I didn’t say that I was sneaking food) I did realize that it would impact the scale. And that my friends, is OK. For this weeks photo, I took a selfie, using my Ring remote.

Me in my office/workout room
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ALTERNATE DAY FASTING – Week 1

I was ambitions to think that I could report on a daily basis the comings and goings of our experience with alternate day fasting. Not the least of which, how deflating it can be to weigh yourself daily. After a fasting day, the scale “loves” me but after an eat day, not so much. But the overall results are great! Plus I have my partner in crime, my son Sebastien, on this journey with me!

Working out with a partner
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Alternate Day Fasting – Our experience

Who knew that one of the benefits of fasting, especially Alternate Day fasting, would be Kitchen Freedom. What is Kitchen Freedom you ask? Exactly what it says, freedom from the kitchen. I’ll get into that and more as I take you through our (yes, our) experience with this type of fasting. Don’t worry, there is still a food component to this post, I’ve been on a quest to find some sort of Keto friendly toffee treat and I’ve got a couple of good recipes to share.

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Time to cook great meals

As someone who is working remotely full time, I get home earlier from work now, which gives me more time to prepare meals during the Covid-19 pandemic. I am using the food that I have in my cupboards, fridge and freezer. Sometimes that can be limiting, but given some creativity (and time) you can pull together some pretty tasty creations. Check out my Taco Soup and Frozen Raspberry Cheesecake Pops.

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Making Fish stew

Since beginning this journey to eat less carbs like potatoes, rice, pasta and flour (to name a few), I have stumbled my way around the grocery store aisles. Resetting the (almost 50yr old) brain on what foods to eat, can sometimes be a struggle. But last week I gained inspiration while walking through the seafood section of my grocery store. Fish. I wanted to make some sort of fish dish, but I did not want to bake, broil or fry the fish. I purchased the fish (frozen, since I wasn’t sure when I’d make this dish) and got online to figure out what to make.

Brazilian Fish Stew
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Making Fathead Dough

Who knew that there were so many variations of this one recipe. Fathead dough, sometimes it’s even called Fathead Pizza Dough, Keto Dough, low carb dough. I honestly didn’t realize that everyone had their own recipe. But I should have, I change almost every recipe I come across and this one was no different. But my quest was to find a simple recipe. I finally did. Thanks to the folks over at Twisted Keto.

Keto Chili Pockets – made with Twisted Keto Fathead Dough
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Keto & TikTok

I’ve got to be honest, I was very late to the TikTok hype. In fact, my husband had been trying to get me to watch videos for quite some time. He would often get lost down a rabbit hole, figuratively speaking, watching endless videos. Then one day, he sent me a link to a video that showed a Keto recipe being made in less than 30 seconds. I was hooked. I started by posting some simple videos, rear view mirror type ones, but eventually moved on to create my own cooking videos.

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My husband is my Success Story

Now, I don’t mean in the sense that I “changed” him. For example, I haven’t yet been able to get him to put the seat back down or prevent him from taking his socks off in the living room. I’m talking about a body change. This summer, my husband and I drove to Maine, Quebec and back through Ontario, all the while enjoying culinary delights; seafood in Maine and poutine in Quebec. When we arrived home we realized we had to change our way of eating. The scales were reporting a record weight of 234lb and 232.4lb. So, together we made the decision to change and what a fantastic journey it’s been.

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I can eat bread. For Real.

I posted on my Facebook page recently, about a loaf of bread that I made and promised to follow up with the recipe. This is not your normal loaf of bread, it’s a bit denser, and obviously the slices aren’t as thick or as large. But all of that doesn’t matter, at least to me and my family. Eaten while warm from the oven or toasted with butter and all natural peanut butter, this bread is simply delicious.

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back to school meal planning

Yes, mom and dad, students or anyone else heading back to school this September. It’s that time again! As a kid, I loved shopping for new school supplies, cloths, backpack and lunch box. I’m not sure how my mom (who had four of us) felt about that. But I do know, that as a parent of 2 boys, preparing lunches was my least favourite activity. Every chance I had to purchase pizza or hotdogs through the school, I took advantage of it. But what would happen if you had some time to plan?

Make ahead breakfast & salads
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Seeing it again, for the first time

I went for a motorcycle ride with Martin yesterday and it reminded me of how much I love to be on the bike. I drive some of these roads in my car, but when you’re on the bike, it’s like you are seeing landscapes for the first time. Looking around, while on the back of his 1100 V-Star, is looking through a panoramic lens. A lens that includes not just sight but all the other senses. Driving on Woodbine, in Keswick, I smelled fried chicken (thanks KFC), but driving through Udora at dinner time was the smokey scent of a backyard BBQ.

Enjoying a day on the bike
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