I've been struggling this past week with trying to keep cool in the New West late summer weather and trying to maintain any amount of slow-paced activity I can. The afternoons are incredibly hot, so I have been getting out in the early morning for a walk along the quay. To get home, I catch a bus up the tretcherous 8th street--which I am no longer able to walk up--and run errands uptown before making my way down the hill to my apartment. By noon, my suite is scortching hot. I can't figure out if it's cooler with the windows open or closed, but the blinds definitely remain drawn throughout the day. It doesn't begin to cool down until 6am the next morning, unfortunately.
Now normally, our pool closes on Sept. 1st. But since our summer didn't really start until August, they're extending the pool hours until the weather starts to cool down. This has been amazing!!!! So, I spend a good amount of time outside in the shadey areas beside the pool (I really don't do well in the direct sunlight, ginger and all).
I'm also trying to eat healthier foods, since I'm unable to exercise the way I like to. This is difficult because, with the heat and all, all I want is ICE CREAM!!! But I've been exploring some heart healthy food options, since I should probably maintain a heart-healthy diet now for, well, the rest of my life.
So, if anybody has any heart healthy recipes that they would like to share, please do!!! I don't know how many people read this blog (So far I only know of one--I <3 Tania), but if you do, share your deliciosu recipes with me! I especially love easy recipes. And if you have any good salad recipes, I hate traditional salads, so anything that can spice them up would be heaven for my palate.
Today I am getting a CT scan of my heart. This will hopefully show if there are any other problems with my heart that didn't show up with the dreadful angiogram. Then, I have my appointment with my cardiac surgeon next Wednesday. Hopefully, in less than one week, I will have the date set for my surgery! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be in September. So excited to have it over and done with, but still dreading every second of recovery.
Oh, I'm also starting to have chest pain. This scares me a little. It's very rare, but when it happens it's just a sharp little pang in the centre of my chest. This is the first time in my life that I've ever had chest pain. I usually get it when I'm slouching, not when I'm walking, so I hope it's just my poor posture and not something more serious going on in the ol' ticker!
I hate lettuce. Despise it utterly. The only way I will eat it is if it's caesar salad, which is very definitely not heart healthy.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do really like, if you like tomatoes, is really, really easy to make. I just take tomatoes (any kind grape or cherry or vine-ripened (not gross hothouse flavourless ones)), thin-sliced onion, garlic, basil (fresh or dried, whatever), balsamic vinegar, and crushed garlic and marinate for a couple of hours. Salt and pepper to taste.
This would probably work if you added cucumber and peppers and any other veggies you like, too. No fats or anything bad for you, good vitamins, and it is tasty.
Other than that, I mostly eat my veggies stir-fried.