A good day despite a sweet ending

A and I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast, picked up dog messes in the backyard, and then picked up the front of the house. We did the dishes, and had salads for lunch together on the clean dining room table. We ran out to buy a new blanket for one of the puggles, then went to the pool for two hours. Anyone who has been to a pool with an exuberant child knows this was a good workout for me.

Left overs for dinner, lasagna and garlic bread, and then a movie, "Strange Magic", which was cute but predictable. I guess at my age an innovative storyline should be unexpected.

Then M arrived home with chocolate frosty's for us both from Wendy's and there went my sugar for the day. I had been spot on for the day through lunch, even after having a banana for first breakfast, but of course the frosty threw my numbers out the window.  I had been keeping track today, for the first time in quite a bit, and while the calories are good, there is much to be desired for the amount of sugar. Here is the summary section showing the breakdown by meal and daily percentages of macro nutrients. If the sugar had been carbs from whole foods the percentages would have been just where I want them, though the protein is a bit high. Tomorrow will be better, I am making carrot soup from the leavngs of my carrot juice earlier in the week.

Now it's time for PJ's, bed, and some Dr. Who. Kaylee is scratching to be let in after refusing to come when I called her earlier, and as always I will be glad of the company.

Meerkat Motto or Climb Every Mountain

Sleeping in on top of daylight savings had me in bed until 9am. Amazing. Perfect for a Sunday.

This morning A was hanging out in my room while the 'rents were getting ready to go out for breakfast. She offered me a sticker and looking around I noticed a long ago posted but sort of ignored clipping on the wall. The Meerkat Motto (I miss that show, Meerkat Manor!). Anyway, I put my chosen sticker on the corner of the paper then shared the motto with A.

Meerkat Motto
Respect the Elders,
Teach the Young,
Cooperate with the Family.
Play when you can,
Work when you should,
Rest In Between.
Share your Affection,
Voice your Feelings,
Leave your Mark.

All of the important benchmarks of being human too, in my humble opinion. I need to work on the 'play when you can' aspect'. She thought it was a little insulting when I explained why she made a good Meerkat. In her defense she is six and it's sometimes hard to spot a compliment.

Last night I went to bed thinking about habits, and my food addiction struggles, and my mental health. Not an exceptionally pleasant set of ruminations but a problem ignored is not one that goes away. Not that I have ignored it, I have 40 years of battling under my belt to no avail. That thought saddens me, not that there has been no miraculous solution as I use to pray for, but that all the effort and thought was apparently  just wasted. Or is my svelte 230 the good news, and without the fight I would be 500lbs? Now to my favorite quote from EPL - "there is no control group for a human life."

Now i'm thinking about breakfast. How sick is that? In my defense it is morning, and my last meal was over 12 hours ago. Let's not be crazy. Let's just make some more eggs and toast! Done.

Climb every Mountain  Earlier this morning before there were plans for them to go out to breakfast, A and I were watching The Pacifier. If you are not familiar with this movie, the son is in a production of the Sound of Music, and after everyone left I was inspired to look up this link, (Acted by Peggy Wood, dubbed by Margery McKay.) Best performance of the song ever. How can anyone ever give up or lose faith after listening to her. Including me. Showered, dressed, and about to go out!

I did pass on Sunday Dinner at a friends, but next time my face will be better and I'll say yes. I accidentally made a delicious dinner for myself at home. Yellow onion sauteed in red palm oil, then diced cauliflower added in equal part, seasoned with magic mushroom mix, dried sage, a little Montreal steak seasoning, and a dash of celery seed. Earlier I had sliced some firm sprouted tofu and had it marinating in soy, catsup, garlic, vinegar and raw honey. I pan seared the sliced, and put one in a bowl and topped it with the onion mixture. Very good and somehow WAY spicy. Remembering some left over white rice in the fridge I added some to my next bowl and it was perfect. So good that I made a final small bowl the same way and savored every bite. There is lots of onion  mixture left over to use as a base for bean soup, I know that will be delicious too.

Breakfast:  whole wheat toast, eggs soft scrambled with mustard
Lunch: two green chili and cheese tamales from TJ's
Dinner: marinated tofu, white rice, onion & cauliflower saute
Dessert: finally really eating the vanilla ice cream I wrote down but didn't actually have the past two days

Ouch etc

Head and ear aches are driving me to the Dr. today. It makes me realize how much I take for granted that I don't usually have headaches anymore. Not since 2004? when I started taking Immune by Orenda. Miraculous stuff.

Four vials of blood later and a diagnoses of stress I am home and resting. I refuse to go into details, I am not THAT old and whiny yet. I know I need to spend time relaxing - not watching tv, but meditating or playing family games, or just being quiet. And spending more time outside. My front windshield is iced over most mornings, and a chill breeze picks up after work. So many excuses. But looking at my fat arms while the nurse tried to find a vein was disturbing. Another sign, another bit of motivation. Whose arms were those anyway? What happened to my strong sailing and archery arms, my toned biceps and small wrists? I keep noticing there is too much of me and I don't like any of it.

I hate being lazy, if I could change one thing it would be to shut down that gene. No, I would wish to have never injured my back; I think that was the beginning of the end, so to say. Part of every day being in pain does take a toll.....AND, here I am whining anyway.

Off to visit the Prince of Persia - sigh.

Once A was back from her T-Ball practice we did her reading and homework together. I am so happy with how fast she has caught on, picking up and sounding out new words like an automatic pistol. She is rocking the whole reading thing, and math too - lots of good genes there from most sides of the family. Please let us keep her safe and happy and grounded and full of self esteem. Please let her love her life from start to finish, just a small heartfelt wish. In fact now that I think about it, THAT would be my one wish.

I walk, I breathe, I fight.

Breakfast: decaff  coffee, cold left over pizza
Snack: Froovie, supergreens blend, about a cup
Late Lunch: Star burger, small fries and a root beer
Dinner: half a steamed artichoke dipped in mayo

Happy Birthday to Me!

I do love that Google does this, who cares if it might be a little big brotherish.

This morning my darling A greeted me with "Happy Birthday, Grama!" When I tried to fill the dog bowls before leaving for work she offered to do it for me, taking the bowls away from me and declaring that, 'you don't have to do chores on your birthday, I'll feed them." Sweetness personified.

A busy day at work, a stop at TJ's for a few things, and then to home driving under darkened skies and scattered rain drops.

I am 60 years old today. What a blessing (obviously my mood has improved) to have lived through what I have and still be able to love and be loved, to be surrounded by family, to have relative health and the chance and ability to take better care of myself to improve it, to have a warm cozy bed and a snuggly dog. Many would envy me my security and independence no matter how fragile I deem it, and I need to remember that.

My birthday dinner was last night, and this evening I threw together 'fast food'. Meaning pre-chopped veggies and baby potatoes and fresh peas that cook quickly. The dark bits are purple potatoes, I wish the colour were better in the picture here, but it's lovely and bright and fresh and very tasty with a pat of butter, magic mushroom mix and fresh ground pepper. Best of all there are another two large servings and only one pan and one dish to wash.

Time to change into something warm and stretchy. Hopefully there is enough time after softball practice to watch Once Upon a Time with the girls.

Is Goooooood. God, now I can't remember what movie that's from.

Breakfast: decaff  coffee, sausage muffin
Lunch:  Bean and pico de gallo burrito
Dinner: 8-veggie mix from TJ's stir fried in red palm oil served over baby potatoes with magic mushroom mix and English peas stirred in

Pre Birthday biking and dining

Back from our first bike ride together, A and I flipped through the California bird book trying to find the duck? heron? goose? that we saw fishing in the pond. I couldn't find anything close. My guess would be a heron, but the bill was wider and neck longer that the typical night heron's we see around here, and shorter than the large white and blue heron's. But no matter what the classification we enjoyed watching them dive until a flock of ducks noticed us and made a beeline across the water in hopes of bread crumbs or worms. We made our getaway, A not wanting to get 'beaked', and by the time we reached home I was tired. Mentally tired from feeling my stomach bump against my thighs as I peddled (ew gross) and physically from the exercise. How can I keep living in this body? Will there ever be a point of determination that lasts for more than a day? But enough grousing - I am so proud of A riding so far and already so confident on her bike with only two wheels. I look forward to many bike rides together this spring.

On a lighter note, I was down .2 lbs on the Wii after not stepping on for over 300 days. 'Apparently' I'm great at maintenance.

R has a dinner planned for me at a friends home tonight to celebrate my birthday which is tomorrow. This is the last day of my life in the 50's. Sort of weird to think about it that way. Heaven knows I don't feel my age, which is totally normal from things I have heard other's say about aging. I just hope I can make up for lost time in my sixth decade; I anticipate a lighter healthier and more active body, I'm just not sure how to make that happen yet. Perseverance? Pushing myself out of the way? Getting out of my head and into the world?

But in the meantime I am enjoying listening to her putter in the kitchen as she layers the lasagna and Alanna updates us as to what all the avatars on the Wii are doing now that we have finished weighing all of the dogs. They have all lost weight and seem healthy. At least someone is!

Dinner was wonderful, R decorated and made it amazing. There was a big blue 60 on the cake. Me? Really?  Now I can't sleep and wonder what the year will bring, what I will make of it. I would rather be sleeping.

Breakfast: decaff  tea, a deviled egg
Brunch: toast with PB
Lunch:  tossed salad, last of the veggie soup
Dinner: homemade lasagna, salad, garlic bread
Dessert: pineapple upside down cake

Another Day One

Grief can be cleansing, clearing away cobwebs and unfulfilled intentions from a cluttered psyche. I am calm today, and with the exception of breakfast I made mostly good food choices. Okay, maybe not so much after writing it down - no greens! Sigh. But at least there were no voices in my head about whether to do this or that. I just ate what I wanted when I was hungry.

At lunch the universe reminded me that while my nails are enjoying a period of being longer and stronger than usual, they were not to be admired. Splurging on a manicure I didn't notice how much she had trimmed off. But even short they look nice and I can still drum a little should I happen to become impatient.

 A is having a really emotional evening; perhaps the cafeteria food,  maybe just tired from three days off, who knows. But I will keep my patience and love her and try to help. What else can we do?

In the calm after we have read a little she asks, "Guess What?" "What?" I say. "I love living with  you Grama."  That's my sweetie.

Breakfast: Decaf coffee, sausage biscuit
Lunch: baked squash and whole grains casserole
Dinner:  baked pumpkin slices, whole grain toast w/ avocado and toasted quinoa burger

How sweet is this

I must begin my blog with arriving home from work. Here is a pic of my greeting in front of the door mat. (You may thank the wind storms for the debris - the landscapers come Wednesday.)

A's reading is coming along very quickly, and her writing skills are following closely; not knowing how to spell something doesn't slow her up at all. She either sounds it out or asks. I love it, I think we all do. I am thinking she wrote this for me because they were leaving for softball practice and knew I would be coming home to a house of hungry dogs and no people. I may be reading a lot into this, but I can think what i want until I find out otherwise.That's my sweetie*

I forgot my salad for lunch on the coffee table, but had taken a bottle of juice to drink on the way home. So I drank my lunch after inhaling 600 calories of shortbread cookies (link below.) Typical year; dieting and girl scout cookies arrive around the same time.

I'm off to kitchen duty while listening to my latest book while it is quiet up front.

Breakfast: Decaf, sausage muffin

Lunch:  home made juice

Snack: one sleeve of girl scout Trefoil cookies 

Dinner:  SALAD

Shopping Cooking Eating

We all slept in this morning and I wasn't up until 8:30. Awesome. Then A and I went shopping, stopping for hot chocolate and decaf respectively on the way. Once home I made us eggs on toast - the new bread is so delicious! Alpine Valley Honey Chia.

I threw A's laundry in and we watched some Harry Potter - the movies are our friends and a rainy afternoon is the perfect time to visit. I even spent part of the time on the floor stretching various bits and pieces of this stiff old body.

I roasted a butternut squash, carrots & sunchoke, sauted onions and peppers, and cooked the last of the bags of both barley and farro that were hanging out in the cupboard. I added magic mushroom mix to the onions, then tossed everything together with a tablespoon of red miso. Now I have a large container to share out for lunches or dinners depending on my mood.

After lunch I made meatballs, and sauteed mushrooms, onions & zucchini to add to some marinara and chunk it up. Mostly I made the meatballs for the fam, I did eat a couple, well three because they were delicious, but the rest will be for them. The only sausage I was able to find at Safeway without sugar or monosodium glutamate was an organic chicken blend, and as it turns out it worked well. Chicken sausage in meatballs, who knew?

Another load of A's laundry and my chores are done for the day, thanks to R doing my dishes. If I look at my food log I can see how crazy weekends can be with a processed grain at every meal. But I am not hungry and I even feel satisfied - not always an achievable state of being - and it's a good feeling on a Sunday evening.

And speaking of Sunday evening, the screaming from the bathroom has just commenced.

 Breakfast: Honey Chia toast with one egg over easy

Lunch:  cucumber, cheese, pretzel roll sandwich

Snack: 4 teeny tangerines

Dinner:  Spaghetti and meatballs

Me and Little Miss

Yesterday was full of fun, a little work, and some snuggling. A and I had the day together while her parents worked, and the day after Christmas looked something like this.

Snuggles in the morning
Streaked her hair with new pink, blue, and purple hair kit
Put away a load of her laundry from the dryer (mostly me, but she helped)
Made her eggs and toast for breakfast, I had a left over potato - YUM
Snuggled on the couch for a bit then I left her to watch Monsters U while I rotated dishes
Bribed her with gingerbread so she would drink some Shaklee Immunity (she was sniffling)
Sandwiches and cuties for lunch
Played Dress up with her new Elsa magnetic doll
More laundry (sigh, clean flannel sheets) and a freshly made bed for me
TJ's Mac n Cheese for her dinner and another (yes they were that good) potato for me

-break when her dad arrived home - watched most of Star Trek: Insurrection and snoozed

Dropped the dad off
Sang 12 days of Christmas (again) on the way home
Straightened up our mess of pillows and blankets
I ate and she tried to eat the last two tamales but even smothered in sr. cream they were too spicy for her. They were delicious. I ate them both.
Played Rummy Tile which with just the two of us took about an hour (there was lots of laughter)
Jammies, teeth and ready for bed

- the house was all of a sudden quiet - tea, the end of my movie, and a See's chocolate.
Bed

It was a really good Day :)

Extra Credit

A and I have been doing some extra credit in her weekly homework packet.  And I try to keep up on what flashcards she needs and making them available to her, though lord knows we aren't using them here at home as we should.  But her daycare giver, lets call her P, had suggested she have them available so there they are and hopefully they come in handy. I'll have to make a point of going through them with her on weekends when we are not all so burnt out.

So those things and reading and our library trips are my contribution towards her education, her imagination, and most importantly her self esteem. Because the best thing you can do for a child is to give them your undivided attention. Really look them in the eye and connect; a flashing of your first two fingers between your eyes and theirs is also very cool these days - a combination of Avatar's "I see you" and a way to make sure they know you are theirs and visa versa. Was it the critters in Ice Age that started that? Anyway, she loves it right now so we overuse it a bit. But it's still cute and funny and more to the point a way to seal the deal when making a connection.

Backing up a bit, my dream this morning was crazy and to the point of yesterday's rant. I had gained access to a set of dog tags that were absolutely vital to 'solving a case' and I had to keep them safe. I was running from my ex-hubby's old girlfriend, at the time a known manipulator as most addicts are, and I couldn't keep away from her. She was California Ninja Girl and I was scrambling fat old nobody. In the end I tried flushing them and she just laughed knowing she had won, and I woke up. There are feelings of frustration and inadequacy and a nod to how incapable I am of fantastic feats right now peppered all through the dream. There were of course lots more details but that is the jist of it. The universe is just screaming at me right now. Get your act together, you can be worthy, you can be so much more. Just screaming.

After a week of abstaining I drove through for decaf and a biscuit this morning. I did finish up yesterday's juice for lunch and plan on drinking lots of water and tea this evening. I know I'm writing a lot of nonsense etcetera lately, but I need to stay on top of myself, keep my head out of the water, and bolster up my good intentions so that they lead somewhere other than hell.

So how does this all tie together? Well, I do more than I give myself credit for, even in dreams, and I need to hang my star on those good deeds and not dwell on past failures. As do we all, I know I know, nothing special or unique here, but some of us need reminding more often. Crazy to see what I think of as normal just heading around the corner in front of me and not being able to quite grasp the trailing edge of it's sleeve and hang on. One day I will, this is my journey towards that end.

Fit For Life

This morning's juice:
Beet, celery, ginger, lemon, cucumber, red grapes, pear, apple. The fruits were minimal; half an apple, one small old pear, a handful of grapes. This is a red juice, earthy and spicy - the ginger and beet are perfect partners dancing on my tongue.

Later today there will be pizza and cake at Alanna's ice skating birthday party (think Frozen) so the rest of the day needs to be stellar nutrition wise. I am sad that my achilles tendon is keeping me from skating, but it will be awesome to watch all the bucket skaters in their scarves and gloves.

Iminent juicing goal - shake the last of this cold, reduce inflammation, prep for blood work a week from Monday; or in other words, lets try to pretend my health is closer to life than death.

Towards that end I joined Fit For Life to see if I can't find some inspiration from a motivational coach!

Two week stretch

Yes Virginia, Time does Fly! Where did the two weeks go since I last wrote anything?

Intermittent coughing aside, I am well as my Grandmother used to emphasize - not good, things are good, people are well. I have so many memories of Mommer, my Maternal Grandmother; some that are cornerstones of my behavior and others that keep me on the straight and narrow edge of grammar. Hers is the voice who chants in my head upon occasion that the road to hell is paved with good intentions and that I have 'put on a little'. I loved this woman tremendously, and still grieve her passing though it has been more years than I can remember. I don't know why the few small negatives seem to be embedded in my brain. Probably because I did love her so much and it was so hurtful when she criticized it seared deep into my memory cells.

This morning at breakfast my own granddaughter was trying my patience, which I usually have in abundance - especially where she is concerned. But I guess the honeymoon phase of them moving in is over since I was ready to snap at her over the table at Country Waffles. I'm sure there was a sugar hangover from the party last night next door; sparkling lemonade, orange juice, chocolate cake, oh my! Then more orange juice for breakfast and blueberry crepes (which looked divine by the way) topped with whipped cream which she preferred to anything else on her plate. The jumping and popping under the table and overall exuberance was a little trying since her mother and I were both tired but even that was okay. It was the discovery of gum under the table that pushed me over the edge. Probably her  mother too. Once A found it she couldn't leave it alone, even after a stern "do not touch that" from both of the adults who were sharing said table. I stood up. We're going outside. OMG. Poor little thing melted down into the seat next to her mother and wept. Once home she came in to give me a heartfelt hug and mumbled apology. 

Broke my heart. 

What memories am I leaving with this child who is more special to me than words can convey? I have to remember my place in our little family; love and support, she doesn't need another authoritarian overseeing her every action. That's her mother's job. Not mine. I will remember this.

Breakfast: Scrambled veggies (peppers, onions, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes) and a side of fried potatoes. with hot sauce. YUM!

Oh the despair

This morning I am thinking more and more of this battle we are in; hope and worry fighting it out with anger and frustration. There are no winners, it is a lose-lose situation as the mechanics of addiction steal away our time and energy and resources. Instead of celebrating the raising of A we are drained by the everyday stress that M creates in our lives. 

This is what most upsets me today, that this precious little person in our lives is getting the short end of the stick. How can we practice patience when we are exhausted emotionally, how do we sit and play when we are scanning the house for who may have been there while we were at work, how do we leave for the pool when we are  worried about what may be missing or out of place at the house.

I once counseled R that she would know when she reached her ‘line’. That mystical place where she and A became more important than saving M. Have I reached my line? I said I would support whatever she decided, that I was here for her and wouldn't meddle. But it is harder every day, watching her pain and how she fluctuates between hope and despair.

How much more of my life am I willing to give to this madness?  I can pretend for hours at a time that whatever happens is just the way it is, but I know in my heart we do have some say in our destiny, that we were given the powers of choice and change, and that we are not exercising those options.

And of course while I say I am thinking of A this morning, really I am thinking about myself and my daughter and what needs to be done to put us in a place to take better care of A. In this situation, abundance does trickle down from the top, and if we do not have our ‘muchness’ then how can we pass any on to her.

We need some damn oxygen masks.

Orenda CleanBurnShape: 18/30 or 89/100 or 1/1

So yesterday did not go as planned. I felt like every speck of energy had been sucked right out of me, and small headaches came and went.  I napped, A did not, and still no energy. This morning it occurs to me I felt much as R did the day before; maybe there was a small bug we were fighting off in turns? We had buttered slices of sourdough and perfectly ripe peaches for dinner, so delicious.

This morning is much better. A is dressed and fed on a bowl of life and fresh strawberries, I am dressed and my breakfast of grapes and a peach is packed for the drive in to work. Grape tomatoes, asparagus tops and a Shape shake are packed in my cooler for lunch. And while neither one of us wants to be on our way, it is what it is. Perhaps I will take one day off this week so we can goof off and make up for yesterday's lethargy.

I am determined to have a good week, and feed myself correctly so I have the energy this little child deserves. And we are going to put her hair up in a ponytail tonight to see if it helps with morning tangles. Poor us. 

Time to brush the little white soldiers and take off for the day. Or teefies as A says :)

Orenda CleanBurnShape: 17/30 or 88/100 or 1/1

Dropped R at the airport this morning just before 5am, then A and I came back and slept another hour and a half before rising at 7. We have made a grocery list, been to two stores (making sure to visit every living thing at the pet store before leaving) and come home to a snack of graham crackers and cheese. Think deconstructed cheesecake - our treat for missing R.) We are now discussing the merits of swimming before or after her nap, and while I am bigger, she is outweighing me in the determination department. But I need a nap too so we will go later this afternoon. R reminded me to NOT negotiate with A and that is the plan.

We picked up all the basics, a couple of 'natural' fast food options and a bag of bean and cheese burritos in case of an emergency. If nothing else probably M can polish those off. 

So far today we have learned that A can open the car door from the outside all by herself if she puts some oomph into it, and that when given the choice will pick a brownie bite over a cookie and strawberry milk over chocolate milk.

The plan for me today is to organize the fridge, see if there is anything besides the kale that needs to be used up right away and make a batch of soup. This means the bean soup from last weekend will be processed into re-fried beans (we need a different name for these)  and frozen in batches to make room for the new soup. A shape shake for lunch and the leftover Chinese food (mostly veggies) from yesterday for dinner should round out the food part of the day for me. A has requested leftover chowmein for her dinner, and a sunflower seed butter sandwich with sliced strawberries and bananas for lunch.

Yyyyyyaaaaawwwwnnnnn....is it nap time yet?

Christmas Presents

I was stressing a tiny bit over what to do about presents earlier today; worried the holiday spirit hadn't kicked in, worried about money or the lack thereof, worried that I wasn't more worried. Then my DD came over with the new baby and we started talking about who she looks like and I pulled out my basket of film. After Joey died I finally got around to putting all my super 8 film onto DVD's - so afraid of losing those memories and wanting desperately to see them, to see him. Last year I picked up the software to make labels, and so I'm thinking this is the year to finally finish up the project and get copies out to the family. When the DVD's were made they also made four master reels that I can still run on the projector; I can see ahead ten years, a. watching her mother on film cavorting naked in the sprinklers and laughing with delight. Anyway, I need to get on that tomorrow and start making copies and labels and christmas sleeves to wrap them in. At least at this point it's just my time that's needed to pull it all together, which is good because that is what I have to give right now. Watching part of it tonight was like having my heart wrenched out of my chest, and we stopped and said our goodnights before it became any more maudlin. Only happy thoughts around that baby! No wrecking the new merchandise.

Day 7 (my granddaughter was born Day 5)

Busy Days! I have a Granddaughter, and all my energy has gone there. 20.5 hours of labour (my daughter) and isn't she a beauty.
7lbs 12.3oz and 20" long. She was born Friday and they are going home from the hospital today. So I have been sewing all afternoon to get the cushion covers finished for the glider in their nursery. I figured new babies are usually late, but she came the day after she was due, the little stinker!

Anyway, didn't want to spend much time cooking tonight, but after two days of eating out I wanted dinner to to be healthy. So it was the perfect time to pull out the Trader Joe's White Beans mix
that I had picked up for such an occasion. No chemicals, and 21% of fat from sunflower oil. Sodium 590 so typical of processed beans, but nothing else today was processed so I'm good.

I steamed some Brussels Sprouts and together they were very good; I did add some Smoked Paprika and ground pepper.

So busy days ahead, and won't have time to post each meal, but I will check in regularly and make a point to share anything wonderful I come across or make. Speaking of which, I added in some shallot and date to my orange\walnut dressing at lunch and it was an excellent combination. Blend until smooth: 1 orange, 1/2oz walnuts, 2T vinegar, 2 chopped dates, 1 sm. shallot chopped. I ate the whole thing, so two servings of fruit and half my healthy fat for the day. I'll probably make some coleslaw in a bit and throw in some pepitas for my 2nd fat. Now...Back to sewing!