Hot Chocolate 101

My daughter Alicia is going to Guest Blog for me today.

I work at a day program for adults with cognitive and physical disabilities.

Today the lady I was supporting hosted a Valentine Party for a bunch of her friends and wanted to give them Hot Chocolate because chocolate and Valentines go together. She wanted to give them something to drink.  This a drink we had figured out a recipe for around Christmas time. She had wanted to figure out an alternative to coffee for a diabetic friend.  They both said they had not had hot chocolate for many years.

  We put all of our ingredients into a large cooking pot. We used  one and a third cup of instant skim milk powder or enough to make up a liter of milk. We used a third cup of cocoa and half a cup of Splenda.  We stirred up all the dry ingredients, poured in the 5 cups of water, stirred it thoroughly again and put the pot on the stove on low so it could slowly heat up and be ready for when her friends arrived.

People were so excited to have the drink. Her guests and my coworkers told her how much they loved it and commented on how good it smelled in the house! They even asked her for her recipe. We wrote the recipe out for a few of them and titled it Hot Chocolate 101 so that is where the name comes from.

My coworkers had a cup and then wanted seconds. They were used to drinking powdered hot chocolate mix and most had never tried hot chocolate made from scratch before. They commented on how different it tasted. For a lot of the disabled individuals it had been a long time since they had hot chocolate of any kind. This was a really nice recipe because it allows us to control the sodium, sugar and fat content making it accessible for different diets including heart friendly and diabetic diets and so allowed everyone to share in the treat.

Hot Chocolate 101

1  1/3 cup Skim Milk Powder
1/3 cup     Cocoa 
1/2 cup     Splenda 
5 cups      Water.

1. Place dry ingredients into a large pot.
2. Mix ingredients with a large spoon
3. add water and stir again.
4. put on a low heat on a stovetop and stir occasionally.
5. Serve using a ladle.
6. Enjoy!

Serves about 6 

Note  from Linda:
I think I will test this out with a slow cooker next week and then try it out at work. I am always looking for a nice treat that people on special diets can share.

HAWMC -Day 12 Stream of Consciousness

HAWMC Day 12

Stream of Consciousness Day. Start with the sentence “______”just write, don’t stop, don’t edit Post!
So we challenge you, start with this phrase: “Today I looked in the mirror and…”  

 This turned out to be a very powerful exercise for me. 

I have never actually shared on-line what happened to me to cause my heath crisis, or for that matter what my heath issues are. I use phrases like "when I got sick".

I also have never publicly discussed my serious weight issues. I guess all it takes is 30 days of writing challenges to get me to open up and someone to tell me to just let it flow and don't edit. If I had stopped to edit you would never be reading my story.


Today I looked in the mirror…. and I can't believe I am really sharing this but.. I am looking a lot better than I did before I got sick almost 4 years ago. I was extremely overweight .. oh heck …yes .. morbidly obese, Biggest Looser big.  I tried not to look in the mirror back then.

I developed a critical series of heath issues at the age of 50. Eventually it was shown that my weight probably had very little to do with my illnesses, however one look at me led the health care professionals to jump to wrong conclusions and diagnosis and treatment went horribly wrong.  Yes, my weight put me in grave danger, but mainly because of prejudices based on my appearance, and my own embarrassment and reluctance to stand up for myself. 

 I almost died of a pulmonary embolism and the cause of the blood clots in my lungs was most likely related to a massive undiagnosed uterine tumour. The blood thinners to treat the lung clots caused the tumour to haemorrhage. My blood pressure was dropping and the treatment they chose was to give me medications that rapidly elevated my blood pressure resulting in a stroke according to the MRI results, As well  many, many tiny areas of damage occurred  in my brain because of oxygen deprivation due to extremely low blood volume. Several blood transfusions later I was stabilized, but so much damage was already done.  I was then declared unfit for any form of surgery and it was more than a year of agressive treatment for the tumour before it began to shrink and I was reassured that I would indeed survive.

 I found myself facing a lot of weight related problems while in the hospital. Larger blood pressure cuffs were not available. I needed the MRI and they withheld testing me for a while because they thought I might not be an appropriate size for their equipment. I was subjected to a humiliating set of measurements and it turned out I was not even close to the kind of numbers that would have been an issue and they should never have delayed testing. One nurse said that she didn't have time to go looking for an extra large hospital gown so they left me with only a blanket to cover myself. They kept testing me for disorders common to obese people and did not listen to me as I described my symptoms as acute changes and not chronic conditions.

I am still so angry at some of the medical professionals that dealt with me. I am angry with a heath care system that is not prepared to deal with larger people. Mainly I am still angry at myself for getting so overweight in the first place, and even more disgusted with myself for not being a better advocate for myself.

 I have spent most of the the past 4 years with impaired balance. I am dizzy and nauseated. Guess what?  All that nausea and vomiting and some of the serious medication side effects caused me to loose weight. I was still pretty heavy, but nothing compared to before. Person after person who saw me  told me how I had never looked so good. I had trouble talking, reading and making decisions. I was using a walker. The left side of my face was hanging and my left arm and leg were not functioning properly -- but yes, my weight was down so I looked just great to everyone.

My weight is currently up from that low weight.  I am back to leading a life of monitoring what goes in my mouth and chastising myself for consuming chocolate Easter Eggs when I am  upset. I still have issues as an emotional overeater, but now I know that I have the will and strength to overcome great difficulties.

When I look in the mirror now…  yes I see a thiner woman... but mainly I see a strong brave woman.

Donuts, Dietician and Peer Support Meetings

I am a co-facilitator of a peer support group at my local Stroke Recovery Association. We usually have about 7 to 10 people meet one afternoon a month in order to discuss issues related to living life after a stroke. It is great to share and so nice to talk to other people who have had similar experiences.

We usually have a  snack time. In fact it is amazing how often we share food at the stroke association functions. Last month I picked up a pack of mini chocolate covered donuts and they were met with a great deal of enthusiasm. Maybe a bit too much.  Many stroke survivors have dietary restrictions that they should be careful about. I realize that several of my members are diabetics. Others should be watching their cholesterol and just about everyone is supposed to be watching their salt intake. A few survivors have to watch for foods with potential drug interactions. Other people, like me, really should be working on reaching a healthy weight. As I watched the donuts disappear it occurred to me that I was acting as an enabler! I wanted treats and this seemed like the perfect excuse for me to indulge --- and I was taking my group down with me!

I was assigned a dietician as part of my rehab team when I first got sick, and I still see her about every 4 to 6 weeks. (I still have a lot of food and weight issues) I talked to her about this little revelation and it led to a really interesting discussion about group dynamics, snacking and healthy choices. One issue is the possibility that group members might actually be hungry. Did they eat lunch? How are their insulin levels? What is my responsibility in all this?  We talked about how occasional treats are not a bad thing and it is normal to have special foods once in a while. The important part is quantity and frequency. Once a month is not a big deal, but at the same time it is an opportunity to share a healthy snack.

My dietician and I brainstormed about some easy, inexpensive snack foods that might be good choices for the average stroke survivors diet. I came up with a few poor choices such as cheese and crackers.  I thought it would be good because it is higher in protein but it is too high in calories and too high in cholesterol and possibly sodium. I already knew the Girl Guide cookies I am supposed to be selling were not going to make the list this time, no matter how yummy they are and good the cause is.

Healthy veggie wraps were one suggestion. The idea of cheese in them was again discouraged but we discussed using some lower fat cheeses that are now on the market.  Turkey sandwiches prepared with multi grain bread and cut in quarters would be good too. Fruit with a light cream cheese or perhaps a yogurt based dip sound pretty healthy and delicious. There are some yummy and good for you muffins available at the store and she has some recipes for some healthy muffins that I will get from her next time I see her.

We had a meeting this past week and this time I brought bagels cut in smaller pieces and I provided a spread choice of light cream cheese or hummus. It certainly wasn’t donut type enthusiasm, but a few people really seemed to like trying the hummus for the first time.  Next month I think it is going to be healthy muffins or banana bread. All I have to do is work up some energy for baking!

Does anybody have other suggestions for coffee break or snack treats for a group? I would be very interested in potluck suggestions too.

Computer Class Began

I started the computer course  at the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities today. It is really a low key kind of approach for our group of about 8 students with a teacher and a volunteer helper. Today we started with Word to make a series of posters. I have not used a PC in a long time and you could certainly tell that I was not using my beloved MAC laptop.  I was surprised at what a hard time I had just going back to using a mouse! 

I definitely had trouble following anything the teacher was doing on the screen at the front of the class. By time I looked up and focused on the screen I missed whatever the heck he was trying to show us, but fortunately that was a very minor part of the class.  The class assistant was right there and ready to point things out to me.

Once I got home I rested for a half hour, reviewed my music, and then I headed off  to my guitar lesson. I am making some very gradual progress there too.

After we finally got back to the house I aimed straight at the couch. I was exhausted.  I turned on The Biggest Looser ... I needed inspiration to just get back up off the couch again.

Tomorrow is aquatic therapy at 9 am and computer from 1 to 4 pm. 

Wish me luck.



Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Heart and Stroke Month

I wanted to make a Heart Smart related post for Heart and Stroke Month

What are your risk factors?

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada recently released a report showing that 9 out of 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for cardiac disease. Ninety percent of Canadians believe they are healthy, however most are in denial about the true amount of risk they are under.

Blueberry Muffins

I need to have a few regular things to bake and cook. I am still finding it harder than before to do things in the kitchen. If I can plan a few regular items, maybe I can remember the recipies better when I am cooking and maybe I can keep the ingredients around the house sothere will be less extra trips to the store for missing ingredients.


Blueberry Muffins



I like this version of blueberry muffins, but we have to avoid lemon in our house because of allergies. You can just leave out the lemon peel in this recipe.

If you have a recipe that calls for lemon juice you can use a 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar in place of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. You can also substitute equal parts of apple cider vinegar or of white wine.

Barbeque Season

Summer is here and today was warm!

We like to BBQ but we are starting to make changes in what we cook.
Today the burger was a frozen turkey burger in a 60 % whole wheat bun. The side dish was fresh green beans cooked in the microwave and Emily made a wonderful potato salad. It just wouldn't be summer without some kind of potato salad. We have been experimenting with a few different kinds of potato salad that seem healthier or lower calorie but until today's attempt they really were not very tasty or satisfying.

This Potato salad is reduced in calories but it still has a very creamy traditional kind of taste.

Emily's Canada Day Potato Salad

5 medium potatoes, cubed (skin on is okay)
3 eggs, hard boiled, cooled and cubed
2 stocks of celery, chopped
3/4 cup of low fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup of half the fat mayonnaise
sprinkle of paprika (optional)

Boil the potato cubes until cooked but firm. Run them under cold water until cool and then drain. In a larger bowl combine the potatoes with the eggs and the celery.
Blend the cottage cheese and mayonnaise in a separate bowl or using a food processor. We like used an immersion blender. Add the cheese mixture to the potato mixture and combine thoroughly . Sprinkle with paprika if desired.