​     We began this week with a little bit of snow, and then suddenly, the temperature dropped into the teens.  After that, it continued to snow in increments every day and started collecting until, by Wednesday, we had almost six inches of snow.  It was not the wet kind but rather the powder that's perfect for skiing, so I'm sure Mount Baker is in great shape even though no one can get up there because the mountains roads are closed.  After the snow stopped, a sheet of fine ice coated it, so it became very slick, and no one could get out of their driveway or down the road.  Of course, Steve and I fare better than most because of our four-wheel drive Toyota truck.  It can get in and out of almost any terrible road condition.  However, we can still jeopardize ourselves if we venture out because some people are ill-equipped to handle icy conditions even if they have the proper vehicle.  Suffice it to say we stayed home for a couple of days.  However, we got cabin fever pretty quickly, so it was challenging.  In the end, it was probably good because it forced me to complete some of the writing I've been avoiding, especially my thoughts following the January 6th committee report that was just released.  I finished writing about that on Saturday morning.  I guess I should say I wrote only about the assertion that trump aided an insurrection.  I've kept up with the more serious Jan 6th accusations and trials, including the participants' actions and stories.  Actually, it's sad that they engaged in illegal acts through ignorance, encouragement, and falsehoods.  Oh well.  In any case, we did fine through the cold snap, and suddenly the temperature raised into the high 40s, so we're more comfortable, and the ice-covered snow is melting.  Thank God for that because we joined our Canadian friends for Christmas dinner, and they live on the side of a hill with steep roadways to their house.  We managed just fine and had a wonderful time.  The next big event is New Year's Eve at our house, and I look forward to providing creations that fit my keto diet.  So far, I'm maintaining my weight, but of course, I'd rather be losing.  Oh well.  Tomorrow is another day!

     We've had an exciting week, beginning with sending our Christmas packages and finalizing our gifts, especially for the little ones. It is so important to me to get these gifts to my great-grandchildren, especially when remembering how exciting it was to receive gifts in the mail from loved ones and how I anticipated opening every package under the tree with my name on it.  I always keep that in mind when I consider sending money instead. I will continue to send packages until they get old enough to want to take over. So far, Bernie's two are that age, but Adam's little ones are still at the age to be excited over small gifts.  We've also participated in several activities.  On Saturday, we attended the Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth theater in Vancouver, and it was a lovely production. We try to attend at least one Christmas venue each year and have done so for several decades. Vancouver is the fourth City where we've seen the Nutcracker ballet. Each production is different and never disappoints. Following the ballet, Steve and I stopped by Cilantros in White Rock for Indian food and then made it home just in time for bed. On Sunday, we joined the Nimetzs for a concert with an award-winning Canadian choir. We thoroughly enjoyed their unforgettable music in this, their last performance. Following the Christmas concert, we enjoyed a lovely meal together. Even though we're going to have Christmas dinner with friends in Canada, we are cooking a turkey again because the last one turned out so well and provided everything we needed for the week. Steve and I are both managing to stay away from those things that make holidays a disaster health-wise. We don't keep any candy or other sweets in the house, making it much easier to stay on track. It's imperative to avoid bringing in tempting items that become the hole in the dam that causes a collapse. To fill the desire for rich foods and sweets, I've been working on making delicious options that fit the keto requirements. Several of these items worked out well, including the chicken tetrazzini and the beef stroganoff, which used cabbage instead of rice or pasta. I've also found a new recipe that looks good, and I intend to try it in the next few days. It is a lasagna made with cabbage leaves, and I think it will be great! I've become increasingly amazed at how well cabbage works with these new recipes. I never realized how versatile cabbage could be, particularly as a substitute for those starchy carbohydrates that go along with flavorful sauces and casseroles.  The cakes and breads I'm making fill that urge for rich desserts, so we aren't tempted to eat unhealthily.  In short, we are successfully navigating the holidays so far and enjoying every day.  Hopefully, I'll continue hanging in there, particularly since I face a Christmas dinner that comes with luscious, tempting desserts Ugh! 

     We had another great week here in Birch Bay, although it was generally cloudy, rainy, and gloomy.  We went to our favorite Indian restaurant, Cilantro's, and we also managed to hit our dim sum restaurant.  We had enough leftover food to offer our neighbors dinner on Sunday.  It worked out well, and we enjoyed our visit over reheated shumai, tripe, and chicken feet.  Also, I created a fantastic new keto recipe.  At least it was new for me because I made chicken tetrazzini for the first time, but instead of using pasta, I baked it over cabbage.  It turned out wonderfully, so I've included the recipe in the menu section of this blog.  The next thing I plan to try is beef stroganoff.  I plan to put it over pasta for guests on New Year's Eve and over cabbage for my keto cuisine.  It should work out.  Indeed, almost everything we've enjoyed eating over pasta, we can enjoy eating over cabbage, either stir-fried or raw.  It makes for an absolutely delicious substitute for all things rice or pasta.  Sometimes I use cauliflower as well.  In the meantime, we're keeping up with our daily workout routines, with Steve swimming and me using the workout equipment at the Grandview aquatic center.  We've been enjoying ourselves in our little house and are very comfortable.  Most days are in the 40s, so it's not very cold, and we're looking for a long stretch of sunny days, so things are not so dismal.  I've been very successful in sticking with my keto, and although I'm not losing weight, I'm still not gaining.  I intend to drop more pounds soon, and if I don't, I'll have to change something again.  I aim to make my target weight by the end of September 2023.  I started my blog in September of 2021.  That means I worked on my weight for two full years!  Hopefully I can manage to lose another fifteen pounds in a year.  This goal is essential because every pound I lose means better health.  The terrific new recipes we are creating make keto an easy plan to follow.  I expect that everything will work out well!  In the meantime, our holiday plans continue to grow.  I'm excited to see the Nutcracker Ballet in Vancouver on Saturday, continuing our traditional Christmas activity of participating in at least one Christmas venue per year.  On Sunday we're joining our Canadian friends for a concert at their lovely church.  Apparently, the choir is internationally known and has won many awards.  We're fortunate to participate in this last concert they will perform.  We'll have a nice dinner together afterward.  They've also invited us for Christmas dinner, so we're all booked up for the holidays.  Then, they plan to join us for New Year's Eve along with Steve's brother and sister-in-law.  We're blessed with family and friends and grateful for every healthy new year we spend together!

​     Steve and I are having a great time together here in Northwest Washington.  Of course, it helps that we like each other a lot and we make an outstanding team.  We're expanding our menu items, particularly in the area of bread and desserts.  I recently realized how to make a keto-friendly shortbread out of almond flour, and I am adding toppings made of raspberry BlackBerry and lemon.  They turned out quite well, and Steve enjoys them as much as I do.  Our red chili fix is fabulous, and we've been making huevos rancheros several times each week.  Additions to the chili include my spicy almond bread, which is very similar to cornbread and scrumptious!  I am cooking another turkey this week because we got one free after spending over $150 at our grocery store in Bellingham.  I've decided that turkey is a really good addition to our keto cuisine, and I might cook several this year.  We've also expanded our Indian food restaurant choices because of our dear friends in Canada.  They took us to the Curry Lounge in Surrey, close to our workout facility.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch together and lots of conversation and laughter.  Along with everything else, I plan to follow Jake's suggestion to spend two days on a very low-calorie liquid diet.  He has provided me with a recipe that is very high in nutrients but low in calories.  He uses it two days a week.  He makes it in the morning and puts it in a bottle so that he can drink from it all day long.  If he's very hungry by the end of the day, he has several pieces of available meat but tries to maintain a low-calorie intake.  He says this has helped tremendously with weight loss, so I shall try it and report back next week!  In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying every day of your life because you won't ever get it back.