I did an audio recording of my food challenge with images, but I don’t know it wouldn’t upload. I probably don’t have the proper upgrade or something. I will try to keep messing with it, but it is 72 outdoors today and I am not feeling this indoor stuff. I just came back in from checking my gardens for damage from all of the cold nights we have been having. It wasn’t horrible and I cut back a lot of stuff. My carrots and potatoes do not mind the cold, lol. Did you know you could freeze mashed potatoes? Me neither. I had purchased a bag of sweet potatoes and put them in the Instapot. But, then it became apparent we were not going to eat them right away, so I froze them. I froze them in two servings per bag, because my daughter won’t eat them. I wrapped them in aluminum foil first, before putting them in a Ziploc bag to prevent freezer burn. I did the same thing with all of the pancakes we made last night. I had mentioned this before, but one of the best things we ever got was a small chest freezer. It saves us a ton of money. We do have to be careful in hurricane season as that would really stink to lose a freezer full of food.
My Dollar Tree Challenges are a bit different than ones you may have read elsewhere. I may decide in the new year to do some videos, but eh I don’t know. My challenges focus on the nutrition of the food vs the value of the food, plus of course if it tastes good. I actually bought 3 items, so I had one for each of the coming weeks. I went to a Dollar Tree in a larger city, and I was not impressed at all. My Dollar Tree closer to my home is so much nicer. This one was messy, cluttered and just not nice. At any rate today I am testing out the Tombstone cheese stick shown in the images below. You can see all of the images from the review below. First off it is only 3 ounces and would be more of a snack than a meal. A very high calorie snack, but still a snack. The wrapper claims it is a good source of protein at 5 grams. Yeah, I am not thinking 5 grams is a lot of protein, plus the protein is coming from all of the fake cheese in it. Look at the ingredients list. It is a mile long. I read the word Phosphate at least 5 times. That means this tiny 3 oz stick has a ton of added Phosphorus. This would be an incredibly unhealthy choice for anyone with Kidney Disease, like me. Plus, it has 510mg of Sodium in that whopping 3 oz stick. 6 grams of fat, no fiber, and 29 carbs. Totally not a good choice. The can of peas I reviewed a few weeks ago is a better value than this pizza stick. This is not a healthy food option for anyone in my opinion. The package said to microwave it. I don’t own a microwave so I put it in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes and it was fine. As for taste, I tried a tiny piece and it was gross. It tasted like baked chemicals. I am not a food snob. I love junk food sometimes too, but I can’t stand the taste of chemicals in food. My daughter like it, of course, lol, and dipped it in Marinara Sauce. She was still hungry after.
Today’s gift idea has to do with fluids and Kidney Disease. Your loved one may be on fluid restrictions, or may even be told to drink more. Making sure you get enough, or not to much is vital to maintaining healthy kidneys for anyone. These water infuser bottles are multi purpose. You can infuse fruit and herbs into your water to add flavor without calories. Plus, it has the markings on the side so you know exactly how much you have or need to drink. This is a great and inexpensive gift for anyone with CKD, or anyone at all for that matter. Below, is a video about fluid restrictions and Kidney Disease. Being educated and informed is the best way to manage your CKD. Water is always the best option when choosing a drink.
Also below find my walking stats for yesterday, and my next pick for favorite Christmas music. Hint, I love Josh Groban.
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Living Life With CKD 