Happy to see Spring...

Today has been a damp dreary day here in southwest Minnesota but it is spring (finally) & we certainly did need rain.
Couple of weeks ago I had to take an ambulance trip to the Avera Tyler Hospital where I stayed the night for observation. They were an incredibly nice group of people with a very welcoming room (handmade quilt on the bed, good food & nice touches on the tray). No major heart event, I didn't think so but it didn't want to stop hurting & with the BAV I didn't know so I finally called 911. I was a little dehydrated (again) but my numbers were all ok.
I've added my 3rd (noon) Imdur back into my daily pills & that seems to have done the trick for now).  I'm suppose to go see my regular dr in a week or so for a checkup & as long as that's ok I'm not scheduled to see my cardiologist, Dr Clark at Sanford's Cardiovascular Institute until September but that's always subject to change lol.
I do have to go see this eye surgeon the 29th to find out about having my cataracts removed which is going to also lower my glaucoma pressure. Weird to think I'm only 47 & talking about having cataract surgery. But it will be great to see without it always being blurry!
At least that's how I see it - lol

Peanut Butter: Skippy vs Jif

As a little bitty thing I loved peanuts/nuts out of grandma's little dishes but along the way someone decided they were a terrible thing to let me snack on because I might choke. So I was repeatedly told the usual, "No. Don't. They're bad for you. They're going to hurt you."  The messages we give little 1-2yr olds when we are trying to protect them from something that might be harmful {or someone persuades us it might be harmful for our child}.
Somewhere along the the way my brain bought that message; like several other messages over the years. "Nuts are bad. Spit them out. They Will hurt you." Over the years despite trying various ideas I never even ate 1 pbj sandwich. I would literally vomit at the taste of nuts.
Then in 2003 I was preparing to have ru en y gastric bypass & one of the tips was eating pb after surgery because of the high protein. I was determined to do this surgery right so I started with Nutella & worked up from there until I actually could eat a Tbls of pb. Of course I then found out a Tbls of tuna did even better for you protein wise & was much healthier-go figure.
But nuts & I were on our way back to a healthier relationship.
Now almost 10 years later I am proud to say that I had a pbj sandwich for lunch just because I wanted to & it was delicious.
I have a favorite peanut butter--Skippy Honey Roasted-Yum! I have found though pb is one of those things on which I cannot save $ by buying generic/store brand.
When we found out about my BAV (Bicuspid Aortic Valve) & that it's genetic, Marisa started buying Skippy Natural Creamy. It's very yummy: 2T= 190cal(140Fat). Total Fat 16g (sat fat 3.5g/trans fat 0). Chol 0. Sodium 150mg. Total Carb  6g (fiber 2g/sugars3g). Proteins 7g. It has 4 ingredients: Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Palm Oil, Salt.
Along with congenital heart defects, July also started Marisa down this couponing road to try & save some $ on all this healthy eats & to try some new things. Marisa had a coupon for a larger jar of Jif Natural Creamy on sale for less then the Skippy even before the coupon & thought "why not". As you'll see the ingredients are very similar; but there are some differences.
2T=190cal(130Fat). Total Fat 16g (sat fat 3g/Trans fat0). Chol 0. Sodium 80mg. Total Carb 8g (Fib 2g/Sugars3g). Proteins 7g. It has 5 ingredients: Peanuts, Sugar, Palm Oil, Salt, Molasses.
Neither Kynee nor I cared for the Jif Natural. I found it very dry, lacking in the fresh peanut taste of the Skippy brand. In all honesty it kept wanting to stick in my throat. I don't know if it's the addition of molasses or the lack of salt in the Jif; one lists peanuts & the other roasted peanuts... Kynee is glad to see Skippy back on the counter. :-)
I have found I don't mind the Jif on wheat Ritz w/some coffee in the evening so it won't go to waste.
Until next time, stay safe & love each other,  Renae