Week Six - Day Four: Calendars & Alarm Clocks

Are you one of those people who need to keep everything on their calendar and set your alarm clock to remind you?

That is me! I even did a little spreadsheet to keep track of my Groupons because I don't want them to expire before I use them. And I have done that four times! (Yes, that is 4... f-o-u-r... four times!!!)

I'm such a dork...

I even did it with our list of wineries we need to visit this year on our Sip California card!

So many wineries, so little time! :D

Who wants to join us?

I'm just sharing the calendars and spreadsheets because now I've had to add alarm clocks for my meds. Why? Because if I don't I forget to take them, and then I am off cycle. Besides, your system likes it when you take them on time. :) I have it set at 9:00a, 3:00p and 9:00p for my pain meds, and at 9:50a, 3:50p and 9:50p for my antibiotics.  I have to do this because I can't take the antibiotics with ANYTHING ELSE, otherwise it cancels the effectiveness of the medication. And I must say, after a day and a half I am feeling better.

I wish I was as organized in the rest of my life!

And now, back to a day in the life of Lin...

Yesterday I told you I found a recipe for Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice. I had to reread the recipe about 3 times before I found in the ingredient list what you do with the cauliflower. You shred it, or you can chop it in the food processor. I only have a little food processor so it took me a while to get thru a ginornmous head. I wasn't sure what it would look like, but this is it!

(That little cutie in the picture is my youngest grandson Jalen. I just had to include him. Nanny loves to brag about her grandbabies. Sorry...)

I can't wait to transform it! The cauliflower, not Jalen.

Just sayin'...

Today's food adventures included quiche for breakfast (I still have one more piece, and then I will make a new variety), chili verde for lunch, and dinner will be that chicken fried rice. Coffee is always in the equation, and I did have a glass of OJ first thing this morning.

Remember that awesome peach Propel Water I talked about?

Well, I was going through my cupboards and I found this Tupperware canister pushed towards the back, out of sight. Hum... What is this? It was peach flavored herb tea! Score!!

OMG I love this stuff!

I had saved a couple of my Propel bottles because they are 24 oz.  What I decided to do, in order to get more water in my system, is brew 24 oz. of peach tea and chill it in the refrigerator. Awesome sauce... I bring 3 1/4 cups of water to a boil, add two of the teabags, steep for 20 minutes, add 2 tsp (or one packet) of Splenda, pour into my bottle, and refrigerate until chilled. I've done that 3 days in a row.

I also came across a canister of Sleepytime Tea.

I think I will have to do the same thing with this so I can drink it at night. :)

After running errands this afternoon I came home, sorted mail, put away groceries, and set about making the chicken fried cauliflower rice. 

Talk about a lot of steps! I mean, it was a lot of work chopping that big ol' head of cauliflower, but then it was bacon, chicken, onions, garlic, scrambling the egg separately, etc... etc... And everything gets cooked one item at a time. Cook this for 3 minutes; then add that and cook for 3 minutes; then add this, let it sit for a moment... blah... blah-blah... blah... blah... blah...

I'm exhausted!

I am so happy I had that huge Paula Deen 12-inch chicken fryer to cook it all in. It is just a HUGE amount! I mean, just look at this!

I know, you are saying, "Stop whining, Lin, and tell us how it is!"

OK, I will tell you. It was good. Not amazing, but good. Very filling, and lots of good stuff in it, I might add. I ate a big plate of it. 

The only thing I didn't like about it is that it wasn't seasoned enough. I had to add more soy sauce and sesame oil. Not sure that I will make it again, but I will definitely finish eating this. It was worth trying!

So, that is how my day has gone. I will have to finish eating the food I've made the last two days before venturing on to another recipe.

Did I stay on my plan today? Well...

I started with a glass of OJ this morning (we talked about this yesterday); breakfast was my quiche; lunch was my chili verde; dinner was about a half ton of chicken fried cauliflower rice; and I have been drinking water and tea all day. All said, it's been a great day!

I have to say that as the sun was setting the frogs started croaking and it hasn't stopped! When we have wet weather they come out in force.

For something whose body size is less than 2 inches in length, they are incredibly noisy. But I just love them and love hearing them. In fact, I fell asleep with them serenading me last night!

Day's end is here. If I snack at all tonight it will just be with a few peanuts. I might even get ambitious and make my peanut butter cookies. But in the meantime, I am wishing you beautiful evening. Night, all!

…Lin…

Week Six - Day Three: Now back to the cooking I wanted to do yesterday!

Kim's version from Makin' it Mo Betta.

Remember when I said I wanted to make this yummy dish, only a low carb version? Well, I did it! This is my version of her recipe with just a few tweeks to make it low carb.

LOW CARB LASAGNA SOUP
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped 
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (I used one with Italian seasonings)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I omitted it because I used the hot Italian sausage and pepper jack cheese)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (or about 20 grinds of fresh cracked black pepper)
4 whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken into large pieces (instead I used eggs like egg flower soup)
3 eggs
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I used 1 tsp dried basil)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella pepper jack, shredded

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick pot. Add the sausage and onion and cook until sausage is browned and onions are translucent (approx 8-10 mins), stirring frequently to break up sausage into crumbles. Add garlic and cook for about a minute, stirring to prevent burning.
2. Add broth, cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, giving the soup a chance to reduce and thicken.
5. Beat the eggs well in a measuring cup. Slowly pour beaten eggs into soup in a spiral motion to create strands of egg.
6. When all the egg has been drizzled in, remove from heat; gently stir in the pepper jack, basil, and Parmesan.

Now, serve yourself a big ol’ bowl and enjoy! Kim says, "Feel free to add more cheese or basil!"

I asked her if she had ever thought of using kale, and although she had not, we both agreed that it would be a fabulous addition! Thank you, Kim, for allowing me to change your recipe. Hope I did it justice!

And now, back to my day!

This morning Captain and I shared some of that quiche I made the other day and a hot cup of coffee. It is so good and filling! And there is nothing better than sharing good food with the one you love! I also had a glass of orange juice because I'm trying to get a bit more vitamin C in my day without taking more pills, which I am very tired of.

Speaking of pills, I went back to the pharmacy this afternoon to pick up my prescriptions. Guess what? My provider changed prescriptions and my copay went from $89 to $10. This makes me a happy girl. I can now get on with getting well!

All I can say is, better living thru chemistry!

Because I was tasting the soup as I made it, I didn't have any lunch. But when dinnertime rolled around, I was really hungry!

I served myself a big bowl of soup (see picture above!) and made a beautiful chef's salad with broccoli, carrots, pea pods, cheese and ham as toppings. Ranch dressing dun got put on top of all of it! And dang, it was goooood!!!!

As I write this I am debating snacks for the evening, which, if I have a snack, will be my cucumbers and/or radishes, both of which I love snacking on. I am choosing things which are low carb and good for you, but that is not the main reason. I really do enjoy them. Of course I also love hot buttered popcorn and chocolate, but I am saving those for another day!

~wink~wink~

Before I end this blog I need to share with you a new recipe I just got in an email today. If you haven't signed up yet for Closet Cooking, I would advise you to. He makes some pretty amazing recipes. Not only regular recipes, but sometimes he comes up with recipes that surprise even me! This one is for Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice. There is no rice in it. The "rice" comes from the cauliflower, which is shredded on a grater. OMG I have everything but the sesame oil needed to make it.

How amazing does this look???

Now my day has come to an end. I got to make a new recipe, got a price break on my prescription, got a full tummy, found another new recipe to try, stayed on my plan, and best of all, I got to share it all with you. Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

I will see you all tomorrow. Good night!

…Lin…

Week Six - Day Two: And the surprises just keep on coming!

This was a busy day for me. It was also a day of surprises. Big surprises!

The day started with my friend Susan and I having breakfast at Linda's Bar & Grill. It's a very quaint throwback to the 50's diner with great food. We both had the Sunrise Sandwich and it was really filling. MMMmmm... Yes, I did eat the English muffin it was served on, but I'm not going to beat myself up for occasional carbs.

See what I mean? Throwback!

From there it was off to the bank, a quick stop at Starbucks for a vente Passion Tea Lemonade...

MMMmmm... My new favorite drink! 

...and then it's time to get my nails done.

This is my one vice. I think I have the world's worst natural nails. They are flat, they grow funny (i.e., some curl down at the end, some grow straight, some curl down on the sides, none are uniform), and they are thin, brittle, and split in layers. So Charee makes them beautiful for me.

This is my version of a French manicure.
White tips but with an awesome, sparklie color!

At this point I have to go to the clinic for a walk-in appointment because my provider, Florence, doesn't have any appointments and the advice nurse told me to just walk in.

For a bit of history here, I have had cellulitis in my abdomen off an on for years and I didn't know what it was. In 2012 it flaired up so badly that it required medical intervention involving 2-3 visits to the doctors over a period of 6 weeks.

It has come back twice since then and it's just required antibiotics to clear it up. Now it's come back, only this time in a different area. So this is the second round for the new area.

I checked in at 1:50 and didn't get to see her until 4:15. (This is where I would insert a picture of my crabby face, if I had one) She swabbed for a culture and then prescribed doxycycline for 90 days, an antibiotic I've taken before. My copay last time I took it was $15. My copay this time was going to be $287, and that was with my new Obamacare insurance. 

I need to explain that this pharmacy is a 402B federally funded pharmacy in a very low income area. So they only have a marginal markup, unlike a commercial for profit pharmacy. Pharma prices have gone through the roof because now that more people have insurance they feel they will be buying more medications, and this will increase their profit margin.

My pharmacy clerk is so wonderful. She talked with the pharmacist and he explained that the $287 was WITH my insurance, and that if I paid cash it would be EVEN MORE. Ugh... I told him I could not afford it and please talk to Florence for something less expensive that will be just as good. He said he would do that for me. Since it was so close to 5:00 I told them I will come back tomorrow to pick up my prescriptions.

My friends who know me know that this is my opinion of corporations that no longer care about anything except the bottom line...

Sorry if anyone finds this offensive.

We should not have to choose between food and medication. It is too bad that so many
only value money and not human life.

I will now step off my soap box...

Now let me share something nice about my office visit. I lost 2 lbs - and this in spite of the fact that I had a bazillion birthdays in the past couple of weeks!  I'm so excited!!!

Two down, eight to go for the month!

And on to the rest of the day...

Since it's Tuesday, that means it's Pint Night at The Happy Viking! 

This is Captain's favorite thing to do. He says it's the one saving grace about the Marysville/Yuba City area, but he really knows that this is a lovely place to live.

I met him there because I was running late. When I arrived I found him sitting at a table with Charee (yes, the same one that does my nails), Monica and Andy. They had a seat waiting for me! It's usually just the two of us, so this was a treat. 

I have the best bunch of friends here!

I digress...

I ordered a Bloody Mary with Absolut Vodka. He had already ordered a pizza. At this point in time I was so hungry that I didn't really care and wanted to eat anything in sight! (Remember that sunrise sandwich at 9 am this morning? Yeah, that was all I had eaten all day! 

I had my drink and two small pieces of pizza. Not just any pizza, but a "veggie haters" pizza.  All meat.  The man is a carnivore! HAHAHA!!!

We got to talking about the fact that Lent is coming. Captain talked about how he gives up sweets for Lent. Other options we talked about giving up were sex and alcohol. The outcome? Sweets. No surprise there. Since Lent starts tomorrow at midnight, Captain ordered the "suicide sundae" for all of us to share. What is that, you may ask?

This is half of the suicide sundae. Brownies, peanut butter layers, whipped cream, cherries, hot fudge, caramel. (Sorry the lighting isn't better.) I had a few bites. It is amazing!!! Thank you, Fat Tuesday!

My day has come to an end so I will say good night. Hope you had a wonderful day. Thank you for letting me indulge my rant. Have an awesome tomorrow! And remember...

Let the good times roll!!!

…Lin…

Week Six - Day One: Did I miss something here?

I know, I didn't blog yesterday, and I'm really sorry. This "whatever it is I have" keeps coming and going. Yesterday I woke up with a screaming headache and upset stomach. No, it wasn't from the crab feed because it had been 4 fours between eating and going to bed, and I felt fine then. So my day was spent on the couch not eating much of anything because I couldn't keep it down. Finally about 5:30 in the evening I was able to keep down a bowl of rice, some apple sauce, and then about 2 hours later I ate a few crackers with peanut butter so I could have SOME protein.

Today, other than runny sinuses and plugged up ears, I'm doing well.

Breakfast was two slices of bacon and I was going to make it into a sandwich on one of my rolls. The sandwich didn't happen, sorry to say. The bacon was yummy, but those rolls were so garlicy that I had to throw them away! When I ran them down the garbage disposal it made the whole house smell like garlic!

Yeah, that didn't sit real well with me...

After I ran my errands this afternoon I made myself a quick lunch. It was a perfectly ripe, small avocado and Monterey Jack cheese. Yummy! And satisfying, too.

Is that not a beautiful avocado?
(I guess it's a green kind of day!)

As I write, the dishwasher is running so I can get back into my kitchen and cook. I am making a different version of my Eggs Mexicana. (Why do I always want to call it Mexican Egg Bake? No wonder I can't find it when I go to look for it! Hahaha!) This version will not have the green chilis in it. (There's that green thing again!) I am making it with sausage, bacon and onion this time. Another swap-out I am making is using almond flour instead of the regular flour. It's only 4 tablespoons (or 1/4 cup), but every little carb saved is important. Almond flour has 3 net carbs per 1/4 cup; all purpose unbleached flour has 27 net carbs. That means that for every serving of this I only get .67 carbs, whereas when made per the recipe I get 3 carbs per serving. In and of itself it's not a lot in this particular recipe, but when you make something that has a large amount of flour, like cookies or bread, it's a huge amount per serving.

This is a great recipe because it can be eaten hot out of the oven (be careful so you don't burn your mouth!) or room temperature. It's also fabulous BLD - breakfast, lunch or dinner!

While at the store today I got the rest of the makings for the Lighter Lasagna Soup, which I posted a while back. I will be making it tomorrow, again doing just a few swap-outs to make it carb friendly.

And now...

I give you Eggs Mexicana!

4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into lardons

4 oz breakfast sausage

1 small onion, diced

½ tsp pepper

5 eggs -- beaten

2 tablespoons butter – melted

¼ cup almond flour

½ teaspoon baking powder       

8 ounces cream-style cottage cheese

2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

Fry bacon and sausage until lightly brown and crisp.  Transfer to a paper towel and set aside. Add onion and pepper to the same skillet; lightly sauté until translucent. Transfer to the same paper towel. Combine the next 4 ingredients in a medium mixing bowl; beat well. Stir in the cottage cheese, Monterey jack, sausage, bacon and onions; pour into a well-greased 9-inch pie plate or 8x8 casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake about 20 minutes more, or until set. Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Yield: 6 servings. Note: I did not add any additional salt as there is more than enough in the ingredients.

And now the sun has set and I am sending you hugs and good night wishes. This has been a great day for me. I hope you enjoy my recipe. 

…Lin…

Week Five - Day Six: It's Time for the Annual Crab Feed!

Today is the crab feed. I'm so excited! It's such a fun event and a very good cause, as well - the Firefighters Burn Institute.

The Firefighters Burn Institute started back in 1972. During the air show at Sacramento Executive Airport an airplane had an engine flame out on takeoff, dropped back onto the tarmac, skidded across Freeport Blvd. and directly into the Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour.

There were 22 people that died that day, including Firefighter Gene LaVine and eight of his family members. LaVine's Captain, Cliff Haskell, was so upset that there were no local burn or trauma centers to send people to when a tragedy like this happens. He formulated a plan, started fundraising, and in 1973 the Firefighters Burn Institute was born. Read their history here. 

This year will be the 42nd anniversary of this tragedy. There is a memorial where the crash happened, and this same building now houses the headquarters for Sacramento Fire Department.

I am honored to help this worthy cause.

And now on to my day...

I had about 1/4 cup chicken salad first thing this morning so I could take my meds. About 1 1/2 hours later I made 2 slices of bacon and one egg.  I am right on track and I love it. Feeling positive, too!

Remember those rolls I posted the recipe for yesterday? Well, I followed the recipe exactly and am ecstatic with the method and most ingredients, but there are a few things I would change. First it says to add 2 cloves of garlic, minced. That is way too much raw garlic. I would either roast it first before using 2 cloves, maybe saute it in the olive oil for the recipe, or I would just add 1/2 tsp of garlic powder. I didn't have any fresh thyme but I do have fresh rosemary so that's what I used. I also had to bake them 2 minutes and not 60-90 seconds because I do not have a very powerful microwave. But in spite of all of that, I think they came out wonderfully! And if you made six instead of four, then you could probably only nuke them 90 seconds. Now that I have the basic recipe down I will start playing with it.

One Minute Bread!
Doesn't my roll look just as good as theirs?

I took one with me tonight to the crab feed so I won't feel deprived when everyone else is chowing down on their succulent sour dough rolls. However, it didn't play out quite like I had anticipated... 

What did I eat? Well, a few pretzels and some popcorn (maybe 1/4 cup), but no roll. Bring on the main course! I have to say, the salad, antipasto and crab were so good and so abundant. We all ate like pigs. It was much better than it was last year.

And in spite of the popcorn and pretzels, I think my day was successful. I stayed on track (for the most part), ate fabulous food, spent time with wonderful friends, and helped support a great program.

I will sleep content tonight. 

…Lin…