So...whats for dinner?

LuvRVing

Laurie - are you getting the storms tonight?  I thought I was out of tornado country when I left Missouri...lol.  But this will break the heat and it should be more comfortable for the rest of the week.

And yes, I had better not stop and think about my "schedule" for the next two weeks!  Between moving and treatment, I'm going to be just a little busy! 

Michelle

Laurie08

Michelle- Hopefully the two will cancel each other out.  You'll be so busy thinking about the  move, chemo will fly by.  And you'll be so distracted with chemo you won't be thinking about the move.  I hope thats the way it goes.  I'm glad that you have your family close to help!

The storms stayed to the south of us, thank goodness.  Tornado watch in NH?  It just isn't right!  My husband suggested we spend the afternoon in the basement....ummmm....no.  I watched the radar and saw it was going to miss us.  There was no way I was going to sit in the basement for the afternoon without a definite risk!

lago

Crab cakes that were frozen from last time and spinach. Not sure if we'll have a potato or cauliflower too. Husband is preparing dinner.

Lena

Laurie I'm coming over to your house. SHRIMP SCAMPI!!!! Yummmmmm!

Yup, I "had to" cook dinner tonight. I made the "Italian Rainbow," but this time with Vidalia onions.  

:-O Chemo "will fly by" ?? Uhhhh Laurie, did you HAVE chemo?  If you did, and you can say that, you have the most amazing strong constitution I've ever heard of. For me chemo -- 6 rounds of TAC April through July 2009 --  was the longest dragging living death which slowed everything down. Then when I finished, it took a two weeks for the Sewer Mouth to go away and my GI tract to recover, a month to be able to get up from a couch without feeling like I'd run up a steep flight of stairs, and a whole year to even get half my marbles back (I never did get 100% of 'em back either). OMG it was AWFUL!

debbie6122

Laurie- I make mine the same way michelle and tougherthanithought said, I use LOTS of garlic and butter and drink half the wine before I put it in there LOL!

DH brougnt home some pork medallions from work, I grilled them and put a balsamic/honey glaze on them, they were so good!!! 

Michelle- Did you have to do the nuelasta shot last time you did treatment? I was wondering if so how you handled it then. Glad you are getting everything lined up we are all here for you!

LuvRVing

Debbie - I didn't do chemo last time, so no.  This will be a totally new experience. 

Michelle

Adey

Michelle- I also had TAC x 6 and my experience was not as trying as Lena's.  I wish you the best that can be.  I gave myself the Nuelasta shot, not a big deal.  Take care. 

lago

Michelle I  had TCH. (you won't be getting H). I did OK too. Just had some issues with nails but that was a very rare SE. I never had nausea or the severe tiredness. Did have some heartburn but took a few meds to deal with that. Even my taste buds didn't get that funky… I ate just about everything except hot/spicy/peppery stuff the week my taste buds were a bit off. Everyone reacts so different. My husband gave me the nuelasta shot.

Laurie08

Lena- No I have never had chemo.  But my Mom was on some form of chemo pretty much constantly for five years.  I would go with her and keep her company.  When we were planning my wedding we would do the seating chart at chemo, make wedding favors you name it.  She said it was the fastest round she ever had because she never had time to think about it.  (She also was very lucky and didn't suffer often from sever side effects.)  Sorry-I didn't mean to offend anyone!

saturn

Just roasted some beets, they are my new favorite thing.  Love them cold... will also throw a chunk into a smoothie tomorrow morning.  Tried it once, and it made my smoothie a vibrant shade of pink!  On the news front, had my 6 month post lumpectomy mammo, got the all clear, thank God!

LuvRVing

I won't be giving myself the Neulasta shot.  I asked about that and they said no.  That's OK, I'd just as soon let them do it.  I will be just about 15 minutes from the Dana Farber clinic.  DH will just take me...I don't think he'll be letting me do anything by myself for the next 16 weeks.

 Lago - I followed you and Carrol2 as you went through chemo.  My protocol is a little different and you're right, I'm not getting H, but I am getting the dreaded A.  One good thing is that I will get steroids ONLY on infusion day...not the day before nor the day after.  Hopefully, my blood sugar will stay in control.  The onco is cutting the usual dose in half with this in mind.  We'll see how that goes!

Saturn - congrats on the "all clear!" I am not crazy about beets

 Michelle

lago

Saturn I love fresh beets. Cold hot doesn't matter.

Michelle I loved steroids. Seriously they kept my fluid retention down. If I got a buzz from them I hardly noticed it. I think I'm the only one that actually liked the steroids. Also it puffed my oval face up a bit. Removed all my wrinkles and made me look 10 years younger.

I don't know what to make for dinner.

Adey

Steroid pot pie!

lago

Don't have steroids… and I'm not so sure I want to give my husband any steroids. It might get him all charged up and I'm a bit tired right now.

I do have plenty of narcotics, anti nausea and anti anxiety drugs I never used.

chabba

lago - I made that red potato roasted tomato salad for lunch today for a croud.  Doubled the recipe.  It was a big hit. Thanks for posting it.

Kay_G

Had a nice spinach salad with walnuts and raisins and pasta with pesto sauce for dinner tonight.  First time I ever had pesto sauce.  I discovered I don't like it.    Definitely doing the marinara sauce next time.  Well, it's good to try things, right? 

Good luck with chemo Michele.  I just finished AC three weeks ago.  It wasn't fun, but it was doable.  Hope it goes well for you.

Lago, I've got plenty of steroids, can I trade you for the anti anxiety stuff?

lago

@ kay1963 we sound like a couple of kids planning a pharm party.

Dinner is cheese raviolis with broccoli in the marinara sauce. Got to get some green veggies in somehow.

LuvRVing

I guess it's not a matter of whether or not I like steroids...they can cause significant spikes in blood sugar which can be dangerous and lead to neuropathy, kidney and circulatory damage if it gets out of control.  Diabetes and steroids can be a bad combination.  And then there's the "what will I feel like eating" question...typical comfort foods are not my normal way of eating because they, too, are usually quite "carby" and will cause spikes.  It's going to be a wild ride!

Dinner tonight was leftover steak salad.  My daughter had leftover pizza.  Tomorrow night will be marinated steak tips and chicken quarters - my daughter buys her meat from a CSA co-op (community supported agriculture).  Today was pickup day but the freezer was pretty full, so she pulled out some beef and chicken with the plan of grilling them for dinner.  But honestly, it was chilly and windy late this afternoon and she decided to wait until tomorrow. 

Michelle

Michelle

Lena

That's OK Laurie I guess everyone's different. Now please pass the shrimp scampi. 

Leftover Italian Rainbow and a plum for dessert for me, tonight. 

Teka

Hi,

I finished AC+T chemo August 13th, radiation with severe radiation burn November 25th, and last dose of Avastin on March 17th.   I had nausea, no appetite or taste, and the prescription pain medication Vicodin turned me off even more from drinking and eating.   I lost 45LBS.   However, son, daughter, and I were kept well fed by my husband who loves to cook.   I am now slowly coming back to cooking.   I baked a plain rhubarb pie over Memorial Day weekend, and froze rhubarb for a New Year's Day pie.   For a change my husband would like me to make a blueberry rhubarb pie instead of a strawberry rhubarb pie.   I'll only use wild blueberries.   I need to go to bed before I start snacking.   I love shrimp scampi.

debbie6122

Laurie- I dont think you offended anyone and certainly not me, for some people it did fly by! (smiles)

Michelle-I dont blame you, I wouldnt want anyone else giving me the shot, these ladies are brave, but I wasnt, I hate needles but was so happy that I didnt feel the shot in my stomach, one thing I was told by the nurses who administered the shot was, That making sure the shot was not real cold they would take it out of the refridgerater about 15 minutes before I got there and while the were giving me the shot they said putting it in real slow helps, most woman i told was not aware of that. If you dont use the steroids for long periods of time then your SE shouldnt be bad, my other sister has used them for years and she has really bad SE- I liked them as well the days I took them I cleaned my house from top to bottom then the next day I crashed.

Kay- Did you use pine nuts? I dont like the traditional pesto either but I make mine with spinach, garlic, evoo and use walnuts instead and blend it in my food proscessor.

Oh Laurie, almost forgot I made your chicken salsa again tonight for dinner, Hubby wanted it again the only thing i changed from last time was i coated the chicken with a mild taco seasoning mix and I used pepperjack and chedder on top and before serving I put sour cream and some avacodos on top when I have time I will make quacomole to top it with, It is a keeper!

debbie6122

Welcome Teca- Glad your tx;s went well and your getting your appetite back- Im not much of a rhubarb person but love wild blueberries I make a good marionberry pie they grow in oreegon and very delicous.

Teka

debbie6122,

I had no idea what a sweet marionberry was, but after looking it up I remember my Grandfather grew tame blackberries which were SOUR and would cramp my jaw.   I used to pick wild strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries with my Grandmother from June until the end of August or heavy frost.   Those were the days.

NatureGrrl

Here's a chicken salad recipe that I got from a friend and altered... you could really play with the ingredients. And, as often with my recipes, I don't have amounts, so use your own taste and judgement.

Toss together:

• Cut-up cooked chicken
• diced apples (skin on) (if you're going to keep the salad for a day or two, toss the apples in an ascorbic acid bath & drain before adding to salad, to keep them from getting brown)
• green onions, choppe, or other sweet onion like Vidalias
• celery, diced
• garlic

Then add dressing:

• olive oil
• lemon juice
• dash of soy sauce

•  if you like the flavor of sesame oil (toasted or not), add a half a teaspoon or so 
• 1/4 t. or so of tumeric
• pepper

Very simple, light tasting, and a nice change.  The lemony dressing is wonderful.  I tossed some pom seeds on top of mine today -- yum!  (I buy poms on sale in winter, seed them, and freeze the seeds to have on hand).

Also, I think grated or finely diced fresh ginger might be good in this -- I'll try that next time.  You can vary the fruit, etc. any way you like. 

NatureGrrl

PS  I didn't like rhubarb until I moved into an old farmhouse that had rhubarb growing by the garage... didn't want to waste it so I made a pie (just rhubarb) and fell in love.  Had a 25' row of it for 18 years.  Made pies, crisps, jam, jelly, froze it, you name it.  Love it!

And berries -- any kind -- are one of the best parts of summer!  Yum!

lago

This is a recipe I created after eating something similar at China Grill in NYC 20 years ago. Sorry I don't have a photo but this one looks pretty close:

------------------------------------------------------
Chinese (chicken) Cole Slaw
------------------------------------------------------

INGREDIENTS

• napa cabbage - chopped in longish strings
• red cabbage - chopped in longish strings, about 1/4-1/3 amount of the nappa
• pulled boiled chicken (optional but tastes awesome)
• little bit of mayo to taste
• little bit of sesame oil to taste
• little bit of rice wine (mirin) to taste
• little bit of soy sauce

DIRECTIONS
mix all together in a bowl

NOTES
Although initially this might seem dry, it gets wet in time so don't add a lot of the mayo, rice wine or soy sauce or it will get mushy.
The sesame oil is strong in flavor so again very very sparingly.
If this is not sweet enough for you add a very little bit of sugar or equal.

END NOTES
Sorry I don't have exact measurements but I made this up from something I ate years ago. Never wrote any of it down. I have made this without the mirin. If you do it will need some sweetener for sure.

I also usually use only 1/2 of the napa depending on how big a head. You can also add shredded carrots to make it sweeter and/or a little red cabbage for color.

LuvRVing

I make chicken salad pretty much the same as I make waldorf salad (chopped chicken, apples, dried cranberries, celery, walnuts, a little lemon juice over the apples to keep them white, and enough light mayo to hold it together).  Great for a summer lunch or dinner along with some grapes, watermelon, strawberries or whatever other fruit is in the fridge.

When I was a kid I would visit my Memere's house and she had rhubarb growing in the backyard.  We would pick it, strip off the leaves and then salt it and eat it.   When we would visit her sisters, they always put out dishes of dill pickles, olives and cocktail onions for snacks, along with nuts and popcorn.  Rarely was there candy or sweets.  I think that's where I developed my taste for salty - sour rather than sweets.

Laurie - I saw your comment about offending someone, not sure who you were talking about...certainly not me, I hope!  I cannot imagine 5 years of doing chemo, I sure hope my daughters never have to watch me do that.  Very brave of both of you!

Michelle

Teka

Clyn,

I wish mom was still here to make spaghetti sauce for my all time favorite comfort food.   You're so blessed.

debbie6122

I just got off the phone with my sister who lives in hawaii we talked for 2 1/2 hours on the phone and most of it was about food we were starving by the time we hung up LOL!  I just made some leftover salsa chicken and put it in a whole wheat tortilla wrap and it was delicious! Hubby is taking me out for dinner tonight so wont have to cook yay!

LuvRVing

Debbie - we love Hawaii.  We've been 5 times, and spent 2 weeks last year at the end of May in Kauai.  The fresh fish is just amazing, the air smells like flowers and the scenery is just spectacular.  On which island does your sister live?  Have you been out to visit?

Michelle