So...whats for dinner?

I was at the Med Center for my Prolia Shot #10 today, so dinner was quick & easy - but really delicious. I'll buy this again for a freezer "emergency" - or just because. Trader Joe's Mushroom Risotto. I served it with sauteed fresh spinach.

Stopped by Penzey's for some spices but they are only taking curbside PU orders. Oh well, I placed an order to PU next week when I'm back in that part of town again. Along with my order to PU at total wine.

Houston now has all of the virus variants. But apparently "we" have jettisoned masks & distance precautions in Texas. I can't begin to tell you all how angry I am. I was looking forward to going out to dinner by May, but now....

The Texas governor is "changing the subject" after the nationwide attention to the collapse of the electrical grid.

Last night's dinner was a medium thin crust pizza from Domino's ordered online and ready for pickup in about 15 minutes. We took advantage of a coupon offer and the cost was $5. It tasted good.

I have a lunch date today and tomorrow. Italian today and Mexican tomorrow.

Happy anniversary Eric and Sharon!

Tonight is orange chicken with stir fried veggies, brown rice and spring rolls. I’m using Popeyes chicken tenders (cut up) because I didn’t want the frying mess so we’ll see how that goes. I got mild but I’m thinking spicymight have added a nice kick.

Mazel tov, Eric & Sharon! Nice new kitchen, Nancy. Special, could it be something in or on (soil in which grown, pesticides, fertilizer, even the water that irrigated them) those particular tomatoes (or even the particular variety) that was the culprit, especially since you hadn't had problems before?

Dinner last night was grilled heritage pork chops (honey-brined, then coated in olive oil, Galena St. rub, and chopped rosemary from my garden--the rosemary survived the snow & deep freeze, the mint is coming back), heirloom tomato (purple & yellow) insalata Caprese, and sauteed "romesco" broccoli (the kind with pointy florets that look like fractals).

Eric - Happy anniversary 🎉

Dinner was a big salad full of all may favorite things. Green leaf, spring mix, red and green cabbage, red and green onions, grated cheddar, grated carrot, radishes, cucumber, chickpeas, sesame sticks and ranch dressing.

That Governor in question--retaliating against characterization of lifting mask mandates as "Neanderthal thinking"--accused the WH of "spreading COVID" by letting asylum seekers across the border (never mind that they get tested), in essence saying Latinos carry diseases. And TX has more cases of the Brazilian variant than any other state. I suggest that sensible Texans should get outta Dodge and come up here for spring break before the idiot maskless party animals descend upon Austin & Padre Island. We have lovely clean hotel rooms and socially-distanced, capacity-limited mask-enforced restaurants galore. We have a beautiful lake that will be fully-thawed by then. And our zoos & museums are open for capacity-limited timed-entry. (Except the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit, which is sold out till the end of time).

So I went to Cellars tonight for their reopening. Everyone was being careful about wearing masks not just when interacting with staff, but also when not actively eating & drinking. The redecoration (shiplap walls replacing exposed brick, which mortar had been crumbling on to the booze bottles) really brightens the place considerably--and "shiplap is the new exposed brick" anyway. Was going to cheat on my diet with the Marblehead shrimp sliders on King's Hawaiian buns, but those sold out within the first hour. So I had the appetizer-sized black sesame-seared ahi over Asian slaw. (Upon his return home from work, Bob was crestfallen when I told him that tomorrow night he will not be able to enjoy his favorite root vegetable pot pie for Lent--turns out practically nobody but he ever ordered it so it's off the menu. But he still has his choice of grilled salmon, two seafood pastas and eggplant parm over linguine with marinara).

En route home, I stopped off at Jewel for my low-carb ultra-filtered milk. Had to get FairLife, because nobody seems to carry Organic Valley's version any longer. I read an article on a coffee-geek blog (1st-Line Espresso, IIRC) that the low-carb plant milk that froths the best is cashew. So I bought Silk's unsweet version. Neutral taste, but when frothed it separates into bubble-bath foam and plain thin hot milk. I guess the site tested the sweetened kind, but that would defeat the purpose. Gonna stick with either the FairLife (fewer carbs than the regular cashew milk) or Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla, which froths almost as well as dairy milk--and with a few drops of erythritol-sweetened vanilla syrup, tastes just as good. But what I did find at Jewel was Enlightened Keto Cheesecakes (I got strawberry), 2 gm. net carb each. Thawing one in the fridge overnight and will report back in the morning.

e & s - Happy Anniversary! Yay!

chisandy - no idea on the tomatoes, and it is not just one kind or just raw, cooked things like mass manufactured marinara and salsa are causing trouble too. I am starting to wonder if it is nightshades in general as I often eat Horiatiki salad which has both tomatoes and peppers. I plan to avoid for a period of time, continue with daily probiotics, then try adding one by one in isolation to see what happens. I don't seem to be having an allergic reaction in the form of rash, throat swelling, etc. Before moving from Virginia to Florida I experienced sudden onset plaque rashes over large areas from the waist up. Doc thought maybe lupus, but a biopsy revealed straight up allergic reaction. I underwent drug and cosmetic testing (had regular allergy testing many years before - allergic to anything with pollen, a bunch of animals, some foods, so basically the world, lol!) which showed several drugs that I am allergic to, topical antibiotics, an infused drug for kidney infection, but also epoxy resin (my glasses frames), many glues like on postage stamps, the ingredient in shampoo, bar soap, and laundry soap that creates lather, and a bunch of essential oils. The plaque like rash was caused by the shampoo allergy as the lather rinsed off in the shower, and the rash behind my ears was from glasses. I asked the specialty derm why this suddenly happened and he said in allergic people it is not uncommon for new allergies to come out of the blue. I think as someone who has some digestive issues and a bunch of allergies I have become sensitized to some foods I have eaten for a long time. Will experiement and see what happens. I use Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla milk for almost everything, good to know it foams well, I can't believe I have not been barista-ing while I have been home so much.

Made stuffed shells, but didn't eat any because of the marinara, night before last. Was not feeling good and had zero appetite - went to urgent care yesterday for a UTI. Last night was a buffalo chicken salad for DH, and just some chicken, couple pieces of cheese and an apple for me. Mainly just so I would have something in my stomach to take the UTI meds.

Had my annual MO appt yesterday. MO not worried about my low WBC, he thinks it is my normal now. he looked back at the values historically and said they have always been on the low side, although I am not one to be susceptible to communicable things - never have been. I have a silent rupture of my right implant, revealed on a routine MRI in late December that I requested because I have textured implants. He planned to communicate to my PS that I am good to go for surgery, and I see her next month to plan. I was also contacted the day before by my center and offered the vaccine, although it was supposed to be only for 65 and over. Don't know how I got into the database as I turn 65 in October, but my MO did give me a letter that defines me as "extremely vulnerable" and Florida just opened that category to people under 65 for vaccination, I believe just this week. I would really prefer to be vaccinated at the MO because there are docs on site, and it is on the hospital campus, in case I have issues, but he thinks I should go ahead and vaccinate whenever and however I can. He pressed his folks a bit to see if I could do it yesterday while there, but they were still working their over 65 list, so refused. For those who are classified as "extremely vulnerable" under 65 you have to go to a federally supervised site, which in Tampa is the now defunct greyhound park. Also betting they won't vaccinate me in the thigh there, will have to use the less lymphedema affected arm, bleh. I have not started the process to register - still on the fence, but it makes sense to try to safely vaccinate before surgery which would likely be in May or June.

Dinner tonight will likely be small reverse seared sirloins with mushrooms, red potatoes with butter/parsley, and Jack Daniels glazed carrots.

Oh Special - sorry about the UTI. Those are NO fun at all. And wow, the allergies. Interesting about the vaccine. It does make sense to go ahead before surgery, but maybe you can press your MO to go back there for a thigh shot.

I got a tip from another thread to wear shorts under a skirt so you can just pull that up. Also to say "post mastectomy lymphadema precautions". I know you already know this, but posting in case others need the info. I've been doing that for all my shots with the wonderful pharmacist at found at my local supermarket pharmacy. And fortunately my Pfizer was in a hospital conference room setting.

As for spring break - I'm not going anywhere. But then I never go anywhere on spring break. In fact I have always tried not to travel when kids are out of school. Partly because of the confusion but also for the same reason I don't shop at night or on the weekends. People with kids & jobs don't have any other choice. I'm retired. I can choose another time so I don't add to their hassles.

Left-over ham-hock & beans for dinner, with the rest of the green salad from yesterday.

Tonight is balsamic pork loin with sautéed cabbage & onions, steamed spinach and roasted carrots.

At Cellars, I had the Marblehead shrimp salad rolls...hold the rolls (spicy shrimp salad on a bed of mesclun greens) as an app; entree was bourbon-grilled salmon with grilled sweet potato slices and julienned vegetables. Brought home half of both dishes. It was so good having dinner face-to-face with Gordy & Leslie, even masked most of the time. Leslie got her second Pfizer shot today.

Last night's dinner was beef pot roast with potatoes, carrots and onions. It was good.

Today is my 78th birthday. DH and I plan to have an early dinner at a nearby casual restaurant that changed its name since it closed for Covid and then reopened. From Crabby Shack to Five Girls. It opened with a totally new menu but is moving back to serving former favorites like thin catfish. I don't know why it changed since it was always popular.

Hope everyone is still eating!

carole - yay! Happy Birthday!

Dinner last night was small sirloins with a beef/mushroom/sour cream gravy, with au gratin potatoes, and steamed broccoli.

In tomato news, things seem to be better - I have been diligent about taking a daily probiotic and this seems to be helping. I have tried some marinara, was fine. Ate a small amount of Greek salad with raw tomato, also fine. I am on an antibiotic for the UTI and it is killing my appetite (not a bad thing...my Covid 19 pounds need to go, lol!) so I have not eaten much in the last week.

In vaccine news - interesting developments. I had my annual MO appt last Thurs. My MO tried to get me vaccinated under the extreme vulnerability while I was there in the office - they have a limited supply of Pfizer vaccine. The practice policy is that, for right now with the supply they have, they are sticking to the 65 and over group. I can be vaccinated due to my MO filling out a statement of "extreme vulnerability" which the state of FL just announced to be an eligible category this week. I can only go to a federally supervised site and only be given the injection by a doc, NP, or pharmacist. I can go to CVS - which currently has the J&J vaccine, or Publix - not sure what they have yet, they have not opened up for appts. Or, I can go to the greyhound track and do a drive through but I don't know which vaccine they have. I have bi-lat lymphedema, worse on the ALND side. Nobody will do an injection anywhere other than the arm, even at the MO. Bleh. I am nervous about getting Moderna because of the issues people have had with their arms, but I have another friend locally who is a health professional and had node-negative TN breast cancer whose arm swelled up and turned very red with Pfizer, and it lasted for days. Not sure what to do.

Carole - best wishes. Hope you dinner is great.

I cooked hamburger steak with onions. I'd planned to have pan fried potatoes but decided on boiled new potatoes w/butter instead. And made sour cream/dill potato salad for later this week.

Tomorrow on my way to a doc appointment I'm picking up a spice order at Penzeys and a alcohol order at Total Wine. (15% off wine if you buy 8). I'll probably also hit the grocery store. Then I'm going to try take out from a local place called The Burger Joint. They have a Lent special of fish & chips w/beer battered cod. Tomorrow is my last day to run even mundane errands since the 'mask mandate' and social distancing were cancelled by our governor effective 3/10. And spring break is upon us. Talked to a nurse at the medial center and their ICU beds are full again. I plan to stay put until the cows come home. Or I guess I mean until the cows go to summer pasture.

Happy Birthday, Carole! You don't look anywhere near your 70s. Glad you enjoyed a nice dinner out.

Special, I think you nailed it re the tomato problem: your gut microbiome may have been "off." As to the Moderna vaccine, I can tell you that my arm didn't swell at all--just got sore for a couple of days. Even less so after the second shot (and not even the asymptomatic pink patch this time). Gordy was told by his NP that his asthma isn't serious enough (despite needing 2 rescue inhalers/mo) to qualify as "pulmonary disease" for a COVID-risk "line-jumping" privilege (he's 36). His fiancee (a teacher) got her second shot Friday, and we all went out to dinner at Cellars that night. New CDC guidance is that fully-vaxed people can congregate maskless and normally-distanced in private--and Gordy isn't high-risk enough to have to keep his mask on if it's just the four of us in my house. Wed. night we're doing a Zoom virtual tasting (the wines & snacks are actual and were shipped to us) with a wine educator at Clif Family Winery in Napa. We may need to set up an iPad as well as my laptop on the dining room table so we can all see & be seen.

Still masking up & distancing in public--even out in my front yard changing the lights on my arborvitae, because people walk by on the sidewalk.

And our two MLB teams will have 20% capacity of fans in the stands on opening day. I have a snowball's chance of scoring tickets for either the Cubs or Sox (even with Gordy being in the ticket-vendor biz) because at only 8,000 fans per stadium, the season ticket holders get first crack. But we might be able to go to one of the Sheffield Ave rooftop bars overlooking the outfield at Wrigley--which rooftops can have 50% capacity/50 guests--if they're not sold out.

Went to Cellars for brunch yesterday (and to watch Loyola--our "neighborhood school," just 1/2 mi. up the street--clinch the MVC title and secure its place at the Big Dance (March Madness). I had my usual broccoli-cheddar quiche, which is orders of magnitude better than any other local restaurants'. It's almost a souffle, which makes me less regretful about having to ditch the crust. Tonight I nuked wings from Whole Foods (added some Crystal hot sauce), with celery & blue cheese dressing.

illimae - your last photo looks like a spectacular comfort food plate - three of my faves!

Last night was tostadas with refried beans, onion, taco sauce, shredded cheese and lettuce on mine, all the previous with the addition of steak on the ones for DH. Not sure what I will be doing tonight but I am thinking I need something that I can set and forget. My good friend, 20 years younger than me who had BRCA1 TN breast cancer, is in the hospital. We texted the Sun night and she said she needed help, was quite ill. I zoomed over and ended up calling 911, then followed the ambulance to the ER - where, thank goodness, they let me in, double masked, to be with her. She is still there having diagnostic tests, but may be able to come home tonight. She feels bad, and I feel bad for her. Feeling helpless - for both of us - is def an un-fun feeling.

Surprise vaccination news - I signed up on the FL registry since I now have my "extremely vulnerable" letter, but once you do that it becomes a "don't call us, we'll call" you waiting game. All of the appointments I checked on went like wildfire, so I was somewhat resigned to waiting for the dust to settle. Apparently enough people have this letter that it prompted one of our local hospital systems (the one I used to work for, coincidentally) to institute an extremely vulnerable group vaccine event. I am happy because I will be getting Pfizer, given by a physician/NP/pharmacist, in a hospital setting - tomorrow! I am doubtful that they will administer it in the thigh, which I would prefer, but beggars can't be choosers at this point. I will wear a skort just in case I can convince them - and will likely wear sleeves/gauntlets on both arms to reinforce the visual of what secondary bi-lateral lymphedema really means. I am equally nervous about being vaccinated and Covid, but the stars aligned with this process so I feel like I need to go ahead with it. I am somewhat reassured that the reactions have not been prevalent, and that medical resources will be right there.