Back and better than ever (hopefully...)

Hello! Thanks to my husband, Jordan, for blogging for me last week. He has been wonderful and as you can see, he is quite the character. And don't worry, I'm not addicted to pain meds...

Having never had surgery before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. To be honest, I was mainly focused on having time off from work and I thought this recovery would be more like a "stay-cation". In some respects it has been - watching movies, scrapbooking, reading, catching up with friends - but it's also been harder than I thought.

The pain was one thing. Even riding in a car those first couple days was miserable - getting in and out, feeling every speed bump. The pain medicine was another. It was very effective, but I felt so lightheaded and drowsy, and I couldn't even sleep well - I just kept dozing in and out of strange dreams (and yes, one did involve three eyes...)

But what has been hardest is having to keep my leg straight ALL the time and wearing this rigid and bulky brace to make sure it stays that way. All week, I haven't been able to find a comfortable position to rest. And even all the basics like showering and dressing are quite a bit harder when you can't bend your knee. Only 5 more weeks to go...

Considering my line of work as a physical therapist, this has all been very interesting to now be the patient and I must say I'm gaining quite a bit of empathy.

And just because...I feel I must give a shout out to Prince William and Princess Catherine on their special day. Luckily I had all this time off from work so that I could get up at 3:30am to watch (totally worth it). Congrats to the Royal newlyweds!!

A lesson in meal planning...

I am not a weekly menu planner. When I go grocery shopping, I get the usual things (ham, bread, yogurt, eggs) but I don't really cook big meals for myself. A typical dinner for me may be a sandwich or an omelet. 

But, I am trying to be better. Yesterday I made a turkey meatloaf. It was delicious! And easy...

The best part about this recipe is that it includes mushrooms. Really, you can add just about any veggies (hidden or not) because the sauce that goes with the meatloaf is BBQ based. I imagine that carrots and zucchini would work really well in the recipe. 

So, here we go:

For the original recipe, click here (but for a quick view, read on...)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms/carrots/zucchini (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 2/3 cup ready-to-serve creamy tomato soup, divided
• 1/4 cup ketchup, divided
• 1/4 cup BBQ, divided
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
• chili powder to taste (I did not include the chili powder)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, mix the turkey, eggs, mushrooms/carrots/zucchini, bread crumbs, soup mix, 1/3 cup creamy tomato soup, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Mold the mixture into a loaf shape, and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle with chili powder (optional).
3. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining creamy tomato soup, remaining ketchup, remaining BBQ sauce, and remaining Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
4. Bake loaf 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Top with the sauce (I added a little more breadcrumbs for crunch), and continue baking 15 minutes, to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

 Sorry for the poor quality of photo, I used my phone....

Paired with green beans, this proved to be a healthy meal, with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.

Saying hi for the high...

Hello bloggers, I am Alina's husband, (see picture) subbing for her this week. She wishes to say hello but will not be blogging as she is out of commission due to surgery yesterday. She may blog about that later.

Alina is taking pain meds and the results have been quite interesting. Other than helping her pain, there are many other effects, of which some are beneficial. Oddly, she has agreed to us purchasing new golf clubs and tickets to the next super bowl. Communication, however, has been slightly off for her. She seems to comprehend only in the 1st person and her grammar syntax is iffy. For example, if I want to know if she wants more pain meds, I have to ask her, "Do I want you to give me more pain pills?". It is quite weird but I am learning her ways for now. I suggested she not write her blog when I reviewed what she had this morning...

Surgery well went yesterday. Sooo much Jordan is nice, he laughed when I told him a 3 eyed monster about that dream with...

I cut her off at that point and have begun to selectively hear her continued request for her meds she's chomping like jelly beans. Then I looked up some interesting stuff about pain meds, reading that the US, though only '4.6 percent of the world's population, have been consuming 80 percent of the global opioid supply, and 99 percent of the global hydrocodone supply'. (Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/wchung/detail?entry_id=87401#ixzz1KGDZh3uQ)

I can't recall ever taking any of that stuff, even after my finger surgery... and am kinda curious, honestly. Well either way, I suppose I should start cutting back the medicine pain. Till time next.... :)

Vacay

My dear readers,
 Do not think that I have forgotten you. I have not. But I am on Spring Break. In Miami. I will have lots to tell you next week. But I plan to spend all day at the pool tomorrow.

kthanksbye,
Adriana

Gardening. Squared. [Part II]

As you can see, I've been very busy since part I of this post. I planted just about one and a half of my new raised beds and everything is settling in nicely. With square foot gardening, instead of rows there are squares. Each square gets its own crop. It's pretty amazing how much you can fit into the box, and because of the box's dimensions (4' x 4' - the average person's reach is 2') there's no need for walking spaces, freeing up every inch for planting.

To figure out how many plants per individual square, just read your seed packet or plant tag. If it says it needs to be spaced 6" apart, you can fit 4 in your 12"x12" square (like strawberries); 4" apart, 9 (like bush beans); 3" apart, 16 (like carrots).

The amount of harvest you can reap from one 4'x4' square foot garden is incredible. From one box, one season can yield (from the book All New Square Foot Gardening):

• One head of cabbage
• One head of broccoli
• One head of cauliflower
• Four heads of romaine lettuce
• Four heads of red lettuce
• Four heads of leaf lettuce, followed by sixteen scallions
• Four heads of salad lettuce
• Five pounds of sugar peas
• Eight bunches of Swiss chard
• Nine bunches of spinach, then nine turnips
• Sixteen small, ball carrots
• Sixteen beets, plus four bunches of beet greens
• Sixteen long carrots
• Thirty two radishes

To plant seeds, divide the square into however many parts you need by tracing lines with your fingers. Then use a pen (or your finger) to poke holes about an inch deep in each section. Drop two seeds in each hole, cover with soil, and water. Once your seeds sprout, use scissors to cut off the weakest of the two (sad, I know), leaving one in each space.

To transplant, carefully remove the plant from its container and use scissors to trim off all the excess roots. Use a trowel (small hand shovel) to move a little soil and set plant in. Water well.

So far I've planted marigolds, onion chives, sweet basil, tomatoes, nasturtiums, dwarf sunflowers, jalapenos, bush beans, lemon basil, chili peppers, sugar snap peas, and pineapple sage. That's all in one box. I still have two more boxes to fill and I think we might be doing one completely with strawberries... mmm.

My row garden is also doing well. I have ten heads of romaine lettuce, eight tomatoes, three rows of carrots, two rows of Lincoln peas, three summer squash, about ten sunflowers (I think I might be the most excited about these), and a few rows of corn. I'm interested to see which method works best for my family- row or SFG. Either way, it's my first year of both... so wish me luck!

Next week I'll show you how to build protection for your gardens. That is if I can get my husband to build them for me... haha!

Wildflower Bike Ride Review

Well, the bike ride was a hit (for those of you who were wondering)! Cuero is the epitome of a small town and it was nice to have a change from the city. The weather was awesome and so my husband and I set up camp in the city park Friday night. We were told there would be "camping" and that we could do this, but no one else did and I don't think people have ever really camped there. People arrived to the park early the next morning for the ride and there we were in our little tent on the lawn. I'm sure we looked kind of ridiculous but no one seemed to care :).

The wild flowers were ok, this year - pale in comparison to last year, actually (see pic from last post) - but it was still beautiful to be in the hill-country of Texas. The 19 mile ride was full of small inclines and declines so there was variety, but it was quite challenging at times! We by far had the WORST bikes there which made it a little more difficult, but all in all it was enjoyable. With a couple of stops it took us about 2 1/2 hours and I thought my quads and butt would be killing me the next morning but surprisingly they didn't - go figure!

Here's our pic - we had fun - thanks for reading!!

Tips to Live By

I read something cool online the other day that I thought I would share. It certainly seems like the kinds of things my mother would tell me and it’s definitely stuff that I need to be reminded repeatedly. Particularly 20, 22, 26, 28, 30…actually, a lot of them.  

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3.. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone.  It's more healing than crying alone.

8.  It's OK to get angry with God.  He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18.  Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.  Don't save it for a special occasion.  Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything.  Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously.  No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34.  God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35.  Don't audit life.  Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day.  Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41.  Envy is a waste of time.  You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44.  Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Links to Health:

Chicago School Bans Homemade Lunches

Half of US Adults Take Vitamins/Supplements

Too Big for Idol Taping?

What’s Your Perfect Day of Eating?

Six Foods You Can’t Overdo