Adventures in Container Gardening

I tried this last summer and got fed up and gave up. Something kept eating my strawberries and tomatoes. That something might have been Barkley. Or it might have been a squirrel. Judging by the way he went after the weeds in some of my pots today, I’m thinking Barkley was the most probable culprit.

I downsized this year. I didn’t plant as much as I did last year. I basically went with the plants that grew well last year since I knew (hoped) they’d do well again. I also didn’t do any herbs since I didn’t end up using them last year. Pictured above are green onions, an assortment of sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes, garden beans, and okra. I planted the seeds back in March and they grew so well! We’ve also had some good rain, which is awesome because I only remember to water them maybe once a week. I need to move some of them to new pots to spread them out, so I’ll be doing that over the weekend.

Hopefully I’ll get something out of these this year!

Recipe: Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps

There’s something about Pubix Greenwise Italian chicken sausage that makes this meal amazing. Any Italian sausage would do, but I’ve loved it most with that brand. Yet another adaptation, this started out from a Publix recipe that used gorgonzola cheese. I like gorgonzola cheese, but it can be overpowering. Replacing the gorgonzola cheese with the blend of Italian cheeses gave it a whole new life.

This recipe can easily be multiplied. Since the size and depth of the caps often varies, sometimes you end up with some stuffing leftover. I usually just serve it on the side, if it lasts that long…sometimes I eat it while I’m waiting for the oven… << shrugs >>

Anyway, this is pretty straightforward, so there’s not much to add. The sausage is already cooked, so you’re basically just keeping it in the oven long enough for the cheeses to blend together inside the cup. I usually check it every once in a while to make sure the cheese on top is melted and not burnt, and that’s how I determine when to take it out. I can usually get some kitchen clean up done while it’s in the oven.

Enjoy! ❤

Recipe: Instant Pot Orange Chicken

Helllllllllo! I’m really excited to share this recipe. I was also so excited to eat it that I didn’t get a great photo. Sorry about that.

I adapted this recipe from one I found in the Instant Pot app. I made it a few times and tweaked it each time until it tasted amazing. Some of the measures in the recipe below are approximates. I use as much chicken as I need to feed whoever is eating, and I also tend to eyeball the liquids at the beginning to an amount that I feel will cover the chicken, which is a variation from the original recipe. I pretty much do this by increasing (or decreasing) the amount of orange juice and barbecue sauce. I keep the rest of the ingredients the same, though and I don’t think it’s affected the outcome. Since we all probably have different favorite barbecue sauces and orange juices, it’s probably going to taste a little different no matter what.

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It’s about 3/4 inch deep at the bottom of my 6 quart Instant Pot and that nicely covers two packages of chicken thighs.

This was seriously a great find and I loved experimenting with it to make it mine. I use Smucker’s brand natural orange marmalade and it made such a huge difference from using the regular stuff. I’d recommend that if you do use regular orange marmalade, add in some orange peels or orange slices to get that zesty orange taste.

So yummy! Enjoy!

Breakfast Deconstructed & Root Veggie Scramble

Most mornings, I don’t have time to have a real breakfast. I mix up a superfoods shake and grab a piece of fruit and run out the door. Even when I don’t have to run out the door, laziness prevails and I do the shake and fruit again.

These days, things have significantly slowed down. There have been days when I’ve slept until noon (not gonna lie) and breakfast turned into lunch. There have been days when I’ve done my “usual” shake and fruit. Then there have been days where I’ve been able to have (what I like to call) my weekend breakfasts. Nothing fancy exactly, just more than a shake.

Today’s “weekend breakfast” is a root veggie scramble. It may not sound appealing, but it is loaded with flavor and nutrients and it’s absolutely delicious. There are also variations, so you can use ingredients you enjoy.

I enjoyed mine with some whole grain toast with natural peanut butter and a piece of maple sausage from our local Lowes Foods (they have amazing sausage!!). I also only used one egg to offset the sausage. See recipe below.

So let’s deconstruct breakfast.
The thought process behind my nutrition for breakfast is quite simple, really. My main priority for breakfast is protein and carbs. Our bodies need protein and carbs in the morning to get us going. Food is fuel, so it’s best to give our bodies what they need when they need it. At breakfast, veggies are an awesome addition, and they do help in making me feel more full, but they’re a bonus at breakfast! I generally try to save most of my veggies for later in the day when I reduce my carb intake so I can still feel satiated. So I go with a protein and a carb for breakfast, one serving of each, which is loosely 3/4 cup or 6 oz for protein (ex: 2 eggs) and 1/4 cup or 4 oz for healthy carbs (ex: 1 slice whole grain bread), or 1 cup or 8 oz for fruit (ex: 1/2 banana). My rule of thumb for veggies is a 1 cup or 8 oz serving, but I sort of feel like you can’t go wrong with extra veggies. They’re full of such great nutrients. If you wanted to do this scramble with 1 turnip, 1 carrot, and 1 beet, you are fine. If you count calories, I think you’ll find that adding an extra veggies doesn’t break your calorie bank. I have a small portion of healthy fats each day (about 1/3 cup or 2.5 oz), and today, I happen to be sharing that with between breakfast and dinner (cheese). Hot sauce is a freebie, so as long as I’m not drinking the bottle, I can enjoy a drizzle of hot sauce whenever I feel like adding a snap of flavor to my meal. I was never a huge fan of hot sauce, but a few recipes called for a bit of it, and I got hooked. I’ve found that there are quite a few egg dishes where hot sauce has been a great add on (think egg salad or deviled eggs – yum!).

I hope you try out the root veggie scramble and enjoy!!

No news is good news!

Y’all. I’m so sorry it’s been over a month since my last post. Since this is a cancer blog, that’s a good thing, right? I really want to include some of the life after cancer stuff, so I’m sorry about that.

First things first (priorities!!), Barkley is doing great. He’s 12 weeks and had some more vaccines today. He’s still a maniac, and can be found at @sirbarkleyelkins on Instagram.

I’ve actually seen each of my three doctors in the last 2 weeks and everything is going great. Oncologist, breast surgeon, and plastic surgeon. I’ll be seeing them again in 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life not being dictated by doctors’ appointments anymore, with the exception of my Lupron shot every few weeks.

What else is new? Classes are finishing up and I’ll be off for the summer before starting my LAST official semester of grad school. I plan to work on my thesis this summer to wrap up my masters degree, and then take my last two classes in the fall to finish my additional graduate certificate. The end is near, and when it happens, I’ll have my Masters in Psychology with a certificate in Behavior Intervention in Autism. I feel like I’ve been going to school forever, but I love it, so it hasn’t been a hardship, it’ll just be nice to have one thing off my plate. The whole student loan payback thing is gonna suck though.

A couple things related to my recovery that I’ve been meaning to talk about…I still have no feeling in my breasts, though it is returning a little bit around the outside and working its way in. Dr H said the feeling may never fully return, but it’s interesting to see how it’s gradually coming back. Same with my belly area. On the surface, I have no feeling. It also feels really funny underneath because I can feel soreness in my abs when I workout, but that’s about it. Sometimes I can’t tell if I have a stomach ache, sore abs, or cramps because it’s so hard to determine where exactly the feeling is coming from.

Second thing is also ab related. Well, abdomen related I guess. The docs took the fat from my abdominal area on the outside of my abs. My “flab,” so to speak. So now my abs are right beneath my skin, and as I gain weight, I’ll gain it underneath them – visceral fat that hangs out around my organs. We all need some of that fat to an extent to protect our organs, but too much can be detrimental. I certainly hope to not harvest a whole bunch of that crap, and I’m working hard to lose it, but because I’m post menopausal due to my current maintenance treatment (Lupron and Letrozole combo), it’ll be more challenging for me to lose weight. That’s not going to stop me from trying though. In the last 2 weeks, I’ve dropped an inch around my waist and an inch around my hips. I’ve also lost around 5 lbs.

I had to change my nutrition plan to better suit my current needs and situation, and it’s working great for me. I’m still eating very healthy foods that I choose and I’m feeling satiated. It’s a good plan and SO easy to implement. I love it. Brad is even following it without difficulty.

Anyway, I do want to talk about the golf tournament, but I’m exhausted, so I’ll share that another day. Hope you’re all doing well!

What’s in a victory?

I’m in a couple fitness groups. One is on Facebook and the other is a challenge group with other people living the lifestyle.

It’s been a week since I’ve fully committed to this again. Back in the beginning of this year I had some major losses with inches and pounds. This time, not so much. I still lost, but the numbers weren’t as high so it gave me pause. I did the self-doubt thing, the shaming. Then I straightened myself out. Loss is loss. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I could have gained muscle, which weighs more than fat, so the scale wouldn’t have reflected that. Not to mention, I have non scale victories! I can sit up just by using my core. I don’t need to use my legs to grip onto or propel myself forward. I feel better, emotionally and physically. Whether or not I see it on the scale or on the measuring tape, I can FEEL the difference, and that’s huge!

So I’m going to exercise again today, tomorrow, and the next day. I’m going to do it because it makes me feel good.

3 more months

Another doc down! I went for my one month follow up at the plastic surgeon today. He said everything looks great. He felt around and said I don’t have any fluid build up and everything is healing nicely. Big change from the major surgery in May. BIG change. 

I go back in three months. The skin over my right nipple should be healed more by then and we’ll be able to talk about options for that, like a tattoo or possible reconstruction. 

Aside from my Lupron shots every four weeks, I don’t have another doctor’s appointment until March! Seems crazy since I have pretty much had an appointment every Monday for the past year.

Soooo, my plan is to return to Dr H in three months much thinner! I’m back to eating clean and healthy, and he said I could exercise, so I’m doing it. 100% balls to the wall exercise. I’m excited because this is the LAST TIME I’m going to experience that new exercise muscle soreness because I’m not going to stop this time. 

As Dr. YB said…I’m off to live my life!

This is the part where you find out who you are.

One of my Facebook friends posted this today and it resonated with me so much that I felt the need to share it here right now.

This is me in 2019. This is me now. I’m cancer-free, BS free, and working on maintaining a healthy mind and body in the new year and forever.

This isn’t “another one of those new year’s resolution” posts that we see so many of and criticize. Shame on us for that, too. We should always be lifting our friends up, not letting them down. If they’re making an effort to get healthy, we should be their biggest cheerleaders, regardless the circumstances. Maybe they’re doing it for the 12th time because they didn’t get the support they so desperately needed but were too embarrassed or proud to ask for in the past, so they’re having to do it again and again. Let’s lift those friends up.

This is a lifestyle change. A mind and body cleanse and overhaul. I’m eating healthy again and ready to be active. I’m ready to exercise my mind and do some personal development as well.

This is the part where I find out who I am.

How about you?

Still one drain…story of my life.

I had two drains removed yesterday, the ones in my chest, which is great because they were sore and itchy and nobody liked them. Ha. Seriously, though. I was so aware of those two. I kind of figured the belly one would stay, so I’m not surprised. I’m not even that annoyed about it, except this whole shower thing, but I’m about to bust out some plastic wrap so I can shower. Not even kidding. Shh, don’t tell.

I’ve had a BM since I last posted. I know that makes you as happy as it makes me. I’ve slowed down on my water drinking and I know that’s part of my problem, so I’ll pick that back up. Also, the anti-nausea meds can cause constipation and since I’m not taking oxycodone anymore, I’m not taking the anti-nausea meds anymore. I’m also getting a little annoyed that constipation isn’t coming up on the predictive text on my iPhone and I have to spell it out every time. It’s a long word, Apple, get with the program.

I’m working my way into my new food plan, and healthy eating is making me feel good. Yay! Should regulate some stuff as well. This time I’m doing something a little different, which I’ll talk about later, just to give it a try. So far I love it, and we’ll see if I have results. I also can’t wait to get this drain pulled so I can exercise, but for now it’s walking!!

That’s all the update I’ve got for today, so I’ll share more when I’ve got more. 💜

Is it hot in here?

Yowza! The last two weeks, the hot flashes episodes were off the charts. I even checked my temperature one night just to make sure I wasn’t overlooking a fever. They’re like how they were when I was going through chemo.

During the first few cycles of the Lupron, the hot flashes were just that…flashes. I’d blink and then they were gone. I thought they were a piece of cake. Ha. Hahahaha.

I should have known better. Nothing about life with C was easy, why should anything after C be easy?

I have an appointment with Dr YB tomorrow, so I’ll talk hot “flash” management with him then. That and sleep. I’ve had a heck of a time falling asleep this last week, which I don’t believe is related to the hot flashes since they don’t necessarily occur together. I forget what number my infusion cycle is tomorrow, but I know it’s close to the end. I want to say I have one or two more after this.

I also have an appointment with Dr H tomorrow. I’ll get drained again. I know this because I can tell there’s extra juice in my abdomen. Yay.

I’m restarting my clean eating tomorrow, and exercise, I’m looking forward to fueling my body with stuff that’s good for me again. I felt so good, physically, when I was eating clean before the surgery, and I wish I could have kept up with it post-surgery, but my appetite was just so off that I felt like I needed to just eat what I could.

Also, I’m creating a team and registering for the local Komen Race for the Cure. I’ll post the details here once I’ve got it all together, in case anyone is interested in joining or supporting the efforts. It’ll be Saturday, September 22.