It came not so softly in the night.
A little extra tired, maybe, from over-obligating myself, I was awakened around 4 am for the usual trip to the bathroom.
No big deal.
But something was off. Once in the bathroom, my hands started to tingle as if I had been hyperventilating. Hmmm. Better breathe into my cupped hands. But I was not hyperventilating.
The tingling spreads all over my body, and – was that sweat on my brow?
Okay. This is not going down well. I was starting not feel good. No. I was beginning to feel very bad.
Was this going to turn into diarrhea, or did I need to throw up? Any self-care plan would require movement on my part, and that somehow did not seem an option. My body had become weighed down by some invisible, mighty source of gravitational pull.
Was I going to pass out? I leaned my body away from the cast iron tub, just in case.
Summoning an energy I wasn’t aware I had at the moment, I pulled my long hair back into a ponytail away from my sopping wet scalp. My trembling body was, within a few moments, drenched in sweat.
Shake hands with the flu.
I am so thankful I had gotten my annual flu shot in September. Because of that protection, I did not become a statistic. The third death from the flu in North Carolina was reported that very week.
Fortunately for me, I was able to exit the bathroom without anything else happening, and I safely tucked my ailing carcass back into bed as I listened to strange gurgles rise from my tummy. Next morning, I felt a little beat up and just took things easy.
Flu is not an inconvenience. Flu knocks you down suddenly – and it can kill!
It’s not too late to get protected from the flu.
‘Nuff said.
On to the holidays.!
Being an avoider of intense sweets and gluten is problematic this time of year. During a recent group trip to Williamsburg with my church, I threw caution to the wind during the catered dinners.
I know, I know. I literally wrote the book on this – Toolkit for Wellness – but since I was gluten-free by choice and not by condition, I thought I could ‘cheat’ a bit if I did not get a bad belly.
No bad belly. Yay.
Oh, wait. A few days later, my joints were talking to me like I was suddenly a very old lady. What?
Well. The resulting inflammation, for me, came through the musculoskeletal system.
So, it was time to get right with my body, and it did not take long for the aches and pains to go away. Lesson learned … again. Everything is a choice.
But those of us not wanting sticky-sweet and gluten-y desserts do not have to be relegated to the veggie tray for celebration food. There are options.
How about a crustless apple pie with streusel topping? Satisfies without going over the top. Check this recipe out that I created on-the-fly last week:
CRUST-LESS APPLE PIE WITH STREUSEL TOPPING
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Into a large bowl place:
4 large apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced horizontally. My apples were not baking ones, per se: Honey Crisp, Gala, and maybe another new flavor also just labeled Crisp.
4 Tbs. arrowroot powder
Brown sugar- sorry about lack of measurements, I just shook some over the apples; probably ¾ cup or less
Apple pie spice to taste
Stir and toss the apples around to evenly coat with dry ingredients.
Add some leftover cranberry sauce – maybe 1/2 to 2/3 cup – (Recipe for cranberry sauce to follow)
Mix apples and the cranberry sauce well and pour into a greased baking dish – mine was 12 x 8 inches.
In a medium sauté pan on medium heat place:
About one cup chopped nuts – I used walnuts and pecans
½ stick butter
About one cup gluten-free oatmeal, and
¼ – ½ cup brown sugar.
Stir to combine and to brown slowly. When warm and brown, distribute over the top of the apple mixture. Bake at 350 degree about 40 minutes or until evenly browned. I put foil over the top for the last ten minutes so the edges would not burn.
Serve warm or cold with a dollop of Plain Greek Yogurt. It’s great reheated.
In case you have missed previous postings of my cranberry sauce, here’s what I do that is well received every time I prepare it.
CRANBERRY SAUCE PLUS
Instructions
Into a soup pot place:
2 small bags of cranberries
One navel orange, rind at each end discarded. Quarter orange and thinly slice
2 fresh pears – peeled, quartered, cored, and diced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Start cooking on medium heat. Then in a small saucepan place:
One container of fresh raspberries, rinsed
1-2 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. sugar
Gently cook berries on medium heat while stirring. This does not take but a few minutes. When berries start breaking down, place a large mesh strainer over the cooking cranberries, and pour raspberries and juices into strainer, draining into cooking cranberries.
Using a flexible bowl scraper, mash the berries through the strainer. Scrape the berry essence off the back of the strainer and put into the cranberries. This takes a bit of mashing, scraping, mashing, scraping. You will have a mass of seeds and just a little bit of berries left in the strainer which you will discard.
The effort to create the raspberry essence is worth it. The essence adds that certain something to the sauce … all without pesky raspberry seeds.
Stir the cranberry sauce mixture occasionally, helping to pop cranberries on the side of the pot. Gradually reduce heat as the sauce thickens and bubbles more intently. When berries are all popped and things look ‘just right,’ your work is done.
Transfer to serving bowls and/or storage containers to cool. This sauce keeps quite well and can serve as a not-so-sweet spread on toast or in a turkey sandwich.
The edgy tartness of the cranberries is countered by the gentle blunting of the pear and raspberry flavors. The orange slices with rind seem to candy in the juices. Folks who are not partial to cranberry sauce really like this one.
So, you better watch out – get those flu shots, and enjoy some excellent Cranberry Sauce and Crust-less Apple Pie!
Book sales for Toolkit for Caregivers is trending as gifts for family, friends, and neighbors who are facing caregiving or are in a time of caregiving. There could be no more thoughtful gift to give such a person. They don’t need a plate of cookies – they need help.
A recent customer had tears in her eyes as she described her gratitude for her Toolkit for Caregivers gift. Her husband’s Alzheimer’s Disease is worsening and reading her book and implementing the suggestions – especially for the business side and for self-care – has meant the world to her.
Click here to access Toolkit for Caregivers and here to access Toolkit for Wellness, both perfect gifts of hope and help.
Wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season-
From Deidre who writes and Sheree who makes things beautiful.
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