An update and 3 recipes

Happy parents at Francie's graduation

Yeesh! Haven't posted in awhile! Things have gotten busy, between graduations and graduation parties and comings and goings, various doctor's appointments and many activities.

Also, just sorta knuckling down to the daily mundane activity of being a cancer patient's wife.

Nothing makes me feel better than when I do those daily routine things, like preparing his fruit/CBD/flaxseed/whipped cream gooey mid-morning snack; giving him his twice-daily supplements; checking off his daily nutrition on my checklist.

The days when I check most of the boxes are days of triumph for me. The days when only one or two get checked off are a cause for some worry and stress. We are constantly hashing out our differences when it comes to the promises of anti-cancer nutrition and supplements.

His difficulty eating has gotten a little worse, but we're not convinced this is because of any increase in tumor size. Apparently it's a nerve thing; something triggers hiccups, which triggers a flood of both saliva and mucus. Sometimes it's manageable; sometimes he has to simply stop eating. Very hard to narrow in on what works and what doesn't but there are some consistent foods that are safe.

Pot helps. Last night he had a fraction of a cookie and ate my bowl of mixed greens with beans, tomatoes and Indian spices with brown Basmati rice with great relish. The problem was he was still hungry. did I say problem? Not a problem. He rooted through the fridge for the peanut butter and jelly. My heart leaped.

Brown Basmati rice is, from what I've heard, the brown rice that tested with the lowest amount of arsenic.

By the way, I'm always a little worried about my own health. I have my first-ever colonoscopy on June 25, accompanied by an upper GI scope. I won't breathe easily until that passes uneventfully. And after that I'm going to make sure to eat the most colon-healthy food I can possibly muster. Not that I don't now; but with a clean slate I will work hard to keep my colon clean as a whistle.

Lindy missed a week of chemo in May due to a business trip to Baltimore; then the next week, he had to postpone his treatment because of low immunity numbers. We met with our naturopath and kicked into high gear with the immunity-building regime. I made bone broth for the first time, and distributed it among 2 ice cube trays and one large container, after making a beautiful beef stew. Both the naturopath and oncologist recommend he eat meat. Pasture-raised, happy cows and chickens and lambies.  The broth I will use to make stuff like rice and sauteed greens and other stuff -- he's not real into the idea of drinking a mug of the stuff.

Last week his white blood count was way up, to everyone's satisfaction; of course, we're not sure if it was just the time needed to recover, or if it was the astragalus, mushroom, and other supplements, in addition to the bone broth and all the meat, that did it.

A few recipe recommendations:

Spicy Beans with Wilted Greens
This was terrific and enjoyed by all. I made it with black beans instead of white, as black is a family favorite and white not particularly loved. The parmesan rind made it kind of wonderful. We used canned beans so the whole thing didn't cook together for hours, as in the recipe, but it was still great.

Did you know that canned beans have the same nutrition content as dried/soaked/cooked at home? I also found that my co-op has non-BPA cans. Win-win. Dried are better, however, if you don't like mushy beans.

Restaurant-Style Saag Paneer
This recipe rocked, but we did change it up a bit. I mixed in baby kale and arugula, both crucifers, which Lindy isn't crazy about but I didn't tell him until days after he had it. He was very surprised! I actually think adding those new flavors made it better. I also added some farm-stand chard as well. Another win-win.

Chocolate Cake with Dates (instead of white sugar)
I've made this a couple of times. Takes some getting used to, but it's good! Trouble is, Lindy eats one slice. Sweets don't really tempt him all that much. So Francie and I end up eating most of it. Note: It really is better after a day in the fridge.

So we keep muddling along. We vacillate between worry, stress, love, joy, concern, and companionship. We have fun; we cry together. But life, as Lindy says....she is ongoing.

Lisa