taco salad

Last night, Carolyn made a taco salad for dinner. It was great! She made a vegan chili that was really good all by itself. Then served it on top of salad, chips, and veggie cheese. I think all four of us had seconds. It was a good way for me to eat more salad than I normally do. Sadly, I didn't think to get the recipie from her, but it's starting to be Spring now, so the chili season is almost over.

Gotta get serious

It is time to get serious about cutting meat and cheese out of our diets, at least 6 days out of the week!

Last week Betty was complaining about her big toe hurting her. She couldn't remember what she had done to it, but I suspected she dropped something on it. So I did all of the home care things I knew, and some others I looked up online-- soaked her foot in warm salt water, elevated it, used homeopathic remedy, got Dad's walker from the basement so she'd not have to put weight on it. Instead of getting better, she got worse.

So, on the second day (well, night, 1 am), called the advice nurse and because Betty's pain was severe, she told me to take her to the ER. I did that, and we were there till 4 am. The diagnosis was gout!

What my thin-air knowledge says is that means she's been eating too much meat. And, I'm partly right. The previous week Betty ate a lot of meat. Seems that as I try to cook more vegan foods, she reacts by eating more meat.

Well, I think the universe isn't only trying to tell Betty something, it's hitting her over the head with the message! She now has four things wrong with her body, all directly connected to food: gout, pre-diabetes, GERD (reflux disease), high cholesterol.

Good thing Betty likes my cooking! And good thing I've been cooking vegan food for years-- it's not entirely new to either of us. It's the focus that's new, and the elimination of other things we like that is hard.