03/08/10: Day 3

So, in case you haven't noticed, my days of this diet are lagging reality.  Today is actually day 4 - but whatever.  I'm not one for blogging at 9pm...so you get this the next day.  :)

I want to thank everyone that commented on yesterday's blog.  I will say that remembering her birthday is not nearly as painful as it was immediately following her death.  It's amazing what six years does to grief.  I remember hearing early on after my mom died "you'll get used to it".  And I remembering thinking adamantly "no I will not!"  The idea of getting used to my mom's death, her life being cut short, all our plans being wiped out - that's just not something I can ever be ok with - and "used to it" equates to "ok with it" in my little pea brain.

But they are right.  You do get used to it.  No, I'm not ok with it.  But I am used to it.  There's a distinction there that only time can illustrate.  The first few years after her death, the anniversary of her death and her birthday were particularly hard days.  Those days would stop me in my tracks.  I have always been fortunate in that I had friends who would stop in their tracks with me.  We'd celebrate her life - even though they might not have ever met her.  That's still the case.  But I no longer get stopped in my tracks.  I get to celebrate the 55 years that she did have instead of mourning the X-amount of years she didn't get.  It's a nice change of pace.  It feels better, honestly.  Not missing my mom, but the grief changing gears.

All the while that my grief has been evolving as it has done, it has been doing the same for my aunts and uncles and even my grandmother.  So that helps, too, to know I'm not so off-base.

Anyway, I bring this all up again today because I want to comment on some of the comments from yesterday.  So here is...

Bonnie - I'm so sorry to read of the mis-diagnosis in your mom's care.  I will never fully comprehend this, I don't think, but my mom was never mad at her PCP for dodging the expense for so long.  I was furious!  In one of the many appts my mom had where she tried to get the PCP to order the correct procedures, the PCP actually told her "I know you think you know as much as I do, but you are only a Nurse Practitioner and I am a Physician.  I will decide what is appropriate."  I was pissed just at that!  On another token, my mom worked with one of the best Dr's she could have, I think.  That Dr. understood that RNP's approach care from the person perspective.  Dr's, on the other hand, approach care from the science perspective.  Neither is wrong, neither is more correct - and when put together hand in hand, they are an unstoppable pair.  She and the Dr. she worked with were a great team!  But her PCP - man, she was a piece of work!  My step-dad and I later heard that she was suspended for not ordering procedures correctly or in a timely manner for her patients.  No justice there, though, as I'm sure you can imagine.  I love seeing RNP's.  They listen.  I highly recommend them.  :)

Drazil - I get to start being screened early, too.  My PCP wants me screened now, actually.  She says it's never too early to start when there is a history.  I've said I'll wait until 35.  Eeks - that's this summer!  But the insurance companies will pay before 40...40 is actually, from what my PCP says, a little late to start when there is history.

Kim - oh, ouch.  On Christmas?  My grandfather (mom's dad) died when my mom was 11 on Christmas Eve.  Christmas Eve was never the same for anyone in my mom's family.  I never knew him, obviously, but the Christmas Eve thing makes me pause and reflect, too - since I was raised with that.  There are just some days we should have a moratorium from death.  If only, eh?  Obesity is a major risk factor for colon cancer, as well.  So yeah, that is a lot of my motivation, as well.  That and my dad died from complications of diabetes and heart disease.  I've got a well-rounded book of risk factors going on.  BLECK!!!

Fat Bastard - Yes, my mom was a great lady.  I was so lucky to have her for a mom!  I could go on and on about how awesome she was and will always be to me...but I'll save that for a future blog.  What I will say here, though, is yes, like you, I get reminders all over the place, too.  I have one in particular that is something she gave me.  My mom loved to do stained glass and she made me a three-dimensional tulip statue of glass.  I love love love tulips and she loved loved loved to make me tulips.  This three-dimensional thing is pretty impressive - I'll take a pic of it and post it later.  But that object is absolutely priceless to me.  I have never seen anything like it and she didn't buy it - she made it.  She had to have a shape made so that the shape of the statue could be supported while she was soldering the glass together.  I mean, she went all out!  When our area is hit by hurricanes, I could care less if any other "thing" gets out of the house - but that must go with me.  That, my doggies, my kitties, and my husband (not necessarily in any order of importance, there).  I can look at that "thing" and know that she is with me always. 

And to everyone else that commented, thank you for taking the time to reach out and give hugs or just to acknowledge me yesterday.  It really means a lot to me!

So, back to the issue at hand, day 3!

I got on the scale this morning.  I am down a whole whopping 0.2 lbs.  My sweet hubby is doing this diet with me.  He is down 2 pounds today.  For him, he's down 8 lbs since starting on Friday.  For me - 3.2.  Sheesh!  I am so happy for him!  But what about me?  :)

I made one of my new favorite recipes for dinner.  It's a chicken broccoli casserole.

Here's the recipe: (you can change the broccoli to any veggie you want and you can change the cheeses around, too.  Whatever you do with the cheese, I do highly recommend keeping the provolone with the whatever-you-choose for it's great melting properties.)  And I will also say - people that hate casseroles love this dish.

3 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (you can use whole-wheat flour here if desired)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup nonfat milk
salt and pepper to taste
5 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast meat
1 head of broccoli, steamed
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.) Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.  (I have never actually greased the casserole dish and it's always been fine - but if you feel the need, go for it.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in flour. Gradually stir in chicken broth. When the chicken broth is completely combined with the roux, slowly stir in milk, and cook, stirring, until sauce begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Place cooked chicken in an even layer over bottom of the casserole dish. Place broccoli over the chicken. Combine provolone and swiss cheese and sprinkle over the top of the broccoli.  Pour sauce evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over top of the casserole.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
 
Believe it or not, this has 390 calories, 8 g of carbs and 61 g of protein, per serving.  Serves 6.