It’s funny how life throws curve balls at us, and we’re expected to just pick up and continue on our merry way. Sometimes it’s fairly easy, we fall, maybe get a little bruised, but come out of things relatively unscathed. But, sometimes, things are a little more serious and take a lot of recovery, be it physical or what I think is worse, emotional.
We were merrily going on our way, when I got a phone call from my mom( this was back in November, 2013). My dad was being taken to the Misercordia hospital in Edmonton for chest pains. His blood pressure and pulse were out of orbit. He had been feeling flu-ish since the middle of the night, got up and decided to shovel snow (because of course that’s a good idea when you feel flu-ish). He had come in for lunch, still not feeling well, and so Mom took his blood pressure with the machine they have. It was crazy high, so Mom decided to take him to the hospital in DraytonValley. They spent the afternoon trying to regulate his heart rate, but couldn’t get his heart rate to settle down and were quite concerned, so finally decided to transfer him to the city. Long story short, that’s when we found out that Dad had a defective heart valve and needed open heart surgery to save his life. He also ended up having a triple bypass while the doctors were in there. Talk about a curve ball. Our parents are still young and we’re always healthy. This put reality in our face really quickly. Especially since we’d lost my Auntie Gloria’s husband Ron and my Dads cousins Wilfred and Dennis. It was really difficult losing them. Thankfully, we were really lucky and everything worked out and my dad was fine. He’s now 72, still works full time, and is stronger than most 40 year olds! He still moves drums of oil, lifts 5 gallon pails, and works harder than any man I know.
We never really thought anything about getting anyone else in our family checked, we honestly chalked it up to when Dad had smoked ( he’d quit 25 years before, but that’s what we thought caused the defect). Well, a year later, I’m in my doctors office for my annual check up, and my Doctor asks me if there’s any changes in my families health. I explained about my dad, and told my doctor that we’d lost two of my dads first cousins to heart disease that year. He decided to do an echo-cardiogram , and I was sent to a cardiologist for more tests, and well, there’s that curve ball! When I told Greg, ( he hadn’t come with me to my follow up appointment because we really didn’t expect this kind of news), I’m pretty sure his thoughts were along the lines of ” Right, drama queen, sure you need heart surgery!”, I know my thoughts were, ” Ok, I need heart surgery, but when I’m 70 like my dad, not now!!”
My telling you about this is really with a purpose. Both my dad and I had had a sore neck and pain between our shoulder blades for years. We had heart murmurs, and had been getting them checked for years, but they always came back normal. We both had what we called flutters in our chests, but no real chest pains. When I exercised, I always told Greg that I hated it because I got dizzy and saw stars, and often felt like I was going to pass out. His words to me were, “come on Brutus, we just need to work more, we’re out of shape!” Lol, little did we know that by exercising more, I was actually killing myself! I had been chalking all those symptoms up to anxiety. I had been dealing with a very difficult work situation and so thought it was stress. My point is, don’t think that stress can’t kill you, because it can. It aggravated an already serious issue, and made it much worse much quicker. I’m asking you, if you show any signs of anxiety etc, especially if you are related to me on my dad’s side, both Smith and Bouvier, to please take the time and ask your doctor for an echo-cardiogram. It could save your life. This is hereditary, and there is nothing you can do to stop it, no matter how healthy you are! But eating healthy, taking care of the stresses in life, laughing and enjoying time with family and friends can help keep us all healthy… and happy.
We’ve always eaten quite healthy, ( yes we treat ourselves, but most of the time, it’s very healthy), but because of this I’ve become even more aware of what’s going into my body, and what I’m doing to stay healthy. I’m on blood thinners now, for the rest of my life to prevent clots around the mechanical valve. It affects what foods I can eat, ( no green tea, turmeric, or pistachios, consistent amounts of dark green leafy vegetables as they have lots of vitamin k which can affect the Warfarin, and how much alcohol I can consume. ( I get 1 glass of wine a day, and no it’s not this size of glass, though I’d like it to be!
We so very rarely eat red meat any more, so when we do, it’s really a nice treat. This meal is one that my entire family loves. I never really follow recipes, or write down what I do , but people tell me my food tastes good and that I should cater, so I guess whatever I do works. I always say my food is an experiment, because it’s usually me looking in the freezer or fridge and seeing the ingredients I’ve got handy and then throwing something into a pot and hoping it turns out! It usually does, I’ve rarely had anything not turn out, but those were epic fails!
I call this recipe Spanish Steak to make it sound fancy, though it’s really not. Its similar to a dish my mom made us when I was growing up. And as some of you know, my moms cooking is the whole reason Greg married me! ( only kind of kidding here! ) This takes about 10-15 minutes of prep time, then about 30-40 cook time. I use my slow cooker and do it in the morning before work, and it’s deliciously ready when I get home at supper time. If you have sensitivities to any of the nightshade plants, like potatoes or tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, this might not be for you. Sometimes those vegetables can aggravate gout, arthritis, joint swelling, etc. If you find your joints hurt after eating these foods, you might need to eliminate them from your diet for awhile to see if that helps. There is no scientific proof of this, however for some, not eating these does help. The term Nightshade refers to these plants because they prefer to grow in shady areas, and some flower at night. If they don’t bother you, then I hope you enjoy!
Spanish Steak
This recipe makes a large batch. I always make enough for left overs so there is enough for lunches for the next day too. We all take lunch to work, ( or since I’m still home, I have them here), so this is a quick, cost effective, and healthier way to make those lunches.
Ingredients:
Family size pack of inexpensive steak or small roast beef ( I use an inside round steak which I find leaner than some other cuts, this recipe simmers for awhile, so the meats become tender anyway, without needing to be expensive)
1 medium Onion,chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced( or to taste)
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 cups sliced mushrooms
Optional- 1/2 cup chopped red, green, yellow or orange peppers
1 tsp olive oil ( if not using slow cooker, if using slow cooker I don’t use any oil)
5 or 6 tomatoes, chopped or 1 large can no salt added diced tomatoes( I drain the juice off as I like mine to be a bit thicker, but it’s not necessary to do this, it just makes it juicier).
1 can salt free tomato sauce( I actually canned my own, so I use that)
(Some people think that using canned vegetables is ” cheating”, or ” not healthy”, but will go for fast food without a thought). I’d rather used canned, and still cook at home, if you go for the low salt varieties of vegetables, the nutritional content is still quite high. Not as high as fresh of course, but still very good.
Freshly chopped Italian spices (basil, oregano, thyme etc), or I also use Epicure Italian Spices if I don’t have fresh
Dash of pepper
Trim as much fat off the meat as possible, cut into small, bite size cubes. Place one tsp oil in large pot. Place meat, onions, garlic, and all other veggies except tomatoes into pot. Let simmer on high heat for about 5 minutes, then add chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices. Turn to medium low and simmer 30 – 40 minutes. If using slower cooker turn on low and cook all day.
That’s it! So simple but so good.
My family likes it over rice ( I make a brown rice, red quinoa, and wild rice mixture), or over mashed potatoes. They also like it with a bit of shredded Parmesan or with low sodium Soy sauce on top.( which is still ridiculously high in sodium! I serve it with a spinach, kale, or mixed green salad, and there we have a pretty healthy meal. I also substitute cubed chicken breast, and it’s just as delicious!
As you can see, I don’t use salt at all, I find that the spices add enough flavour, but feel free to add as needed.
When life throws a curve ball, sometimes a comforting meal with family or friends can make a big difference…. that or a big glass of wine!
Hearts Content 