I Need a Hug

March 21, 2015

I need a hug today! Please! My pain level is through the roof!

Something happened with my left knee, over the past few months, it’s been getting difficult to walk up and down the stairs (going down is more problematic than going up), and it’s now to a point where I can’t walk down without literary bursting into tears from pain. People probably think I have a metal rod in my left leg, the way I walk down, with a straight leg, almost sliding down the stairs – I’m quite a sight!

Up until last night, I was still generally OK if I didn’t have to face the stairs, but now I’m in pain all over, both legs, top to bottom. I had to go to the city with my kid today, to attend a “hometown” reception by one of the colleges he got accepted to, and I barely made it through, getting up and down the subway stairs was a visual to remember too!

So, as much as I hate to admit it, it’s time for a trip to see a doctor and get whatever tests they’d probably put me through to find out what’s wrong with my knees, there’s definitely some inflammation going on. I need to somehow feel better by mid April as we have trips to take to schools where kid got admitted to, and all the trips are many hours-long drives.

For now, it’s mom to the rescue! No matter how old you are, mama makes everything better! I’ve already tried all the pills you can take without being completely drowsy, my mom is bringing some different medicine to try, I don’t care if I fall asleep mid-sentence, I need to not feel the pain at least for a little bit!

And, I’m sure, if you come around with a hug, that’d make me feel better too!

What’s Cooking This Week

When you feel bad, and your mood is down, making some comforting food is a way to bring some moment of cheer back into your life. Today’s recipe is a classic dish reinvented, into a healthier grain-free option you won’t mind eating anyway. It uses pumpkin, technically not a spring dish, though I don’t pay much attention to it, I cook what and when I want it. Plus, judging by yesterday’s snow, we are still in winter mode.

Chicken and Kale with Grain-Free Pumpkin Dumplings

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut up

2-3 cups fresh kale

1 large red onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1 can of pumpkin purée

3/4 cup of quinoa flour

1/4 cup of potato starch

1/4 cup of coconut flour

2 eggs

1 tsp of oregano

1 tsp of coriander

1/4 tsp of nutmeg

Salt, pepper, olive oil

First, put a large pot with water to boil. Then combine together all the flours with a pinch of salt and nutmeg, then beat in the eggs and finally pumpkin, set the dough aside to rest (coconut flour usually needs some time to soak in the liquids).

In a mean while, cook the chicken. In a deep pan, heat up olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until golden, add chicken, sauté for another minute, season with salt, pepper, spices and cook until chicken is done. Mix in kale and let it wilt for another minute, don’t over cook. Shut the flame off, cover and set aside.

When the water is boiling, reduce heat, add some salt, and start cooking dumplings in batches. Using a small spoon and a fork (batter is sticky), slide off each dumpling into the water, cook until dumplings rise to the surface, about 1-2 minutes, then, using a slotted spatula, remove dumplings and place them into a pan with chicken and kale, cover the pan again. Repeat the same steps with each dumplings batch. I wasn’t very particular with the shape of dumplings, I kind of like them uneven, adds to that “homemade” feel, but, if you want, you can try shaping them round.