Recovery is SLOW!
And I am starting to get frustrated.
I got some perspective last night though while talking with a friend I hadn’t seen in a few years. Mike has been having a lot of problems with his knee and between injuring it originally and recovery from surgery he has spent the majority of the last year unable to put any weight on that leg. None. At All. He spent the winter getting around the house in a rolling desk chair. Now I don’t feel quite so annoyed at only being able to walk slowly for an hour instead of run for an hour!
It’s always good to get some perspective. I know that my illness was serious in terms of my personal health and experience but really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
That said, I am SO ready to get off antibiotics! Three more days.
I returned to my yoga practice this week. My body is still really stiff and tight and my 20 minute routine requires a nap afterward but it feels good to get moving at least a little.
Eating has been glorious since returning to the U.S! Portland has so much to offer, especially in the summertime. I have been eating out of my sister’s garden everyday.
She has a one bedroom apartment with a side yard and manages to have quite a prolific little urban garden.
Breakfast this morning is yogurt, strawberries, and raw oats. I missed plain yogurt while traveling, I love the tanginess!
And I must keep up on all the great probiotics yogurt has to offer while on antibiotics.
It’s been really nice to cook again. Yesterday I made quinoa burgers. It was a total experiment and it worked out rather well.
They were pink with green spots!
I started out with the leftover pulp from juicing carrots, 1/2 beet (the pink!), ginger, spinach, and kale. 2 cups
To this I added
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 chopped onion
4 cloves chopped garlic (boost that immune system!)
chopped cilantro
1/2 chopped jalapeno
2 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup raw oats
a few spoonfuls of water
salt, nutritional yeast, liquid aminos, fresh ground pepper
The egg and cheese could easily be omitted to make the recipe vegan. I think a bit of cumin would have added a lot but I couldn’t find any.
I cooked them in a lightly olive oiled cast iron skillet over medium heat.
These “burgers” are a little on the carby side for me to eat with a bun or bread but they were great as a side for salad with some condiments.
I guess you could say I got back to my abs/arms yesterday, although VERY gently! I did about 40 crunch variations. So today is an arms day. I have a feeling my push ups are going to be crazy modified but hey, ya gotta start some where! It’s amazing how quickly we lose strength, it’s been about three weeks now since I worked my arms. It’s also amazing how quickly your body can regain fitness if it knows where it’s going.
I have to get a bit stronger by Monday though because that’s when we load the moving truck!
Time for a little workout and then off for one of my favorite Portland summertime activities, berry picking! The early varieties of blueberries should be perfect around now.
Let’s hear it for summer harvest!
