Breakfasts of the Infirm
I am still fighting this stupid, no good, rotten old rheumatoid arthritis, tooth and nail. I have to take a number of meds in the morning with food, but they also make me feel sick and nauseated and like the last thing I want is food, lately. This is not conducive to food blogging, I know. Sorry. I'd rather not blog at all than blog about being a sickly old whiner, but here I am, doing it anyway.
Latest meds make me not want my old breakfast standbys of eggs, croissants, toast with goat cheese and fruit. I'm still doing yogurt with fruit and nuts or honey but it's wearing thin and I'm just about over it too. Also, I am too tired to wait around on oatmeal or congee most days. I need something fast and not very sweet or rich. In other words, bland. I need super easy (heating is ok but cooking is exhausting) and yeah, kind of bland. No cereal, because milk has begun to taste a bit bitter. Lots of things have started to taste bad. Very annoying.
Need ideas. Help?
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8 comments:
You poor dear! Have you tried crockpot grits or oatmeal? Put them to cook the evening before (or whenever you have the energy), and they'll be waiting for you in the AM. I've heard of rice-cooker congee, but have never tried it myself. Try some non-breakfast foods, too: like instant miso soup (just add water!), buttered whole wheat pasta w/parmesan, or plain brown rice w/a bit of furikake sprinkled on top. Potatoes are your friends, too: mashed or boiled reheat beautifully, are filling, and can be doctored in so many ways.
Oh, and I forgot to add plain lentils. Filling, nutritious, simple to make. Try the old standby of kitchari...mung dal and rice cooked together.
I don't have any food suggestions but my sister shares the same illness as you. and ya know what? yoga has helped - a lot. her doctor recommend it and she can't get over how much better she feels, considering all the meds she had to take.
xo
Celeste, why didn't I think of potatoes?! That's brilliant and so obvious that I feel like a fool. I've been doing a lot of just plain white jasmine rice and have some brown jasmine that might be an even better idea to cook ahead. Have no idea what kitchari is. Must investigate that. I have lentils, but didn't consider it for breakfast. Also have miso soup packet in the cabinet for lunches but hadn't thought about it for breakfast. Smart thinking! I've definitely thought about crockpot grits, congee and steel cut oats but haven't mustered the energy. Seriously, lately it's been *that* bad. Maybe I'll try to do a batch tonight. At least it keeps for a few days.
Termite, what joints hurt her most? Mine is in my wrist, so I worry that yoga would be hard for me because I can't place any weight on the wrist at all. Does she experience any problem with that? Otherwise, it would be perfect... I've been really considering it and that'a my only reservation.
I will send you my recipe for crockpot steel-cut oats. You can put it on before bed, let it cook slowly overnight so it's done in time for breakfast. I'm also a fan of beans and toast for breakfast - and not necessarily baked beans. Any sort of beans you can thrown in the crockpot will work.
You could always try the standard Dutch breakfast - bread, salami, sliced cheese and sliced cucumbers. Hard boiled eggs are also good, and you can make them up in advance, and if you get bored with them, they can easily be converted into deviled eggs or egg salad.
You can make Congee in the crock pot as well. I like 1/2 cup brown rice, 3 cups of water, cabbage, carrots, and chicken thighs on low for 8 hours.
I'm late to this post, but I'm so sorry to hear that the RA is still wreaking havoc on you. I know how miserable that is. I have the similar psoriatic arthritis in several joints, the wrist being one of them. I know that when it's been really bad, I couldn't stand for anything to even touch my wrist or hand and I felt like any movement caused the blood to rush and the pain is incredible. You have sympathy from me, for sure, though I know that doesn't help!
Has your doc tried different medications? I know that some work better for some people. Sort of a crapshoot. I take Enbrel which is really an RA drug. It has worked very well for me and I pray that it continues. I skipped the methotrexate because I afraid of the nausea issues, though I know it's effective in many folks.
I got some steroid shots a few times when I was too miserable to keep going and though they don't last, I was thrilled with the relief. Once I started the Enbrel and it kicked in, I haven't have to do that, but if you're too miserable, maybe an injection is an option. It's certainly not optimal and you can't do it often, but I was willing to do anything to get the pain meter down.
You've gotten some good food suggestions. When I was feeling able, I loaded my freezer with chicken soup and some other easily heated comfort foods. I can make a meal off of saltines or French bread and butter, though I had some problems with my wrist getting the butter on since my predominant hand was affected. That and ginger ale helped my stomach. I think ginger is supposed to help settle the stomach, so I kept that on hand to put in tea. Tea and toast helps. The potatoes are a good idea, too. I would make white and sweet for a different take. Sweet potato with cinnamon sugar is like a breakfast food to me.
I hope you're feeling better by now. It's a wretched disease.
Re: breakfast of the infirm
Steel cut oats overnight cooking method: 1 cup oats, 4 cups water. Bring water to boil, stir in oats, continue to boil for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Cover, turn heat off. Let sit overnight. In the morning stir a bit of water into your desired portion and microwave. Pop the rest in the fridge. It will stay good for at least a week. I like to eat it with salt and cayenne... I don't like sweet things in the morning. A poached or fried egg on top is great too.
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