Meals for one

Preparing for another break

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Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. Mine was busy. Work was mostly back-to-back meetings, and I’ve been cleaning at home a lot.

I’m taking leave from work for the next two weeks. I may not post next weekend. I’ve got a lot happening, so stay tuned if you’re interested.

I’ll be spending time with Kathleen, so it’s going to be wonderful.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

Apart from some paraesthesia and stiffness, the foot and ankle are okay. I’ve been doing some walking, and I feel that my foot, ankle, and knee will improve as I continue to walk.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be on my feet a lot, so I’m hoping all goes well with the foot (as well as the knee).

What have I been watching?

Masters of the Air

Masters of the Air is an Apple Original show about the crews flying the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress platform in World War II. The miniseries is based on the 2007 book by Donald L. Miller and follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber unit in the Eighth Air Force in eastern England during World War II.  

What have I been listening to?

Change your diet, change your mind.

I’ve started to get into this book by Georgia Ede. I like how she explains psychiatry in the context of neurology. The author can explain the anatomy and physiology of the brain and then speculate on its relationship with psychiatric disease. (Ede, 2024)

The book emphasises how what we eat affects our mental health and wellbeing. This book connects naturally with other books I’ve been reading about human nutrition and metabolic health.

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, narrated by Ralph Cosham

“The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis is a satirical novel written as letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew Wormwood, a junior tempter. Their goal is to lead a recent Christian convert, the “Patient,” away from faith and toward damnation.

Through Screwtape’s advice, Lewis explores how demons exploit human weaknesses like pride, vanity, and anger. The “letters” offer a perspective on faith and the subtle ways temptations can lead us astray. (Lewis, 2009)

Recipe — or not

In preparation for two weeks away, I’m eating out my refrigerator, so I don’t have a recipe to share today.

My meals have been the routine meals I mentioned last week, namely, eggs, butter, minced beef, and steak.

Photographs

Final thoughts

  • Do you eat everything in your refrigerator when you prepare to go away?
  • Do you have a fascination for the tools used for war?
  • Have you read “The Screwtape Letters”? What did you think?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

References

Ede, G. (2024). Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Food-First Plan to Optimize Your Mental Health. Hodder & Stoughton.

Lewis, C. S. (2009). Screwtape letters. Turtleback Books.

Beef mince

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve had a good week.

My week has been busy with work. I loved spending time with Kathleen in Adelaide and on Kangaroo Island. I did need to return to work.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

I went to an outpatient appointment on Friday. The orthopædic trainee has told me I can wear sturdy shoes on my feet and ambulate more.

I asked when I could walk around without shoes, and he said the maximum tendon repair strength should be achieved after about three months. This means in about three to four weeks.

I’ve now been discharged from outpatient care and can book appointments to see a physiotherapist.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

While I was in Adelaide visiting Kathleen, I watched Star Trek on her TV. Kathleen’s TV is newer than mine (I bought mine in 2007), and the picture quality is fantastic.

I’ll watch Star Trek on a new TV in a few weeks. Hint Hint 😉

What have I been listening to?

Monroe Doctrine Volume VIII

I previously wrote that Volume VII was meant to end the book. The authors claim that Volume VIII is the last in the series. I am about one-third of the way through this volume.

The US and coalition partners are confident in defeating China in World War III. The main concern is the post-war recovery and how to avoid a civil war erupting in a defeated China. India, which remained neutral in the conflict, is emerging as a post-war saviour for China, and the Indian leadership seems to be seeking to gain a significant economic and diplomatic advantage from this opportunity.

Of course, the Chinese artificial intelligence apparatus, viz., “Jade Dragon”, could turn the tables and tweak Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics”. The result could be the rise of robots over humans, to end the book.

If you’re not familiar with Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics”, they are:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey orders given by humans except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

All it would take is a change to the third law.

I highly recommend this book series if you enjoy science fiction and technical fiction incorporating warfighting.

Recipe?

I don’t have much for a recipe this week. I have more of a revelation.

Over the last week, after returning to Canberra after visiting Kathleen in Adelaide, my meals have been simple and consistent.

I’ve been eating eggs every morning and beef mince (AUD$11/kilogram) for lunch and many dinners. This would be about USD$7.80/pound in the US. If there are any readers from the US, please tell me if this is expensive or not. I think US residents would find USD$7.80 per pound of ground beef expensive.

I’ve noticed that I’m not craving variety or anything different. During the day, my thinking about food has become less, and I’ve been able to focus more on work tasks.

I know that in the past when I was eating carbohydrate-rich foods, I’d savour and crave the flavours, especially if there were complex flavour combinations. The sugar hooked me to derive pleasure from the sweetness, and the lack of satiety from carbohydrate-rich foods meant I thought I wanted more. I was always feeling hungry and unsatisfied.

I have more capacity to think about other things now.

Don’t get me wrong, I still get hungry, but from Monday to Friday, I don’t think about cooking anything more than eggs, beef mince, lamb chops, or thinly sliced steaks. I cooked some beef ribs in the pressure cooker last weekend, and I’ve been supplementing the mince with some rib meat, too. I know that beef short ribs are not cheap, but the meat goes a long way.

I’ll also still eat different food items occasionally, especially on weekends or when invited to a meal. There will also be variety when circumstances dictate that I can’t cook and prepare my meals. There will also be instances when I see something in the supermarket’s meat section or butcher shop and think, yep, I want that tonight.

I don’t know what this means for Yummy Lummy (the blog). It’s hard to justify a weekly update when I don’t have much to write about regarding recipes.

I don’t want to give up blogging. I like writing and the connection I have with some regular readers.

Photographs

Thoughts on the meals

I’ve already shared what I’m thinking. Perhaps I’ll stop wanting to photograph food and write about it. Somehow, I don’t think so.

Final thoughts

  • Do you ever feel like you need to change what you write about?
  • Do you spend much of your day thinking about meals?
  • When you’re not feeling hungry, can you focus on tasks better?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Baa Moo Oink Ribeye bone in

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Me, tucking into a steak. Check out the knife.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. I’m currently in Adelaide, visiting Kathleen. It was her birthday this week, and we went out for dinner. We enjoyed an evening at the Red Ochre Barrell and Grill restaurant, which is situated on the Torrens River. The restaurant is one of Kathleen’s favourite places. We dined in its sibling restaurant, the River Café, on one of my previous visits to Adelaide.

The restaurant forms a floating pavilion on the water, with a view of River Torrens looking back towards the city of Adelaide and the main arts precinct.

It was a great view of the river with people running and jogging along the banks, plus people on the water rowing eights and fours.

We enjoyed an evening of lovely views, the best company (each other) and nice food.

Kathleen enjoyed house-made focaccia bread with smoked eucalyptus butter, followed by kangaroo fillet served with lentils and vegetables.

I had an octopus carpaccio with fried capers and finger lime, followed by a scotch fillet steak.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

My foot, ankle, and knee are slowly improving. The EHL repair remains intact. The stiffness in my foot and ankle is lessening. My knee remains stiff, and I hope to regain the range of movement I’d achieved after the intensive physiotherapy I needed for my patella fracture and ruptured retinaculum.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

I continue to alternate between the two series, one episode at a time.

One of my favourite episodes in all of Star Trek came up this week. Trials and Tribble-ations is the 104th episode of Star Trek Deep Space 9 (season 5, episode 6).

Recipe — Baa Moo Oink scotch fillet steak

On the theme of steak, we visited a local butcher on Friday morning, viz., Baa Moo Oink in Findon.

Kathleen commented that I looked like a kid in a lolly shop and became very focused.

When I saw the ribeye bone-in steak, I knew I wanted to cook it and eat it.

I should have asked for the rib bone to be cut flush with the meat to fit in the frypan. In the end, it didn’t really matter. It turned out well.

Equipment

  • Frypan
  • Oven
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • Ribeye bone in steak — thick cut (about 3 cm thick).
  • Beef fat.
  • Flaky iodised salt.

Instructions — The Menu and thoughts on the meal

  1. Dry brine the steak with iodised table salt.
  2. Refrigerate for as long as possible if you can’t do it overnight.
  3. I love that Kathleen has a gas stovetop and a stainless-steel frypan.
  4. Preheat a fan-forced oven to about 160 °C.
  5. I heated the frypan on a large gas burner and added some beef fat.
  6. I seared the steak, flipping it over every thirty seconds and searing the edges.
  7. Once the steak was seared, I let it rest for a minute and then inserted a meat thermometer.
  8. Place the steak on a roast tray and into the oven and cook until the middle of the steak reaches about 57 °C. This will ensure a medium-rare steak.
  9. Allow the meat to rest for about half as long as it took to cook in the oven.
  10. After allowing the steak to rest, dissect along the muscle planes and along the rib bone.
  11. This steak has four distinct elements. The rib bone, a fat cap, the deckle meat or spinalis dorsi, and the fillet or the longissimus dorsi.
  12. Slice the fillet and deckle and arrange on a cutting board.
  13. Season with flaky salt and serve.
  14. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing up. Don’t forget to gnaw the bone.  
  15. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, steak and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  16. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  17. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  18. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  19. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Thoughts on the meal

This steak was magnificent. We didn’t eat the whole piece of meat. We’ve kept some in a container. We enjoyed a couple of slices for morning tea today and some blue cheese.

Final thoughts

  • If you’ve been to Adelaide, have you eaten at the Red Ochre Barrell and Grill restaurant?
  • Do you like a thick-cut steak?
  • Do you like restaurants with river or water views?
  • If you’ve watched “Trials and Tribble-ations”, tell me your favourite scene.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Salmon on a Saturday

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

Happy Chinese New Year.

I hope you’ve had a good week. My work week has been busy and edifying. I love the diversity of work and the engagement with people from different areas and agencies.

During the week, Kathleen commented to me that when she was based in remote Aboriginal communities for work, client dietary requests tended towards an LCHF eating style. Kathleen’s current eating style has CSIRO TWD leanings.

I’m excited because I will see Kathleen next week. ❤️

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

Wearing the controlled ankle movement (CAM) boot has improved my quality of life. I can move about the flat better, and my lower leg and foot feel more comfortable. The only niggle I have is some Achilles tendon insertion site pain and inflammation.

I think this is because when I sleep with the boot on, the back of my heel presses against the back of the boot.

Standing behind my stove top and kitchen bench to eat my meals has made a difference. I still use the air fryer for most meals, but cooking eggs in the morning is more manageable when standing behind the stove.

The foot exercises have also become a bit easier. I do them thrice daily, being careful not to overstretch the repaired tendon while stretching the other muscles and tendons and extending the range of movement of my ankle. My ankle is less stiff.

The wound is also looking pretty good. The injury laceration is obvious, while the surgical incision is less obvious. The suturing had been well executed.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

I continue to alternate between the two series, one episode at a time.

The story arcs in both series are now revealing the possible endings.

In VOY, Seven of Nine is developing into an integral crew member. Her Borg characteristics are still evident, while her humanity is developing strongly.

In DS9, Odo is now a solid after being judged in the Great Link. I just watched one of my favourite episodes, viz., Apocalypse Rising. Sisko, surgically altered to appear as a Klingon, screams during the Order of the Bat’leth pre-ceremony celebrations, “Brag all you want, but don’t get between me and the bloodwine!” It’s a classic quote.

What have I been listening to?

Change your diet, change your mind.

I’m yet to get into this book by Georgia Ede. Other things have taken priority, and I’ve only listened to the first chapter. (Ede, 2024)

Recipe — Baked Salmon

King salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha), also known as Chinook salmon, is the largest among the Pacific salmon species. Originating from the northwest coast of North America and north-eastern Asia, king salmon found their way to New Zealand in the late 1800s. Fishers introduced the salmon from northern California for recreational fishing purposes. The scenic Marlborough Sounds region became the focal point for entrepreneurs in the 1980s, who recognised its potential for cultivating salmon due to its cool, deep waters.

In New Zealand, salmon farming predominantly revolves around the King salmon species, in contrast to the global trend of farming Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Equipment

  • Air fryer

Ingredients

  • New Zealand Pacific Salmon

Instructions

  1. To avoid the salmon drying in the air fryer, I retained some of the cooking liquor from my lunch: beef mince and cheese I’d cooked in the air fryer.
  2. I also dry-brined the salmon.
  3. When the time arrived to cook tea, I placed the salmon into a baking tray with pools of beef fat and broth in the bottom.
  4. I cooked the salmon, skin side up, in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 180 °C.
  5. Serve the salmon on a plate.
  6. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the salmon will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  7. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, meat and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  8. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  9. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  10. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  11. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Photographs

Thoughts on the meal

Pacific or Chinook salmon tastes better than Atlantic salmon, in my opinion. The flesh flakes more easily, and it seems more forgiving when exposed to harsh drying conditions like an oven.

Final thoughts

  • How has your week been?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

References

Ede, G. (2024). Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Food-First Plan to Optimise Your Mental Health. Hodder & Stoughton.

Steak and avocado

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader, 

Introduction 

I hope you’ve had a good week. I’ve enjoyed a busy week. It’s hard for me to believe it is now February 2024. It felt like yesterday that I dropped that blade through my foot. 

I’m excited to see Kathleen soon. 

Work has been good, with more international meetings keeping me awake. 

How is the foot? 

What’s happened this week? 

I mentioned last week that I was concerned by some pressure pain. That settled by the end of the weekend. 

On Wednesday afternoon, I attended the orthopædic team’s outpatient clinic. I think I was the last patient to be seen. It was a very busy clinic. 

I had the cast removed, and unfortunately, in the process, the registered nurse who cut it off nicked some skin over the medial aspect of the hallux metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ). She was surprised because the bone saw was not meant to cut skin. Fortunately, the laceration was superficial, and apart from the immediate pain and some blood, I wasn’t too concerned. 

I was then seen by the duty orthopædic trainee, who examined my foot and ankle. She asked me to extend and flex my ankle as well as pronate and supinate my foot. Then she asked me to independently extend and flex my toes, especially my big toe (hallux). As I did this, she palpated the dorsum of my foot over the wound where the tendon repair was. She was happy she could feel the tendon moving. 

I had four questions for the trainee. Would I need to sleep in the boot? Can I shower without the boot? Can I flex my ankle so I can wear trousers? Can I stop taking the oral anticoagulant that was prescribed for the prevention of deep venous thrombosis? 

I need to sleep in the boot for three weeks. 😢

I can shower without the boot. 😊

I can flex and extend my ankle with care. 😊 While I’ve not worn trousers since Christmas day at church, it’s good to know I have this option. The occasional cold day in Canberra (yes, it’s summer) has meant I needed to wrap a towel around my legs. 

No more anticoagulant medication. 😊

I was then asked to wait to see a physiotherapist for a controlled ankle movement (CAM) boot fitting. She explained the range of movement (ROM) I should try to achieve and the limitations I need to observe. She then fitted me with a CAM boot, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from me. 

The CAM boot means much more mobility. 

What have I been watching? 

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager 

I continue to alternate between the two series, one episode at a time. 

I am about midway through each series and love the stories. Some of my favourite character interactions occur at this point in both series. 

Michael Dorn, who plays Worf, joins DS9 and starts a relationship with Jadzia Dax. Terry Farrell plays Dax, and she’s one of my favourite actors. In VOY, Jeri Ryan joins the cast as Seven of Nine. Likewise, Ryan is a favourite actor, too. The character development of Seven is fantastic.

What have I been listening to? 

Georgia Ede on Zöe Harcombe’s podcast 

Georgia Ede is a psychiatrist from the USA who uses nutrition to augment her psychiatric training in helping patients with psychiatric diseases. 

Georgia follows a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, which she believes minimises the inflammation caused by many foods. 

You can find it online if you’d like to listen to the show. An automatically generated transcript is also available online.

Georgia Ede has also written, “Change your diet, change your mind”(Ede, 2024). I’ve got this book lined up to listen to soon. 

Recipe — Steak and avocado

With the extra freedom afforded me by the CAM boot, I thought I’d cook a steak on the stove. I can now stand for a few minutes at a time, so it won’t be as dangerous. 

I chose a scotch fillet steak with a bit of rib attached.  

Equipment 

  • Frypan 

Ingredients 

  • Steak 
  • Salt 
  • Fat — beef
  • Avocado 

Instructions 

  1. Dry brine the steak overnight. 
  2. Heat the frypan to moderate heat and add a little beef fat. 
  3. Cook the steak, turning it every 30 seconds. 
  4. Cook until the meat is done to the desired internal temperature. 
  5. Allow the steak to rest for at least five minutes. 
  6. Serve with an avocado cheek.  
  7. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the meat will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing. 
  8. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, meat and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination. 
  9. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots. 
  10. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable. 
  11. Always give thanks to the Lord
  12. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. 

Photographs

Thoughts on the meal 

It was nice having a pan-fried steak. Over the last five weeks, I’ve been enjoying thinly sliced scotch fillet steaks cooked in the air fryer. These steaks will continue to be my staple as I recover; tonight’s steak is a treat.

Final thoughts 

  • Since adapting to a low carbohydrate diet, my mental acuity has improved. I’m looking forward to learning more from Georgia Ede’s book.
  • As I rewatch episodes from DS9 and VOY, characters who I once didn’t like are growing on me. For example, Kira Nerys and Julian Bashir were characters who I found annoying on DS9. Neelix is still annoying on VOY, but not as much as in previous viewings.
  • Have you had to wear a CAM boot? How did you feel about the experience?
  • Flexing and extending ankles and toes. Do you know the difference?
  • Star Trek aficionados will know the series, episode, and character who introduced Velcro to humankind.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine. 

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals. 

References 

Ede, G. (2024). Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Food-First Plan to Optimize Your Mental Health. Hodder & Stoughton.