If you want to skip the introduction, you can jump to the recipe.
Dear Reader,
Introduction
How has your week been? I’m getting back into the swing of working from home. It’s like COVID-19 “lockdown”, only I feel more locked in. I’m halfway through the first six-week period of having a straight leg brace.
After the first six weeks, I hope to have 30° of motion in my knee for the next six weeks.
My routines are working as intended. The main problem I’m experiencing is the relatively sedentary existence. I’m walking down the road daily and back for a coffee. The walk, with the aid of crutches, is about 20 minutes. Before the injury, I used to do a 40-minute brisk walk after dinner every day. At my current rate, that walk would take me nearly three hours, I reckon. 🤣
While I do not subscribe to the “calories in, calories out” paradigm, I know caloric restriction is essential to maintaining my health for someone confined to quarters and with limited mobility.
What have I been watching this week?
Kim’s Convenience
Kim’s Convenience is a situation comedy produced in Canada. It is about a husband and wife from the Republic of Korea who have emigrated and own and manage a convenience store.
The show also features the couple’s son and daughter and the son’s workplace, a car rental business.
The humour revolves around archetypal Asian stereotypes. I reckon it’s hilarious.
Recipe
This minced meat, cheese, and vegetable mixture will help me plan meals this week.
A lot of recipes I’ve seen include fillers like breadcrumbs. I’ll use processed pork rinds, cauliflower, and broccoli to minimise the carbohydrate content to keep this a protein-rich dish. I’ll use beaten eggs to bind everything together.
Equipment
- Food processor
- Box grater
Ingredients
- Beef that has been minced (in Australia, we use the word “minced” rather than “ground,” which is the word used in North America. I’d mince my meat in a perfect world, but I’m too lazy. Buying minced meat has risks, so if you’re concerned, you can pasteurise it at 60 °C for 2 hours.
- Iodised salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Roughly diced broccoli and cauliflower stems and florets.
- Coarsely crumbed pork rinds
- Beaten eggs
- Grated Cheer™ tasty cheese
- Grated Cheer™ mozzarella cheese
- Diced black olives
Instructions
- Put the beef, condiments, vegetables, cheese, and olives into a bowl and gently mix everything with your fingers.
- Add the beaten eggs and combine everything gently to avoid too much compression.
- Fill a baking dish and add more grated cheese on top. Do not pack the mixture in; keep it loose so the cooked product will be tender and juicy.
- Bake in an oven for 60 minutes at 160 °C.
- Aim for an internal temperature of at least 60 °C. The terminal temperature was 75 °C.
- Allow the meat to rest for 30 minutes before carving and eating with half an avocado.
- Give thanks to the Lord.
- Eat with a knife and fork.
Thoughts on the meal
This meat, cheese, and vegetable mix will feed me for a few more meals. Different flavourings like Worcestershire sauce, commercial barbecue sauce, and panko breadcrumbs would be acceptable for people who don’t avoid carbohydrates and ultra-processed foods.
The meal was tasty and filling. I feel sated.
Photographs
One step at a time isn’t that right? I had a slip and fall in Coles over a decade ago and it was so hard to come to terms with not having the freedom to go anywhere. I hope your recovery is quick 🙂
Hi Lorraine,
I hope you recovered completely from that fall.
I spent a week in bed and then I got really tired of it and went to the hospital where they shot me up with something and I was able to walk out. I still marvel at modern medicine. I had a walking stick for a few days but after that I was ok.
Wow, it’s great you recovered to walk out.
I’m wondering if I’ll need a walking cane.
This looks great! My mom used to make meatloaf with chili sauce on top. She never added cheese, but I think I would really like that addition.
Before I started the low carbohydrate, healthy fat eating I regularly added chili sauce. 🤤
That’s a pretty good ‘one-pot’ meal. It’ll be a while, before you are able to take a brisk walk…but I think you are doing far better, now, than you might have expected to be doing 3 weeks ago. New challenges can be overwhelming and trying.
Hi Alice,
Thanks. Yes, I am feeling positive about my progress. It is trying and also tiring.
Gary – you are doing well but will need patience . . . I was not aware you would only get 30 degrees movement back – you will need patience and wisdom. As you say other body parts do not appreciate the lack of mobility. I know. Your meat ‘loaf’ is fine as it will do for a few days – as you would know I do not like the pork rinds and wonder whether you could access unprocessed cheeses ? I often eat beef raw and tho’ I usually mince my own, have used Coles best beef mince if organic is not available. . . . Oh,there are some wonderfully informative and fun food shows on TV at the moment, esp if you are on Foxtel . . . no time to look at anything else . . . be well . . .
Hi Eha,
Thanks. Tonight’s meal will go far.
Sunday morning – have been talking to a number of Canberra friends – all excited about the Floriade. Do so hope that friends + a wheelchair will enable you to take part in some of the many happinesses! For me – next year I am afraid!!!
Hi Eha,
I’ve always enjoyed walking around Floriade. During the COVID-19 peak years, the ACT Government was good enough to spread Floriade across the suburbs which meant we got bulb beds across Canberra for everyone to enjoy.
That looks tasty, Gaz! Hope the mobility keeps improving. Kim’s Convenience sounds great. Will look out for it.
Hi Emma,
Thanks. I hope you like Kim’s Convenience. 😃