Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Impromptu Feast

So... the past week or so I've had a really bad migraine that I just couldn't shake. The thing about migraines - at least for me - is that it's not just a matter of pain, there's a whole syndrome that goes with it, which includes a low level brain fog.


Anyhoo... I ran out of my favorite German pumpernickel bread, and rather than risk my life and that of others by trying to get behind the wheel of a car (closest store that carries it is out of easy biking or walking distance - plus... burrrr!) Well, I was pretty sure there was a "reserve loaf" buried somewhere in the depths of the chest freezer, so I decided to go freezer diving.

It seemed like a good idea at the time... really it did. I found the pumpernickel, and while I was at it I did a little quickie inventory and reorganization. My organizational system for the freezer involves grouping like items into grocery bags... one bag for cheese & dairy, one for meats & meatless patties, one for flours, meals & breads, and one for frozen fruits & veggies.

You know, it was amazing how much more room there was after a quick little reorganization. I was honestly quite pleased with my little self as I went back upstairs to defrost and enjoy my pumpernickel.



But then... the next morning when I went downstairs to clean the litter boxes, there was this bag sitting in the middle of the floor next to the freezer. "That's odd..." I thought to myself. Then the feeling of dread set in.

Yup... sure enough, in my migraine induced brain fog, I had somehow left one of the bags out of the freezer!



I held my breath hoping against hope that it would be the bread bag... but no, it was the fruits & veggies. Fortunately, for some unknown reason there was an ice pack in the bag, and since it stays pretty cool down in the basement anyhow, things weren't entirely melted.

But... even though all of the stuff was still good and clearly edible, it was a bit soft and mushy, and putting it back in the freezer would have been a bad idea.



Soooo.... Cue the New Year's Eve Cook-a-thon!



First I made roasted cauliflower



Then green bean casserole



Then since I already had some chicken thighs defrosted in the fridge, I tabled my original plans, and went for a roasted chicken with veggies to use up the rest of the veggies.



That left 2 big bags of frozen fruit... which made a decent (if a bit soggy) fruit salad.



And finally, a pile of frozen garden tomatoes & basil - which became a pesto-ish sauce.



Not a bad save if I do say so myself.


I think I've got enough leftovers so I won't have to cook for a while, plus it was sorta nice to have the oven running for a few hours on such a cold day!

So I guess the moral of the story is: Don't go freezer diving for pumpernickel when you're not fully present!


Anyhow... I hope you all had a safe and happy New Year's Eve!




22 comments :

  1. Oh my goodness! It is good that you were able to salvage the food and had the energy to cook all that up. Here's wishing you a year of no more migraines...

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    1. Thanks so much. A year free from migraines would indeed be a treat! Best wishes to you too!

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  2. Oh wow, that's a lot of food for just one person! On the bright side -- you won't need to cook for several days! More time for playing! And at least it wasn't a bag of meat items.

    Migraines do the same thing to me. I feel like I lose several IQ points for several days at a time. I hope you're feeling much better now.

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    1. I know. I was sooo relieved that it wasn't the meat. That would have been rather gross - not to mention expensive.

      Anyhow, CatMan came over and the two of us polished off the roasted cauliflower in one evening. I'm half way through the roasted chicken & green bean casserole. And I think I'll be making some smoothies to try to finish up all that fruit.

      The pesto-is sauce did go back in the freezer though. No way I could do something with that on top of everything else.

      It's interesting to know that I'm not the only person who gets wacky during a migraine. I'm so relieved it's finally over. Here's hoping you don't have one for a good long time either!

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    2. Oh wait... um... maybe I'm still foggy. Paragraphs 2 & 3 were actually supposed to be in response to Live & Learn below. Hmmm...

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  3. For people who don't get migraines, I don't think they understand that the headache is only part of it. The whole body is involved including before and after the headache.

    That is a lot of food. Is any of it going back into the freezer cooked?

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    1. Ha! Well, I THOUGHT I was all better now, but perhaps I'm still in post migraine fog as I replied to your question about what's going back in the freezer to Lili instead of to you. Oy Vay! Anyhow, migraines really are a bizarre phenomenon. This one had a big muscle ache thing going with it - like all down my right side - jaw muscle, neck & shoulder. There's still a small knot in my neck, but other than that (and replying to the wrong people) I think I'm over it!

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    2. I get the one side muscle tightness, too, along with frequent urination, upset stomach, and sleepiness. And did I tell you the time I had transglobal amnesia that was probably connected to the migraine I was having at the time. I was't just foggy. I had full blown amnesia for 8 hours.

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    3. Holy Moly! I never thought of having to pee all the time as being associated with a migraine, Hmmm.... I'm gonna have to pay closer attention to that one. One of the crazy symptoms I get is insatiable hunger. It's not like I'm craving certain foods, it's more like I just can't get enough food to make my stomach stop grumbling. I guess my feast was well timed! :-)

      Anyhow, the amnesia thing sounds pretty scary. One of my best friends had an episode of something called transient global amnesia once - I'm betting that's the same thing. She doesn't suffer from traditional migraines, though she does occasionally get auras. Anyhow, her husband freaked out thinking she was having a stroke and rushed her to the ER. It all sounds rather scary to me, but she didn't seem phased by it at all. She was more amused than anything else. I got to thinking about it and realized that if something like that happened to me when nobody else was here, I might never know about it!

      Anyhow, here's hoping for fewer migraines all around in 2018!

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    4. I didn't know about the frequent urination, either. We get patients on the neuro unit whose migraines simulate a stroke--I'm sure it must be a relief to them to learn that it was a migraine!

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    5. Kris, that's interesting. Gary Kubiac (former head coach of the Denver Broncos) has had a few of those attacks - they called them complex migraines, but he basically just went weak on one side of his body and collapsed - freaked the hell out of everybody!

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    6. Yes, exactly. You never want to mess around with stroke symptoms--always smart to get yourself in to the ER immediately--but it's fascinating to me what can happen to the brain.

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  4. And you cooked all that with a migraine too! Wow! Hoping you feel better and it's a while before you have to deal with a migraine again. Happy New Year!

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    1. Thankfully I didn't set the house on fire! Thanks so much for your well wishes. Happy New Year to you too!

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  5. I accidentally left out a container of peaches on the floor of the basement that I had pulled from the freezer--my hubby found it--and I didn't even have a migraine! I think you made a marvelous save with your food.

    For me, the worst part of a migraine is the brain fog. Mine aren't terrible like some people's are, thank goodness, but I do feel like they make me into a dumber, grouchier person than my normal self. I have so much sympathy for those of you who suffer with severe migraines!

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    1. It's really disconcerting to me how many people I know (mostly women) who suffer from regular migraines. It just doesn't seem like it should be that way. I know for me they are very closely tied to fluctuating estrogen levels. I can't help but wonder if the synthetic estrogens that are soooo prevalent in our modern environment (in detergents, pesticides, herbicides, plastics, & most anything that's scented) have something to do with it.

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    2. Oh, mine are definitely tied to my monthly cycle--but I think it has more to do with perimenopause, as I never had migraines till I was in my mid-40s. Stress is also definitely a factor, as are nitrates. I didn't realize mine were migraines for a long time--I thought it was a sinus headache, till I came across an article that said sinus headaches are pretty rare. Since I don't get auras or pain that knocks me in bed, migraine wasn't really on my radar.

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    3. I know several people who never had migraines until their 40s or later - mine began in jr. high school... shortly after the arrival of my monthly visitor. I'm really, REALLY hoping that menopause will put an end to them.

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  6. I'm sorry you were dealing with a migraine.

    You did really well saving the stuff from the freezer.

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    1. I was rather impressed with my little self. And I managed to eat it all too! :-)

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  7. Your oven is certainly cleaner than mine is! Tomorrow I have to help my elderly mom de-ice her upright freezer. It looks like an iceberg in there!

    Good luck with the migraines...

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    1. Hahaha! Well, it just so happened that I had cleaned the oven a few days before my little mishap. It doesn't usually look like that!

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