Friday Favorite: Supermarket Mirepoix

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My hands get super swollen when I chop vegetables. It gets so bad that, for a while, I was actually starting to think that I'd need to give up making some of my favorite recipes (turkey chili, Bolognese sauce, soups, and spiced lamb to name a few). 

My hand after chopping too many vegetables. You can see the swelling beneath my thumb.

 
Instead, I decided to look for some shortcuts and started buying mirepoix--chopped carrots, celery, and onions--at the grocery store (Trader Joe's always has it, and Stop and Shop usually does). Instead of irritating my already irritated joints, I just open a container, and I'm ready to go.

It probably costs a bit more than buying the vegetables whole (though in my case--with only two people in my household and a constant race against time when it comes to using up fresh veggies--maybe not), but it's worth it to keep my independence. 

Plus, this type of trick has even Chef Jacques Pepin's seal of approval: "Nowadays the supermarket is your sous-chef. You find sliced mushrooms and washed lettuces, fresh herbs. Everyone can be a home chef." If it's good enough for him, it's certainly good enough for me!

Julia Child and Jacques Pepin

What shortcuts do you take to make cooking easier, faster, and less painful? 

          
 

How to Repair Damaged Rain Boots (and Recovering from Nemo)

I got a pair of Kate Spade rain boots at T.J. Maxx two years ago for less than $30 and have worn them frequently, through rain and snow (with a pair of Wellie socks tucked inside for insulation), ever since. They've were great protection against the elements until I pulled them on a few days ago and discovered some damage.

First there was a crack along the ankle, which wasn't a huge problem. The bigger issue was that the boot upper had split from the sole. I wasn't super excited about dropping a bunch of cash on new boots, especially because these are super cute and have served me well.

So, what to do?  I turned, as I always do when I need to learn something, to YouTube where I found a video of a guy repairing his Wellington boots with something called StormSure. 

It seemed like it worked pretty well, so I ordered some from Amazon and got to work. It was a little messy (I wish I'd read a little more to find out that you can smooth the goo out if you dampen the finger of a rubber glove and use it to mush it around a bit), but the crack is filled and sealed (and totally flexible) and the boot and sole are attached once again. There's a bit of a scar where the split was, but someone would have to be inappropriately close to my shins to really see it.

I haven't worn them outside yet, but the mess left from those 34" of snow we were hit with here in New Haven should be a pretty good test. I'll keep you posted . . . 

Speaking of which, here's a picture of how things have been looking around here lately: 

Apparently, my winter style hasn't changed much since last year's post about the Seven Style Must-Haves for Winter!

 

Tortilla Soup Recipe

It's a dreary day here and there's a storm on the way, so soup seemed like the perfect choice for lunch. 

This tortilla soup is full of healthy ingredients and tastes absolutely amazing. Mr. Sjogren's Style declared it "the best soup I've ever had . . . well, the best soup that's not French onion."

It's based on a recipe from SimplyRecipes.com, but as always, I made a few adjustments. 

Ingredients:  

1 Tbs. olive oil 

1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½  tsp. ancho chile powder

Pinch ground cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. cumin seeds

1 rib celery, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

4 cups (32 oz.) chicken broth

1 cup water

½ tsp. coarse salt (or to taste—I used a little less)

1 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken (leftover rotisserie w/ the skin removed is great)

1 green pepper, chopped

1 ripe avocado, chopped

Chopped fresh cilantro

1 handful tortilla chips

1 lime, cut into wedges (optional) 

Preparation:  

Heat olive oil over medium in a heavy bottomed pot. Add chopped onion. Cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally. Stir in ancho powder, cayenne, and cumin. Cook for another minute or two, until you can start to smell the cumin toasting. Add garlic and celery and cook for an additional two or three minutes.

Add diced tomatoes. Cook for two or three minutes more.

Add chicken broth and cup of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Add chopped green pepper. Let simmer 15-20 minutes so the flavors combine.

Ladle into bowls. Top with crushed tortilla chips (2-3 chips per bowl) and then add about a tablespoon of chopped cilantro and some chopped avocado. Serve with lime wedges. 

Time was not on my side

I spent Friday and Saturday at an amazing training session with a group of my colleagues. It was some of the best professional development I've ever done, but it showed me the danger in putting my schedule in another person's hands.

Friday started when I woke up at 6:30 a.m. After getting ready and then an hour drive, I arrived at the hotel and was handed an agenda. A day's worth of activities (many of them somewhat physical) going from 9:00 a.m.--6:00 p.m. with an hour off for lunch and two fifteen minute breaks. Then, an hour off for dinner and two more hours of activities that ended up actually going until almost 10:30. Clearly, this was an event planned by a very healthy person.

By the time we broke for dinner, I was a mess. A friend of mine who also has health issues was in the same state, so we excused ourselves to head to our rooms for a nap during the first half hour of dinner. 

Most of my colleagues know about my disease, but they'd never actually seen its impact on my life. The perception, I realized, was that I needed to use eye drops a lot and take a bunch of meds, but was basically OK. I know they didn't mean anything by it, but I was taken aback when the response to our need for a nap was, "You (pointing at my friend) should definitely take a break! We'll save you a seat." She's had surgery recently so they understood her situation, but I think they didn't know what to make of mine.

I was really grateful when my friend--who knows more about my lupus/SJS overlap than the others--clarified, "We both need to rest. It's important. Save us both seats." I think people were confused, but I was too worn out to explain at that point. 

The next day started at 9 again and went through 3:30. That would normally be a manageable time frame, but I was still beat from the night before. Again, my colleagues were confused. I'm a super cheerful, helpful person, so their view of me until this weekend was that I'm high energy and always on the go. 

I was a little embarrassed by the whole thing, but I think ultimately it was probably good for everyone to see an "invisible illness" sneak out to become visible for a little while. They understand me more and maybe also other people in their lives who are dealing with similar struggles. 

The Chronic Illness Runaround

I had another one of those "this disease is a part-time job" moments today. 

Now, I have to confess that it was sort of my fault. See, my health insurance requires me to use a mail order prescription service. I really hate the way the process makes me feel out of control (I like to bring the prescription to the pharmacy myself, talk to the pharmacist myself, check to make sure the medication's right myself . . . you can already see a pattern here). But this is the system I have to use, so I try not to worry too much about it, and usually things work out fine. 

But with my life being so busy lately, it's not entirely surprising that something slipped off my radar. When I filled my pill box for this week, I realized that I was just about out of my thyroid meds. I checked my online account, and sure enough, the prescription had run out and needed to be resubmitted.

I called my doctor, and left a message explaining that I needed him to resubmit the script to the mail order company and to call in a 30 day supply to my local pharmacy to tide me over until the mail order came in.

I adore my GP, but his staff often leaves something to be desired so I wasn't sure how well they'd handle a request with two separate steps. I was pleasantly surprised when someone actually called me back. The woman explained that my doctor had called in the prescription but wanted me to get my TSH checked and to come in for a visit. No problem!

Until I went to pick up the prescription today and the pharmacist said that my doctor hadn't called. 

OK. Back on the phone to my doctor's office. Of course, I got a different person from the one I'd spoken to yesterday and had to go through the whole story again from the beginning. She was cool, though, and said she'd call the 30-day supply in right away. 

Like so many things, this really wasn't a big deal. Everyone at every step of the way was nice to me. My pharmacist looks like Dr. Chase from House, so seeing him twice in one day is kind of a treat. In the end, I'll have the medication I need (fingers crossed!). But it's these little things--keeping up with prescriptions, following up with refills, chasing down my doctors, making multiple trips to the pharmacy or where ever, going to doctor's appointment after doctor's appointment--that can be really frustrating, especially on top of the many ways that my illnesses already impact my daily life. 

Staying organized helps (thank goodness for the calendar app on my phone), as does herbal tea (or sometimes a glass of wine). Beyond that, it's just a matter of keeping my head down and getting things done and of staying focused on the big picture--as annoying as these things are, I'm do know that I'm fortunate to live in a world with medications, good doctors, and the resources to advocate for myself. But you'll have to forgive me if every once in a while, I give in to my frustration and let out a crabby little growl.

Put a bird on it!

I have this great navy jacket:

I'm not sure exactly how old it is, but the shop on the label (which has an interesting history) hasn't been at 115 Asylum St. since 1989, putting it well over the 20 years old that clothing needs to be before it's considered vintage.

I wear it all the time, which is extra awesome since it only cost me about $6 at a thrift store.

Work, football game, dinner out, and work again
It's a little dark, but you can click the picture to enlarge.

So I was disappointed when I pulled it out of my closet and found two tiny holes on one of the shoulders. 

What to do, what to do?

I went to the craft store to look for a solution . . .  maybe an iron on? But there wasn't really anything that fit with the blazer's classic lines. As I walked through the aisles, inspiration struck.

I should put a bird on it:

I'm no hipster, but this was the perfect solution.

Cute, right?

My Part-Time Job (a.k.a. Autoimmune Disease)

Having a chronic illness is a lot like having a job. For some people, it's a full time obligation. I'm lucky; mine is just part-time. 

And, of course, the head honcho at Chronic Illness Inc. is the craziest, most mercurial, unpredictable nut job. Sometimes, everything is cool. But sometimes, out of nowhere, antibodies are called into action to do things that don't make a lick of sense ("Boss, why exactly are you attacking my salivary glands today?").   

I don't think healthy people understand how much time it all takes up. Running between doctors' appointments, picking up prescriptions, following up when--invariably--something goes wrong with filling the prescriptions, watching our schedules so we don't make ourselves sick. . .  and all the endless waiting: in waiting rooms, on hold, in line.

The disease means we can't do as much as other people, but it also means we have more things we need to do. I guess that's irony?

Now that I've added school to the mix, I've realized how important it is for me to rely on other people, which is really hard for me. I like to be the person other people turn to, but I've noticed that a lot of people are actually glad to have a chance to return the favor. Considering how much I enjoy helping, it shouldn't be a shock . . . but it is. It's a wonderfully amazing surprise.

Even so, I really wish I had a personal assistant just to help deal with my second-shift job of managing my illnesses.

What about you? What part of having a chronic illness is the most work for you? How do you cope?