Walking back to Wellness

Almost six months after falling over and breaking my face, today was definitely another milestone.  After completely losing my fitness after the fall, it felt fantastic completing the 12km course for the HBF Run for a Reason 2014 with the rest of 'my' Team - my valiant Dad and sister.

At the finish line

We broke no records but each of us overcame our challenges to walk today and we crossed the finish line in a thoroughly respectable time.  The weather even did us a favour and waited until we were on our way home before unleashing the heavy showers.

My smile might not be fully restored but it was definitely cause to celebrate.

Uncertainty

"It's a time of great change, a time of great uncertainty, and we must make uncertainty our friend."

(John Naisbitt, American author)

  

Not sure if I'd go so far as making uncertainty my friend but it's certainly making itself right at home.

I am no closer to eating my longed-for chocolate croissant as I get shuffled from one dental specialist to another.  More appointments next week while my dental 'team' give opinions and mutter among themselves about how best to treat my 'complicated' case, while I pay for the privilege of course.  Sigh.

 

Sculptures and sunshine

Another milestone this morning - my first breakfast out since the end of last year.  Even so it was a pretty laborious process gingerly chewing my way through teaspoon-sized portions of bircher muesli.  Very nice but perhaps the copious shredded coconut and sultanas were a bit ambitious for a first go.  Anyhow I munched my way through it.  Meanwhile Ross had already hoovered up his cooked breakfast and patiently sipped his way through two coffees.  Oh well.

Then it was time for another Perth institution.  After breakfast we made our annual pilgrimage to Cottesloe Beach for Sculpture by the Sea. 

Cottesloe Beach Sculptures - yes that's a giant wine cask in the background

Autumn put on a show to rival the sculptures with an impossibly blue sky, morning air with a touch of chill and a deliciously warm sun.  The beach was buzzing with swimmers and other visitors like us slowly wending our way past the artworks.

Cottesloe colours

Colours and lines

One of my favourites this year as it looks like pure joie de vivre on a podium:

Cottesloe Sculpture by the Sea 2014

Three Pagodas Walk

It has been such a painfully slow recovery in so many ways.  It has now been eight weeks since the accident, the splint is coming off in a few days (relief!) but it's still going to be many months before teeth can be repaired.  So it's still a bit of a waiting game.  Happily I can eat more although dreams of chocolate croissants and granola may just have to remain as dreams for a while yet!

I've really missed my weekend walks and it has been so long since my 'normal' Sunday stroll that my fitness levels have whittled away to zero.  So begins the long hard walk to build up stamina again.  Ross is ever the trooper and has been accompanying me on walks after work and on the weekends - ever so slowly increasing in length.

This morning at 6am we were out in the Park enjoying the first rays of the Sunday sun and a new record.  Maybe not far in terms of distance but it felt like a bit of a milestone.

First Pagoda - peeking out from under the boughs of the Australian Cedar

The walk to Second Pagoda has become our 'usual' weekday walk as I tend to run out of energy by the time we get here.

Second Pagoda

Hooray, made it to Third Pagoda today, down to the bottom of the hill and more importantly, back up it again.   It's a very special place and more than a little mystical in the early morning stillness.  

Third Pagoda - Women's Memorial Garden

And magic is definitely something I could do with at the moment.

Mash for grown-ups - episode 4

Cheat’s risotto

(Makes 1 serve)

Leftover steamed rice (cooled)

Handful of fresh basil leaves

2 tbsps baby peas (cooked)

1-2 slices of luncheon meat

¼ cup fresh pasta sauce (I used Latina sundried tomato)

1.   Combine rice, luncheon meat and basil in a food processor until rice looks like it is ‘short grain’ and the basil and meat have been completely diced.

2.     Stir in peas and add pasta sauce.  Mix well.

3.     Microwave on high (900W) for 1-2 minutes.

The piping hot rice is moist and soft.  Serve with some grated cheddar and it has a similar texture to risotto but in only a fraction of the time.  A great way to use up leftover rice!

Mash for grown-ups - episode 3

Teriyaki salmon mash

(Makes 4 serves)

2 x salmon fillets (skin removed)

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup mirin

½ tbsp brown sugar

Squirt of lemon juice

Small piece of fresh ginger (grated)

For mash:

1 x sweet potato

3 x medium sized potatoes

Salt, pepper, butter and/or milk to taste

1.     Combine soy, mirin, sugar, lemon juice and grated ginger in a bowl.  Stir to combine and marinate the salmon fillets in the mixture inside the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

2.   Grill the salmon (approx. 6 minutes each side on medium heat or until cooked through).  When turning the fish, spoon over some more of the marinade.  It should caramelise beautifully under the grill.

3.   Boil potatoes until soft and then mash until smooth with salt, pepper, butter and/or milk to taste. 

4.   Now the fun bit!  Blend half a salmon fillet with two generous spoonfuls of the sweet potato mash and serve.

Serving suggestion: I sometimes like to blend in up to half an avocado (or a few tablespoons of cooked peas) and 1 tsp of sour cream. 

Potato and broccoli mash

(Makes 2 serves)

2 x medium sized potatoes

1 x small head of broccoli

Salt and pepper to taste

(To serve: 2-3 tbsp chicken pate and some grated parmesan cheese)

1.   Boil potatoes until soft.  In the same or a different saucepan, boil/steam the broccoli until soft.

2.     Season and mash together the potatoes and broccoli.

3.   To serve, mix the potato and broccoli mash with chicken pate (this should melt from the heat of the mash) and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Mash for grown-ups - episode 2

Slow cooked chicken goulash

(Makes 4 serves)

See brilliant recipe from Slow Cookers - more than 100 easy recipes 

To turn it into mash, simply blend a serve of the chicken (and plenty of the sauce) with some steamed rice.

Great idea for leftover sauce (for lunch the following day)...

Boil up some risoni until it is very soft, drain and mix in some reheated sauce (which may still have fine shreds of chicken through it).  Top with some grated parmesan and sprinkle some marjoram on top and voila!

Risoni with goulash sauce and grated parmesan

Mash for grown-ups - episode 1

Okay so the dietary highlights of my last four weeks post-dental trauma have been as follows:

• Week 1 - graduating from liquids to rice pudding (trust me it was a huge milestone at the time)
• Week 2 - rediscovering bircher muesli (albeit finely processed)
• Week 3 - mmmmm, teriyaki grilled salmon blended into sweet potato mash
• Week 4 - pasta at last (albeit tiny risoni) and a first welcome taste of slow cooked chicken...

The simple pleasures.  Still another four weeks of soft food to go before the splint comes off my teeth and I can (hopefully?) chew again.  Something I've learnt over the last month - baby food is okay but not terribly satisfying.  There are loads of puree recipes out there for kids but not a lot of flavoursome stuff for grown-ups.  So here are some of my own.

Dawn’s ‘wholemeal’ bircher muesli

(Makes 3-4 serves)

2 handfuls of porridge oats

3 tbsps All Bran cereal

3 tsps LSA mix

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

1 orange (zest and juice)

1 apple or pear

Approx 350ml soy milk

1.     Place the oats and All Bran in a food processor and pulse until very fine.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and LSA mix.

2.    Place the orange zest and apple (or pear) into the food processor and finely chop.  Transfer to the bowl and combine with the oat mix.

3.     Juice the orange and make up to 400ml with soy milk.  Pour over the oats and stir until everything is combined.

4.     Refrigerate overnight.

'Wholemeal' bircher muesli

Serving suggestion:  I use my blender to mash up a small banana, a spoonful of fresh blueberries, half a peach (or whatever seasonal fruit is handy) and a tablespoon of plain greek yoghurt.  The resulting fruit smoothie spooned over the bircher with a drizzle of pure honey adds some colour and extra flavour.  Wonderful!

The final product

Simple snack

(Single serve)

½ avocado

3 tbsps of hummus

Simply mash the avocado, mix in the hummus and enjoy!