Healing Bar



Wow...I didn't expect for that to hurt so bad. 

A few more things I didn't foresee about surgery:

1.  I was told I couldn't wear my beautiful Annie and Isabel gown because it wasn't "hospital sterile".  The gown I got to wear?  A nice little blue sandpaper number short on the coverage.  Jealous? 

2.  The gracious outpatient nurses at Mercy's surgery center.   The flattery didn't stop: greeted with "wow! I love your purse" and "you are so gorgeous".  Once situated, one nurse remarked: "do you workout daily?  you look amazing!" Checking vitals:  one nurse calling out to another, "be sure to check supermodels' blood pressure".  Prior to rolling into the OR "is that the new ipad (its not), you are so lucky!". Even the Husband wasn’t immune – he was happy to have an older male nurse join in the fun: "hey, you look familiar…I can’t place you…I know…you look like that handsome young actor on NCIS “. Can you say major ego boosts!   No doubt part of their valiant effort to butter up patients before slicing them open. Fine by me, helped settle the nerves and made me feel dreamy. 

3.  My abdominal looking like a tick tac toe board.  For whatever reason, I envisioned a tiny incision in my B button.  In actuality, I have four.  LUCKY ME!.  Nothing like more scars on my torso to make me feel like a "supermodel".  At least the kids enjoyed seeing Mama’s BooBoos or as X calls them, Boobies. 

4.  I was paralyzed by pain.  I thought I was a tough cookie but maybe this cookie ain't so tough.  Man it hurt.   I felt like my stomach was in a knife fight and the switchblade won.  I think I was more looking forward to being a sloth, that I forgot I was actually going to be cut open, filled with carbon dioxide, poked, sliced, and prodded.  No wonder I was in pain.  Every time, I attempted to cough, blow my nose, get up, or laugh stabbing pain would stop me in my tracks.  The good news is that it only lasted about 24 hours.  I am starting to see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Either that or my pain killers are superb!

In other news, I finished both the books.  I can't recommend them highly enough (note - they couldn't be more different).  Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, was crazy good.  I was spellbound from the minute I picked up my ipad.  For a WWII book to have me spellbound is really saying something.  Get it!!!  If you don't love it I will give you your money back (of course after you finish it in its entirety and write a 1500 word essay on why you didn't think it was phenomenal).  I think they might even make a movie out of it with Bradley Cooper.  Always a plus. 

Bossypants, by Tina Fey, was equally phenomenal, if not the polar opposite. I found it to be deeply hilarious.   Thank gawd I read it after I was mostly healed as I found myself constantly laughing out loud.  FYI, I'm not into acronyms.

After all of this reading and thumbing through countless mags, I felt I needed to be a bit more productive.  After surfing the web and buying more natural products (for the purpose of the blog of course) I found my mind wandering to bars.  It’s always five o’clock somewhere, right? But I’m talking about the bars you can eat.

The outcome, my new "Healing Yummy Bar".

These bars are seriously delish and are so simple and fast to make.  It should take you, at the most, 15 minutes to make the bars and then 30 minutes in the fridge to set.   

Plus, they are super healthy.  You (and the kids) can eat them without feeling any guilt.  This is going to be a staple in my house.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 cup of Kashi whole grain puffed cereal
• 1/3 cup craisins
• 1/3 cup chopped apricots
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup maple almond butter plus 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

You can really use any nuts and dried fruit as well as just peanut butter if you don't have almond butter.  Keep it simple!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray. 

Spread oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, chia and sesame seeds on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.  

Add cereal, craisins, apricots, and raisins; toss to combine.

Combine almond butter and peanut butter, agave syrup, sugar, vanilla in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium low, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles, 2-5 minutes.

Immediately pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until no dry spots remain. 

Make sure you have the spatula right side up ;)

Transfer to prepared pan, pressing firmly down.  Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes.

  *adapted from Eating Well Almond-Power Bars

Thank you for all of the sweet Facebook messages, texts, and calls during and after surgery.  Much love to you all.  

Beautiful flowers from my friend Kim F. who makes amazing one of a kind stationery and cards,  Ruby Dot Designs, made by my other friend Kim K., owner of Bloomers Floral Design.  Gorgeous right?

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Beginning To Feel Like a Pro...Unfortunately

I have been dreading tomorrow for about a year now.  Actually one year exactly.  Why might you ask?  Is it because it's Friday the 13th?  No (although that doesn't help)...it is because I have yet another surgery on schedule.  Let me reiterate, I have never broken a bone, never had to take a frantic trip to the ER, never been too sick until I turned 30, and all my good luck faded and my health had to pull out the big guns to kick some cancer ass.  

I digress.

Tomorrow, Friday the 13th, I am having surgery on a hernia.  I think hernias are disgusting and I have no idea how I got it and why my body is betraying me.  My only guess is that I got it from all of the drugs I had to have to induce Cling On (Baby M) at 36 weeks.  They made my contractions crazy hurtful and I may have developed it then.  If that is how I got it, I am not the least bit surprised.  What I am surprised about is that my insides didn't implode during labor.  Makes you want to have a baby right?     

I am dreading the surgery for a few reasons. 

First, it's surgery.  Duh. 

Second, it is laparoscopic and my tummy is going to be sore for a bit. 

Third, I just got sick and going under for surgery not being 100% (did I mention it's on Friday the 13th?) doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

Fourth, I have been getting pretty good at the gym thing and I am starting to see some decent muscle development which will sadly fade as I recover. 

Last but not least, the biggie, I can't lift for 6 weeks.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  I.  Cannot.  Lift.  For.  SIX.  Weeks.  I am wondering who is going to tell my dear Cling On 1 year old? 

Since I am the Riedel is half full kinda girl, here is what I am looking forward to. 

One, wearing one of my beautiful Annie and Isabel hospital gowns.  These gowns make surgery more "fun", well at least they help you recover looking fierce and comfortable. 

Two, finishing an amazing book, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by, Laura Hillenbrand.  Why I decided to pick up a book on WWII and survivorship, I have not the slightest clue.  But, I am hooked.  It is so interesting and reading about what these men (and I am sure women, but this book focuses mostly about one particular man) went through is just plain...fascinating.  I literally haven't been able to put it down.  After that, time permitting, I've got Tina Feys' Bossypants, which I envision to be a thought provoking, deep, philosophical, and hilarious read. 

Three, catching up on my magazines.  Some of my favorites include Natural Health, Eating Well, Health, Women's Health, People, and you know it...US Weekly.   I just loaded the ipad up with some of those magazines and my new books so it makes my hospital bag light. 

Four, I get Banderas'.  It's kindofa tradition.  After surgery, we usually get it to go and it is equally delicious at home in our family room, with a fire, in sweats. 

Four, probably my favorite, catching up on some rest and down time.  Hey, I have an excuse to lay around and do nothing for a few days.  I might as well soak up my staycation.  Right? 

This past week, I have been nesting.  Do people even do that before surgery?  I have been cleaning and organizing the house, one room at a time.  I even cleaned out the black hole of a car.  You wouldn't even want to know what I found in there.  After, I took the kids to get it washed, then Costco, then Safeway, then Bel Air (who knew asparagus was out of season and nowhere to be found).  I am slightly bragging because people with multiple kids know how hard it is to even run one errand.  I felt like wonder woman....and now this wonder woman is sick. 

If you feel inclined to do so, please send some positive vibes to me around 9:30 or anytime after on Friday.  You can send them to Cling On's way because I don't think he is going to take it very well.  Poor little fellow.