Life in the Low-Sodium Lane

Four weeks ago, I began my new journey with cardiomyopathy (a weak heart) and congestive heart failure (CHF). This journey brought with it the need for a low-sodium diet. This was reasonably easy to accomplish in the hospital, as the catering group knew that I was on a special diet. Of course, that didn’t stop them from occasionally bringing me something not on my diet. Sometimes I sent it back, sometimes I didn’t. The three weeks spent eating hospital food prepared me for my return home. Basically, I came home with the knowledge that I could make food that tasted so much better than what I was served during my hospital stay. Tastier, and more interesting.

Along with the aforementioned burger, crustless quiche, and breakfast burrito, I also made a Southwest chicken lasagna from a recipe I’d printed out in 1998. The recipe came from a “healthy living” website, but only the fat and calorie content could be considered low. I didn’t calculate the sodium content, but I knew it couldn’t be good. I did my best to lower this by using all low-sodium products and adding more veggies than called for. I’m sure it still exceeded my limit of 600mg of sodium per meal. LA loved the lasagna and gave me the greatest compliment on it: This doesn’t taste healthy. Since we both enjoyed it so well, I plan on making it again, but there will be additional adjustments to make it healthier and lower in sodium. Once I have created a great version, I will be posting a recipe. Until then, you’ll just have to wait.

The home health care group sent out a cardiac nurse to check on me today. She asked if anyone had told me about the diet I was to follow. Only 6 different people, providing me with pages and pages of dietary information. All of which I read, partially out of boredom. So, to answer her question, yes, I am aware of the diet. I ordered two low-salt cookbooks, which arrived yesterday. LA and I both read the labels on everything at the grocery store (if you want to extend your grocery-shopping experience, take the time to read the labels of every item you buy. You’ll be there for hours!). I keep a food log in which I write down everything I eat and drink. Sadly, or maybe not, I actually kept a food log even before I went into the hospital. The nurse looked over my food log and challenged me on a couple of items. “Can you explain how chips and salsa are low sodium?” Yes, I can. The chips only had 30mg of sodium per serving. I may have gone over a serving, but that is beside the point. She did recommend that I start listing the amount of sodium that I am consuming with each item, to ensure that I am staying under 2000mg per day. After doing that for only half a day, I am convinced I’ve been going waaaay over my limit. A serving of Triscuits (135mg) is only 6 crackers. I did know that one, so I’d been pretty good about it. Some of the others were a little more challenging. The garlic melba crackers I love only have 130mg in them, but a serving is 4 crackers. Who only eats 4 crackers? 6 crackers is borderline ridiculous!

With the two new low-sodium cookbooks I got, I now have recipes for everything from low-sodium soy sauce to condensed cream of mushroom soup to fried chicken. I’m looking forward to trying those books to see how things turn out. Both were highly reviewed on Amazon, but I’ll save my reviews until I’ve cooked from both. Tonight’s dinner, sadly, won’t be coming from the new books, but is a recipe from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. The dish is essentially only lentils, black pepper, and brown rice. She also calls for an onion carmelized in an unholy amount of oil, but I am omitting that for the sake of my already weakened heart. LA enjoys the dish with a bit of feta cheese in the onion’s place.

Low-sodium cooking is harder than it may seem, but also easier than I expected. The hardest part is getting used to the taste of normal foods without salt. If you don’t know what I mean, go to McDonald’s and order unsalted fries. LA said it best with, “They taste like potatoes!” The salt does allow the natural flavor of food to come through, and I’m sure the natural flavor is something few of us have tasted in quite some time. As I continue cooking and experimenting, I will be posting more recipes, including the Southwest chicken lasagna. Even salt-eaters are going to like these!

Happy New Year and All That

Happy 2011!!  I am happy to report that I was able to ring in the New Year in the comfort of my own home, having been discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.  Now that I am no longer being served low-salt, low-taste food on a regular schedule, I am forced to cook my own.  I can't go out to eat--there's too much salt in everything.  I can't buy prepared foods--there's too much salt in everything.  That leaves me to fend for myself.

Having watched (and smelled) LA eat some sad-looking burgers from the hospital cafeteria, I was craving a burger.  I'm sure I could make a healthy version.  And I did.  96% lean ground beef seasoned with black pepper and garlic powder, low-sodium sliced Colby-Jack cheese (thank you, Sargento), lettuce, tomato, and a whole-wheat roll.  The burger was a bit overcooked and dry, and the roll was overtoasted.  Even so, we both agreed it was the best burger ever.  I guess context is everything.  Had we not been burned out on hospital food, we may not have been so enamored of the burger.  As it was our first post-hospital meal, we were thrilled by it.  The meal was rounded out with a baked potato.  I thought about making potato wedges, but just didn't have the energy.  Baked potatoes would have to do.  Fat-free sour cream, low-sodium shredded Cheddar (thank you again, Sargento!), and imitation bacon bits topped the spuds.  Who knew low-sodium could taste so good??  On a side note, imitation bacon bits have lower sodium than real bacon bits, so I am allowed to have them.  On another side note, Morningstar bacon (which we call "facon") tastes just like imitation bacon bits.  Don't waste your money.

The next evening, we were having company and I was feeling a bit lazy.  I cooked up some frozen "Southern-style" hashbrowns, chopped broccoli, and green peas.  This I dumped into a small casserole dish and seasoned with black pepper, my stand-by garlic powder, and some chipotle powder.  I mixed Eggbeaters with milk to create the custard, then poured it over the veggies, then topped it all with more of my low-sodium shredded cheddar.  I baked it for 50 minutes at 375 degrees, and it came out puffed up and golden.  I'll admit it was a tad spicy, but LA and I were thrilled with the outcome.  He even went back for seconds!  The leftovers were combined with more Eggbeaters and hashbrowns, then wrapped in a tortilla, and we had breakfast burritos the following morning. 

I won't lie and say that this whole low-sodium thing is easy, but it's turning out not to be as difficult as I thought.  I can't buy a lot of my old standards at the supermarket, and I'm having to cook a lot more than I was before, since we can't just pop out and grab something.  But it's totally worth it, to keep me alive and keep LA healthy.  More to come on the low-sodium lifestyle!

Merry Christmas!

LA and I weren't exactly anticipating spending Christmas in the hospital, but that's exactly where we were.  We decided to make the best of it and share Christmas dinner.  By coincidence, today's lunch menu included roast turkey with gravy.  Happy Day!

We have two women who work for Nutrition and bring our meals each day, Wanda and Tanisha.  They are two of the nicest women, and I look forward to their arrival each day.  And not just because they bring the food.  Wanda was lucky enough to have the day off today, so Tanisha was bringing our meals.  As she was picking up the breakfast trays, I asked if we could possibly have a tray of turkey if she had any spares at lunch.  She said that she definitely would, so LA and I would both be able to have turkey dinner.

I am on the low-sodium, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, and the meal LA received had no restrictions.  My Christmas dinner consisted of three slices of roast turkey breast with gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  LA had the same turkey and green beans, but he had cornbread stuffing instead of the potatoes.  He was also kind enough to give me a little of the stuffing.  While it was salted, I only had a few bites and it really completed the meal.  Last year, LA and I had gone to Emma's in Concord for Thanksgiving.  We both agreed that today's meal was equally as good as that we had at Emma's.  And it was hospital food!  I am getting used to the blandness of my food, but I did put some "butter" on the potatoes for a little extra oomph.  Close inspection also revealed that the gravy is simply broth mixed with cornstarch.  It was still gravy-like enough to make a decent meal.  LA's cornbread stuffing was actually very good.  I wished they had accidentally given it to me!  Cranberry sauce was included on the side, but neither of us tried it.  I did look at it, and it didn't look canned. 

For dessert, we had red jello with mandarin oranges and whipped cream.  I ate a couple of the oranges, but the jello wasn't made right and was quite stiff.  LA doesn't eat jello at all.  Being Christmas, we also got a special treat.  I had pumpkin mousse with whipped cream, and LA had a mini pumpkin pie.  Apparently the pie crust wasn't low-fat, so I didn't get it.  The mousse was very good, but I was getting full by that point and was unable to finish it. 

While we had hardly anticipated spending Christmas in the hospital, we were at least able to spend it together.  The food was respectable, and we were surrounded by friendly and caring people.  This definitely qualifies as a good Christmas, and we even get a funny story out of it.

Where's Lula?

I know it's been ages since I last posted.  As I said before, sometimes life just gets in the way.  In my case, it happened in a big way.  Spending the month of November with an unspecified illness, I, and my intrepid sidekick, was unable to visit any restaurants, markets, or points of interest.  Early in December, I visited the doctor and learned that my unspecified illness was actually congestive heart failure, and I've been in the hospital ever since.  I suppose I could write reviews on the food that I've been eating for the past two weeks, but that may be a little boring and redundant: Today's meal was ok, but a little bland. 

Once I am released from the hospital, I will be on my own to follow my new low-fat, low-salt, low-iron diet.  I will be taking you on those adventures, including things I make and how restaurants respond to my dietary restrictions.  It will be a much different direction for me, but I'm sure it will still be interesting.

Lemon Lameness

I apologize for the long hiatus.  Sometimes life just gets in the way.  With the new puppies and finding out that my house (that I'm renting) is being foreclosed, I've had a few other things on my plate.  With the impending foreclosure and sale of my house, I know that a move will soon be in the works.  I hate moving.  I really don't think anyone out there doesn't hate moving.  When I think about moving, I start thinking about all the stuff I have that I'll have to pack.  At that point, I have to stop thinking about it before it makes me dizzy. 

I have a 3-bedroom house, and it's really just storage for all of the things I've collected over the years.  We all do it.  I'm tired of having to get a bigger house each time I move, just to accommodate all of my stuff.  And I'm not alone.  LA has moved 4 times in the last two years, and two of those were moving in with me.  He also had a house full of stuff, but lost much of it when the house he was renting was foreclosed.  Sounds like an epidemic!  Each time he moved in with me, he brought enough with him to fill my shed.  He didn't even bother furnishing his last place, so the same stuff has been in my shed twice.

But enough is enough!  Neither one of us were eagerly anticipating having to rent a semi just to move everything into a new place.  And neither of us wanted 3 bedrooms to have to furnish.  What's a person to do?  That's right--start getting rid of everything.  I'm not kidding when I say we're getting rid of everything.  We had one yard sale, but didn't get rid of too much.  We'll just keep having them until we get rid of it all.

With that being said, I am getting rid of a lot of cookbooks and kitchen items.  I've got an ice cream maker that I've only used a few times.  Small tools and gadgets that people have given me and that I will never use.  I've even got the dining table priced to sell.  If anyone is interested in one of our yard sales, leave a comment with your email address and I'll email you our home address.  If you have any interest in food, I'm sure there will be something at the sale to interest you.  We even have food-related art, painted by LA.  There's something for everyone!

Orson's Opinions

Note: Due to my hectic schedule filled with puppy-wrangling and trips to Walmart, today’s post will be written by a guest writer.

My name is Orson Bouvier, and I, along with my sister, Cupcake Bouvier Ramirez Jones, live with Lula Lemon and LA. Lula has asked me to provide some insight and observations on food items that I’ve had since moving in with her and LA. I’m not as eloquent as Lula, so please forgive my writing.

When we met Lula and LA, they presented us with cheddar cheese. Heaven! Neither I nor Cupcake had ever had cheese before. We would do whatever Lula and LA asked just to get more cheese, including sleeping in two cramped, over-the-top pink crates. Since then, we’ve also had American cheese. Lula uses it sometimes to get me to go for a walk or sit down and shake hands. It works.

Bananas were the next treat given. Not as good as cheese, but we still like it. Now that we’ve grown a bit, we get Alpo dog treats when we learn tricks. They’re hard, but tasty. When I’ve walked really well on my leash, I get Ol’ Roy’s Tiny T’s treats, which are like smoky little T-bones. I eat mine really fast and then steal Cupcake’s, because she always drops hers.



The author

 Before we moved in, Lula baked treats for us. The bone-shaped chicken ones are really good. The people-shaped peanut butter ones are too, but they give me diarrhea. Lula wasn’t too happy with that.

Some of my favorite things to eat don’t come from Lula’s kitchen. I discovered grass and leaves since moving to Lula’s house. They’re so good, but they don’t really agree with my tummy. They agree with Cupcake’s even less. LA wasn’t very happy with Cupcake the night she ate all the grass and leaves. Or maybe it was the berries that were on the ground next to the “croutons”. LA calls them croutons, but Lula calls them rabbit droppings. Either way, they’re crunchy and I like that. Dead bugs are good too, but I don’t find those too often. Kleenex, wax paper, and cigarette filters are pretty high on my list, but Lula always takes those out of my mouth before I can really enjoy them. One of the best treats was when LA dropped a Bit O’ Honey on the floor. I ate the candy, wrapper and all. Cupcake tried to take it away from me, but I won. Until Lula took it away from me and yelled at LA for leaving it on the floor.

I also like to eat shoes, but LA hit me in the face with one today, so I don’t do that anymore. He said it was an accident, but I don’t think so. That’s okay. I’ll just poop in his room later. Or goad Cupcake into eating some more of those berries!

Shepherd or Cottage

I’ve had some ground beef sitting in my freezer for some time now, just waiting for divine inspiration to strike me in the forehead. And strike me it did! LA and I had been discussing the relative merits of shepherd’s pie and both realized that we haven’t had any in quite some time. Time for shepherd’s pie!

Now, technically, shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb. If the pie is made with ground beef, it becomes cottage pie. I’ve seen some very nasty comments on assorted websites from incensed Brits upset with our use of “shepherd’s pie” when we should be referring to it as “cottage pie”. Well, Limey, this is America and we can call it whatever we want. The French have resolved the problem completely by calling it hachis Parmentier, which loosely translates as “chopped meat with potatoes on top”.

I called it shepherd’s pie, and I also called it delicious. I’d love to give you the recipe I followed, but, as usual, I just threw stuff in a pan until it tasted right. Basically I softened an onion in butter and olive oil, then browned the ground beef in the same pan. When that was browned, I tossed in some minced garlic and fresh thyme. I then added beef broth, a few squirts of tomato paste (from my tomato paste toothpaste tube), some mustard powder, and salt and pepper. Since it was still a bit flat, I finished it with a bit of sherry. Just for flavor. I mashed some potatoes with a lot of butter and milk, then elegantly piped the potatoes onto the top of the meat mixture. A sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and the pie was ready for the oven. Once the top was browned and golden, we were ready to eat.

In true British fashion, I served the shepherd’s pie with peas. At least, that’s how I had it in London. I thought it was very good, but not exactly how I wanted it. LA loved it, hot or cold. I actually thought it improved with a rest in the fridge overnight and enjoyed it reheated in the oven the next day. Now that I’m reminded of how good shepherd’s pie can be, I may have to make it more often than once every 3 years.