Hello, friends and fellow home cooks!
This is my weekly newsletter (it's one day late), which includes 7 weeknight meals + 3 healthy salads (for the week of September 2-8, 2024), and a brief life update.
7 weeknight meals + 3 healthy salads
DAY 1: Creamy Chicken Pasta with Green Beans and Bacon
DAY 2: Mexican Street Corn and Shrimp (30 Minutes, One-Pan)
DAY 3: Greek Salmon Salad with Spinach, Tomatoes, Olives, Feta, and Lemon Balsamic Dressing
DAY 4: Pan-Seared Flank Steak with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Orzo (30 Minutes, One-Pan)
DAY 5: Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli, Sausage, and Cheddar Cheese
DAY 6: Chicken with Apricots and Honey-Lime Sauce (30-Minute, One-Pan Meal). You can use peaches, nectarines, plums, or apples instead of apricots. Or, soak dried apricots briefly in a pot of boiling water to plump them up, drain them well, and slice them up.
DAY 7: Ham Spaghetti Pasta with Spinach, Burrata Cheese, Crushed Pistachios, and Lemon Butter Sauce. It's a great recipe for lunch ham meat or any packaged sliced ham. You can also use fresh Mozzarella cheese (soft balls or a sliced log) instead of Burrata.
SALAD 1: Arugula Salad with Apples, Dried Cranberries, Pecans, and Balsamic Dressing
SALAD 2: Beet and Apple Salad with Mixed Greens, Pecans, Blue Cheese, and homemade Honey-Lemon Mustard Dressing. Perfect for roasted, boiled, marinated, or pickled beets!
SALAD 3: Strawberry Orange Salad with Spinach, Arugula, Toasted Sliced Almonds, and Feta Cheese
LIFE UPDATE
It's been a bit of a hectic week, and I've been in constant catch-up mode, having to solve many problems and handle numerous tedious tasks and minutiae. On top of that, I've had more doctor's appointments in the last 30 days than I'd like. I was unexpectedly diagnosed with severe anemia, so serious that it needs immediate attention, and it cannot be put on a back burner.
My July lab results were alarming, with nearly all of my red blood cell metrics flagged with High Alert notifications. For example, my Ferritin 5 ng/mL (normal range should be 15-150), Iron 12 ug/dL (normal range should be 17-159), Iron Saturation 3% (normal range should be 15-55%), Hemoglobin 7.7 g/dL (normal range is 11.1 - 15.9). Anemia is typically categorized as mild, moderate, or severe. Unfortunately, all my numbers fall into the "severe" category, which explains why my doctor kept persistently trying to reach me on the phone in the last 3 weeks.
Living at 9,000 feet, my red blood cell count should be high (as it usually has been), but right now, I'm operating with the bare minimum. In fact, my red blood cell count is currently much lower than it should be, even for someone at sea level. My iron absorption is almost nonexistent at 3% (compared to the normal 50%), leading to dangerously low hemoglobin levels. This means there's hardly any oxygen being carried through my blood to my lungs, muscles, and other vital organs. It all makes sense now—I've been consistently 20 minutes slower on my usual hikes and couldn't push myself harder without nearly passing out. This has been happening for a year and a half now. My initial instinct was to ignore all of this for a while with the hope that the anemia resolves itself on its own since I have so much on my plate right now and so much to catch up on. But then I realized that would be foolish—it could actually be life-threatening. So, I’ve started taking it seriously by taking supplements, eating plenty of red meat, and regularly incorporating chicken liver, beets, Vitamin C into my diet to boost my iron levels.
Unfortunately, because of all that hecticness, I got thrown off my usual routines, which I always find frustrating.
On a brighter note, even though I've been bogged down with many tedious tasks and dealing with my anemia that showed up out of nowhere, I'm happy to say I'm finally catching up. I've started filming new recipes and have already photographed four new amazing recipes with red meat, with plans to do many more this week. And, of course, I've made sure to get outside and hike three times a week—that always helps me stay grounded.
I wish everybody a great week filled with delicious food, fun conversations at the dinner table, good mood, energy, and happiness. Be healthy, and do a complete CBC blood test at least once a year!
I am sorry that you are having health problems. Please inquire if you are iodine deficient. Dr. don't usually check this. Iodine is essential for healthy life. We used to get it thru salt and they used to put iodine in bread but i have read that there is not iodine in bread and that iodized salt actually doesn't have iodine in it. Lack of iodine causes autism in children, cognitive issues in adults, thyroid issues, and messes with you metabolism.
I want you to know that I really enjoy your recipes. I find them inspiring and believe you are very gifted. You pictures make my mouth water and I love all the extra tips and substitute info you add to your recipes. Keep up the good work and God bless you.
Thank you, Kathy, you are so kind, and I'm glad my recipes resonate with you! We (my doctor and I) don't know yet why I am so iron deficient and anemic. Diet alone and other factors cannot account for such low numbers, so, according to the doctor, I should do a colonoscopy ASAP to see if I have some internal bleeding. I am not scheduling it yet, I am trying to raise my numbers through nutrition and supplements and will have a blood check soon to see if that works. And, we'll go from there. I should get checked for iodine and, even better, start taking it as a supplement.
Dear Julia,
I’m so sorry to hear you are experiencing medical problems. I hope there is an easy remedy for it.
About 18 months ago I discovered your recipes which have been very helpful to me. I was diagnosed with a severe intestinal issue that required a strictly limited list of edible products. Any gluten, dairy, beef, pork, or products including any of those are not allowed. Mainly I can have poultry or fish, rice, plain potato, most fruits and vegetables—although there are significant limitations to that list also. Your recipes have helped me to recover completely, for which you have my sincere gratitude. The recipes have been easy to adapt to my needs as required. However, since this new food regimen has been so helpful I have to stick to it forever. Obviously my menus have changed considerably but my family has been supportive. If they want hamburgers and ice cream they go out for them rather then tempt me. Another plus is that I dropped 50 pounds in less than a year and am maintaining that loss. Of course that required a whole new wardrobe. Another plus!
All this is to say your foods heal and I pray they will benefit you, too.
Thank you,
A Grateful Follower
Austin, Texas.
Oh wow, Nancy, first of all, I am so honored and flattered to hear that my recipes helped you recover. Second, congratulations on losing 50 pounds, and (from my own experience) shopping for a new wardrobe is so much fun, so I hope you're enjoying the process! 🙂
Isn't it scary that certain health issues can emerge suddenly and unexpectedly, catching you off guard? That was definitely my case. Of course, there are always signs, but still. I've normally been a very fast hiker, but in the last 12 months, the usual intense hike that would normally take me 26 minutes up to the top would take me between 42 and 46 minutes to get to the top of the mountain (and I would almost pass out doing it), with everybody passing me by, lol. I thought I had lung issues, "age slowing me down," thought I was not pushing myself hard enough, not training enough (even though I hiked regularly), etc., etc. I didn't have my regular physical for 1.5 years, and once I had my blood numbers this July, my primary doctor was literally in panic: "We have to get to the bottom of this, why, why, why??". Not in a million years I would've guessed I had such severe anemia, but now it explains all of that! I don't have enough oxygen in my blood (not enough is an understatement, lol; I almost have none).
We'll see if my supplementation and diet change fix it and then proceed from there! I am eating a lot of red meat, chicken liver, and other foods rich in iron right now. You're right; the right foods matter.
Julia,
I just happened upon your site through Pinterest looking at recipes. I read your blog about your anemia. My daughter had severe anemia and found out in her case it was caused by Celiac Disease. She never had a problem with any foods that she knew of. Because of anemia and not finding a source of bleeding the doctor took a biopsy of her small intestine and it came back positive. Celiac affects the small intestine and prevented absorption of nutrients, including iron. As soon as she omitted gluten from her diet her health returned. If you haven't checked that out yet for yourself you may want to. My daughter was around 40 years old when diagnosed. I know someone else who started with it in her thirties.
Hi Cheryl, thank you so much for sharing the experience with your daughter!! I will certainly add Celiac Disease to my list of possible causes to get checked for if my blood numbers do not improve through diet changes (such as eating lots of iron-rich food + iron and lactoferrin supplements). I am so hoping for an easy solution to this! The doctor is insisting on colonoscopy but I'm not really looking forward to that, lol, so I haven't scheduled it yet.
If you need to be absorbing more oxygen, then this lovely beverage is a huge help.
It is recommended for anyone with COPD. This really helped me.
Thanks, Donna, your link did not go through, though.
Glad to hear you are on the road to good health. Sometimes life kicks us in the behind. Thanks for the delicious recipes, they save my bacon many nights. Best wishes.
Thank you, Val, for your support, you are so kind!!
Was sorry to read of your anemia! I had similar last year and spent ten months getting weekly iron infusions. Look into those if the diet change doesn’t improve your blood levels.
Thanks for the great recipes!
OMG, Margery! Iron infusions sound scary! How low were your iron numbers and hemoglobin, if you don't mind me asking?
Why is your site Blocked?! Every single link in your newsletter led me to a firewall warning.
Hi Robert, I am trying to figure out what's happening. The issue seems limited only to my e-mail subscribers.
All recipes in your email are blocked. Can’t open any of them.
Hi Jennifer, I think this problem is resolved now, but I am monitoring this situation.
FYI, I could not get to your newsletter via the e-mail link - I get an "access denied, sucuri website firewall" message. Looks like it's something on your end. I could only see your newsletter by going directly to your site.
Hi, Heidi. At first, it seemed like a short-lived glitch, but I kept receiving these complaints, so I submitted support tickets to the involved tech companies to resolve this issue.
I am unable to access recipes from the e-mail - a firewall page pops up??
It's some glitch we're trying to figure out. It seems to affect only my e-mail list.
Take good care of yourself, Julia! I LOVE your recipes and I'm looking forward to new ones with red meat!!!
Thank you for your kind wishes, Judy! I have already cooked 5 delicious recipes with red meat - will post on the website this week and next week.
All the links in the email come up to an “Access denied” page. I can take a screenshot if you’d like me to. Are other people having issues? I was only able to access your site directly, not via e-mail
Pat, I am aware of this issue and working to fix it. Yes, many others who received my newsletter yesterday, on Monday, have e-mailed me about the same issue.
A problem! Your firewall won't allow access to recipes! Please fix this.
We're working to fix it, Anna!