zombies cannot donate blood

kicked out
of the Red Cross -
feeling
like a fool -
that Nam Sod
yesterday
made me a ghoul

no pulse, no pulse,
i'm in misery
thought i ate
all the right foods
but my blood's no good, you see

pulse has jumped
no steady pump
it skitters all
a-round-round-round
those
processed foods
have me
feelin' down
 

- words my own, song to be sung to the tune of "Alone At The Drive-In", from "Grease"

 

"Did that really happen? You were dismissed from the American Red Cross?"

 

Sadly, yes. Today, in fact.

The new guy was checking me in and couldn't find my pulse. Like, for real. He checked the right wrist... had it... and lost it. Three times. So he switched to the left, but same deal. 

He called for someone to second his findings and in came Whitney, but she had the same issue. My pulse was there, and then gone... there, and then gone. 

So they had to deny allowing me to donate today.

I tried to joke around, first with Tim, then with her.

"Hey, I know I've been watching a lot of zombie movies lately, but I couldn't have caught anything from them!"

Nope, no impact.

Drats.

"You've had Nam Sod before and not had this problem of vanishing pulse."

 

Well, that's impossible to verify.

It isn't like I've had that salt-laden dish and then donated blood the next day.

Plus, it's been quite a few months since I had that food at The King & I, as my luncheons with Dawn had been curtailed due to her phone issues.

So, when we finally got together yesterday, and I ordered my "usual" instead of a lunch special, I went at it full-tilt boogie, even forsaking the chopsticks near the end and using a spoon to get most of the juices.

That was probably a mistake.

And, to be honest, I'm naming the Thai food as to blame, but the truth is that I've been eating a lot of dinners from freezer bags and cans.

It's quick, it's easy, and the calories and protein content are in print, right there.

Since I'm keeping a food journal for the VA nutritionist, I'm trying to have an accurate accounting of those two variables, both for her and for me.

The most sure way to do so is with packaged foods.

 

"Wow. You may want to track sodium, too.

Just saying.

I know you pride yourself on the use of Mrs. Dash for seasoning, but for manufacturers trying to stock the shelves and freezers of grocery stores, sodium chloride is the preferred seasoner, as it also serves as a preservative. "

 

Yeah, yeah.

Well, you'll be happy to know I'm minimizing my use of processed foods for a few days.

For starters, dinner tonight is from bagged, uncooked, pinto beans.

The makers of the Pappy's Pantry foods have recipes online, so I'm trying my hand at making my very own refried beans.

Get this: they aren't even fried once!

LOL!

 

"Oh, that's funny!"

 

The recipe didn't call for soaking overnight, just cooking a pound of the legumes for 90 minutes with garlic and six cups of water.

 

"And no salt was needed for the recipe???"

 

Well, it specified 1 1/2 teaspoons of it, but I did about a 1/4 tsp and called it enough.

After all, I'd minced up five large cloves of garlic, so I figured that would do pretty well for making them tasty.

 

"And it did the trick for you?"

 

Well, I added a generous helping of salt-free Southwest Chipotle flavoring and that spiced them quite well!

I added a little shredded cheddar, too, but that meant less than 300 mg of sodium for both of the burritos I made.

Specifically, I added 1/8 cup of the cheese for each 1/2 cup of beans.

Yes, quite tasty... and I plan to have two more for dinner.

 

"Well, be sure to drink plenty of water to help flush out your bloated cells."

 

Oh, for sure, in fact I've had three glasses since I got home.

Time to free some of that from my bladder!

 

"You take care, you.

And please try to eat smarter, not just easier. "

 

Yes, ma'am, will do.

(smile!)