For all the Peanuts in the world
and beany leftovers
It’s been a rough week. It started last Thursday when my senior pup cried out in the middle of the night. He never speaks anymore, he hasn’t for some time. He will come up and give us a sniff, that's his way of acknowledging us when we come into a room. Lately, there has been quite a bit of sleeping and he is only up for an early breakfast, a tiny walk before he lays in the road, I pick him up, and dinner by 5 pm. Like a Swiss clock. Unfortunately, the schedule is off this week. He is not eating much and he cried out, howled so loudly, it hurt my soul. Even though I had been up most of the night with him I was not ready to hear such a cry. We thought that was going to be the beginning of a very sad day, and it was hard, but he made it through and he is currently sleeping by my side as I write. We have known this time would come but it doesn’t mean we are ok with it.
Peanut entered our life back in 2012. Almost three years after we had lost our wonderful family dog, Zoe. I was finally ready for a new dog to enter our lives and my kids were definitely ready. We had already had a mishap, two months earlier when we brought a dog home - but that is a story for another time. Peanut was sent to us. My daughter found him for a bargain on Craigslist. It was not how I would normally find a dog. Growing up, my sister and I would find a stray cat or someone would drop a dog in the middle of the road and I couldn’t drive by him, things like that. Fortunately, my parents always let us keep them. Peanut came to us and it was love at first sight. He had a feisty and fun personality. He was just about to turn two years old and Harry and Kat were ready for Pea. What I didn’t know was how much we all needed him.
He is a cross between looking like an Ewok from Star Wars and acting like a little human. When he was little he was so loving to us (his family) but he would give visitors the business. My girlfriend would sleep over and he would bark, bark, bark and the next morning he would be on the pull out sofa sleeping next to her. Everyone worked it out. When he went to sleep he would roll over on his back. I have since seen many dogs do this but at the time I hadn’t and it just cracked us up how comfortable he was. He never would jump or be nervous, just upside down on his back, relaxed and sleeping away the day.
For those of you who have animals you may relate to them taking away any stressors. My daughter, my son, my husband or I would come home from school and scoop Peanut up and bring him to our rooms or hang out on the couch with him. I could physically see them let go of stress by his presence and I could feel it myself as I pet him or hugged him. He took all the stress of the day away. My son no longer lives at home and when he comes for dinner or a visit, he picks Peanut up and they hang out together. Nothing has changed. Therapy comes in many forms and I would take this anecdotal evidence as truth.
Peanut’s size made it very easy to add him to any plans we had. Whether it was visiting our parents, or dog friendly friends, Peanut came for a ride. When my mom was passing from cancer, Peanut would not leave her room. He slept under her hospital bed for 3 days. We know dogs have a sixth sense but still it was comforting to see that he knew and stayed by her side. We have steadily watched him grow into old age. He has lost his eyesight and hearing over the last few years but always is up for snuggling.
I am thankful that I am here to take care of him in his final days. I gave him a bath this afternoon to make him feel better. It was warm and I could feel him sink into it. Afterwards he stayed wrapped up in the towels and he fell asleep at my side. Totally exhausted. The smallest moves are herculean one minute and the next I see him standing and I have hope again. It is hard to watch but there is no place I would rather be than with our Peanut.
Recommended Recipe
Kat’s lentil meatballs (in honor of our little lentil ball, Peanut)
But first lets talk about this: With my creativity on hold this week I am happy I am a creature of habit. If all I am able to do is make a pot of beans and eat that with leftovers from this past week I am here for it. I did start off the day sautéing garlic, shallots and rainbow chard. Not because I was up for it but rather because we were at the farmers market on Saturday and I did not want it to go bad. Turned out delicious with a little homemade broth, a couple of scoops of my homemade beans and then I made two wells in the pan and cracked eggs into them. A quiet, yet delicious breakfast.
The leftovers from last week came into play this evening. Rice, with mushroom gravy and beans, butternut squash soup with pesto. I am happy when I practice what I preach. Tonight I could rely on next level beans and rice along with soup to keep my blood sugar stable and my strength going as I may have a long night ahead.
Now back to the lentil meatballs. My daughter created this recipe and they are simple and delicious. It hits exactly as it should. In colder months I make them and have mushroom gravy over the top and sometimes with potatoes, too! In the warmer months I eat and serve them with her zucchini pesto. Find her recipe for the meatballs and zucchini pesto here. I already had the mushroom gravy so lets whip up the lentil balls. I highly recommend trying this recipe especially if you already have some cooked lentils.
Ingredients
2 cups brown lentils-cooked
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 cloves of garlic-finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley–finely chopped
Pinch of red chili flakes
Pinch of salt
Oil for cooking
Add all ingredients into a large bowl, mix with a wooden spoon until everything is combined. Some of the lentils will break up and you will have a consistency that is easy to roll into “meatballs”.
Place your cast iron pan onto the stove over medium heat for 2 minutes over med-med high. Fill the bottom of the pan with the oil of your choice~2 Tbsp but you may need to add more for the next batch. I used olive oil. Form a few balls with your hands while you let the oil get nice and hot.
Gently place the balls into the pan being very careful not to spray hot oil onto yourself. Place meatballs so that each has its own space to cook. You may have to do a couple of batches.
You’re going to let the meatballs cook until golden on all sides. Flip the meatballs from side to side with tongs gripping light enough so that the ball doesn’t break. This is a careful process. Each side needs 30 secs to a minute depending on how hot the oil is. When the pan has touched all sides, remove the meatball and place onto a plate with a paper towel on the bottom. This will soak up excess oil.
These can be eaten as a full dinner or a side dish. Plate the meatballs in a bowl and ladle some mushroom gravy over the top. Or in the spring plate them on a dish with zucchini pesto and lemon zest over the top. I have sprinkled salt on them and eaten them as a snack right as they come out of the pan.
Thank you to Katherine for sharing this recipe. There are plenty more at her site.
If you are someone who can be still for a moment, please think of Peanut in your thoughts or prayers. Thank you. Then, take a moment to acknowledge any prep you have done for yourself with food this week or last week. Building habits should be celebrated. If you haven’t quite gotten into the rhythm, then perhaps the week coming up is your week. It is one of those consistent practices that once you get into it, even if you don’t have the time for a full prep, you will at least try to have beans on hand (homemade or canned), a cooked grain and maybe a chopped veg or two. It is a great foundation.
Remember, start with beans!
Contact
If you have any questions on integrating beans consistently for gut health now and into the near future, please email me at Denisemancieri1@gmail.com. Feel free to comment below if there are topics you would like to see.
Please share this newsletter with others if you find it may assist them in adding beans to their diet. Or click the heart, below left, so I know you were here. Thank you!
Note: I am not a doctor. I am a teacher and an educator with an earned doctorate in educational leadership. I enjoy research and I can distill large amounts of information into easily understood and digestible pieces allowing people to understand what is happening to their body and possible steps to reverse it with food as medicine. I have healed my own GI issues through choices with food. I followed Karen Hurd’s bean protocol diet, I meditated and still do and I healed. I feel compelled to be in service and educate others as the more people eating beans, alongside a healthy diet and sharing their stories the more people will live a healthier existence. Joy, peace and freedom abound. Please see your doctor and discuss nutritional options before you change any course of action with your health.
