Garden Marinara and Rice

It is getting to be the time of year when veggies are all I can think about.  Last nights dinner ended up being a mix of roasted veggies in some marinara sauce served over rice.  Even Sydney ate it and she claims to hate cooked vegetables.

True to form I measured nothing so this is a guesstimation :

1 head of broccoli florets chopped into bite sized pieces
10 spears of asparagus chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 container of sliced mushrooms
1 small Zucchini
1 onion
about 1 1/2 cups jarred marinara

preheat oven to 350.  Place broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms and zucchini on a baking sheet.  Coat very lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Bake for 30-45 minutes.  While those vegetables are roasting saute your onion in about a tablespoon of butter.  Be sure to use a pan large enough to add your roasted vegetable to when they come out of the oven.  Once the onion is soft and starts to caramelize add your marinara sauce and let them simmer together.  When your roasted vegetables are done add them to the pan and coat everything with sauce.  Serve over rice.  If you're smarter than me you will have set your rice cooker up right after you put the veggies in the oven so that everything is finished at roughly the same time.  Pro tip:  remember to turn the rice cooker ON.

Evening in the garden.

Spent some time this evening tiptoeing through the garden.
So much to love about this time of year.

 

 

Water bending garden warrior 

Black Eyed Susans, one of my favorites.

Had to redirect these pumpkin friends to keep
them out of the neighbors yard.

Feed me Seymour!

Hey...

Remember when I used to have a blog?  Remember that blog challenge from 2013 that I never finished?

Well, here I go again...  Once more, with feeling!

30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge: Day 23

What do you say to yourself when you need a pep talk?

I'm not a big pep talker.  Maybe that is something I should work on.  I do try to remind myself to take it easy.  One breath and one step at a time.  Sometimes it works.  Sometimes I'm stubborn.

30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge: Day 22

How do you feel you have been treated by the medical system?  Explain.

I feel that I have been treated pretty well within the medical system.

I've only been hassled and examined once for track marks to make sure I wasn't a drug seeker.  I only had to endure my jello, dillauded diet for a week and a half while I waited for surgery.  The only long term effect is the constant battle with gastritis as a result of eating what basically amounts to heroin for a week and half.  I became so anemic I needed a blood transfusion and an iron infusion.  All because the wrong blood test was ordered - repeatedly.

These stories don't even come close to the horror stories of some out there.  So, I'm counting myself lucky.

30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge: Day 21

What networks or website have you used for support for or information about your illness?

HealingWell.com, and HealthBoards.com have proven useful to me more than once.  It has been my experience that these forums are full of people who genuinely want to help and are not full of angry trolls who never left middle school.  We all know what I'm talking about.  I have a few people I follow on tumblr and a few groups I follow on facebook (voices of fibromyalgia, and butyoudontlooksick are both pretty active but not so much that they clog up your whole newsfeed).  I'm always looking for new resources so please, feel free to let me know your favorite networks and websites.

30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge: Day 20

Have you met anyone with the same illness?  Did it help?

I know quite a few people with all or some of the same illnesses I have.  It helps immensely.  It is always nice to know you are not alone.  We all need to be reassured that we are not crazy.