The temperatures have dropped, and hoodies abound. Friends and family are settling from their travels and gathering round. They bring with them hugs, warm smiles, and stories promising laughter. But sometimes, something a little more than love gets passed on.
It has been a couple of years since I’ve braved being social. The pictures on my social media feed have been full of reunions. It filled my heart, and my creative well abounds with stories to share. So it came as no surprise. I also acquired a cootie or two.
I expected a cold. I thought I got off easy when my first day back to work; I simply was tired. The fatigue made sense. We hadn’t been home for twenty-four hours, and I’d already shifted from author to librarian mode. I crawled home from work, went to bed without supper, and woke up the next day to make it to work.
That night, when Randy was peakish, it hit. My malaise wasn’t con fatigue, jet lag, or winding down from a whirlwind week of activities. I was the first to show signs of a respiratory/gastrointestinal bug.
At first, I was at a loss on how to proceed. I knew vitamin C, vitamin D, and rest were the usuals to support the immune system. If it was me, I’d sleep it off and come out a week later looking like a different person. Then I thought about how to care for Randy, and my nurture instincts kicked in. We needed to follow the BRAT diet.
B-banana
R-rice
A-applesause
T-toast
That was good for the first three days. Yes, I was eating rice, or a cup of applesauce, or a banana as a meal, calling it good and trying to sleep off this bug. By day four, I realized this would be a meal plan for at least a week to ten days. That’s when I had to get creative. So far, this is what I’ve done:
Toast: I spread a thin coat of honey or peanut butter (or both) on the toast and top it with banana slivers.
Rice: I cut one piece of turkey into itty bitty chunks, and then added the chunks and chicken broth to a pot of cooked white rice.
Applesauce: This one is way out of the box. I oven-baked a hash brown patty. Then I pretended it was a potato pancake and used the applesauce as the topping.
And this is where I’m asking for help. If we deviate too far from simple ingredients, our stomachs riot. Do you have ideas on ways to add variety to these ingredients? Leave some ideas in the comments and I’ll give them a try.
Step into the Christmas Spirit this year with a collection of the Paradise Hills Christmas stories. This box set includes three sweet holiday stories, all set in the small town of Paradise Hills. From bumbling matchmakers to sassy siblings “sharing” their two cents on how to find love, these stories will have you rooting for the characters from the beginning. Get your copy today and enjoy a festive read that’ll make your heart happy.
Paradise Hills Christmas is available for 99¢ at your favorite online retailer.
Categories: Blogroll