good timing! Im sitting here eating a big plate of buttery pasta and now I dont feel too bad about it. I knew I was growing oranges for some reason, LOL.

thanks Patty

Mike

Hah!! Well, switch the butter out for olive oil, on that list of 6 things that can lower your cholesterol, and try Quinoa pasta instead of wheat pasta. It's pretty darned good, and much healthier for you. Marinara sauce, as long as they don't put sugar in it, is very healthy for you, too. Rao makes a great and simple sauce with no sugar. Or, you can make your own up and freeze it (I used to do this when I grew lots of my own tomatoes, need to start doing that, again.) And, this is coming from someone of Italian descent, so if I can switch my pastas, I know anyone can! Enjoy, and enjoy those nice oranges, lol!

Patty S.

Lolol. I am laying here with electrodes on my foot and just about fell off laughing ! Great news guys! Lololl

Well, sorry you have to resort to electrodes on your foot (a TENS unit??), but glad we gave you a good laugh, Mike! And, I have a delicious pasta recipe that I add mandarins to, along with papayas and mangos. Sort of a cold citrus pasta thing. Yumm!!

Patty S.

Now, I wonder how you could of known that? lol

Let me tell you, that after knowing your profession, I am quite grateful for what you have to offer here! Man, I wish I lived closer to you because you would have probably had me walking by now!

I must say that laughter is the best medicine and have had my fare share with you here.

Oh, and if you do not mind sharing, recipe? Yumm!

Mike

Hah, well I have an in :-) A calcaneus fracture can be slow to heal, and they are very painful because your Achilles's tendon attaches at the point where most fractures of the calcaneus tend to occur. And the fracture frequently involves the subtalar joint, which again, complicates the healing process. It's a severe fracture anyway you look at it. And really severe fractures can take a long, long time to heal (up to 1 to 2 years). It's a tough rehab, Mike. So sorry you're going through this.

But, for a yummy recipe that you can use some of your citrus in, here you go. Very healthy for you too, especially if you can use Quinoa pasta. This is about 450 calories per serving, so just the right amount for a meal:

Chicken & Citrus Pasta Salad

Serves 6-7 (about 1 1/2 cups each)
3 cups medium-sized pasta, uncooked (farfalle, penne, rigatelli, etc.)
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
3-4 mandarins, peeled, sectioned & de-seeded
1 Cocktail, Melogold or Oro Blanco peeled, sectioned, de-seeded and membranes removed if bitter (be sure it's a sweet one)
1/2 red onion, sliced and separated into rings
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 -2/3 cup lowâÂÂfat mayonnaise or low fat Greek yogurt (start with 1/2 cup, and add a Tbsp. or more at a time if too dry)
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
dash paprika

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain again. In a large bowl mix chicken, mandarins, grapefruit, celery and onion. Add pasta and gently mix. In a separate small bowl, mix together mayonnaise or yogurt, orange juice concentrate and paprika. Pour dressing over salad mixture and mix gently. Chill until serving.

Patty S.

Patty:

Would you believe that the first thing I looked forward to doing was come here and see what you had to offer? I was not disappointed an din fact quite grateful!

No wonder this is taking a while to heal, although the PT people are saying I am making much faster advancement than most and I am practically walking already with just stiff muscles, but NO pain! Yahoo! I am coming along quite nice and can't wait to walk again to care for my yard and plants. It's been torture! I did have a few friends come over yesterday as they weeded, trimmed my trees, fertilized, and cut the grass. I can sit out there without feeling discouraged now and actually have a feeling of contentment towards my citrus. They are greening up once again. I really appreciate your RN experience and care. You are a gem to me.

Thanks for that recipe. I am actually going to start to see if I can spot out the pasta you are mentioning and then make this once I can get this dreaded messy house cleaned and have company once again. It sounds OH so yummy!

My father called last night to say that after the Hurricane, he planted an Avocado just the way you said too and thanks you again. He said he was pleased with the way it looked. The water drained right through beautifully!

That Hurricane, Irene it is is making a straight B-line for my area, so now the preparations are in full swing here. It is suppose to hit Sunday as a possible 2 Hurricane. We shall see. Looks like I will have to anchor down the pots if that is the case.

Mike:-)

Well, so glad you're healing so swiftly, Mike! If you fell off a ladder and landed on your heel (think this is how you injured yourself?) you're very fortunate you didn't also rupture your Achilles's tendon as well. Now THAT is a hellish injury. My husband ruptured his triceps in the gym, and that was gruesome.

Enjoy the recipe. You can substitute other citrus for the grapefruit, such as a nice sweet blood orange or a Cara Cara. Something with a little color makes for a pretty salad. You can serve it on a bed of lettuce, or with a couple of slices of avocado if you opt to make it with yogurt (I make it with non-fat Greek yogurt so I can add in a healthier fat choice with a couple of slices of avocado).

Citrus is something you should have every day. Like having salmon at least 3 times a week. Especially for those who struggle with heart disease, Type II Diabetes, or are Syndrome X type folks (i.e., apple bodies). And that we all grow our own, and most of us have a nice selection, we can be sure we're eating very clean, healthy citrus, too. A win/win proposition :-)

So glad your dad was okay through this hurricane, and be sure he sends you some photos of his avocado! What variety did he end up planting? And I surely hope you make it through the hurricane yourself without any serious damage. Can you pull in all your trees into the garages through all this? My gosh, can someone come over and help you prepare for the storm and get your lovely trees inside??

And to all our other forum members on the east coast, thinking of you and your safety during this storm.

Patty S.

Patty!

I tried all day to sign on here at work just to ahve to come back later. I wanted to quickly thank you so much for everything and will be back later.

Mik:-)))))))))))