I started my Thursday with breakfast. Whole Wheat (I am a dietitian after all) chocolate chip coconut pancakes with a side of griddled mashed. You knew mashed potatoes were going to make some sort of appearance during the celebration.
I also had a torrone and a pint. A pint of hormone free Ben and Jerry's frozen yogurt. Hey baking and dancing in the kitchen has you work up an appetite.
Because I watch a lot of Top Chef and occasional Cupcake Wars, when planning my menu for the NED party I decided that even if subtle all items would have some sort of tie in to foods I ate during my cancer journey.
Here was the menu:
Spinach Dippers. Also, known as Spinach and artichoke dip heated up in small tortilla cups. I still eat a lot of spinach to this day, but I always remember my eating the vegetable bitterly on August 8, 2012.
Onion Dip. I made homemade french onion dip with greek yogurt (found in Elllie Krieger's Comfort food fix). I wanted onion dip so that I had something to serve Pop Chips (popped potato chips) with. Pop Chips, usually one bag of regular and one bag of salt and vinegar, were a mainstay in my grocery cart during chemo. I usually would eat both bags during the first 3 days after an infusion.
Asian Peanut Sauce. I love peanut butter. However, after I finished the 4 rounds of chemo, peanut butter was a food that made my heartburn/fire inside much worse. However, when the burning improved it returned to one of my go to proteins while rebuilding my muscles in operation regain fitness (still ongoing). Also, asian peanut sauce also pairs really well with veggies and what is a party without a veggie platter? And below is the only photo I took of all the food I made. The blanched broccoli to dip in the sauce.
Pizza Dip. One of my favorite interactions with the research NP for my vaccine shots was the day I was trying to explain to her why I had such difficulty having my blood drawn, because I ate a large pizza for dinner. I love that she made sure it was in my medical record in order to demonstrate my appetite.
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. The two biggest factors in my fighting the awful taste in my mouth during chemo. I think ginger and cinnamon will forever be two flavors that make me happy. Side note on the cupcakes. One of the RNs that I work with told me in honor of NED I should make boob cupcakes. I said funny, but no. Unintentionally, however, the cupcakes looked like boobs. Cinnamon cream cheese frosting is tan colored and I have candy pink ribbons that I put in the center. They made an excellent conversation piece.
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. When I had severe heartburn after the fourth chemo infusion I ate oatmeal three times a day for awhile (week or so) and although I eat oatmeal every morning before work oatmeal is still one of my go too foods. Chocolate, thank goodness, and its fantastic mouth feel and taste returned about a half way through XRT treatment.
The centerpiece of my NED feed station was the flowers from my parents.
After a couple of days with lots of great cards, messages and outpouring of love from my friends and family I would say I do feel like a room without a roof. I hope this song wins the Oscar!
If you need a reason to love this song anymore, see this piece on a nine year old boy named Damon who is using this song as his them song for his battle with bone cancer! Go Damon go!
Sounds like a truly fabulous party!!! Wish I could have been there. But looking forward to celebrating many more (aka every year forever!) :) All that food sounds really yummy and love the tie ins. Very creative! No one would ever guess you were a Chem-E :)
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