What wasn't figured in was a sick dog. My poor Andy fell ill on Monday. He was fine when I sent him out the door Monday morning for "1st call", but Husband said by mid-morning Andy was just kinda was bleh. No improvement on Tuesday so off to the vet he went. Diagnosis - early Lymes (maybe) and Anaplasmosis.
What in the heck is anaplasmosis you ask?
Short version - tick borne disease.
Long version - an infectious disease that is caused by a bacteria called Anaplasma phagocytophilum. This lives inside of the white blood cells and can cause a variety of problems. Anaplasma was formerly called Ehrlichia equi, so you may hear this disease referred to as Ehrlichiosis. This can infect both dogs and cats. The most common signs of infection are high fever, lethargy, and swollen painful joints (this can be dramatic). The pets become dumpy, will not eat well, and will be reluctant to move. Painful joints can shift from leg to leg and they may cry when they try to move.
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We didn't see any indication of painful joints, but dogs are known to 'hide' their pain. I think we also caught this somewhat early on - plus we didn't wait to see if he would get better on his own - so perhaps that didn't have time to manifest. At anyrate, Andy-pup was put on an anti-inflammatory/pain med for one week and and antibiotics for a month. He's already much better as we move into the weekend.
So, what this means meal-wise is we kept the week simple. Enough running around that I didn't want to futz with a lot of meal prep.
Sun (back from Brainerd) leftover Minestrone Soup
Mon (yoga) leftover chili from Brainerd
Tues - Zucchini Squash Soup
Wed (AM yoga) leftovers
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri (Mall-ternative) Husband = brats
Sat (Mall-ternative) Husband = brats
Lunches - sandwiches, apples, luna bars, crackers, nut cups...the usual.
Bacon, Blue Cheese and Courgette (zucchini) Soup (Irish Pub Ckbk) vegetarian option** gluten free
This is by no means a new recipe, but has become one of our last summer and fall "go-to" squash soups. In fact, I did a quick search and found I've blogged about this twice before! Yes, it's that good.
The one change I have made to this recipe is I now bake the bacon. I save the drippings, and use those in which to saute the vegetables. The bacon can easily be omitted to make this vegetarian. Use extra blue cheese crumbles for garnish.
2 tbsp olive oil
5-6 streaky rashers (Traditional Irish Bacon), diced (or in our case, regular bacon, easily omitted)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 medium zucchini, diced or sliced (or summer squash)
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I've used baby reds or yukons, unpeeled)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2/3 cup half in half (I used maybe 1/2 cup)
4 oz blue cheese crumbles
fresh ground pepper
fresh parsley (for garnish)
1) In a large stockpot, heat the oil and fry the bacon until nearly crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, reserving 2 tbsp bacon drippings.
2) Stir in onions, zucchini (or summer squash) and potatoes. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking for 5-7 minutes or until the onions are soft but not browned. Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for12-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3) Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Add half and half and pepper. Simmer until heated through.
4) Serve, garnished with bacon, blue cheese crumbles, and parsley, if desired.
2 comments:
Poor little hound. I hope he bounces back quick!
Poor Andy. Hope he is feeling better soon. You can see in his eyes that he just doesn't feel well.
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