Interrupting Our Regular Program

Wow!  Where have I been?  How is the Paleo on 100 a month challenge going?

I didn't even last three days this time.  That nasty stomach flu came to our household, so I was playing nursemaid and top chef for others.  There was too much food that wasn't being eaten by others not on the challenge.  There was too much new food being purchased because said patients wouldn't eat this.  Or that.  Or that other thing.  And then throw it all up anyway.

The other really weird and sort of funny thing is when the advice nurse told us what foods to eat.  She mentioned soup and rice and Gatorade and we just laughed.  I don't have soup or rice or Gatorade.  She continues, "That's OK, just eat crackers," and despite being very sick, we got lots of laughs from that suggestion, too.

I didn't have any time to shop or cook for myself either.  I did purchase some liver for the second day, but didn't get around to cooking it until later.  I had to actually run to several stores to get the required food, and then was so overwhelmed by everything that I forgot to get the Emergen-C's and had to go back again.  It was very difficult finding a canned soup without either wheat or milk.

Anyway, with all this going on, I just didn't have the energy or will to continue the challenge.  And, I felt guilty for maybe giving my family food poisoning.  Wait!  I was the one eating all the weird stuff, and I was just fine.  Anyway, I threw out all the soup, cleaned out the fridge, cleaned off the counters dozens of times, racked my brains regarding what we ate and did not eat together.  Then I remembered that everyone else was getting the flu this winter.  Still, we threw away the carrots because that was the only thing we could think of that could have been contaminated and not properly cooked.

After a few batches of white rice, I eventually settled upon gluten-free waffles made with real butter as the go-to carb.  (No stick-um.)  I know, not Paleo.  Who cares.  Just getting some perspective.

My fridge is pristine and empty.  There is some bacon, neatly sealed off from anything it may contaminate.  There is a bag of shredded cheese, a tightly-wrapped chicken carcass, and a box of tangerines from a friend's tree.  A container of sour cream, a pack of butter, a carton of cream and a carton of eggs.  I have become one of THOSE people.  People who have no food.  The cabinets are full of various kinds of canned fish, nuts, spices, vitamins and teas.  There is still a small container of Trader Joe's gluten-free mix.