Costco has had a steady supply of king salmon all summer long, arriving Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Wild salmon season is coming to a close, but it’s been a good run. I’m keeping it simple with just olive oil and pink salt, so it pairs well with salads. I slide a glass baking dish filled with king salmon fillets ($17.99 per pound from Costco) into the oven for a slow, gentle roast. I tell myself that I’m getting a solid hit of beta carotene and lutein for eye health and that I am morally superior for choosing carrots instead of rummaging through my husband’s stash of contraband.ĥ:15 p.m. We’re in a serious heat wave, so I enjoy the cool sweetness of the carrots and mindless crunching. I settle back onto my bed with my laptop propped up to eye level. Standing over the trash can, I make a game of how quickly I can peel them and question whether my technique could be tightened up in any way. I head to the fridge for a snack of carrots. I quickly mix some mayo and a few other ingredients (including way more fresh dill than probably seems reasonable) in a small bowl, and I get it into the fridge for later. I don’t love the term guilty pleasure, but if I have one, it’s definitely Sir Kensington’s organic mayonnaise ($6.83 on sale at Whole Foods, previously purchased). I make tonight’s dilly dressing ahead of dinner so the flavors can develop-I always make my dressings and vinaigrettes at least a few hours in advance for that reason. I bring it upstairs so I can continue editing recipes on my laptop.ġ:31 p.m. I score the top of the cake to portion it into six servings and cut myself a wedge. Lest you be tempted to judge such a practice, I assure you, I’ve run the nutritional analysis through Cronometer, a website that calculates nutritional content, and it is quite balanced! It has 16 grams of protein per slice-that’s the almond flour and pastured eggs-and holds up in the fridge for a full week. Sometimes I drizzle it with ganache, other times I leave it bare, and, occasionally, I fold dark chocolate chunks into the batter. It’s always some iteration of the dark chocolate cake I baked this morning. This daily smoothie is fresh and cool, not too sweet, and I always enjoy it.ġ2:12 p.m. This week I ordered frozen wild blueberries from Whole Foods ($11.99 for a 32-ounce bag), but, when possible, I get them from Trader Joe’s where they are less expensive. I use water instead of nut milk, so there’s one less item to stock. I add a cup of frozen wild blueberries, a fresh banana, a cup of cold filtered water, and three tablespoons of Nutiva’s unflavored hemp protein powder ($33.74 for a 3-pound bag from Amazon, already stocked in our pantry) to a large hard plastic tumbler, and use an immersion blender to blend until creamy. I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for years, so I wait until 10 a.m. All the groceries for this week were purchased Sunday: My husband went to Costco for groceries and his frozen lunches ($130.29), we visited Chino Farms together and bought figs ($19), I ordered Whole Foods delivery ($169.64), and I mail-ordered a Pasturebird pastured chicken ($24.75). I use Guittard for its depth of flavor, and because it’s free of additives. Once it’s cool, I mix up a glossy nondairy ganache using Guittard’s chocolate baking bars ($8.19 from Whole Foods) and pour it over the top of the cake, nudging it gently over the sides. ![]() My husband is off to work, so I quickly bake a single-layer dark chocolate cake for the week. It’s always some iteration of the dark chocolate cake I baked this morning.Ĩ a.m. What are your approximate fixed monthly expenses beyond food? But I’m deeply grateful to have access to some emerging therapies, as many of my fellow patients do not. Since these illnesses don’t have cures and management treatments are ongoing, our financial situation isn’t likely to change. People have developed similar illnesses after surviving COVID, which, hopefully, will inspire more funding and research. We must pay out-of-pocket for things like my neurosurgeries (performed by out-of-network physicians) and my bone marrow stem cell treatments. I have ME/CFS (commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) and the genetic connective tissue disorder EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome)-they often cluster together. We have spent every cent of our savings and 401(k) on my medical tests, treatments, and trips to see specialists in the nine years I’ve been mostly housebound. How much money do you have in savings? $0. How often are you paid? My husband is paid biweekly. How much is one paycheck, after taxes? $3,300 Since I’m not able to work full-time, we are a single-income family. ![]() What is your annual salary, if you have one? My husband is a molecular biologist working in biotech, and he makes $128K.
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