Menu Plan - week of July 28

Is it really July 28th already?!?!?! Where did July go?

Anyway, this week is short and relatively easy compared to last week. It is the August long weekend, so we have plans.

I am going to be doing a few appetizers though, so will include those at the bottom of my plan. We are having a cocktail party for the FIL's b-day in October and I am trying out some recipes for the party.

Monday- Sheppard's pie, salad...didn't make this last week because we had tons of leftovers from what I did make!

Tuesday - Chicken souvlaki on the BBQ, rice pilaf, Greek salad, pita & tatziki

Wednesday - Beef short rib ragout

Thursday - sausage on the BBQ, salad and corn-on-the-cob

APPETIZERS:

Brie, Apple and Walnut Phyllo Triangles - I have actually made these before and they are really good. A little time consuming to make, but you can make them in advance and freeze them. Put them in the oven before your guests arrive.

Savoury Cheddar Cookies - they are actually from a Hallowe'en recipe (that is why there is a picture of a skull in the background :)










Artichoke Asiago Squares - I love artichoke dips, so am hoping this has the same taste in a different, more portable form.

A trip to the pediatrician

The Love Bug went to the Pediatrician on Friday. The doctor was quite happy with his progress and wanted us to get some blood work done. So, we went over to the Peds floor at the hospital and had it done there. The Love Bug was a superstar getting his blood taken this time!

I was really hoping that we would know when our appointment at the pediatric cardiologist would be but they just faxed the referral letter while we were there, so we are still waiting. We will likely have to go for a few appointments with the cardiologist over the next year and Love Bug will need some Echo cardiograms. The pediatrician also told us to keep him on the one aspirin a day to minimize impacts to his heart.

I was feeling pretty positive after leaving the Pediatrician's office, but then my hubby looked up the Love Bug's blood test results (he works at the same hospital so has access to these things) and Love Bug's white cell count/platelets are still high and his ESR (this measure the infection/inflammation in his body) was worse than when he was in the hospital. So, I guess he is still fighting it.

He really does seem more like himself though. Not so irritable and he is really hungry. So now we just have to wait for that appointment to ensure there was no long term damage. I'll feel a lot better once that is done!

Menu Plan - week of July 21

I'm trying lots of new recipes this week, so my hubby is probably scared! I haven't tried any recipes from the Oprah cookbook, so we'll see how that goes. And, I have had the Rachel Ray cookbook for a couple of years, but started going through it again over the weekend looking for new ideas.

Monday - Moroccan chicken with couscous (Oprah's new cookbok)

Tuesday - Ropa Vieja and rice (Oprah's new cookbook)

Wednesday - SHeppard's Pie

Thursday - Pasta with roasted eggplant sauce & ricotta salata (Rachel Ray's 365 day coookbook)

Friday - Turkey or Chicken croquettes with spinach mashers and pan gravy (RR 365 day cookbook)

Saturday - Spinach and artichoke calzones (RR cookbook) - I think I may add some chicken in them too. I love the artichoke pesto that goes into these and have made it and put it on pasta.

Sunday - leftovers/mommy's day off!

Menu Plan - week of July 14

Last week was chaos, in terms of meal planning. We basically just ate whatever, which generally translates into take-out and not the healthiest of meals. This week I am back on track.

Monday - Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs & salad

Tuesday - Sealed with a quiche (from Eat, Shrink & Be Merry) & salad

Wednesday - Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri (Tyler's Ultimate), rice pilaf, grilled asparagus

Thursday - Kentucky Freud Chicken (Eat, Shrink & Be Merry), corn on the cob

Friday - marinated flank steak, rosti potatoes and green beans

A rough week

So, I have been a little absent this week. I haven't had the time or energy to blog. It has been a very mentally and physically draining week.

It all started on June 24th. My Love Bug started getting sick with a fever. The very next day the Missus started with a fever. She was miserable. She was so hot (with a fever) and just wanted to sit on my lap and cry "mommy". The Love Bug had a fever too but he was in pretty good spirits. On June 26th we ended up taking the Missus to the ER to make sure she didn't have pneumonia. She had a chest x--ray and was diagnosed with a viral infection. We went home and just tried to keep her comfortable. We didn't have the Love Bug checked out because, again, he was in good spirits, although he clearly had the same thing. The next day I got it and the day after that my husband got it. We cancelled our plans to go to my mom's cottage that weekend in order to rest and get better.


On July 1st we had plans to go to my FIL and step-MIL's cottage. We didn't want to disappoint them so we decided to go even though we weren't 100%. The Missus, husband and I all seemed to be doing better, but Love Bug didn't. He had a couple of days on the weekend where his fever was low, but for some reason, it seemed to come back on Monday and got really high.

Our visit to the cottage wasn't good. Love Bug was having trouble sleeping, wouldn't eat anything and seemed to be burning up (although we didn't bring our thermometer to tell for sure). And, he was so cranky. Unbelievably cranky and yelling constantly. It was very out of character for him.

We came home around lunch time on Friday and my hubby looked into Love Bug's ears (he told us his ear hurt). Sure enough he had an ear infection. So, we figured that was why his fever had come back. We got him antibiotics and waited for them to kick in. Nothing. We kept treating him with advil and tylenol but as soon as it was starting to leave his system his fever would rocket to over 40. Celsius...even reaching 40.5 sometimes.

After 2 days of antibiotics (the proper protocol for treating ear infections) with no results, we took him into Emerg. He had blood tests, urine tests, physical exam and a chest x-ray. None of these are fun with a screaming, feverish, very sick 3 year old. He ended up being admitted to the hospital with Kawasaki Disease. I had never heard of it before. Around 5:30pm I took the Missus home and got things organized while my hubby waited with Love Bug for him to be admitted to the Pediatric floor. Once my mom was able to come look after the Missus I went back to the hospital and spent the next 24 hours there. (I went home for the night and then was there again for the day).

The Love Bug was put on an IV and seemed a little better as soon as he had some fluid in. He has lost about 3 pounds, which is quite a bit for someone his size. They started him on IVIG/Gamma Globulin (which are antibodies made from blood products) and high doses of aspirin (4 pills, 4 times a day). He also got 2 rounds of IV antibiotics while we were there.

He was released from hospital on Wednesday afternoon and we just finished the high doses of aspirin yesterday. He will now need to take one a day for 4-6 weeks. He has an appointment with a pediatrician next week then we will be going to see a pediatric cardiologist in the next couple of weeks. His heart will need to be monitored over the next year to ensure that no long term damage was done from the Kawasaki.

I am so relieved that he is doing better. And really hope that we started the treatment in time (there is a 1- day window of opportunity to minimize long term effects). The fever is gone and he is eating a little bit better. He is still really tired and his mood swings are CRAZY. It apparently is a side effect of Kawaskai disease.

The whole experience has me a bit shocked and I felt like I was walking in a daze. I am being brave and positive though....willing my baby to be better.