Achy Breaky

Today has been kind of a rough day.

Had a bad backache all day, kind of in the kidney area and it radiates down into my hip.

Finally about 4 p.m., I texted Dr. Walton and he texted me back and called. I really, REALLY like that he gives out his cell number, so you can text him or call him if you need help. So nice and so patient.

It's probably not kidney stones (hooray!) because I'd have a different, more intense kind of pain, he says. Maybe constipation -- oh boy! Take some Miralax and stay hydrated.

In the meantime, I'm coming up with five to 10 food story ideas for the food writing class I'm taking. Seems like an oxymoron to have a food writer with gastric sleeve surgery.

Made some fabulous chicken broth today with the carcass of the Roast Chicken With Two Lemons, some onions, celery, fresh rosemary from my garden and a touch of kosher salt. So much better than the canned stuff. If you make Roast Chicken With Two Lemons, make sure you do exactly what Marcella Hazan says temperature-wise, drying the chicken and starting it upside down. It's the best roasted chicken ever.

'You're My Foodie'

Tuesday (yesterday) was our two-week diet class, and it's amazing how much more you listen when your new, improved smaller stomach has gotten your attention.

It's extremely important to get your vitamins in the appropriate way to absorb them, so I now have a schedule and am ready to work that deal.

And we went back over eating right to help our pouch heal properly. That means "mushies" this week i.e. scrambled eggs, cottage cheese and tuna/chicken/egg salad sans veggies this week. Since we aren't adding interesting things to our food yet, I won't be posting original recipes until I can eat them. Translation -- it'll be a couple of weeks.

In our diet class, our dietician and "coach" Stephanie from WeightWise called me her "foodie," and I'm going to do my best to live up to that. It was also Steph who promised that eventually I'd be able to eat just about anything, just not so much of it. The plan is that I'll still be able to do restaurant reviews and food features.

Because I won't be able to eat a whole lot, I'm planning on eating the best quality food I can.

I'm planning on dicing up some of the beautiful, best-ever Marcella Hazan's Roast Chicken with Two Lemons we made a couple of days ago for hubby to nosh on. Simplest, best recipe: chicken, salt and pepper, two small lemons. That will be supper tonight in some chicken salad. As the story goes -- in Marcella's kitchen, the nickname for that chicken recipe is Engagement Chicken, because every time they make that chicken recipe for their intended, that couple gets engaged. Funny -- last time I gave a young female friend that recipe, she got engaged. Love it.