Month: July 2014

Follow up with the podiatrist today.  While a part of me thinks it’s kind of silly to see the doctor over a sore toe (even one that’s been pretty persistent) I have also been told that with diabetes I have to pay special attention to my feet and this kind of thing is not to be ignored.

The problem is a puzzle.  The X-rays show a very slight increased separation in the first joint (the joint between the metatarsal and the first toe bone) but nothing that really explains the problem.

One thing, the new shoes I got–up from 9 1/2 EEEE to 11 EEEE–are still not wide enough.  There’s apparently a “turning” of the metatarsal bone on the little toe side that’s normal with age and that makes my foot wider than before.  He suggested going to the New Balance store and see if they have 6E in stock.  I can probably reduce a half size in length so long as they’re wide enough.  In the meantime he gave me a steroid shot in the joint, hoping to get the inflammation (the probable cause of that increased separation) under control.

If the wider shoes do not relieve the problem (since I still have the discomfort when going barefoot at home, this may well be an issue) and the cortisone doesn’t resolve it, then we may be looking at surgical intervention.  According to the doctor since I have a sedentary job, I might be able to go back to it about a week after the surgery, so long as I can stay off my feet with the “repaired” foot propped up.

We’re hoping to avoid that.

All that from a sore toe.

Beef tips and gravy.

This is quite similar to the ridiculously easy pot roast and gravy.  Mostly the presentation is a little different.

Ordinarily, I would wait a bit longer between posting such similar recipes but this one appears to have been a big hit at the just finished LibertyCon that I figured to go ahead and put it up.

As it happened, this was one of two items I donated to the con suite.  The other was a chili recipe (not a low-carb recipe; I make it because it’s been popular at previous LC’s, so I continue to bring it even though I can’t eat it).  I was in the con suite (at science fiction conventions this is a room set aside for general socializing with drinks, snacks, and sometimes real food, provided by the con) around lunch time.  The chili was out and people were lined up to get some, along with other things that were available to eat.  There was someplace I had to be so I stepped out.  Came back about a half hour later.  Sometime after I had left, the folk running the con suite had put out the pot of beef tips.  And it was empty, gone.  It went fast.  I brought the stuff and it was gone before I could have any myself.

So here’s the recipe for this stuff that turned out to be very popular indeed:

Ingredients
3 lbs beef round roast, cut into 1/2 inch chunks.
1 1/2 TBSP Xanthum Gum*
1 cup diced onions
1 3/4 – 2 cups beef broth (can be canned, made from boullion, or homemade**)

(Optional (but it makes cleanup a breeze): Line a four quart slow cooker with slow cooker liners.)
Place the beef into the slow cooker.
Sprinkle the Xanthum Gum over the top.
Top with the diced onions.
Finally, pour in the beef broth.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Stir.

Serve with non-starchy vegetables or (if you’re not low-carb) noodles.

Like I said, this stuff went fast.

* As mentioned before, Xanthum Gum is my thickener of choice as a thickener for sauces and gravies.  It’s rather expensive on a per-pound basis, but you use less to thicken a given amount of liquid to a given consistency in comparison to flour or cornstarch.  It’s also lower in effective net carbs by weight.

** I may address making your own beef stock/broth in a future installment.  The process to make a good beef stock can be time consuming so it’s not really an “active writer” recipe, but it’s good enough that I may make an exception.

---

When war on Earth cuts off access to space, the people of several space stations and a barely started colony have to figure out how to survive.  The ultimate Survival Test.