Epic Brats

Yes, I know I've mentioned these brats from the Engine 2 Cookbook a few times on this blog, and each time I admit I haven't made them yet. This is another of those times.

I finally did buy the rice paper wrappers required for it, but still haven't gotten around to doing anything with them.

Maybe the public posting of the recipe here, and this video of who I assume is Engine 2 Coach Ami Mackey, making them, will finally give me the push to do it. 



I have no excuse except for my general laziness. Very few of the meals I make lately even require a recipe - 3 days a week I make brown rice and 3 pounds of frozen veggies and we have them with assorted sauces - the Esselstyn 3-2-1 dressing, Bragg's Aminos, the Esselstyn Sweet Fire dressing, or just plain old low-sodium soy sauce. Twice a week I make spaghetti or other shape pasta with either Jeff Novick's or Mary McDougall's marinara sauce or just a mix of canned or boxed tomatoes. The other 2 days I either make Instant Pot potatoes with frozen veggies and the McDougall Fat-Free Golden Gravy or one of the soups of Mary McDougall, like Quick Black Bean or Bean and Corn Soup, although hubby prefers either Festive Dal or Mexi Soups.

Lately I've been having asthma problems again, thanks to all the rain we've been having and my mold allergy. I really should go back on my inhaler, the one that's a combo bronchodilator and steroid. But studies are now finding that the bronchodilator portion of that med may have contributed to causing my stress cardiomyopathy, and the steroid portion to my rapidly worsening cataracts. Even though it, too, is on the "avoid" list, I've had to take my emergency bronchodilator inhaler a few times over the past few weeks. It's easy for all these people to say "avoid" these meds, but they offer no alternatives, or the alternative is also contraindicated because of either the cardiomyopathy, cataracts, or my autoimmune diseases. The eye doc would say not to take the steroid, the cardiologist would say avoid the bronchodilator, a rheumatologist would say avoid both, and the primary care doc would say to just take it and deal with any consequences if they come up. My choices are to risk another cardiac episode, go blind, risk internal organ damage, or stop breathing. Some choice.