During the week, our little family got some news for our oldest daughter, which wasn’t the best. Not a fatal accident or another traumatic event, but a medical diagnosis that will change her life … for the better – in the long run.
Not to dwell too long over it, but she struggles with sudden weight gain, headaches, pain in her legs, and problems getting a full nights’ sleep. After visiting many doctors to talk about the root causes, they all, except one, brushed her away. Most doctors claimed it was an unhealthy lifestyle and hormone changes, which we knew was BS.
We were afraid it would be a brain tumor, benign, I believe it’s called, that impacted her body negatively. One doctor believed her, and we got an MRI to determine the next steps. Thankfully there was no tumor, but they discovered that her spine had not developed correctly, which in turn has some pretty dramatic impacts on her body.
It is a mild form of spina bifida that never really developed.
Carbs are now fully banned from her diet. Diets and cardio exercises have ‘eaten’ her muscles.
It’s time for the Viking roots to change diet for our beautiful daughter – more meat as the doctor ordered.
We are grateful that we finally found a doctor who listens to our daughter and will help her with a good treatment for her issues. The doctor was positive about treatment but also honest that dietary changes are needed. Medication will help, too, although there’s still a risk of surgery.
I refuse to be scared of this diagnosis. We will change some of the family dinners, and with plenty of healthy food and love, we will change her life for the better.
Nothing a determined Viking dad and his trusted Traeger can’t handle.
In all honesty, we have been eating fairly healthy for the past 2.5 years since my heart failure adventure, so tweaking it a bit is not difficult. We have to cut away as many carbs as possible, as they are bad for the Viking Daughter.
My daughter has expressed an interest in helping to prepare meals. It means I get to spend some quality time with my beautiful Viking daughter. She finally learns how to cook, or at least the basics, which will benefit her in the future.
I hope this change will encourage her to create some great recipes, post them on this site, and share her story with the readers. It is an important story to share.
When she leaves for college, I’ll buy her a small Traeger, Black Rifle Coffee club subscription, and a small gun for protection. Axes are not ideal, only for close combat!
As the weather heats up, it also means that the trusted Traeger would get a lot more use, and we will extend cooking on the weekends to primarily smoked/grilled dishes and include the awesome Breeo fire pit. Cooking over the fire is absolutely awesome.
| Weekday | Lunch | Snacks | Dinner |
| Monday | Homemade fluffy buns with roast beef, sauerkraut and American cheese | Fruit n berries | Zucchini noodles with meat sauce |
| Tuesday | Pizza (on the Traeger, of course) | Fruit cups | Quiche Fiesta; sausage, spinach, crab meat, and healthy Gruyere |
| Wednesday | Pizza (on the Traeger, of course) | Granola bars | Lemon chicken with cauliflower rice |
| Thursday | Cesar salad with grilled chicken | Fruit cups | Grilled cod with stuffed peppers |
| Friday | More fluffy buns with shrimp and egg salad | Granola bars | Meat on the grill! Served as finger food with a lovely salad, Jalapenos poppers, slaw, and cold beverages. |
One day, I might get so organized that I will link the meals below to my recipes. We can only live in hope!
Have a fantastic week, my friends. I hope you enjoy these meal plans. It is so much easier to make food in advance, although you need to invest several hours during the weekend to prepare the meals.
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The Viking Heart Within 