An A on the Calendar

Alzheimer’s is nothing short of a devastating disease. I feel myself extremely lucky that I have not (yet) been touched by it either with myself or a close friend/family member. I can’t imagine the stress as you watch a loved one slowly disappear inside their mind and the person that you may have known their whole life slowly becomes someone else.

A number of years ago, The Ranting Wife was watching the Today show and they were talking about Alzheimer’s and that with early detection, you might be able to slow down the initial progression of the disease. One of the difficulties with that approach is trying to recognize when the symptoms really start.

If you can’t find your keys and can’t recall where you left them, is it the start of Alzheimer’s or were you just too distracted at the time? Can’t remember someone’s name? I’ve had that problem my whole life. Can you remember a day from 20 years ago better than what you had for lunch last Thursday? Whose to say what is just normal forgetfulness or something more. The Today show came to the rescue.

They recommended that when an episode of forgetfulness occurs, put the letter “A” on your calendar for that day. No, not a scarlet letter A, but what that could show is the frequency and potential growth of symptoms. Show this to your doctor and it will help them identify if something may be going on.

While I hope the Ranting Family is still many years away from worrying about it, when one of us forgets something, another will invariably tell them to put an A on the calendar.

Summer Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Basil

There is no forgetting the flavor in this dish.

Just a handful of ingredients here. You can find the freekeh online if you can’t find it in the stores. Quinoa may also be used.

Put an A on the calendar on the day you have this for AWESOMENESS!

Summer Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Basil

Ingredients:

Fully cooked freekeh, chilled
Fresh heirloom tomatoes, diced
Goat cheese, crumbled
Fresh basil
Fresh sugar snap peas, in pods, cut into bite-size pieces
Red wine vinaigrette
Olive oil
Salt
Cracked pepper

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients to taste.

Source: http://www.thedailymeal.com/summer-salad-heirloom-tomatoes-goat-cheese-and-basil