Not Enough Time in the Day

The start of another month and my disappearance from the blog could only mean one thing - it's another month on ortho trauma.  Very early morning rounds combined with OR cases running into the evening leaves me with very little time to accomplish much of anything other than a short workout and sleep.  My perfect night's sleep would be somewhere between 8-9 hours.  On busy months like these, I'm lucky to get 6 hours each night.  While I feel fine when I'm busy, the fatigue hits hard the second I slow down.

Meals haven't been all that exciting recently.  Lunches at work are eaten in a hurry between OR cases.  Depending on the OR schedule, there's not time for a traditional lunch, and instead I snack between cases.  When I do get a chance to go to the cafeteria, I most often opt for a giant salad with lots of great toppings.  Sometimes, however, I'm desperate for a warm meal after freezing in the OR all morning.  

Curried green beans, corn, tomato bisque, and foccacia.

Chickpeas and Eggplant, Cinnamon Carrots

Sunday I made a pot of pasta in preparation for the week.  It was a saute of shitake mushrooms, garlic, spinach, and diced tomatoes mixed with whole grain spaghetti and topped with fresh parmesean cheese.  It was quite delicious and I really enjoyed it the first two nights.  However, by the time I was finishing the last of the leftovers on Thursday night, I had my fill of pasta.  Cooking during the week is nearly impossible though, so microwavable leftovers is the only feasible option.

Today has been all about sleeping in, exercise (strength training, run, yoga), running errands, and relaxing.  I love days like today!  Now I'm curled up on the couch with a warm blanket watching TV while I type this post.

Breakfast was a classic - PANCAKES!  Today's stack was topped with chia charger almond butter, cinnamon brulee bananas, chia seeds, and maple syrup.  Served alongside was some plain greek yogurt with chopped strawberries.  Perfect breakfast to fuel my morning workouts and shopping.

The farmer's market was packed as usual, despite the bitter cold temperatures.  For just $8, I picked up everything in the picture.  2 bunches of kale, 3 tangerines, 2 bosc pears, tomato, green bell pepper, vidalia onion, beets, spaghetti squash, and pea pods.

Mid-morning I hit the YMCA for athletic conditioning.  While it's not quite the same as The Sport Factory's strength class, it's a very challenging strength workout that pushes me much harder than I ordinarily would push myself.  Case in point - I did 150 pushups this morning.  It's quite possible that my shoulders might not function tomorrow.  I followed that with a quick, yet productive treadmill speed workout that left me a sweaty mess.

Dinner tonight was eco-friendly fresh salmon, pearl whole wheat couscous, and roasted asparagus.  The salmon was marinated in a combination of balsamic and orange juice, and is topped with a reduction of the same sauce after it roasted in the oven.  The pearl couscous was sauteed with onion, garlic, and spinach, and then cooked in white wine + water, and seasoned with paprika and curry.  The asparagus was simply roasted with EVOO and lemon juice.  

I have so much fun in the kitchen when I actually have the time to prepare excellent meals.  Unfortunately, that just doesn't happen as much as I'd like.  Tomorrow I'm ready for another day of good eats.  Spaghetti squash is on the agenda for dinner, and I might just have to do a little baking too.  

Until then, it's time to get some sleep.  My heated blanket is already turned on, which means my bed is calling.  Good night!