Happy Easter

I hope the Easter Bunny brought happiness to everyone today!

The good news is that despite Bailey's best attempts, I've received report that peter cotton-tail escaped by a narrow margin this morning and will live to see another year.  That dog loves her bunny rabbits!

Looking back through the blog, I came to realize that I've now been blogging for 1 year.  Wow, amazing how time flies!  It's neat to look back at Easter 2011 and relive the memories.  Life is just a little different now.  Last year I enjoyed a lazy morning, fun in the kitchen preparing a feast, and spending quality time with family, all while knowing I was done with medical school and on a 3 month vacation.  Flash forward to 2012 and I spent the night working in the trauma ICU, tossed and turned for 5 restless hours, woke up tired, tried to write an essay that I am totally uninspired to write, and have 2 hours before I'm back at work again.  And, on top of that, I'm missing spending the day with my family and enjoying Easter dinner together.  Oh, the life of a resident.  

As for my Easter dinner, I'm not exactly expecting a great culinary masterpiece from the hospital cafeteria at midnight.  Judging by last night's selections of fried chicken, spare ribs, carrots floating in butter, mushy overcooked broccoli, and macaroni and cheese, it's not looking promising.  Maybe the Easter Bunny will delivery a vegan holiday feast.  A girl can hope, right?!

Night or Day?

Breakfast of tempeh and scrambled eggs, peanut butter english muffin, and banana.  While many might enjoy this weekend "breakfast" at a normal hour of 8am, I was feasting on at 4pm.  

I'm currently living in the land of trauma-drama, a.k.a. a month long stretch in the surgical trauma ICU.  Over the course of the month, I'll work 11 nights and the remainder of the time on days.  The hardest part of nights is getting your body clock adjusted.  It always seems to take me a few days before I can really sleep well during the daylight hours, and by then I switch back to days.    Somehow, though, my body seems to get by on less sleep while working nights and I enjoy a few "extra" daylight hours.  Today I was awake by 3:15pm, enjoyed an hour on the deck, watched The Masters, went for a 6 mile run, and now am sipping a latte and getting ready for work.

When I'm working 14+ hour days, I tend to eat all 3 meals at the hospital.  Or, as in the above picture, I bring hospital food home for dinner.  Sure, I love to cook, but having a decent selection of already prepared food at work is a great alternative.  Here's a glimpse into the non-cafeteria treats I've enjoyed this week.

Starbuck's soy lattes are by far my favorite coffeehouse drink.  There's simply nothing like enjoying sip after sip of heaven to fuel me through a long day.

Most mornings my breakfast ends up being a bowl of cereal and a banana, eaten in a rush while rounding on patients or sitting in morning report.  Breakfast is possibly my favorite meal of the day, and I miss giant yogurt/granola/fruit bowls, omelets, and pancakes.  Friday morning I whipped up a batch of whole wheat banana pancakes topped with a blackberry reduction syrup.  I always make extra pancakes, wrap them up in pairs and freeze them.  Then, on mornings when I'm pressed for time I can simply toss them in the toaster and enjoy a pancake breakfast in a flash.

I combined fresh farmer's market veggies (asparagus, carrots, and bean sprouts) with carrot ginger soup to make a hearty and refreshing lunch.  Served on the side was pretzel crisps with hummus and a fresh pear.

Time to head back to the hospital for another night of trauma-rama!

Kicked Up Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Several months ago I receive a coupon to be used for any Duncan Hines product.  As I browsed the grocery store shelves, I was struck by the unhealthiness of nearly all of their products.  High fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients, highly processed white flour, saturated fats, and preservatives seemed to highlight every ingredient list of their cake mixes and frosting.  I nearly walked away with plans to throw away the coupon, but then I spotted a new product.

The ingredient list is surprisingly simple:

• Whole wheat flour, blueberries, sugar, wheat fiber, corn starch, baking powder, palm oil, natural flavor, salt, xanthan and guar gums

While these muffins may be good if you prepared them as directed, I was looking for something a little more hearty.  Here's the recipe for my "semi-homemade" muffins.

Kicked Up Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

Duncan Hines Simple Mornings Wild Maine Blueberry Muffin Mix

Blueberries, rinsed and drained (included in muffin box)

1/2 cup oats

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger

3 tbsp flax

5 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup applesauce

1/3 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

3/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease muffin tins.
2. Combine flax and 5 tbsp water.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
3. Combine dry ingredients (muffin mix, oats, raisins, chia, cinnamon, crystallized ginger).
4. Combine wet ingredients (flax egg, vanilla, applesauce, carrot, zucchini, water, blueberries)
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated.
6. Scoop into muffin tins.  I used a 12 count muffin tin and filled them 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 19 minutes, or until lightly browned and well set.
8. Cool for 5 minutes and then remove from muffin tins and finish cooling on wire rack.

Feels Like Sunday

Yes, I know, it's Saturday.  However, our rotation schedule changes precisely on the 1st of each month, and tomorrow (Sunday) is the 1st.  April 1st = Day 1 in the Trauma ICU.  I wish it were an April Fool's joke, but I'm afraid it's not.  With a busy several months looming, I had created a major to-do list that I hoped to conquer yesterday and today.  Fortunately, I'm happy to say that I've accomplished most everything.  Unfortunately this darn essay I have to write about the disparities in medicine still hasn't written itself.  Hmm, guess that will go back on this week's to-do list.

Friday's big accomplishment was purchasing patio furniture.  I love spending time on my deck soaking up the sun!  When I had my first deck on an apartment during medical school, my parents passed down a PVC pipe Floridian-themed chair and table.  It has served it's purpose well and didn't cost me a dime, but I was more than ready for new lounge chairs that didn't look quite so tacky.

I found great lounge chairs and matching table at a price that was considerably less than I had budgeted.  The only problem - flat packed boxes.  While watching the Today Show this morning I set out to tackle the construction project.

About an hour later, this was the result.  LOVE IT!

Meal highlights included:

• Pancakes (a weekend tradition).  Despite the very unappetizing photo, I assure you that this plate was delicious.  Oatmeal pancakes were topped with a cinnamon raisin banana mash and maple syrup.

• Kicked Up Vegan Blueberry Muffins (recipe coming soon).  I made these to stick in the freezer and grab for a healthy early morning snack on my way to work.

• Roasted Kale, Avocado Slices, Brown Rice topped with Savory "Cheese" Sauce, and Roasted Mushrooms
• The "cheese" sauce was a mix of nutritional yeast, almond milk, worcestershire sauce, mustard, and black pepper.  I simply simmered it on the stove for 10 minutes and served.

Training wise, I've been hitting some pretty solid workouts recently.  Friday included an early morning 2500m at the pool, 5 mile tempo run, and an hour of pilates.  Today featured 90 minutes of bike hills on the trainer that left my quads screaming in pain.  I think I may have lost 5 pounds in sweat.  It was gross.

One of my biggest stresses when I have a hectic schedule with long hours at the hospital is finding time to continue my triathlon training.  Now that we're getting closer to race time, it becomes an even greater concern.  In an attempt to ameliorate this concern, I've got a plan for April.  It may be a little ambitious and fatigue and need for sleep may win out over some of my workouts, but it's a start.

And that's a wrap for life in Charlotte on this last day of March.  Where did yet another month go?  I'm hitting publish and then I'm going to enjoy a couple hours of laziness before it's back to the grind tomorrow.

A Ticket To Taste

Have you ever scoured over a restaurant menu and wished you could order a tasting portion of nearly every entree on the menu?  Please tell me I'm not alone in preferring small portions of twenty different things rather than a single large entree.  Perhaps this is why I love the Whole Foods salad and hot bar - endless combinations of fantastic treats!

Imagine my delight when I learned of Taste of the Nation,  a national event coming to Charlotte on April 11th that will feature dishes created by Queen City's hottest chefs.  More than 30 different restaurants, culinary schools, and wineries will participate in this evening.  Guests will not only enjoy endless tastes of signature creations, but will also contribute to the fight against childhood hunger.  In fact, 100% of ticket sales are directly invested in this mission.

Taste of the Nation - Charlotte

Two Wells Fargo Center Atrium

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

For more information about Charlotte's Taste of the Nation and to purchase tickets, pay a visit to their website so that you, too, can be wined and dined while supporting this noble cause.  Besides, I'd hate for you to drool on your computer screen and shed tears of jealousy when I present you with a photo chronicle of my evening of incredible eats!