Sunday, July 17, 2011

Grocery shopping adventures....

I decided to run into Harris Teeter on my way home from church today...just for a few things! I'm working night shift this week, and there is NO food in the hospital at night....so take your food or starve! So I decided to go to the store and get a few staples! Hummus....Lean Cuisines....Water.....

It's extremely hard to park at Harris Teeter on Sunday b/c everyone is there shopping...so I parked my car in the garage....no biggie I thought....I'm just getting a few things! WRONG!

So, I go into Harris Teeter...watermelon sounds good!!!! Hummus check....Water check....Lean cuisine check....then major fail buy 1 get 1 12 pack soda....so I get two!

As I am checking out, I think how the heck am I going to get this to my apartment with my car in the garage?!?! It's too much to carry! Ok...I'll push the cart as far as I can to the apartment....and go up the loading dock! Solution!!! WRONG! Loading dock was closed!

So I got as close as I could...then carried as much as I could to the apartment lobby in stages (while hoping no one stole my watermelon and water still in my cart unattended!). I got it all in the lobby....then all in the elevator......then major fail.....I DROP MY WATERMELON!!!! CRACK!

I think I can save most of it...

FAIL FAIL FAIL....

Friday, July 15, 2011

What's Your SSB?

From Urban Dictionary : "Secret Single Behavior." A term originating from the television show Sex and the City, a SSB is an action or habit that one indulges in only when alone. This refers especially to behavior that is hidden from one's significant other and that could be potentially embarrassing (or disastrous) if discovered.

Carrie Bradshaw stacks saltines-- she puts grape jelly on them. And she eats them, standing up in the kitchen while reading the latest issue of Vogue. It's her SSB.

We ALL have our SSB....if I told you what my SSB was it wouldn't be secret though would it?!? The other night dear BF called to see what I was up to...and was shocked to hear I was up to my SSB. What is SSB?!?! Secret Single Behavior?!?! Yes....you'll never know!!!

Gotta keep him guessing!!! ;-)



Thursday, July 14, 2011

Chicken Provencal...It's what's for dinner!

Baked Chicken, Veggies, Mashed Potatoes and a glass of Chardonnay on the patio....



I saw this recipe and it struck my eye!!! It was delicious so I thought I'd share!!! I tweaked the recipe a little so I will share the original and my tweaking!!!

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
5 Dried Dates, pitted and chopped (I omitted)
3 Tablespoons chopped and pitted Kalamata olives
2 bay leaves (I omitted)
3 Tablespoons garlic, crushed, minced with 1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano
Fresh ground pepper
3 pounds bone in, skin on chicken thighs (I used 3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)
3 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar (I omitted)
1/4 cup dry white wine (I omitted)
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley (optional) (I omitted)
Feta cheese (my addition)

Combine vinegar, olive oil, dates, olives, bay leaves, garlic, oregano and pepper to taste in a large container with a lid. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Let this sit overnight in the fridge (or at least 6 hours.).

Preheat to 350 degrees.

Put chicken in casserole dish. Pour marinade from container over the chicken. Scatter the onion slices between the chicken pieces and wedge tomatoes into crevices. Sprinkle each piece with brown sugar. Then pour white wine over dish and chicken. Bake for one hour or until chicken juices run clear, and the tomatoes are browned and onions are soft.

I added feta cheese to the chicken once plated. YUM!!!

I served it with these veggies... (recipe below!)


Vegetable Tian

olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only
2 medium green zucchini
2 medium yellow zucchini
2 thin eggplants
4 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Gruyère

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13 baking dish with oil.

Warm oil in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add half the thyme leaves. Spread the onion and garlic mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.

Cut the zucchini, eggplants, and tomatoes into 1/4-inches thick slices, discarding the ends. Layer the slices in the the baking dish on top of the onions and garlic, alternating the vegetables to create a colorful design. Drizzle surface of vegetables with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining thyme leaves.

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil cover. Sprinkle top of vegetables with cheese. Bake for an additional 10 to 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Trader Joe's!


I ventured out today to Falls Church, Virginia...purpose of the trip was to go to a nursing scrub store....which turned out to be a cheap clothing store that resembled Roses that sold some printed nursing tops. No thank you! I will order online.

While out in the same shopping center, I did find a Michaels which I was able to find a few things for an upcoming party! So not a complete fail!


The best part of the trip...Trader Joe's!!! A friend of mine had told me there was a Trader Joe's out that way, but when I left my house earlier today this was not on my agenda....this quickly changed as I could not resist to stop and pick up some vino!!! I love Trader Joes! Too bad I grocery shopped just the other day and it was approximately 110 degrees in my car and I didn't have anything to help keep things frozen on my drive home! :-( So my shopping cart consisted of....two bags of yogurt covered pretzels and a case of wine! (Like I said earlier...I have a party coming up!)

I use to automatically go for the Charles Shaw three buck chuck wine. But this time I strolled the wine aisle and was shocked to find many many wines that were nicely priced!!!

I have tactic when picking wines...1.) type of wine (Chardonnay, Cab, Merlot, Riesling,.....) then, 2.) prettiness of the label/uniqueness of the label then 3.) price, then 4.) I read the bottle description!

Everyone has their way of going about picking wines....I like mine! Even better way is if the store is having a wine tasting!!!

Santa Barbara Landing 2009 Chardonnay
Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red Catalunya
Blue Fin 2009 California Chardonnay
2009 Chariot Gypsy
Honey Moon Viognier 2009 California
La Finca 2010 Cabernet Savignon Argentina Mendoza
Tres Pinos 2009 San Luis Obispo County Three Pines Cuvee White
JW Morris 2010 California Riesling

Friday, July 8, 2011

Off the leash!



Yep...I'm off orientation at work as of Monday! The past month has been hard on me...at times I felt like quitting and going back to NC and other times just going to the bathroom and crying a little bit! It's hard being the "big fish in the pond" in one hospital and then "being the guppy" in another!

I've vented my frustrations many times to different people and asked WHY?!? GW Hospital is going through a lot of changes right now so this will be a continued learning process until all the changes are said and done!

My preceptor, ICU educator and manager all feel comfortable with me coming off orientation...which I feel is fine too! I told them it's nice having someone there to be my "crutch" but I know I gotta "walk on my own" sometime! I've been doing this for 4+ years....let me walk!

Another nurse walked up to me the other night and said...."you're from NC?" "Where did you work" "You know....and....and..and...and...." and I said "yes, yes, yes, yes, yes" Such a small world! It's nice to have connections like that in the place you work!

Going through this process I'm glad I didn't cry...and glad I didn't go back to NC! I've met some awesome nurses and doctors. I've also met a doctor that I think will be my enemy this next year...but I'll work on that!

I'm excited to be on my own now...as much as I felt comfort in having someone there to help me out and my preceptors were great....it's nice functioning as a independent RN!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Cycle 1



What better time to do this diet than summer time when the produce is amazing in the stores!!!

I went to the store the other day and got some summer squash, celery, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, carrots, lettuce, strawberries, and blueberries!!!

My mornings have consisted of scrambled eggs (2 eggs) topped with salsa.

Today I made a omelet with FF cheese, tomato, onion, and bellpepper inside! Yum-o!!!

I sauteed squash and onions together and had that as a side dish!!! BBQ'd some chicken!!! (I probably shouldn't of had the BBQ sauce...but I did!) And paired it with a fresh salad.

For another meal, I sauteed, a chicken breast, some broccoli, peppers, water chestnuts and onions and had a chinese stir fry....just without the rice! I was very satisfied! I added some soy sauce to my plate.

I love salads...especially in the summer! Fresh vegetables are delicious to me....but they have to be easily assessable!!! I went ahead and cut up my celery into pieces when I got home from the store so I can grab them when I get the munchies!

FF Sour Cream is ok on this cycle- but that would just be gross by itself...but add some onion soup mix to it and you have DIP!!! YUM! I've been gently dipping my carrots and celery into the sour cream dip!


I just ran across this....how delicious does this look!!!!


Vegetable Tian

olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only
2 medium green zucchini
2 medium yellow zucchini
2 thin eggplants
4 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Gruyère

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13 baking dish with oil.

Warm oil in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add half the thyme leaves. Spread the onion and garlic mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.

Cut the zucchini, eggplants, and tomatoes into 1/4-inches thick slices, discarding the ends. Layer the slices in the the baking dish on top of the onions and garlic, alternating the vegetables to create a colorful design. Drizzle surface of vegetables with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining thyme leaves.

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil cover. Sprinkle top of vegetables with cheese. Bake for an additional 10 to 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Yield: 8 servings.


I'll keep posting deliciousness.....

Night Shift diet


Being a nurse who intermittently works night shift, I've always struggled with...what do I eat?...when do I eat?...etc! I either feel like I overindulge on junk or don't eat enough!

I was excited to see that Dr. Moreno included a Shift work chapter in his 17 Day Diet book!!! I'm actually work night shift this week! How fitting!!! Here are a few facts about shift work:
  • "...shift work, including night work, disrupts the body's "circadian rhythm"- the internal clock that governs eating, sleeping, body temperature and other regular biological processes, all hardwired and regulated to the rising and setting of the sun."
  • "...late shift workers gained an average of 9.5 pounds during their late shift tenure, while their day shift counterparts gained only 2 pounds."
  • "...there is a hormonal issue. When you sleep and eat at irregular times, you metabolism gets thrown out of whack."
  • "Shift workers have two to three times as many digestive problems as their peers on the day shift." Dr. Moreno 17 Day Diet
So...with this being said...be nice to those people who do shift work!!!

Night shift menu-

When you wake up- Breakfast
2 eggs, fruit, yogurt
(or) oatmeal, eggs, fruit (0r) cereal, (or) egg white omelet w/spinach and fruit, coffee

6pm-8pm (Before shift)-Dinner
Grilled Chicken, veggies, fruit (or) pork chop, veggie (or) grilled chicken, veggies, fruit,
(or) Green Salad w/ oil and vinegar dressing with chicken.

3am-4am (Lunch @ work)
Tuna with 1Tbsp EVOO/Vinegar over lettuce, yogurt, (0r) shrimp salad and yogurt (0r) pita sandwich (or) Green salad with chicken, yogurt.

After shift/before sleep
Fruit

Hopefully this will help me get through night shifts...and who knows..someone else will stumble across this and find it helpful!!!