Lazy Blog

Ok... I'm copying and pasting from my other blog. Yes, I'm being lazy but it's the same story for a different group of people. :)

Last week was orientation where we were given all of the information that we will need for the upcoming rotations and such. On day 2 of orientation I received my rotation schedule for the year and just about vomited on it. Yes, I actually felt nauseous. For those who don't know much about the internship I'll give you a quick run-down of how they generally work. All dietetic interns complete supervised practice rotations through (usually) 3 major categories of nutrition; Foodservice Management, Clinical Nutrition and Community Nutrition. Beyond that, each internship is a little to a lot different in how they break up those rotations, how many of each they require, where they send their interns to complete them and how quickly they are done. Some internship programs are paired with grad classes and some aren't. 

There! you've now received a very general overview of internships in the dietetics world. 

(Oh and most of them are 100% unpaid, very few offer a stipend but no wages.)

Now... My program is 12 months long, a very FULL 52 weeks long. I will be taking grad classes in succession with all of my rotations through Sac State but a lot of them, if not most of them, are shared with the dietetic interns at UC Davis. Kind of cool! Talk about networking.

So, back to my schedule and my nausea. My very first rotation as a dietetic intern will be my least favorite area of the field... Food Service, and I was placed at the facility that is the farthest away. What's "far" you say? Oh how does 60 miles one way sound? yup! 120+ miles to drive 4 days a week for 8 weeks.

When I started calculating my driving time and adding in and 8 hour (possibly 10-12) work day, the drive back, then whatever homework, studying and projects I need to work on, my stomach dropped and I felt a bit of a cold sweat.

But wait! There's more! After my Food Service rotation I get a nice 4 week community rotation in Sacramento (20ish minute drive) phew! Then .... my first clinical rotation is right back at the first hospital for another 9 weeks. All in all, I'm spending over a third of my internship year driving 120 miles everyday. Blech!

Needless to say, it has been a challenge accepting my schedule and what it means for my upcoming year. I'm really in for it. I just have to remember that this is done one day at a time. 

Also, that Haagen-Dazs makes gelato now and this one seems to make stress melt away...

I don't have any new meals to share. I haven't been making anything picture worthy and I've taken up eating like a bachelor, eating out of the container and over the sink. haha

I've rediscovered a pinterest find called Myfridgefood that I think might come in handy over this next year. you just select the ingredients you have in your fridge/pantry/kitchen and it gives you recipes that you can make with those items. Pretty cool! I'll be trying it out tomorrow hopefully. :)

Tomorrow is my first day of rotations and I'm kind of excited to just dive in but I'm really apprehensive for obvious reasons. I guess tomorrow I will see how the drive goes... Wish me luck!

Making Do

Hello all! 

I know (once again) it's been a while since I've blogged but trust me... there's been a lot going on! :)

I'm officially residing in Sacramento now, weird huh? It has been an adjustment for sure and I'm sure it will continue to be. Mom and Dad helped me move up here which I am ever so grateful for! I had a couple of weeks off after I finished at Loma Linda and they filled up so fast. I had a few dear dear friends to saw farewell to and a few small trips planned as well. 

First I spent a couple of days in Palm Springs with Mom which was excellent! Then my sister Kim and my nephews and I took a small roadtrip to my niece's birthday with a luxurious and fun one night stay in Lompoc. :)

One excited birthday girl and this is why....

 Cupcakes!

 

 We noshed on some excellent pizza, a fresh green salad and fresh summer fruit!

After the party weekend I had to head straight home to start the packing process. What a daunting task, let me tell you! After a couple of days I just starting packing stuff like a mad woman. My room was an absolute disaster but as the boxes got sealed and labeled Dad and Joe started loading them into one of the 2 cars that were heading North.

Fast forward to Friday and we were on our way. I wrote a little more about the move on the blog I'm co-authoring with fellow interns and good friends if you care to read the nitty gritty.

Now, I'm semi-settled in Sacramento and attempting to survive on my own. Since I'll be out of work and paying for tuition my meals may become very repetitive (oh wait they already have!) and look a whole lot like top ramen because it actually is. haha

I did some grocery shopping as soon as possible and tried to stock the fridge with the stuff I thought I could and would use up and not waste. That meant long lasting fruits and veggies, eggs, and various other staples. 

 The following meals resulted.

Ok, I didn't make In-N-Out but we ate it because... well because it's In-N-Out and it's pretty much awesome wherever you are. :)

Pasta, sauteed veggies and an egg. (by the way, I didn't have olive oil at this point which made for some disappointing pasta)

This loaf of artisan bread from Costco that you'll see I've been using just about every meal in some way.

Leftovers. 

Chicken that I made up a marinade for and grilled with some steamed veggies. (starting to seem some serious repeats?)

Quick scrambled egg breakfast with toast and a grapefruit quarter.

Our director took us out to lunch on our last day of orientation to a restaurant called "Noodles and Co." which was so nice of her and it was very tasty. I ordered a spicy Indonesian dish with chicken, sprouts, veggies, cilantro and lime.

More leftovers made into something else. I took the rest of the grilled chicken from the night before and made a pretty tasty salad if I do say so myself.

Simple breakfasts are best for me. Yogurt, granola, a sprinkle of chia seeds that I've had forever and need to use, and a banana on the side. 

I'm trying to decide how to divvy up the blogging info between this one and the Three Pea Stew. What I would like to do it keep all of my foodie stuff here and I'll leave the internship stuff for the other one. Who am I kidding... after everything I found out this week, I'm going to be doing good to have time to sleep and shower. I really am in for an intense year. I don't know how I'm going to do it but the interns from this last year are still alive and even smiling so apparently it's possible. 

I'm ever so grateful that I have some awesome people encouraging me and supporting me. I can't tell you how much it means to know that you exist and are cheering me on. Until next time...

Long Overdue Announcement

So.... I have news to share. Since most of my readers are close friends and or family, you probably already know but I'm sharing anyway.

If you read this post, you'll know that I submitted my applications for dietetic internships back in February. From that time until late March l I sat around waiting for a call from any of the EIGHT (yes eight) programs that I had applied to. While Ashley was fielding calls for interviews from all of the ones she applied to, I was becoming more grateful by the day that I hadn't gotten my hopes up too high. I had given up hope when the last day of the interviewing time frame came along. I went to visit Ashley at her desk during my break at work and casually opened my email on my phone. Up popped a tiny email letting me know I had been selected to interview for Sacramento State University's internship!!!!!!!! yay! but wait! that's just an interview...

Three days later, I was interviewing over the phone with the director. It went well but in my opinion, not as well as I would have hoped. Now all that was left was reordering/ranking the programs I had applied to (<-- more difficult than it seems), and more waiting. 

April 7th was the big day. I had taken a few days off to join my family in Tahoe for that weekend and I'm so, so glad that I did. I figured that if I got bad news on the 7th I could drown myself take solace in the beautiful lake, and if I got good news, I would be with family and on vacation. What better way to celebrate or drown your sorrows?

FINALLY April 7th came and I was watching the clock all day... come on 4pm!!!!

Right about 3:55, my family not so discretely left the cabin one by one and I was left alone to keep hitting the refresh button on the website. BAM! 4:00, hit refresh and...

"Congratulations! You have been matched to Sacramento State University's Dietetic Internship"

WHAT?! yes, brain you saw that correctly, you don't need to refresh the page again.

I sat on the bed and laugh-cried for a few minutes. I was grateful for the empty cabin where I could experience the news on my own for a few brief moments. 

Ashley and I had worked out a system for this day. It went something like this:

Text a period (.) if it's not good news

Text an exclamation (!) if it is good news.

This way if one of us had good news and the other didn't, we knew to give each other some space. If we both had good news, we could call and scream. If we both had bad news we could call and cry (or scream). I waited a while before I couldn't stand it anymore and I sent my "!" She broke code and replied with actual words! How dare she!? :) Unlike me, the poor girl had to be at work the whole day and was still trying to get onto the website to find out what kind of news she had. An HOUR later she found out REALLY good news too! Next... Stephanie. Good news too! Yay us!

Soon the family trickled in and gave me cautious looks... (happy tears? or no?) Mom cried with me, Laura grinned and hugged me, and Dad stood there in shock. :) It took a few days for it to settle in. Especially when I realized that I had been selected for one of 8 spots in a program that received between 75-110 applicants, maybe more. Talk about humbling odds eh?

Anyway, long story long, I will soon be moving to Sacramento to begin my internship. Crazy! That's really what I started this blog for in the first place. Now... it's really happening!

I have a few weeks left before that happens but so much to do before! One last thing before you go (if you haven't already), Since Ashley, Stephanie and I all got into our internships this year , Stephanie came up with the brilliant idea of co-blogging our internships as a way to keep in touch and share our experience with each other. It should be great fun to have the three of us writing about our difference adventures. It's not completely set up yet but you can find us HERE!

I'm so happy to be moving to the next chapter. Thank you to each one of you who have encouraged me to keep going and commiserated with me when it's been rough. I'm not there yet but it's great to know that the goal is getting closer!

A Plethora of Birthdays

Dear me, time flies by and here it's been nearly another week since I wrote anything. I had the great fortune of celebrating my birthday with my  family and later with friends last week. Mom and I spoiled ourselves at the amazing Burke Williams for the day. I got sneaky and took pictures where I probably wasn't supposed to, but I made sure I was alone.

They've made some changes since the last time I was there and now the place is even more full of cozy spots like this one than it was before. We sat here and chatted, 

We sat here in blissful silence, 

and we sat with this in utter delight. You do have the option to have lunch brought to you there in the spa but we decided to go out and get lunch before returning to the quiet oasis behind the Burke William's doors.

I had a panini (surprise, surprise!) and a salad of field greens topped with balsamic from Corner Bakery. They have a new panini that is definitely worth a taste. The Monterey Turkey: smoke turkey, fresh spinach, artichoke asiago spread and provolone on sourdough. =D

There are a lot of great things about this spa but on of them is that around just about every corner you will find a table like this one: 

Loaded with cool water, fresh fruit, and hot tea. 

Anyway, after Mom and I were pampered all day long, we spent some time walking around the outdoor mall and then it was time for dinner with some of the family. 

My sister, two brothers, two nephews and Mom and Dad took me out for dinner at a grill called Zitto's. We passed up a Mediterranean restaurant because of the size of our group but we were all very happy with our dinner. 

I added a side salad but was disappointed with their version of a "green" salad. It was all iceberg lettuce and very little flavor. I didn't finish it.

My pasta on the other hand was delightful. Angel hair, basil, feta and parmesan, sun dried tomato and pine nuts. This is a deceiving picture. There was quite a bit of pasta and I ended up taking a large portion home for leftovers.

My gift of the night: A handmade wand. Fashioned out of a straw by my multi-talented nephew. Thank you Derek! I'm keeping it safe here on my desk if the need for a wand ever arises, I have a strong feeling this one will serve me well!

The following night I went to dinner with a few friends to celebrate 2 birthdays! Stephanie and I share a birthday week and we need very little for an excuse to have a great night with friends. We went to BJ's again because it's just too hard to pass up free pizookie. :) Those of you who don't have a reference for the amazing-ness of pikzookie, I urge you to google it, order it, make it, indulge in it. It's amazing.

Anyway, I ordered this humongous salad without knowing just how humongous it was and proceeded to engulf myself (figuratively of course) in the tasty fried onions, grilled chicken, sweet corn and all the other amazing elements of this plate. 

I was through a good portion of it before someone mentioned pizookie and I quickly dropped my fork, appalled that I had forgotten about dessert.

Stephanie and I ordered our birthday pizookie plates and delightfully dug in. At this point in the night, I was already full and was more than willing to share with two of the guys that had refrained from dessert. Sneaky little thieves got the better end of the deal on that one didn't they?

I had such a great night. So many good hard laughs and stories we'll tell and continue to laugh about. Thanks to Ashley, Jason, Marven, Stephanie, George and Zaul for a great night! Can't wait to do it again!

I had a sort of shift initiation this weekend. I worked until 10 both nights and then had to be back at 5 the next morning. It's the most extreme back to back shift I've ever worked and I survived. I won't lie, I did doze at my desk a few times during the slow moments in the office. Not to be outdone, my partner in crime for the morning, Jon, expertly got in more shut eye than I did during those downtimes. 

I was very thankful for the day off today after that although it wasn't as bad as my imagination had chalked it up to be. I spent the day catching up on errands and of course, in the kitchen. I had some requests to write about my mom's homemade sourdough and how it all works so I spent some time baking and snapping pictures today. Can't wait to share because it was a learning experience for me too.

My favorite part about my days off : fresh lunches!

I threw together a sandwich with Havarti cheese, fresh Roma tomatoes, spinach, hummus, pepper, and a very small amount of cooked pastrami on Tandoori Naan. Blueberries on the side to encourage and feed what few brain cells I have left.

Not too shabby for a quick, thrown together lunch. :)

It's back to work tomorrow but not before I bake something sweet to take with me. Still not sure what it's going to be... 

Off I go, back to the kitchen!

Tricking Tulips

 What a week it has been so far! We'll start with last weekend. I went on a hike with Ashley and two guys from work, Marven and Zaúl  I started work at 4 that morning which meant I was up at 2 and 12 hours later I was starting out on an uphill hike. To say the very least, I was not in my peak performance mode. Ashley was way ahead of me half the time and Zaúl finally got tired of hanging back too. :) Something exciting happened on our hike though.... 

A spontaneous proposal from this girl!! Haha

Then we took a normal picture which is hard for us to do because... well, we aren't normal.

Marven met us halfway through the hike with his little dog Pepper and she impressed me by finished the entire 5 mile stretch on her own. Those short little legs of hers did better than my short little legs or at least better than my mind did. Fatigue is a nasty ailment.

It was a fun day despite my early morning.

Saturday I had made plans to catch up with Roger and unofficially celebrate our birthdays. He suggested "Portos" a cafe and bakery that he and his family really enjoy. 

Turns out... I do too now!

 Like any sane person would, we started with dessert. Mine: a scrumptious fruit tart

His: Guava Strudel

Then... sandwiches! His: Papa Preparada which features Portos' famous potato balls. 

I'm not going to lie, I was a little jealous when I saw Roger's sandwich. Then I took a bite of mine. 

Nope! I made the better choice!

Torta de Pollo!

grilled chicken breast, black bean spread, goat cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion on french bread, freshly baked, oh-so-soft french bread.

Those yellow strips of heaven are plantain chips. They are really good and borderline addictive. Good thing they aren't bottomless. :)

After lunch we strolled through the Glendale Galleria which is well known although I had never heard of it. It's kind of a strange mall. Anyway, Roger ventured into an Apple store for the first time and decided to open this website on the biggest Mac screen we saw.... 

Yup! one of the leading websites on everything android. :)

On a spontaneous whim I decided to make my own peanut butter yogurt one morning. I used the last of my greek yogurt and just whipped in peanut butter until it seemed to be all mixed in. Then I topped it with granola and banana and enjoyed it with a mug of tea. 

It was pretty good but I think it would be better if you re-refrigerate it after whipping it. Working it that much kind of made  it room temperature and that's not a good temp for yogurt. 

As you can see, I've really been trying with breakfasts this week. I had a couple of later shifts so I had some time to do something other than nothing. Here is my omelette day. I think I threw in scallions, bell pepper, and tomato. On Sunday I made that awesome bean salad thingy and I threw a couple spoonfuls of the leftovers into the middle before folding it over and topping it with cheese. 

Grapes on the side and a half piece of toast with my favoritest ever apple butter which I recently learned was discontinued from Trader Joe's. I'm ready to revolt! I just found this gem of a fruit butter and it's not available anymore!!! WHAT?! Where do I sign the complaint/petition/political measure to bring it back?

Speaking of that bean salad thing, I also took the leftovers for lunch (2 days in a row). When I made it this time, I used red quinoa which was a new discovery to me. It seems very different than the common yellow grain quinoa. Different texture (more crunchy) and I think maybe a more nutty taste. 

Breakfast this morning was a fruit/granola parfait. Banana cream yogurt, trader Joe's apple granola, and a blood orange. I would like to say it kept me full until lunch, which it did, but that might have something to do with the fact that I ate my parfait breakfast closer to 10 than I care to admit.

 I had intended to do some cooking today but by the time I got back from the gym around 5, Mom already had a meatball dinner 75% done. I just didn't plan my day well enough. I volunteered to take veggie duty to semi-satisfy my cooking cravings. I didn't do anything special with them. Saute'd in OO, and garlic with some fresh rosemary.

I love these colors. They weren't so beautifully contrasted after I finished burning cooking them so I'm glad I have this picture.

I made some red quinoa too. I don't think I like it as much as the yellow but I'm still giving it some time.

The Tulips are blossoming beautifully and we have had such awesome weather the last week. We really are spoiled here in SoCal. We don't know what winter is. Luckily, we have freezers and we can trick our tulips into thinking that we do. 

:)

Bisque and Bruschetta

You'll have to excuse me for starting out by saying... I'm exhausted. Also, I have to be up at 2 am for work tomorrow but, I couldn't resist posting something quick since it's been a few days. We had a good day of rain which made the mountains gorgeous! I love having a nice view during my commute.

As is the case with most shots of landscapes, it just doesn't quite capture it. Either way, the rain washes away the smog, the mountains get capped with snow and then I enjoy the view.

My schedule has literally been all over the place this week. Later evening shifts, training at new hospitals and then super early shifts like today and tomorrow. In other words... my breakfasts have either been non-existent or very much on the go. On Monday though (my day off) I did manage to throw together a breakfast that I wasn't ashamed of. :)

Toast, fresh squeezed OJ, egg, blood orange and a few raspberries. I really like starting the day out like so. It is just really impossible when you leave the house at 3 or 4. 

I trained at a new hospital (the Heart and Surgical Hospital) on Wednesday. It is very different from the other two hospitals I normally work. There are only 20 rooms if I remember correctly and it's rare that there's more than 10-15 patients at any given time. In other words, I spent most of the day trying to find ways to entertain myself. The food and the menu in general is so much better than any of the other hospitals. I brought a salad from home for lunch but decided to try out the cafeteria too.

I ordered this Antipasta on fresh baked focaccia. (mushroom, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and other stuff I can't remember) It was very good but way too much food. Also, I don't really care for mushrooms no matter how you cook them or disguise them so I removed it and the sandwich got infinitely better. 

My lovely coworkers got me hooked on tea from the Boba house down the street from work and I indulge as often as I can justify it. Today was one of those times. So I stopped by after work and enjoyed my tea on the way home.

Instead of hitting the gym (or the pavement) after work like I fully intended to, I vegged out at home. I always regret when I do that and yet, I continue to do it. One day I will learn my lesson....

I was doing my best to resist the urge to take a nap so I grabbed my keys and headed to the library to visit my old stomping grounds. I lucked out and got to see all of the people I really cared to see and catch up with without encountering those that I preferred not to. :)

It was good to catch up a little bit.

My mom made butternut squash bisque for dinner which I missed because I was busy socializing with old coworkers. Of course there was bisque left but I had to enjoy it alone. 

I made a mock fake bruschetta to pair it with too.

like I said... fake bruschetta.

So, it was a busy day, I'm tired but I'm looking forward to this weekend. I like having plans to look forward to. Now, I'm overdue for sleep so if you'll excuse me... I must bid you all a good night!