Aside from my 2 days off a week I have realized I don't see sunlight. Now that I am back on days I get up at 5:40 and get to work around 6:15am, well before the sun rises. And then I leave anytime between 5:30-9:30pm, missing sunset. I guess last year multiple residents had low Vitamin D levels.
Aside from the mental effects this can have looks like I might be at risk for some other medical problems!!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Bloody Christmas in the Hospital
I have to admit, working Christmas year after year is starting to get to me...this is my 4th Christmas working in a row.
In fact, I have worked the last 3 Thanksgivings, the last 4 Christmases, and after next week the last 4 New year's eves and days. I don't really remember what it is like to have a holiday off, but I know what it is like to be jealous of everyone that like most normal people has both the holiday and the days around it off! I don't actually want a ton of time to see family, it would get overwhelming, but just one day would be nice.
I was thinking that since I have worked so many holidays in the last 3-4 years that I should request Christmas off next year (I don't want to request Thanksgiving off since I am not a fan of a holiday that centers a dead bird in the middle of the table, but I am happy to host my vegan version of Thanksgiving the weekend after).
Sadly though, my schedule in the residency changes every week, and the work week is Monday-Sunday. Since Xmas falls on a Sunday next year, that means if I request a vacation week the week of Xmas I will either have the week before it off, or the week after, which is a little awkward and might mean I feel jipped that I didn't get to relax with a couple days around the holiday. I could always just request that weekend off, but no guarantees I will get it off either. I guess I will have to think about it, will probably make the schedule in May or June for the next year anyways.
There are a decent amount of us stuck at work today. I wanted to bring a chocolate cake to share for food but sadly I forgot about it in the oven so it overcooked and got burnt. Instead I brought in salsa and chips from 711. For now, back to work! It was a busy night for the overnighter...this morning has been slow so far but it will be interesting to see how crazy of a day it turns out to be!
In fact, I have worked the last 3 Thanksgivings, the last 4 Christmases, and after next week the last 4 New year's eves and days. I don't really remember what it is like to have a holiday off, but I know what it is like to be jealous of everyone that like most normal people has both the holiday and the days around it off! I don't actually want a ton of time to see family, it would get overwhelming, but just one day would be nice.
I was thinking that since I have worked so many holidays in the last 3-4 years that I should request Christmas off next year (I don't want to request Thanksgiving off since I am not a fan of a holiday that centers a dead bird in the middle of the table, but I am happy to host my vegan version of Thanksgiving the weekend after).
Sadly though, my schedule in the residency changes every week, and the work week is Monday-Sunday. Since Xmas falls on a Sunday next year, that means if I request a vacation week the week of Xmas I will either have the week before it off, or the week after, which is a little awkward and might mean I feel jipped that I didn't get to relax with a couple days around the holiday. I could always just request that weekend off, but no guarantees I will get it off either. I guess I will have to think about it, will probably make the schedule in May or June for the next year anyways.
There are a decent amount of us stuck at work today. I wanted to bring a chocolate cake to share for food but sadly I forgot about it in the oven so it overcooked and got burnt. Instead I brought in salsa and chips from 711. For now, back to work! It was a busy night for the overnighter...this morning has been slow so far but it will be interesting to see how crazy of a day it turns out to be!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Mexican themed holiday dinner
Last night Mark and I had his family over for a holiday dinner at our place. I am working Xmas, Xmas eve, and I was working on their family holiday party last week, so I felt rather guilty about not being around on the holidays...my solution was to invite everyone over to our house for a Mexican themed vegan meal.
It was a great night. There was a little bit of a late start due to some drama involving a car accident, but everyone was fine, no one was hurt, and it provided some amusing entertainment for the night.
The meal was pretty tasty, and even the non-vegans got seconds, so I thought I would share my recipes.
Mark made red and white sangria for everyone.
I asked everyone to bring chips and salsa for apps, Robin brought some homemade guacamole which was great.
I made a couple things...
1. corn salad
ingredients:
olive oil
1 chopped red onion
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp corriander
3 cups corn
1 chopped orange pepper
1 chopped green bell pepper
2 chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp cliantro
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Directions:
cook the onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Then add the chili powder and corriander and cook for one more minute.
Add the peppers, corn, and tomatoes to this.
Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Mix in the cilantro.
Whisk the red wine vinegar with 4Tbsp olive oil. Toss in salad.
Serve cold or at room temp (I served cold but will probably serve at room temp next time). This is a picture of leftovers for lunch the next day, and this was probably my favorite dish of the night.
2. Caribbean rice and beans
Next was a side dish of rice and beans...simple and easy to make, not too fancy but satisfying.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 chopped red onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 Tbsp garlic
1 tsp ginger
2 cups basmati rice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
dash of allspice
dash of thyme
dash of nutmeg
3 cups water
2 cans red kidney beans
(I was too lazy to measure out 1/4 tsp so that's why I wrote a "dash")
Directions:
In a sauce pan mix heat the olive oil and stir in the pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the onion is soft.
Stir in the uncooked rice and coat with oil.
Add the brown sugar (feel free to add more, I think I did), nutmeg, allspice, and thyme. Stir in the water and reduce heat to low, cook for about 25 minutes.
Once the rice is cooked stir in the beans for 5 more minutes to heat them.
Serve!
3. My favorite Sweet potatoe and black bean enchiladas
Ingredients:
6 sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic
3 cans black bean
1 can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 jars generic salsa
14-16 tortillas
Directions:
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes
Place in a greased pan and back at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
In a skillet heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
In a lasagna/casserole dish spread a layer of salsa.
Spoon the mixture in to tortillas, roll and place in a row face down.
Once completed, layer salsa and remaining mixture on top of the tortillas.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
This recipe was for 9 people. so feel free to pare it down.
I also typically serve it with tofutti sour cream.
And last but not least, vegan and gluten free cupcakes!! This whole tray was full before people had dessert, very tasty and sweet! (just a box mix, but I still think it does the trick).
It was a great night. There was a little bit of a late start due to some drama involving a car accident, but everyone was fine, no one was hurt, and it provided some amusing entertainment for the night.
The meal was pretty tasty, and even the non-vegans got seconds, so I thought I would share my recipes.
Mark made red and white sangria for everyone.
I asked everyone to bring chips and salsa for apps, Robin brought some homemade guacamole which was great.
I made a couple things...
1. corn salad
ingredients:
olive oil
1 chopped red onion
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp corriander
3 cups corn
1 chopped orange pepper
1 chopped green bell pepper
2 chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp cliantro
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Directions:
cook the onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Then add the chili powder and corriander and cook for one more minute.
Add the peppers, corn, and tomatoes to this.
Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Mix in the cilantro.
Whisk the red wine vinegar with 4Tbsp olive oil. Toss in salad.
Serve cold or at room temp (I served cold but will probably serve at room temp next time). This is a picture of leftovers for lunch the next day, and this was probably my favorite dish of the night.
2. Caribbean rice and beans
Next was a side dish of rice and beans...simple and easy to make, not too fancy but satisfying.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 chopped red onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 Tbsp garlic
1 tsp ginger
2 cups basmati rice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
dash of allspice
dash of thyme
dash of nutmeg
3 cups water
2 cans red kidney beans
(I was too lazy to measure out 1/4 tsp so that's why I wrote a "dash")
Directions:
In a sauce pan mix heat the olive oil and stir in the pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the onion is soft.
Stir in the uncooked rice and coat with oil.
Add the brown sugar (feel free to add more, I think I did), nutmeg, allspice, and thyme. Stir in the water and reduce heat to low, cook for about 25 minutes.
Once the rice is cooked stir in the beans for 5 more minutes to heat them.
Serve!
3. My favorite Sweet potatoe and black bean enchiladas
Ingredients:
6 sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic
3 cans black bean
1 can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 jars generic salsa
14-16 tortillas
Directions:
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes
Place in a greased pan and back at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
In a skillet heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
In a lasagna/casserole dish spread a layer of salsa.
Spoon the mixture in to tortillas, roll and place in a row face down.
Once completed, layer salsa and remaining mixture on top of the tortillas.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
This recipe was for 9 people. so feel free to pare it down.
I also typically serve it with tofutti sour cream.
And last but not least, vegan and gluten free cupcakes!! This whole tray was full before people had dessert, very tasty and sweet! (just a box mix, but I still think it does the trick).
gingerbread house professionals
It's christmas party season! It all started last weekend when Mark and I went to Ryan and Witt's Gingerbread House party! Basically the two of them slaved over making TONS of gingerbread houses, and then had a party where everyone came over with a dish to share and then made a house of their own for the competition. There were some phenomenal houses. We all voted on the best and the one I liked most won (the "beach front house").
I think if I go to the party next year we will have to study ahead of time! Ours was a little behind the times compared to the professional decorators there, but we did build a broken down car in the front lawn claiming it was a white trash gingerbread house!
And Ryan and Witt's dogs Casper and Zoey are amazing. Even though Mark was red and watery eyed with an itchy face from allergies after playing with them, the claritin seemed to clear him up and he kept saying how much he wanted a dog after we left.
I brought apple cake and my classic black bean chili to share, which were both a hit despite being vegan!
Lindsey's Classic Black Bean and Cashew Chili
Ingredients:
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cans black beans
1 container cashews
1 yellow onion chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
chili powder
1 red bell pepper
3 Tbsp garlic
Direction:
Fry the pepper, garlic, and onion in the olive oil until the onions and garlic are browned. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir.
As for the chili powder, I do not have a specific amount I measure out, I ball park it, but I like it spicey so it's probably close to 3-4 Tbsp of it.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, Serve warm!
The cashews develops this great soft texture you wouldn't expect!
Apple Cake:
Ingredients:
4 apples chopped
4Tbsp margarine
3/4 c sugar
1 egg's worth of Ener-G egg replacer
3 Tbsp soy milk
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Mix the margarine, sugar, soy milk, and egg replacer together. Then add all the remaining ingredients, eggs last. Place in a bundt cake as I did, or probably a better idea would be in a glass baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
Once cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting (the bundt cake top layer stuck to the pan so I would not use this in the future if I make this dish again).
Cream cheese frosting vegan style:
whisk together two cups powdered sugar, 1 8oz tub of tofutti cream cheese, 1/2 a stick of margarine, and 2tsp vanilla.
Here is a picture of the leftovers I had for breakfast the morning after the party:
Being that it was a bundt cake everyone said it looked like one giant glazed donut! Everyone liked it though, it's always great to show people vegan food is good!
I still have one groupon to Kings for $20 worth of bowling too, I have to use it before Jan 15th so anyone in the boston area that wants to go, let me know!
I think if I go to the party next year we will have to study ahead of time! Ours was a little behind the times compared to the professional decorators there, but we did build a broken down car in the front lawn claiming it was a white trash gingerbread house!
And Ryan and Witt's dogs Casper and Zoey are amazing. Even though Mark was red and watery eyed with an itchy face from allergies after playing with them, the claritin seemed to clear him up and he kept saying how much he wanted a dog after we left.
I brought apple cake and my classic black bean chili to share, which were both a hit despite being vegan!
Lindsey's Classic Black Bean and Cashew Chili
Ingredients:
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cans black beans
1 container cashews
1 yellow onion chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
chili powder
1 red bell pepper
3 Tbsp garlic
Direction:
Fry the pepper, garlic, and onion in the olive oil until the onions and garlic are browned. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir.
As for the chili powder, I do not have a specific amount I measure out, I ball park it, but I like it spicey so it's probably close to 3-4 Tbsp of it.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, Serve warm!
The cashews develops this great soft texture you wouldn't expect!
Apple Cake:
Ingredients:
4 apples chopped
4Tbsp margarine
3/4 c sugar
1 egg's worth of Ener-G egg replacer
3 Tbsp soy milk
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Mix the margarine, sugar, soy milk, and egg replacer together. Then add all the remaining ingredients, eggs last. Place in a bundt cake as I did, or probably a better idea would be in a glass baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
Once cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting (the bundt cake top layer stuck to the pan so I would not use this in the future if I make this dish again).
Cream cheese frosting vegan style:
whisk together two cups powdered sugar, 1 8oz tub of tofutti cream cheese, 1/2 a stick of margarine, and 2tsp vanilla.
Here is a picture of the leftovers I had for breakfast the morning after the party:
Being that it was a bundt cake everyone said it looked like one giant glazed donut! Everyone liked it though, it's always great to show people vegan food is good!
I still have one groupon to Kings for $20 worth of bowling too, I have to use it before Jan 15th so anyone in the boston area that wants to go, let me know!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
vegan banana bread
So lately Mark has been asking me to buy bananas and apples for him when I go grocery shopping, but then he is not the best at eating them all before they go bad...which has actually turned out to be a good thing for me since I have been experimenting with more vegan baking recipes!
This week I tried vegan banana chocolate chip bread, and it was superb...I feel guilty admitting it but I didn't bring it to share at work and it only took 5 days for us to finish it...probably more me then Mark as I have the sweet tooth.
Ingredients:
4 brown bananas
1/3 melted margarine
1 cup sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Mash bananas. Add in the margarine, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt and mix.
Mix in walnuts and chocolate chips.
Pour into a glass baking pan.
Bake at 360 F until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Served best with soy milk!!
Ruth's husband just made the most delicious vegan choolate chip cookies this week so I will have to experiment with this recipe, and then I also have some apples Mark has not eaten yet so I am making a vegan apple cake with cream cheese frosting this weekend!
Monday, December 6, 2010
thai peanut burrito bowls
One word: delicious!!!
I just made these today and am so glad I have enough for leftovers for 4 days! I wanted to try to create some sort of "Thai Peanut Burrito" since there are several restaurants I go to that make a vegan version of this that I love. The problem is everything I make burritos they end up being more like fajitas, they are terribly messy, and the don't stay rolled up right. So I converted this in to a bowl.
INGREDIENTS:
Tortilla wraps (I used whole wheat)
Brown rice
Premade vegan thai peanut sauce (found in the ethnic section of almost any grocery store)
Trader Joe's broccoli slaw (like precut coleslaw but with broccoli and carrots)
Smart life's vegan chickn strips
DIRECTIONS:
Stir fry the broccoli slaw and chickn strips in a small amt. of canola oil. Once the fake chickn in browned add the thai peanut sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Cook the rice as directed from the package.
Once everything is cooked, place a tortilla in the bottom of a bowl (I used a tupperware bowl since I made enough for leftovers for the week).
Line the tortilla wrap with some rice.
Fill the "bowl" with the stir fry. ENJOY!
A weekend of Harry Potter
This weekend was hilarious and full of Harry Potter. On Friday my friends Tina and Tony came up to visit, they were my friends from the internship last year. We took them to Top of the Hub for dinner, which was great. We had some silly conversations, especially when Mark said to Tina "I am assuming you're single" not in a rude way at all, but the running joke of the night after that was that Tina had "SINGLE" stamped on her forehead.
Then we went to the Pour House for beers. We strolled downstairs where there was more music, psuedo dancing, and a bigger TV. Tony and Mark went to buy themselves some new beers. I glanced over and saw a guy who looked like an older version of Ron Weasley from Harry Potter, so I mentioned it to Tina and sadly he made eye contact with me at that moment I was pointing him out, and then literally within 20 seconds Tina and I were swarmed by a group of guys. The "leader" of the group was this weird looking guy wearing a HUGE jewish star necklase, so naturally his nickname for the night was "Super Jew". I don't really remember any of their names, but the guy who looked like Ron started chatting me up right away. Of course, I was laughing and blushing, and when I peaked over waiting for Mark and Tony to return they were laughing from afar at the bar, and then went to the opposite side of the room! So I kept talking with the guys and Tina, and then the Ron look alike offers to buy me a drink. At that point I respectfully declined and said my boyfriend was across the bar, but that he had not offered to buy me a drink yet, even though he probably would. Then the guys said he had to buy me one in that case, but I still declined. Of course later I regretted this when I told Mark about it and he got made that I didn't get a free beer from him.
Eventually Mark and Tony came and joined us. I introduced Mark to all the guys and they were still nice, not mad that i had a boyfriend and still talkative. What was hilarious was when Mark introduced himself to the Ron lookalike saying "I'm Mark but a lot of people say I look like Harry Potter." the red head laughs and says "Yeah, well I am told I look like Ron Weasley, but we all know who gets Hermione in the end." Omigod, Tony and I could not stop laughing after that.
Later the super Jew says to Tina "So, I am trying to figure this out, you are here with the blonde and her boyfriend, but who is the short guy? Let me guess, a friend of her boyfriend's that they are trying to set you up with...well, I think the short guy is a little shady if you ask me." This was all in reference to Tony, and again we couldn't stop laughing.
It was quite an amusing night.
And then to top it off I went to see Harry Potter in the theaters with Mark on Saturday night. I loved it. The down side was the theater's sound stopped working right for part of the film, but I made a formal complaint and we got refunded for our tickets. Can't wait til that movie comes out on DVD!
Then we went to the Pour House for beers. We strolled downstairs where there was more music, psuedo dancing, and a bigger TV. Tony and Mark went to buy themselves some new beers. I glanced over and saw a guy who looked like an older version of Ron Weasley from Harry Potter, so I mentioned it to Tina and sadly he made eye contact with me at that moment I was pointing him out, and then literally within 20 seconds Tina and I were swarmed by a group of guys. The "leader" of the group was this weird looking guy wearing a HUGE jewish star necklase, so naturally his nickname for the night was "Super Jew". I don't really remember any of their names, but the guy who looked like Ron started chatting me up right away. Of course, I was laughing and blushing, and when I peaked over waiting for Mark and Tony to return they were laughing from afar at the bar, and then went to the opposite side of the room! So I kept talking with the guys and Tina, and then the Ron look alike offers to buy me a drink. At that point I respectfully declined and said my boyfriend was across the bar, but that he had not offered to buy me a drink yet, even though he probably would. Then the guys said he had to buy me one in that case, but I still declined. Of course later I regretted this when I told Mark about it and he got made that I didn't get a free beer from him.
Eventually Mark and Tony came and joined us. I introduced Mark to all the guys and they were still nice, not mad that i had a boyfriend and still talkative. What was hilarious was when Mark introduced himself to the Ron lookalike saying "I'm Mark but a lot of people say I look like Harry Potter." the red head laughs and says "Yeah, well I am told I look like Ron Weasley, but we all know who gets Hermione in the end." Omigod, Tony and I could not stop laughing after that.
Later the super Jew says to Tina "So, I am trying to figure this out, you are here with the blonde and her boyfriend, but who is the short guy? Let me guess, a friend of her boyfriend's that they are trying to set you up with...well, I think the short guy is a little shady if you ask me." This was all in reference to Tony, and again we couldn't stop laughing.
It was quite an amusing night.
And then to top it off I went to see Harry Potter in the theaters with Mark on Saturday night. I loved it. The down side was the theater's sound stopped working right for part of the film, but I made a formal complaint and we got refunded for our tickets. Can't wait til that movie comes out on DVD!
another tasty stir fry
This one took 15 minutes to make and made for delicious leftovers:
1 box trader joes vegan beefless strips
1 premade box of vegan ginger sauce of some sort
1 bag frozen sugar snap peas
1 bag frozen cauliflower and brocolli mixture
1 cup peanuts
Stir fry together and serve over rice, and this one tastes better as a leftover heated up the next day!
vegan and gluten free thanksgiving
I have never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving since I went vegetarian since the holiday seems to be based around a dead turkey in the center of the table. But I hosted another vegan thanksgiving this year and had a great time!
I was working on the actual day of Thanksgiving, which I didn't mind. Then on the Friday after my extended family came up to visit. My grandma, two cousins, aunt and uncle made the drive from Albany and arrived around 1pm. We were able to walk around Boston and enjoy the views near our apartment, and then at 3pm we had a big meal. It was all vegan and mostly gluten free or my aunt and cousins.
The meal included the central tofurky with its gravy (the only non-gluten free part), a sweet three bean casserole recipe my mom gave me, mashed sweet potatoes, a rice and mushroom dish my aunt brought, and a vegan as well as gluten free chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. It was funny, before I made the meal I told Mark all the food I was making and he said it sounded like it would be too much, and once I made it he thought it would be too little, but it ended up being just the right amount. Sadly I can't post pictures of the meal since i took them on my camera and my computer just died so I have to wait until I get a new computer before I can upload pictures from my camera...otherwise all pictures will have to be posted from my phone.
It was a huge success and it was so nice having my family there. Sadly my mom and bro were on vacation in the Netherlands, but maybe next year they can make it. I am hoping to host a vegan Thanksgiving dinner the weekend after every Thanksgiving from now on.
I was working on the actual day of Thanksgiving, which I didn't mind. Then on the Friday after my extended family came up to visit. My grandma, two cousins, aunt and uncle made the drive from Albany and arrived around 1pm. We were able to walk around Boston and enjoy the views near our apartment, and then at 3pm we had a big meal. It was all vegan and mostly gluten free or my aunt and cousins.
The meal included the central tofurky with its gravy (the only non-gluten free part), a sweet three bean casserole recipe my mom gave me, mashed sweet potatoes, a rice and mushroom dish my aunt brought, and a vegan as well as gluten free chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. It was funny, before I made the meal I told Mark all the food I was making and he said it sounded like it would be too much, and once I made it he thought it would be too little, but it ended up being just the right amount. Sadly I can't post pictures of the meal since i took them on my camera and my computer just died so I have to wait until I get a new computer before I can upload pictures from my camera...otherwise all pictures will have to be posted from my phone.
It was a huge success and it was so nice having my family there. Sadly my mom and bro were on vacation in the Netherlands, but maybe next year they can make it. I am hoping to host a vegan Thanksgiving dinner the weekend after every Thanksgiving from now on.
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