The Happiness in Health

Scotland the Great

Ω December 5th, 2011 Ω Tagged 1890s mountaineer, Ben Nevis, black pudding, callanish stones, cullins, Edinburgh, Edradour distillery, haggis, Isle of Harris, isle of lewis, isle of skye, Luskentyre Beach, old man of storr, Scotland, Talisker Distillery, travel, Uig Beach, whiskey Ω 34 Comments

Before we get to the greatness that is Scotland, I’d like to thank all of you for your insightful comments in my last post about eating “real” food. I enjoyed reading about your food philosophies – a selection of comments (bold by me):

While I am a huge fan of many processed foods (ahem, peanut butter, canned beans, canned soups, etc) I thank my mom for getting me started young at taking whole and fresh ingredients and cooking with them and using them any recipe. I honestly think it’s lack of cooking skills that prevents so many people from buying fresh foods, and resorting to packaged pre-made foods. It’s tough when you’ve never learned how to even use a stove! (The Candid RD)

I heard [Michael Pollan] speak about two years ago, and I really liked that he was “real” and admitted to not being “perfect.” He also made a real big point about cooking real, healthy, and cheap foods like beans, etc. I think too often people say eating healthy foods is too expensive and too difficult. But it really doesn’t have to be. (Andrea’s Wellness Notes)

I have something more to add in the food philosophy question: eating while relaxed and calm is hugely important to me. I never have lunch in a hurry or standing or at my desk while working if I can avoid it (and I am planning my day in a way that I can), because the time pressure and stress make me not eat well at all. (Christa)

Keep the great comments coming!

On to today’s post: Many moons ago (and by “many”, I mean “three”), my family and I traveled to the west coat of Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides. Why did I wait three months to share my pictures with you, dear reader? I’d like to write that in the midst of various projects of dubious importance and uncertain relevance, I lacked time; but, the truth is … I forgot. Oops.

Let’s look at those pictures!

I didn’t realize that the knee-high leather boots I brought to hike in were so unusual until we were hiking down Ben Nevis (the tallest mountain in the British Isles) and a man who had passed us earlier in the day came up behind us and commented, “There’s the lady with the great boots!“  I thought I looked pretty snazzy myself – or, as my sister D said: “You look like a 1890s mountaineer.”

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Yeah, okay, I guess I can see her point.

A few more highlights of western Scotland and the Outer Hebrides:

Gallan Head, Isle of Lewis:

Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris (yes, Scotland has wonderful beaches!):

“Cave” on Uig Beach, Isle of Lewis:

Near the Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye:

On the Isle of Lewis:

Yes, I went inside the abandoned stone house – in retrospect, perhaps that was a poor idea (note the collapsing stone roof – I won’t post pictures from inside the house, because I want to preserve the illusion that I have some common sense (hint: see gallery below for evidence that I do lack sense)):

Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis – unlike Stonehenge, you can actually walk up to these (as evidenced below):

A gallery of more Scotland images (Note: The pictures should have captions, but apparently they don’t show up unless you click the “i” icon in the upper right corner of the gallery):

And, a gallery of what I’m sure you’re most interested in: FOOD! I’ve noticed that whenever I travel to a new place, many of my travel plans revolve around trying local foods – what better way to learn about a new locale than to sample its delicacies? For more examples of eating my way through new locales, check out THIH’s Travel Page.

As seen in the album above, I sampled several Scotch whiskies at the Talisker and Edradour distilleries and found that after a dram or two, all whiskies taste pretty much the same. I also had the opportunity to try both black pudding and haggis (black pudding = delicious! haggis = okay). Recently, I acquired some canned haggis (yes, canned) so that I can cook it up over the holidays with some neeps and tatties (that’s rutabaga and potatoes, cooked and mashed separately). Stay tuned for my disastrous attempt at cooking haggis!

In the meantime, click through the album below for some delicious meals I enjoyed while in Scotland:

Finally, during our Scotland trip, I had the opportunity to swing down to London and meet a dear friend with whom I’ve corresponded for seven years, but never met in person until this past summer.  Hi, Christa!

Take care, gentle reader!

Q: Have you been to Scotland? (I know YOU have LeQuan ;) ) Have you ever tried black pudding or haggis?

AND

Where is your dream place to visit?

» Filed under Favorites, Life, New Foods » 34 Comments

Jessie, RD

Ω July 18th, 2011 Ω Tagged CDR, conpoy, dietitian, dietitian exam, dried scallops, Jessie RD, RD, RD exam Ω 47 Comments

That’s right, folks!

Just call me: Jessie, RD.

When I mentioned in this post that I would be taking the registered dietitian exam later this summer, I didn’t realize how SOON I would be taking it. The graduates of my dietetics program and I were told that we wouldn’t be eligible to take the RD exam until the end of July. Thus, it was a surprise to me when I found out on July 2 that I could take the exam at any point thereafter.

So, there I was, staring at my phone and wondering when I should sign up for the exam. Have I ever told you guys that I’m impulsive at times? I called the scheduling center and exclaimed, “I’d like to take the exam! ASAP!” I think I startled the poor woman at the other end, because it look her a moment to respond. “What’s your name, and which exam would you like to take?”

Rule #1: When you’re on the phone asking for something, at least have the courtesy to identify yourself before making demands.

Within a few minutes, I had scheduled to take the RD exam on Wednesday, June 13th at 9 am. It wasn’t until I hung up that I realized just how much studying I would need to do in ten days.

Rule #2: Being impulsive is good for deciding to study abroad in China at the age of 25, or making cartoons out of veggies. Perhaps not good for scheduling exams that condense three years of schoolwork into ten days of studying. Particularly when you’re working on your Master’s degree research at the same time.

During the next ten days, I did a lot of this:

And this:

Plus about a thousand practice questions as part of a study guide (recent RDs and soon-to-be-RDs will know EXACTLY what I’m talking about).

A fabulous aspect of the RD exam is that you find out right away whether or not you passed. On Wednesday, July 13th at 10:42 am, I sat in my car just outside the test center and sent Peter the following text:

Just call me Jessie, RD.

And, now, here we are :)

I didn’t cook a lot while studying for the RD exam, but I did pull out a few easy recipes to … ahem … DE-STRESS. One of these recipes was by the lovely LeQuan: Steamed Eggs with Silken Tofu and Conpoy.

Rule #3: When your mind is full of facts about carbohydrate metabolism and about what to do if the person you’re counseling is disgruntled, use simple cooking to fill you up without stressing you out more.

I’ve had LeQuan‘s recipe bookmarked for a while, as I’m always looking for recipes with conpoy (a.k.a. dried scallops). … WHY do we have dried scallops just lying around our house?? Do you really need to ask? One word: PETER. He uses them to make the gosh-darned spiciest XO sauce I’ve eaten in my life. So painfully spicy, yet … so good.

Anyhoo, here are a few pictures from preparing this delicious dish:

I didn’t add the silken tofu, because we didn’t have any. Yes, we have dried scallops hanging around, but no tofu. Go figure.

LeQuan, this dish was perfect! Easy, delicious, full of protein, and delicious with rice and veggies. For more info on why eggs are such a great source of protein, check out this post. For those who make this dish: the dried scallops are KEY! Combined with the fish sauce, the dried scallops and soaking water give this dish its complex flavor. Thanks for the recipe, LeQuan!

As for the future: I’m so thrilled to officially be a part of the dietetics profession. When I began my RD journey three years ago, I had no idea what I wanted to be at the end. Now, I have a better idea about what I enjoy in dietetics, and I will continue to learn as I work on my Master’s degree in nutrition next year.

Take care, everyone!
Jessie, RD :D

Q: What do you cook when you get busy? Or do you prefer takeout or frozen items? I’ve done that before – hello, Amy’s frozen burritos!

» Filed under Favorites, Life, School » 47 Comments