Greetings from the hospital!
Yes, I know, haven’t been around much, blah de blah and all that. I do apologize. Over the past several weeks, my time has consisted of (1) sleeping, (2) driving, (3) reading (for fun!), (4) working in my clinical rotation at a VA hospital, and (5) not spending time in cyberspace. Let me tell you, folks: it AWESOME. There’s nothing like QT with the husb to make you appreciate the finer things in life. Like watching that same husb squeeze refrigerated peanut oil out of a plastic jar:
Yum.
Stay tuned for a post about a day in the life of a clinical dietitian! I think know people often have misconceptions about what a dietitian actually does – I hope I can help clear ‘em up! In the meantime, a recipe for your delectation:
Strange-Flavor Chicken
Adapted from Martin Yan’s Asia
Ingredients:
3 quarter-sized slices ginger, peeled
1 lb chicken breast or tofu (or both, if you’re me)
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 scallion, sliced
2 tsp canola or peanut oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices and separated into rings
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch slices
Sauce:
3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar (we used Chinkiang vinegar from an Asian grocery – so good! If you can’t find it, try balsamic vinegar instead)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine or sherry
1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 Tbsp honey or sugar
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground (key!)
Rice or noodles
Sichuan peppercorns, aka “prickly ash“, ready for grinding in our coffee grinder:
Boil chicken and ginger in a pot of water until chicken is tender and cooked through (about 20 minutes). If you are using tofu only, you can skip this step. Drain chicken and discard ginger. Let cool, then slice chicken.
Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside.
Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.
An island of PB in the sea of Soy Sauce.
Place a wok or frying pan over high heat. When hot, add oil and swirl to coat sides. Add onion rings and red pepper and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tofu if desired.
Turn off heat and add chicken and sauce to wok/pan. Mix. Serve over rice or noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.
This picture was immediately preceded by “Okay, I’m not waiting for you”.
This protein-packed dinner was enough to keep me full until the next morning :D
Chat with you all soon!
P.S. Here’s the latest Quickies: Morning, Noon and Night recipe to grace the THIH kitchen: Caldo Verde, a delicious Portuguese soup with sausage and kale:
Beautiful! I’ve been steadily working my way through the Quickies cookbook and having a super duper blast! :)
P.P.S. Puppies!
No, we’re not getting another puppy! Peter’s parents are getting a dog and we were able to tag along to look at the pups. Let me tell you guys: it was SO hard not to walk out with a doggle of our own, but really – two high energy pups are enough for us:
Bonnie and Maddie, old school.
Q: Have you ever tried Sichuan peppercorns? What’s the most exotic food you’ve ever tried?
I work hard:
Typing furiously …
… and agonizing over the latest in nutrition research:
At least I have a healthy snack on my desk to munch while I pause and reflect on my education thus far.
As many of you know, after finishing an undergraduate degree nearly five years ago and working in the “real world” for a few years, I made the decision to go back to school and study nutrition & dietetics (you can read more about that journey here). As my prior degree had nothing to do with nutrition, I started my schooling at square one: organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, etc. At the time I began this dietetics journey, I thought I must have been nuts to give up a regular paycheck to sit in a classroom with college kids (even if I still looked like one).
I won’t harp on the virtues of study, or how I’m just so-gosh-darned-thrilled to be in school, because you’ve read it all before (probably in one of my many posts about school). Instead, I’ll tell you a little bit about what I’ll be doing this spring – for the budding dietitians out there … and for everyone else.
At the time I started the University of Connecticut‘s Coordinated Program in dietetics 1.5 years ago, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to be in the program. While most dietetics students apply for a separate year-long internship toward the end of their senior undergraduate year (a process involving a harrowing match process somewhat similar to applying for a medical internship), I never went through that application stress. Why? Because, I am in a Coordinated Program where the internship is integrated into the undergraduate curriculum. I’ve already had 1.5 years of clinical, community, and food service experience, completed alongside my classes. Just 0.5 years to go, and I’ll be an RD! No additional application or year of internship needed. AWESOME.
We began our final semester on January 3, and will be rotating full-time through the usual experiences: clinical, community, food service. We also have some unique rotations: research, counseling, and a special rotation of our choosing (as long as we set it up :) ). Right now, I’m finishing up my research rotation with a wonderful research group studying bone health. I’ve been writing, examining a lot of data sets, and preparing for a nerve-wracking presentation I gave last Friday (done!).
(My last name is obviously not “THIH” … just in case you didn’t know.)
I also had the opportunity to watch some research group members preparing for the arrival of subjects for a clinical trial.
What you can’t see past the left side of the frame are the other group members painstakingly measuring out calcium isotope. Yep. I like to pose work hard.
I did have to put the tops back on the milk bottles:
Gotta get it on right. Wouldn’t do to have any leaking.
I’ll be sad to leave this rotation and its plethora of learning experiences. Next up: clinical dietetics for six weeks. I’ll let you all know how it goes!
Not only have I been researching up a storm, I’ve also been whipping up some Quickies! While I was at work a few weeks ago, Peter sent me an email saying: “Your package from Singapore is here!” I immediately let out a huge squeal that caused everyone in the office to look up in astonishment. And no wonder, because my new copy of Quickies: Morning, Noon and Night had arrived!
When I returned home, I flipped through Denise‘s cookbook and marked all the recipes I wanted to make RIGHT AWAY.
Yeah, I think I’ll be cooking my way through Quickies for a while ;)
Quickies is more than a cookbook: it’s a concise guide to everything you need to know about cooking and enjoying food. The book starts with a summary of all the basic kitchen equipment you need (with Peter as a husband, we have all the items … and then some ;) ). Denise also includes lists of basic kitchen ingredients to have on hand in your pantry and refrigerator. She even includes a conversion table (a lifesaver!). The final pages of the book include such tantalizing sections as “Homemade Creme Fraiche (!)”, “The Best Coffee You Can Make At Home”, and “Wine Without Fear” (<– I REALLY need that section!).
And the recipes … oh, my. I already have every other recipe bookmarked to make SOON. Each recipe is fast and simple: perfect for me. Over the past two days, I’ve made two Quickies recipes. The first: Confetti Spaghetti. Feast your eyes on THIS:
While this recipe is more of a summer pasta, I couldn’t wait ’til summer to try it out! I know I’ll be making this recipe again and again! Probably, like, next week :D
The next recipe: Chicken Soup Mac and Cheese.
What a clever and delicious combination of flavors! I couldn’t stop tasting this mac and cheese while I was making it, which means fewer leftovers … but, now, I can make it again!
(You might be wondering where my typical overhead shot of the mac and cheese went. Well, here’s another example of how my aim is SO GOOD:
All because I refused to stand on a chair.)
I’ll be steadily working my way through this wonderful cookbook. Next up: Caldo Verde, Florence Nightingale Soup, and Plum Wine and Green Tea Syllabub. I’ll be sure to share pictures with all of you!
Enjoy the rest of your week, everyone!
