ICU…and I raise you!

Welllll…this weekend was pretty intense. 

I worked. 

I saved lives. 

Literally.

I try not to go into too much detail about my job (a) because of the whole patient privacy thing and (b) because I have a feeling it’s not very thrilling to read about.  But sometimes I wish I could share all the crazy things I see and do on a daily basis because, well, it’s a big part of my life.  Or at least a part.

Anyways, as I’ve mentioned before, I work in the cardiopulmonary critical care unit (CPCU), which is the step down unit for the surgical intensive care unit (SICU).  Basically I get patients after any open heart surgery (bypass, valve replacement, pericardial windows, etc.) and occasionally lung surgery, too.

Since the CPCU and the SICU work together, occasionally I’ll get sent to work in the SICU, which is what happened on Saturday.

My patient was on the verge of flat lining the entire shift…you can’t IMAGINE the kind of stress that can have on a person. 

It can be a little scary.  A whole lotta crap went down…but the only part that matters is that my patient is doing well now (and knowing it’s because of me isn’t too shabby either). 

Bring it on ICU!  (just kidding, please don’t, the stress of Saturday cost me 4 years of my life)

On Sunday I transferred my patient upstairs to the CPCU since she was a bit more stable.  I was glad to be getting back in my comfort zone.  Home base – yessss! 

Oh, and did I mention I got an additional patient on Sunday, too.  Heaven forbid my stress level enter a manageable range…

I left work each day in such an exhausted state…all I wanted to do was a swan dive into a pile of pillows pass the eff out. 

ANYWAYS, sorry about the rambling…I’ll get back to the real reason you read…let’s start with Saturday’s eats

Coffee & coconut date rolls – the breakfast of champions?  For sure.

Pre-packed lunch. 

Ensalada grande:  spinach, carrots, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, clover sprouts, dried cranberries, and more seaweed/sesame salad.

Courtney, I promise I’ll post more on the seaweed/sesame salad later!

More snacks: Newman’s Own dried organic apples, Berries GoMega odwalla bar, apple, and Ocean Spring Mixed Fruit crisps

Check out the cute starfruit!  By the way, anyone know what a jackfruit is?  Because I had some for lunch.

The best part of the day was when Kyle surprised me after work!!!  And guess where we went for dinner?

Whole Foods!!!! 

The baked tofu is one of my fave hot bar items, and you can’t go wrong with chickpeas…the wild rice/edamame/carrot mix was a new one for me and I LOVED it.  As usual, WF delivered.  My dinner was perfectly fulfilling and satiating.  Mmmm…

Later on I had some dessert, which wasn’t my best creation.

It was almost worthy of a “Heat the Salmon Butt” title.  But I did finish it, so I guess that says something.  I thought this was the vanilla flavor, so imagine my surprise after I mixed it all up and took a bite. Plain greek yogurt with PB and carob covered raisins? 

Fortunately, peanut butter masks anything and everything enough to delight my taste buds (and carob raisins clearly didn’t hurt either).

So I licked the cup clean :)

As for Sunday’s eats…I packed a similar lunch the night before.

The only difference between this salad and Saturday’s was the addition of baked tofu (the 3 leftover chunks from WF).

Estrogen?  Check!

The 2 remaining dried apple rings in the bag, an apricot Clif bar, an apple, and some ridiculously overpriced grapes.

Here’s an action shot of my salad half way through…

I love mixing my salads up in tuperware. 

Shake, shake.  Shake, shake, a shake it!

If you are looking at my lunch and thinking…that’s not very much food.  Well, you’re right.  I was starvin’ marvin by 4 pm – scavenging the unit for random eats.  The search was somewhat fruitless, as you would expect of a Jewish Kosher hospital (under construction on a Sunday no less).  Ugh.  I had 23 glasses of apple juice instead.  Awesome.

I nearly passed out on the subway ride home…which is why I was SO thrilled when I got home to this!

Look what greeted me when I walked in the door!  Kyle gets MVP for the weekend.  Meeting me downtown for a Whole Foods surprise dinner on Sat and BBQing vegan eats for me on Sun…I hit the jackpot with this one!

Look at him all proud of his skillz.  Cue master K! 

I love BBQ corn!  He also made mushroom/bell pepper skewers and LightLife smart tenders (plus 2 un-pictured chicken breasts for himself). 

I think I tried this brand of smart tenders long ago and wasn’t a huge fan, but this was a new flavor (Lemon Pepper) and wasn’t too bad. 

As I mentioned whined about earlier, I was hangry by the time I got home, so I immediately made up a plate.

I added 3 tender strips and a kebob to a handful of spinach and corn.

Hit. The. Spot.

Here’s plate numero dos, with a multi-v vitaminwater on the side.

Anyone tried these new lower calorie vitamin waters?  This was the first time I tried one and I’m still a little unsure how I feel (I’ve never tried any of the original vitamin water flavors either).  I noticed rebiana (the stevia extract) on the ingredient list, but I think it’s in the form of Truvia (the one with “natural sweeteners”).  Hmm…

 

Dessert was huge fruity melon mix and a pair of hermits.

So chewy and delicious!

After watching three horrendous hours of Celeb Apprentice killing my last few functioning brain cells, it was bed time.  Thank goodness I have Monday off!  I have so much catching up to do!

I’ve got B.O. (beets and okra)

Don’t worry I’m a clean hippie.  Showers are me time.  But wait ‘til you see my lovely dinner…it’s packed with salad newbies. 

But first things first. 

I have no idea why, but I woke up WAY freakin’ early.  On a non-work day, WTF!?  Anyways, I had a frothy mug of joe to get things rolling…followed by a strawberry chobz with diced strawberries on top.

Mmmm…look at all that greek yogurt goodness.  I also had an apple while reading blogs and watching last night’s Gossip Girl and The Hills killing some brain cells.

 

After I felt significantly dumber, I had some dried pineapple rings and then hit the road to tackle my laundry list of errands. 

Whew.  I didn’t get home until pretty late in the day and I was starving and dripping with sweat.  New York has no in-between, it goes from 30 degrees to 90 degrees.

I managed to slice apples and bread before going to town on the hummus.  This held me over enough so I could make myself a real lunch. 

Spinach, hummus, and seitan on a toasted english muffin.

WOW.  Be jeal, it was as good as it looks   :)

Even though I had already walked miles and miles doing all my errands, I still decided to gym it up.  I was actually even more sore today than yesterday, so I did the elliptical for an hour, progressively increasing the resistance from 7 to 12, then stretched and peaced out (no mat work).

Post gym I had this little baby, which I got in my half marathon goody bag.  I like free things, especially when they are chocolate and soy.

 

I heart Silk – and I heart chocolate…pretty sure this is old news to you all though.

While making this (see above) for Kyle, I snacked on this (see below).

 

As promised, here’s some info about key nutrients and their vegetable sources (starting with the most per serving):

Minerals: elements that originate in the soil and can’t be created by living things (ie plants and animals). Plants absorb minerals from the soil and animals get their minerals from eating plants/other animals. Most minerals in the human diet come directly from plants. 

Calcium – artichoke, peas, squash, broccoli, kale, lima beans, spinach

Iron – lima beans, peas, avocado, kale, spinach, broccoli, squash, potatoes

Magnesium – avocado, artichoke, peas, squash, potatoes, corn, spinach, kale

Phosphorous – lima beans, peas, artichokes, avocado, corn, potatoes, asparagus

Potassium – avocado, lima beans, potatoes, peas, artichoke, squash, kale, sweet potatoes, broccoli, corn, carrots, spinach, asparagus, green peppers

Vitamins: organic food substances found only in living things (ie plants and animals). They are essential for our bodies to function properly and (with few exceptions) the human body can’t manufacture or synthesize vitamins, so they must be supplied in our diet or in man-made dietary supplements. Vitamins can’t be assimilated without also ingesting food, which is why it’s best to take supplements with a meal (caution with synthetic vitamin supplements because they can be of varying quality).

Vitamin A – sweet potatoes, kale, carrots, spinach, avocado, broccoli, peas

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – peas, avocado

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – avocado

Vitamin B3 (niacin) – avocado, peas, potatoes, mushrooms, squash, corn

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) – avocado, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, lima beans, squash

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) – avocado, peas, potatoes, carrots

Vitamin B9 (folate/folic acid) – lima beans, asparagus, avocado, peas, artichoke, spinach, squash, broccoli, corn, sweet potatoes

Vitamin B12 – none

Vitamin C – sweet potatoes, green peppers, kale, artichoke, peas, onions, potatoes, asparagus, avocado, broccoli

Vitamin D – mushrooms

Vitamin E – none

Vitamin K – kale, spinach, broccoli, and most other dark green leafy vegetables

*This info and more here, including daily requirements and amounts per veggie serving.

Who knew avocados were such power houses!?  Looks like my half a day habit is pretty healthy.

The major red flag for vegans/vegetarians to note is Vitamin B12, which is only found in animal products (meat, eggs, dairy)…and even though many sources claim it can be found in fermented soy products (tempeh) it is often not.

All my research really got me in the mood for a mega salad with TONS of new veggies.  So, in honor of Miss GlidingCalm and Melissa, I tried 2 new ingredients (beets and okra), along with several other colorful veggies.

Look!  It’s okra!  How cute! (and tasty too I might add)

On a bed of spinach was sliced okra, cherry tomatoes, broccoli slaw, baby beets, shredded carrots, and smart deli “turkey.”

Sometimes I can’t reign in the creative forces…and instead of being selective, I go overboard and add every single thing I can get my hands on into my salads…

…case in point, the above confetti in a bowl.  This was way too big.  I had a food baby after.

So full.

I think I may be in love with these two new veggies.  Okra has a wonderful crunch factor that really lends itself to salads.  The only thing that was a little weird was it seemed to sweat a kind of gooey sap when cut, but I can get over that because it’s texture and flavor were superb.  I can already tell okra and hummus are going to be a dynamic duo, and that’s really the only test a food needs to pass in my book.  As for the beets, they are so flavorful, I can see why Melissa loves them (and Dwight grows them, hehe).  I want to find out other ways to use them besides in a salad, because they are really tasty.  The only downside is their potential to stain my clothes if I’m not careful.

After dinner, Kyle was still at work, so I decided to go for a PM stroll and do a few more errands.  The weather was still perfect outside!  I ended up getting a manicure, which is very necessary since I am going home on Thursday for my friend’s wedding – and I can’t show off my bling bling with unpolished nails!!!

Obviously by the time I got back home I was ready for dessert.

Dates stuffed with carob raisins and an apple.  Game. Set. Match.

For the vegetarians or vegans out there, is there ever a time you crave meat, or miss any dairy or other animal products?  Just wondering.  When I was out and about today I smelled bacon, and it smelled delish.  The funny part is, I’ve NEVER had bacon before.  Ever.  My Mom is a vegetarian, so growing up, there were several foods I never tried.  Bacon is one of the foods, and although it smells divine, it still grosses me out. 

oranges, oranges, oranges

Overdose alert!!  I kinda went crazy with the naranjas today (fyi that’s oranges in Spanish).  So now that I’ve fulfilled Elise’s daily cultural lesson for all you non-espanol-ers out there, I’ll continue on with today’s post.  Gringo, much?

 

I made this one with soymilk, but I am SO excited to go shopping today for a new non-milk milk.  Can I just say how amazing this blogging community is?!?  Seriously, I have a question, and I turn to you all, and voila, answer!

So a HUGE thanks for all your suggestions!  Seriously, you guys rock.

I also had few coconut date rolls (for breakfast?) just for $&*# and giggles, so deal with it.  But apparently my sweet tooth fruit cravings were in over drive, so in a very Sharon-esque manner, I piled my plate high with sliced fruit.

Did anyone catch my boyfriend Justin Timberlake on SportsCenter today?  Yeah, I realize I just said “sportscenter” in a sentence…never thought I’d see the day, Kyle would be so proud…but I digress. 

I woke up to discover my lovely fiancé had recorded a short segment of JT for me (what better way to wake up than to 3 mins of Justin on your DVR), is he TRYING to call off this wedding (?!)

…ah love (pretty sure my obsession is no secret at this point)…

Back to the eats!

Blueberry Chobani (and another orange)

Lunch wrap: whole wheat tortilla with flax, chunky sabra hummus, fancy spring lettuce, and matchstick carrots

Lunch wouldn’t be complete without a little dessert action though.

Medjool dates stuffed with carob raisins.  NOM.

Since the weather was decent, I decided to get over to the gym to move a little…not too much, though (I made it there and back with only a little drizzle so I’ll consider it a success).  Everyone keep your fingers crossed the weather gets nice by the weekend.  I have NO desire to attempt my first half marathon in the rain.

I’m on orange #3 here, guys!  I also indulged in some frozen grapes.

I tried hard to be productive for the rest of the day…hardware store, grocery store, home furnishing store, Victoria’s Secret (oops!) etc.

We now have curtains and all the parts needed to hang them…but for now, they’re still in the bag…baby steps people, baby steps.

For dinner I made a mega salad with spinach, broccoli slaw, sprouts, carrots, edamame, HALF an avocado, and chunky sabra hummus.

If THIS isn’t LOVE, I don’t know what is…just kidding Kyle.

On the side, I smeared a little bit heaping mountain of chunky hummus on a piece of bread.

Mmmm…I feel like I’m hemorrhaging hummus and oranges.

Guess what dessert was?  Give up?

 

Fruit, of course.  Lions, tigers, and bears oranges, apples, and a dried pineapple, oh my!

Wanna win stuff?  If there is anyone else out there (besides me) who STILL hasn’t tried this SHRED business, head over to Sarah’s Sweet Lips…

As for the Blogger Summit – HOLY excitement overload!