Oh, for forks sake: Easy recipes I'm loving

My studio apartment was pretty great, except for a few things. My teensy weensy kitchen was probably up there on that list. I definitely wouldn't say that I love cooking, but I feel that preparing healthy food is both important for your wellness and your budget.

So, with both very minimal fridge space (yes, it was a literal mini-fridge) and sparse counter space, cooking wasn't exactly my favorite thing in the world. However, I did have some go-to recipes that served me quite well!

Mexican Bean Salad

Pictured above, I made this salad loosely based on the linked recipe from My Life Cookbook. Cold salads were great for taking to school with me, and I loved having this on the side of a cheese quesadilla.

From Damn Delicious

One-Pot Mexican Quinoa

Loooove this recipe by Damn Delicious! So easy to make and it's really yummy. Quinoa is a grain, it's high in protein, and it's so easy to cook. Definitely makes a great base for this awesome recipe.

From The Cookie Rookie

Green Goddess Pasta Salad

I tend to eat vegetarian, if you couldn't tell. I'm not the biggest fan of cooking meat, I didn't have a ton of room in my mini-fridge, and (maybe this is a false assumption) I feel like non-meat recipes just cook faster. And time is of the essence in PA school! Asparagus is great in the summer, so this was a delicious recipe to take advantage of fresh asparagus.

What else have I been eating?

Sauted garlic mushrooms and spinach on toast with hummus
Veggie stir fry (gotta have those little baby corns!)
Fresh salads (sliced almonds + chickpeas + dried cranberries + feta = my favorite)
"Snack packs" -- this is basically when I just pack a slew of healthy snacks foods for my lunch (cut veggies, homemade trail mix, cut apple with PB, low-sugar yogurt, etc).

I also have a good breakfast every day. I get up early (5/5:30am) to study before class, so I eat a pretty big breakfast AND have a snack before lab to get me through until I eat lunch at about 1:00pm. Breakfast can be eggs and toast, toast with PB and bananas and cinnamon, oatmeal with fresh fruit, or breakfast tacos. YUM!

Comments

Distance Year 1: My daily routine

Over the summer, I wrote about my daily routine . Remember, at that time I was living in a tiny studio apartment and doing school full-time on campus. As expected, the transition to life as a part-time student, part-time dietitian has been challenging. I'll say this upfront. I knew PA school, even in a part-time program, was going to be difficult. But this has, well, exceeded those expectations. When people tell you that you'll be studying basically all the time, they weren't kidding. But I'll let my daily routine help you see that! Work Day Schedule I work three days a week (generally W-F), and I have quickly realized that I can't slack off on these days. If I do, I definitely get behind! 5:15 - Alarm goes off. My small dog Milo somehow takes up the whole bed but I try to sneak out of bed without disturbing him too much. He's lazy so he'll sleep most of the morning. 5:30-6:30 - Watch a lecture while sipping on my coffee and eating a simple...

Three months: My life as a new PA-C

As I'm sure many new PA's can attest to, the end of PA school is a bit of a blur. One minute you're finishing up classes and studying for the PANCE and the next you're ... here? Three months into practice and wondering how it happened. Graduation was on May 13, 2022, and that was a really wonderful day. My parents came to support me, I enjoyed beers on the terrace with my friends, and I felt wonderful standing on the other side of three years of grad school. After a quick day of relaxation, I hit the ground running with my studying. I stuck with my plan for the most part, and felt equal parts "I can't possibly study any more!" and "But I'm not ready!" when exam day arrived. I happened to be at the very same testing center as a fellow student, so when we finished our exams, we headed over to the local mexican restaurant to enjoy tacos and well-deserved margaritas. Hilariously, our brains were so absolutely melted from testing that we could ...

My favorite books about medicine

I am a medicine junkie. Medical shows (House, Grey's Anatomy), documentaries (Diagnosis), and books … I love it all! Even though summer is coming to an end (and we're about to kiss our free time good-bye!), I wanted to share a list of my favorite books about medicine. Side note: Even though we don't have a lot of free time, I have found that reading a little bit for fun before bed helps me wind down to go to sleep. Way better than staring at my phone like I used to do! Anyway, these books are in no particular order (because ranking them was just too dang hard!). Also, I'm pretty sure that all of these books are $15 or less, so it won't break the bank for us poor college kids to read a few. Every Patient Tells a Story This book was actually recommended to me by PA students when I was interviewing at the school I am currently attending! Apparently it was strongly encouraged to read by one of the professors, and it sounded amazing. Written by Dr. Lisa Sand...

OJ the PA

Search This Blog