2010 January « Hippocratic Oats

Archive for January, 2010

Just dance

On Saturday, I introduced Vicki to the amazingness that is Zumba. I like to attend classes at a local Zumba studio. The instructors are awesome, and of the 4 or 5 different places I’ve taken classes at, Dancing Kats definitely has the best music. In class we danced to everything from Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson. After Zumba, we headed to the mall for the Victoria’s Secret semi-annual sale.

Vicki and I found a few things we liked

I picked up this body wash. Funky looking but great smelling.

Vicki also got this adorable top from J Crew for her welcome back party next week.

Post zumba lunch of grilled cheese and minestrone soup

Later in the afternoon (after another trip to the apple store because of another small problem with Vicki’s computer) we started prepping for dinner.

We grilled chicken breasts and portobello mushrooms that had been marinated in balsamic vinegar.

I also started prepping for my favorite butternut squash bisque.

Onions

Carrots and squash

I used the low sodium chicken broth. Next time I think I’ll go back to full sodium. I’m not all that concerned with my salt intake and I ended up adding a ton of salt to flavor it anyway.

Cooking the soup

Blending the soup

The ingredient that adds the most to the bisque flavor. I only add 1/2 cup to the whole thing.

Portobello, chicken, tomato and cheese sandwich and greens.

Finished soup

After a wonderful weekend, Vicki had to head back on Sunday morning. I didn’t want to see her go because I love spending time with her. She’s one of my closest and oldest friends. It also meant I had to return to reality. Classes start tomorrow. Luckily they are easing us in with a 9:50 lecture as opposed to an 8:40. Unfortunately, I also have an afternoon lab. It’s going to be a long day and I have a ton of stuff in my planner. I’ve enjoyed the past 2 weeks, and I wish they could last a little longer.

One of these things is this week’s dance marathon. Anna and I braved the snow this afternoon to contact more local businesses about donating prizes for our raffle. We had some success, and it was good to get out of the apartment for a while. Armory square was actually really pretty covered in snow:)

January 3, 2010 at 11:25 pm 1 comment

He’s the one they call Dr. Feelgood

After an afternoon at the mall trying to get Vicki’s computer fixed, that’s exactly what we were calling the Mac whisperer! Vicki and I ran a bunch of errands on Friday morning (trip to Price Chopper and David’s Bridal) and then headed over to the Mac store. Not only did this guy put his ear up to her laptop and tell her what was wrong, he installed a new hard drive, transferred all of her files and had it all up and running in about 2 hours. Thanks to apple care, it was all free!

With a good as new computer, we went back to the apartment and each got on the treadmill for a while. I tested out a new workout that involved a lot of speed walking up hill. I didn’t think I would feel it as much as a run, but it was actually quite challenging.

Afterwards, I was pretty hungry, and we decided on pizza for dinner!

My new basil plant. It smells amazing.

Added some of Emeril’s Italian Essence to the sauce.

Along with lots of fresh basil and garlic.

We also decided to take the easy way out with the dough situation, and used a Boboli crust.

Hmmm pizza!

Needed some veggies…thus the salad.

Also added feta cheese, cranberries and sliced almonds.

I also whipped up some of my Brie Bites. Starting off with a package of Pillsbury Grands, I separated each of the biscuits into thirds and placed each one on a mini muffin pan.

Using a tart press, I pushed each piece of dough in forming a cup. A little flour helps with the stickiness.

Next, I filled the dough with a little brie cheese and some raspberry jam.

They went in the oven for 10 minutes and you have Brie Bites!

Vicki and I spent the rest of the night watching Glee and chatting. When a friend leaves the country for 9 months, there’s definitely a whole lot of necessary catching up and it often involves venn diagrams

January 3, 2010 at 8:46 pm 1 comment

Auld Lang Syne

Happy new year!!!! It’s so incredible that it’s already 2010. I remember watching Back to the Future 2 and seeing their prediction of what 2015 was going to be like. I also remember thinking that 2015 seemed so far off in the future, and now its pretty damn close. Luckily, I don’t think I’ll be getting around on a hover board within the next 5 years.

Anyway, I’ve made several resolutions for 2010:

1. Run in my first half marathon. I have about 6 months to kick my butt into shape. It’s going to involve a lot of getting up early to work out and a lot of healthy eating. Hopefully I’m up for the challenge.

2. Refocus at school. Even though I spend most of my time studying, I really want to make better use of that time. When I’m working, I want to be 100% into what I’m reading and reviewing. I don’t want to get distracted. By being a little more efficient, hopefully I’ll save more time overall.

3. Blog. I blog for family and friends, but I have a little secret. I also do this whole blogging thing for me. It’s the best study break out there! I can sit down, do something completely unrelated to school, and still feel productive.

4. Stay in better contact with friends. I sometimes feel like med school sucks up all my time, and I’m in my own little med school bubble. I don’t want to let myself get totally wrapped up in all of this craziness and let the rest of my life pass me by.

In other exciting news, I had a wonderful new year’s eve and day. Vicki came up to rock in the new year for the whole weekend, and Mike also stopped by for drinks a little later on in the evening.

Vicki on my mac (her’s was not working )