After almost 3 weeks of truly healthy living, I caved about a day and a half before the end, while we were in Atlanta this past weekend for a CDC veterinary student conference, for my FAVORITE RESTAURANT EVER! And here's the dish that made the decision for me:
Shrimp Poori @ Panahar's in Atlanta
Ahhh, that place/food is to die for! Maybe we should've been studying for pharmacology, but hopefully Jenna and Peach agree that this was the better choice. Also, I got to see my OTHER Jenna, which was FABULOUS, as usual! The only downside: I woke up the next morning at some ungodly hour, with the most ridiculous earache I've ever had in my life (especially considering I've never really had an earache), and I didn't want to wake anybody up to get meds, so I just suffered through it, fearing for the life of my eardrum and losing very valuable sleep. Needless to say, our 6:30 alarm didn't find me in a good condition, and what would have been a really great day was a little painful. Relevance to the dinner? I have a suspicion that the earache may have had something to do with some sort of allergic reaction to one of the ingredients that I've been staying away from for the past few weeks. Hm. I should probably look into that, although, if I had to eliminate dairy or wine from my diet forever, I'd be a very sad panda.
In the realm of health, however, I have taken away some good lessons from my detox, which was an extremely positive experience:
I really get a lot of joy out of cooking, especially foods that are legitimately good for me, which I tend to prefer the taste of anyway. And I really may look into staying as gluten/dairy free as I can while remaining a happy panda.
Exercise is a wonderful thing, especially when you do it regularly. It's when you take several days off (such as this week, eek!) that it gets hard to head back to the gym, which you just have to work through, because, no matter how busy you are, life is better when you spend some time moving your body.
A reduction in alcohol intake is never a bad thing. I must remember to take breaks from it every now and then...
I CAN live without caffeine! I still haven't incorporated that one back (except for a few cups of green tea to get me through the CDC conference), and I feel great!
I legitimately cannot WAIT to grow my own veggies! I even have mustard and collard greens and arugula starting to grow now, and we'll be working out getting raised beds ready for the spring just as soon as possible, plus I've already started collecting a compost pile. YAY!
My baby mustard (bottom left) and sprouting arugula (all the rest)!
Basically, living as healthy a lifestyle as possible makes life more enjoyable. Not that I'm tee-totallin' for the rest of the year, believe you me, but I'm going to try to maintain as much of what I've incorporated as possible.
As far as the CDC veterinary student event goes, it definitely has me thinking about possibilities for the future. Such as, well, public health work. Going for a Masters in Public Health, maybe? What the hell, all of my friends are doing it...
Studying anatomy on the way to Atlanta
We were in the "infected" group of our case study for the day,
involving a virus prevalent in South Africa! (imagine that...)
As far as the rest of life goes, exams are getting good and started, and it's time to start doing things like raising money for our international trips, applying for scholarships, etc., etc... Ya know, the fun part. (*long face*) But on the other hand, we've got a lot of fun stuff coming up! For example, I've convinced a few of my good friends, mostly from out of state, to head to New Orleans the weekend before Mardi Gras to get some experience in the realm of Southern decadence. (Bitches with Beads, round... 3?) AND there's Spring Break, which will see a few of us heading to Austin for SXSW, and I will finally get to visit Leggy! Yay! I'm so excited that I have friends in vet school that are willing to take some time off to just HAVE FUN! Because, as so many people are so quick to remind us, this is IT. It only gets harder from here. So soak it up! And soaking it up is kind of my forte...
Like right now. I'm soaking up the delicious dinner I just made:
The Lee Brothers broiled salmon, over arugula, and purple potatoes Anna
while sitting on my couch with this adorable kitten perched on my shoulder, purring sweetly:
This little guy needs a HOME!
Any takers?!
and my sweet Ferny at my feet:
with my newly-arrived slippers that my dad got me for Christmas (and my mom sent to me):
Sooooo comfy!
simply loving life.
Now, to the gym for a little serotonin release via swimming, followed by some anatomy learnin'.
(A few more pictures for the road.)
Poached egg (like, in a big pot of boiling water! first time ever!)
over spinach/mushrooms/onions over seduction bread (breakfast for dinner)
Pathology learnin' -- that's just some platelets and fibrin forming a clot, no big deal
Quinoa cakes!
A delicious berry/banana/spinach smoothie in my new favorite glass EVER!
My roommies. So sweet... (although Fanny is PISSED about this kitten being in her territory)
Homemade granola
(the rest of my Holga shots, or the ones that somewhat turned out...)
So, tomorrow will begin Week 3 of the New Year's detox, and things are great!
Week 2 added legumes and fish back into the regime, and I was excited to learn how to pan-sear tuna, plus I could finally get down with the hummus I'd made before I realized I wasn't supposed to have it in Week 1. I also made one of my favorite staples:
Roasted Brussels sprouts
I found a recipe that added lemon zest to the mix, and it was quite delicious!
I also broke down after finding this recipe and made a treat:
Candied orange peels dipped in dark chocolate
I used raw sugar instead of granulated for the process (tried to make it as nutritional as possible, ya know). I only ate a few, but they were delicious! Mostly I gave them away to friends and classmates at school. Now I just need to repeat the process and take some home to my Dad, who was a little pissed that I didn't have any left when I went home this weekend.
Speaking of this weekend. There was one event of the week that wasn't so fabulous: I finally decided it was time to let Aibileen, my old lady dog, go on to doggy heaven. You see, she was about 12 or so when I got her (or actually took her so she wouldn't be euthanized, a few years ago), and she had fairly severe arthritis. She'd been through several medications, each of which caused its own complication. So, basically, she had been untreated for the arthritis (except for a special joint diet that was mixed with her special urinary diet) for a long time. I watched her to see how things were progressing, and this past week she got to the point where she was having more trouble than usual going up and down the stairs to use the bathroom, trembling more and more with every step she took. It was so sad to see her in so much pain. So I knew it was time.
Aiby's grave
We buried her up on Hickory Hill (Dad dug the grave for me), where I have vowed to build my Summerland home one day. She'll be giving off the good doggy mojo for years...
As for the rest of the weekend, Addie came home with me to check out the Summerland/Hattiesburg experience, and there was quality time with the folks, a trip to Hattiesburg that included stops by all of my favorite places (the antique malls, the Yokel, Hudson's, Jutama's for dinner, Candace's place), Sunday lunch/cooking with Tom, and, on the way back to Starkville, a stop by the Highway 45 Flea Market. Made for a fabulous weekend, all-in-all.
And today -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. No school. Time for sleeping in, cleaning house, grocery shopping, studying, cooking delicious food... Tomorrow it's back to the grind, and the real fun begins: first exam of the semester on Friday! Yay for the MSU CVM class of 2015!
Doggy mudprints accumulated throughout the dreary week (mostly Aibileen's)
Calico Mall - wish I could've afforded this bad boy!
Shoeless guy at the Boom Boom Room (he may be onto something)
Some of my finds from a weekend full of antique/flea market shopping!
Today began week 2 of the detox, and it's going great! Been making juice every morning and other delicious food for lunch and dinner. Such as:
Grated turnips and ginger with onion and cumin and stuff
Steamed broccoli and stir-fried mustards with sesame seeds
Roasted turnips with garlic and onions
Today I added back legumes, so I made lentil and vegetable soup
That's just a few highlights. Other than that, I've gotten back to the pool, extremely glad, what with the ridiculous traffic at the university athletic center, that this is my exercise of choice. I tried to spin on Monday and the sorority girls had taken over the bikes. Let me tell you, it truly sucks to get up at 5:00 AM to not get a bike at your spinning class. But I'm MAKING it tomorrow!
In other news, my Mom and Mawmaw came up on Sunday, to shower me with gifts, produce, and monkey grass/bulbs. It was Mawmaw's first time to see my place, and she was both impressed and helpful, cleaning up the turnips Mom brought me while Mom and I planted the grass and bulbs:
Mawmaw cleaning my turnips (what a wonderful woman)
Planting with Mom
Constantly grateful about how amazing my family is, that's for sure.
Oh, and, as indicated by the Instagram photos, I finally entered the iPhone world! This shit is crazy. Seriously not helping my A.D.D., but I love it none the less. Everything at the tip of your fingers, literally! I can't wait to actually visit a city, to use some of the most exciting features... Which also reminds me, I have more pictures from the holidays/wayyy before that (got some Holga shots developed):
(Instagram) Fern is always the cutest
(Instagram) Also, Fanny is always the cutest
Payton this summer, beginning to get comfortable in the water
The pigs at Callie and Rivers' place
Maple and Cider playing with the water hose (truly Southern summer remedy)
The Japanese maple at the very tail end of the Fall
Candace and myself in front of Tipitina's (I tried and failed at doing a double-exposure), after Lykke Li and First Aid Kit!
Our Christmas tree!
The girls and I go out to feed the chickens
Poultry heaven!
Oh, Payton...
Justin and Dad, admiring the fire
(The Hunger Games nerd in me wants to call this "Girl on Fire")
I just noticed how I got a picture of Justin with both of my parents. Weird.
