Chicken-Style Seitan

This is the stir-fry I wanted to make last night, but didn't have time. Instead it was lunch. It has broccoli, edamame (soy beans), orange peppers, onion, and chicken-style seitan (wheat gluten) in a sweet and sour sauce.

I wouldn't include edamame if I had tofu or a soy-based sauce, because that would be soy overkill, and as I do have a mild soy allergy, I try not to get too soy crazy.

Vegan Cheesecake from TJ's

After dinner at Grasshopper last night, I headed over to TJ Scallywaggle's, the all vegan pizza and sub place for a slice of cheesecake. This piece is topped with cherries. Oh my gosh this was absolutely amazing!

Tonight I thought I'd stir fry up some broccoli, edamame, and chicken-style seitan. but it was late and I was on call and wanted to get a bike ride in before it got dark. Instead I had "Indian food in a bag", aka the Trader Joe's Indian food that comes in convenient boxes. Maybe tomorrow I'll cook something.

The weirdest thing happened today....

I went to a Boston Vegetarian Society dinner this evening at Grasshopper. As a new person, I had to introduce myself -- "Hi, I'm Heather, and I just moved here from Rochester New York." That's all I said.

Later, a woman comes up to me -- "Do you have a blog? You're a cardiologist, right?"

How funny is that?!?!?!?!?!?!

Oh yes, and a shout out to my new friend Jody. Thanks for the heads up on the Toad the Wet Sprocket concert. That was fun!

Lowell Triathlon

Today was my first triathlon since moving to Boston. I think I did ok.

The swim was in a very quiet river. I have a confession: I panic in the water. Somehow, practice swims are no big deal, but when it gets to be race day, I can't seem to breathe in the water, and my hard-practiced form goes to crap. But, it still ends up that swimming is my best event of the three -- go figure.

Anyway, my wise coach Mary told me to get in the water before the start and get acclimated. Great advice, as this was personally my calmest swim ever. I didn't panic nearly as much as I usually do, and I think I did well.

The bike was good too. The course was flat, which is good because I'm not very good at hills.

Then there was the run. It felt hot, and there was absolutely no shade on the course. I started strong, but as time went on, I was really feeling the heat, and I know I slowed down a lot. I kept looking at my watch, wondering why it was taking me 40 minutes to run a 5k, or 3.5 miles, or whatever, but somehow there weren't a lot of other women passing me. Just now, I looked at the web site -- it was a 4 mile run. Whoops!

As usual, I cheer everyone on. I even cheered on a guy who wasn't even competing!

Ok, all in all, I think I did ok. I eagerly await the official results.....

Pre-Race Dinner

Whole wheat pasta, Whole Foods marinara sauce, Whole Foods vegan meatballs, and sauteed portobello mushrooms.

Tapering, Carb-Loading, and Salt-Loading

Tomorrow is my first triathlon since moving to Boston, the Lowell Mill City Triathlon. I feel very ready for it. This week was a "taper" which means that I don't work out nearly as hard as I usually do, in order to get ready for the big event.

Also, it's HOT in New England this weekend!!! Thank goodness I got my workout for the day out of the way at 7 am today, when it was cooler out. In order to prepare for the heat, Mary says to eat lots of salt and drink plenty of water so that you "pee clear". I've done that over the past 2 days.

I'm ready!!!!

Seitan Stir Fry

I made this stir fry from a packaged Asian Vegetable Stir Fry from Whole Foods. I stir-fried them in my wok with some sesame oil and Bragg's, along with seitan stir-fry strips. This went really well with some mushroom-flavored couscous.

And, most importantly, I made this in about 15 minutes. Enough time to run home between sheath pulls. I love living 200 feet from work :)

"And this is the men's weight area..."

This is an actual comment from a YMCA employee as she gave me a tour before I joined. She pointed to the free weight room.

"Oh really? Are women not allowed in here?" I asked.

"No, women are allowed, but it's usually all men. And women don't go in here, because it's.... you know..."

"Too much testosterone?"

Uncomfortable laugh. "Yes. They like using these rooms," she replies as she points to the small rooms to the side with outdated Nautilus-type equipment.

I weight train, about once a week during triathlon season, and twice a week off-season. I notice that weights keep me looking toned and help my overall fitness. In fact, back in Rochester I had a personal trainer, not because I don't know how to lift, but because it was extra incentive to push myself. Back then, I had the time and the money, but Boston is a little more expensive to live in. I sure do miss my trainer Will "Do as I say not as I do" from The Iron Butterfly.

I prefer using free weights as opposed to machines. In other words, I like the stuff in the "men's weight room". And, oddly enough, every time I've been in there, I'm the only woman. I use the free weights, but I also incorporate other items that the macho men wouldn't be caught dead using, like a stability ball or mat.

And I'm sure not going to be intimidated into just using the "Women's weight area".

Coconut Milk Soy Drink

After my 5 1/2 mile morning run on the Esplanade, I stopped off at the local Chinese grocer around the corner and picked this up -- some sort of soy coconut milk drink. It was delicious, and completely hit the spot.

Overheard on the Cath Lab Table

Patients say some crazy stuff sometimes.

This guy is in the midst of a heart attack. We're in the process of opening his clogged artery. He asks us, "What time is it? The Red Sox are on at 12:45."

Ummm.... I think his priorities are a bit mixed up.

TJ Scallywaggles

TJ Scallywaggles, a hole-in-the-wall pizza place type of joint, is ALL VEGAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a spinoccoli calzone for dinner and baklava for dessert. The calzone was made with the Follow Your Heart cheese which I thought might be kinda funky, but was terrific. I wolfed down the whole huge calzone.

The folks there are very friendly. Recently, they went from being a pizza place with a vegan menu to all vegan. Apparently, with the change, business has actually picked up. They've removed the fryer in an effort to be more health-conscious. Not that I'll delude myself into thinking the calzone was healthy, other than the presence of green vegetables.

I'll definitely be going back.

Tahini and Flax Seed Dip

Mix one cup of tahini, one tablespoon of maple syrup, and one tablespoon of ground flax seeds. It's a great dip for veggies or bread. I tried a version of this at Whole Foods, but with almond butter instead of tahini and that was really good too.

Polenta

The last time I enjoyed polenta was on my frightening trip to the churrascura. I sauteed some onions, diced peppers, roma tomatoes, and portobellos in a lemon olive oil and seasoned with salt, basil, and oregano. The polenta was baked in the oven with a little olive oil for 15 minutes. Easy enough dinner.

The polenta is definitely store-bought. Sorry, don't have the kind of time to be making my own.

Toto, We're Not in Rochester Any More!

Today was my first day on the new job as an Interventional Cardiology Fellow.

Things are done very differently here. The cath lab environment here is a huge change for me. They use tools that I've never used in my life, like this thing called a manifold. They use different types of equipment than I am accustomed to. And the staff in the lab are very nice and helpful, but I keep forgetting their names.

I did one case today. My attending, fortunately, was quite patient. There is the assumption when you're new that you know nothing. I like that assumption. And, I do know a bit more than I let on, but for now, I would hate to pretend I know and make a mistake.

Being new isn't as anxiety-provoking as, say, when I was an intern fresh out of medical school seven years ago. Back then, I smiled a lot and was extra-nice to everyone. I even baked cookies for the nurses and patient staff! Because, when you're nice, people tend to be more forgiving, especially when you're a 23-year-old who looks way too young to be anyone's doctor. So, I was that nice new intern who bakes cookies, and that got me far during my first month rotation.

So, lots to learn about how to do cardiac interventions, and lots to learn about the system. I still smile a lot and am friendly. We'll see how things go -- I may be baking some chocolate chip cookies very soon.

Wrap

Lunch today is a whole wheat flatbread wrap with baby spinach, tofurky, avocado, ketchup, and Nayonaise. It's the same bread that I used for yesterday's quesadilla.

Quesadilla

Here's a whole wheat quesadilla with pinto beans, mixed peppers, salsa, and avocado.
It tasted good but did fall apart somewhat -- probably would have worked better with refried beans.

I've learned something very important today: You can't just "run out" to Whole Foods to "pick up a few things". Because, you have to retrieve your car, weave through irritating Boston traffic even though it's only two miles away, park in the garage (first of course getting lost on a few one-way streets when you know the entrance is but ten feet away), shop, pay, validate your parking, pull back around to the front of the store, retrieve groceries, drive on back to the apartment, put the blinkers on while you run your groceries upstairs, retrieve the car and put it in the garage 4 blocks away, and then walk back to the apartment.

If Lisa weren't busy pushing a baby out right now, she'd likely be proud that this time at least I didn't drive to Framingham.

I miss my suburbs. Next time maybe I'll just have my groceries delivered.

Break Before Work Starts

The new interventional cardiology fellowship starts on Wednesday, officially. In the meantime, I'm in Michigan visiting the family on the lake, doing some quality shopping with Mom, and visiting friends I haven't seen in a while.

Last night, called friends who have an almost 2-year-old girl, said I had to get a 30-minute run in, but would be there around 9. Unfortunately, that would be after the girl would be sleeping, so he said, "Why don't you just run here, and we'll drive you home later??" AWESOME!!!!!! I always love a destination run, and in perfect Michigan summer evening weather, it couldn't have been any better.

More posting next week..........

Could this be any easier?

Whole Foods has the veggies packaged, washed, and pre-cut -- squash, snow peas, cabbage, peppers, and so forth. They're $4.99/pound. All I had to do was throw them in my wok with a little garlic sesame sauce and a few meatballs (why not?) and almost instant dinner!

And then off to Fenway for my first Red Sox experience. They beat the Mets 10-2. These fans sure are devoted.

I Now Understand the Garbage Plate

This is a Vegan Trash Plate from Two Paisans. It's based on the Garbage Plate, a creation of restaurant Nick Tahou's. This has french fries, macaroni salad (made with Vegenaise), and crumbled veggie burger, all topped with hot sauce, ketchup, onions, and mustard. I used to roll my eyes at this creation and the following that it has in Rochester, but now I understand -- it is quite yummy! This version is a bit healthier, though it would be a stretch to call it "heart healthy".


And, for the nice people who helped me load my moving truck (Dad, Mom, Rick, Karlyn, Mark, Mike, Rosie, and Ben -- you guys rock; and Kevin who extended his work trip to help me, I couldn't imagine carrying a couch up three flights of stairs with anyone else), I ordered pizza, also from Two Paisans. This is topped with spinach, broccoli, roasted red peppers, and vegan cheese.

For those of you in Rochester, please patronize the vegan menu at Two Paisans. It's nice to have so many vegan options at a place like this.

Hazards of Biking in the City

In Rochester, I'd roll my bike out the driveway, ride through about two miles of light traffic subdivisions, and then I'd be in farmland on nice roads with minimal traffic to bike on.

Not here.

It took me over ten minutes of stop and go and riding on the wrong way of a one-way street to get to the path along the Charles River. And, as this was a 40-minute ride, I practically had to turn right back around.

I think I'm going to need to ride earlier in the day, say 6 am, when there's less road traffic to contend with.

Huge thanks to Jody from Vegchic for the link on biking in Boston.