Study Snack!

Lately I've switched to being the student who never goes to class and studies from home.  This is partially due to the fact that my med school FINALLY agreed to camtasia (where they record the powerpoint/smartboard slides with voiceover and post the videos to the internet) all lectures and partially because I've completely lost my ability to pay attention to 3 hours straight of lecture (or more accurately, I never had the ability, and finally recognized that not paying attention in lecture for 2 hours was a waste of 2 hours).

My new system is to watch lectures from home on camtasia.  It takes me a little bit longer because I pause to take notes, go to the bathroom, search Facebook, slam my head into the desk…. but overall I think it's a time saver because I only have to watch/read (via transcription) the lecture once.  Added bonus, my dog is SUPER happy about the situation.

Another bonus of studying from home is I save a ton of money because I don't have to worry about forgetting/not having time to pack my lunch.  I have a pretty fast metabolism, so I usually get hungry around 10:30-11ish and need a snack.  Today I'm trying spin on a recipe I found somewhere on Pinterest- Roasted Chick Peas.  They are super healthy, a great source of protein, and take a minimum amount of time to make.  Plus, in the winter (especially this polar vortex fueled winter from hell) I find myself craving something warm.

Here is the recipe I went with today (The nice thing is when you get tired of one flavor, you can change it up!!):

Roasted Spicy Chick Peas:  Active time: less than 5 minutes
-1 can chick peas drained (I use canned organic chickpeas from TJs)
-Olive oil (just drizzle it all over)
-pinch of salt
-1/2 Teaspoon each of curry powder, cumin, and chili powder
-dash of cayenne pepper

Toss all ingredients in the colander that you drained your chickpeas in (I imagine you could do the same with the can and save a dish)

Throw onto a baking sheet lined with tinfoil (I didn't do the tinfoil this time, but it makes the cleanup even faster)

Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes and VOILA!!

Chow

Something I've realized is how important it has been for me to know how to cook well. If all else is gone to hell, and I haven't showered in days, and have been pulling 12 hour study marathons day in and day out, the least I can do for myself is to have some good healthy food on hand. 

I generally prefer to cook in bulk so I can spend 30mins to an hour on food prep one day and then microwave for the rest of the week. 

This week I picked 2 meats and 2 sides all from Trader Joes. 

Monday: 

-I took my whole chicken out to thaw

-thawed my TJs Alaskan coho salmon the baked it: layers both filets out skin side down on tin foil in a 13x9 baking dish and seasoned with salt and TJ's lemon pepper then did a generous coating of creme fraiche. Baked at 450 for 10 minutes

-cooked 2 cups of TJs multicolored quinoa per package instructions

-made 2 bags of TJs Kale: 3 frozen garlic cubes in pan with olive oil, continuously add kale until it all fits in the big skillet or wok. Add a little bit of water. Cover and steam until salmon is done. 

The salmon lasted Monday night and Monday lunch for both my fiancé and me. 

Wednesday I baked my chicken (seasoning it with the remainder of my cocktail mixing ingredients):

-rinse out chicken and set on roasting pan

-in a bowl combine half a stick of butter, 2 table spoons olive oil, zest from 3 lemons, 2 sprigs rosemary chopped, salt, pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chicken (including under skin and in cavity)

-squeeze juice of 2 lemons over chicken

-slice the remaining lemon into quarters and slice a small onion into chunks- stuff the lemon, onion and one more rosemary sprig into cavity

-Bake at 425until temperature reaches 165 when measured at the thigh. 

-check your chicken after about 30minutes. If it looks pretty brown, cover it with some tin foil. 

The chicken took about 20 minutes of prep time (just long enough to watch modern family). Tomorrow is Friday and we will be at the end of the chicken, Kale, and quinoa. Two people fed dinner and lunch for one week (plus salmon skin for the dog), about an hour of prep time, total cost: $40. Great success.