Easy Peasy

This week's green challenge (late as usual), is an easy change, because well I FAILED at last week's challenge of now disposable silverware.




You get the point.  You can see proof for yourself in the picture below of me eating out at the Cherry Blossom Festival - click the picture blow it up and in my hand is a disposable fork.  Granted I do think it was a compostable fork, but that's not the point.
Here's the solution - tomorrow I am going to make a cloth utensil holder to carry in my purse with me at all times.  Utensil Tutorial. 

As for the easy peasy next green challenge:

Green Challenge #14:  Only getting cones when eating ice cream.

Summer is coming and I am moving to a very very hot climate.  I am excited because I will be able to get ice cream, frozen yogurt, and smoothies year round!!!  Instead of getting a cup which could be paper (which will biodegrade, but will take a while) or plastic (will be around longer than I will be alive) - I'll opt for a cone which I can either eat or toss, but is still much more biodegradable than the other option.  There you go an easy green challenge.  Also, eating ice cream off a cone eliminates the need for a spoon and is more fun anyways!
Also something unrelated to this green challenge, but I have been working on is using natural light more often than turning the lights on in a room.  During the day or in the morning, I actually find it much more relaxing to have the sunlight filtering in to light my room, rather than the overhead lights on.  It feels less bothersome and much more natural.  Give it a try or the next time you cross a room or go down a hallway ask yourself if you really need to turn the light on.  Likely it's more out of habit than necessity!

I'll post pictures of my new utensil holder once I finish it!

Cherry Blossom Festival

It's that time of year, when our nation's capital is all a'bloom!  We (boyfriend, brother, and friend) on a day trip to see these beauties.  Well, let me tell you we were not alone in our trek to Tidal Basin.  I assumed that it would be busy, but did not imagine the number of people we encountered in the metro, let alone at the festival itself.

Let's just say relaxing day amongst the blooms was not to be found. It was still fun.  My favorite part was having sitting down, eating lunch, and having petals sprinkle down on me like rain.  Soft little kisses brushing my skin.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy, without the crowd.

Picnic lunch on the grass.

 The view overhead.

Petals, petals, petals.

People, people, people.

 The view across the water.  All the trees in bloom!

The Sweet Taste of Success!

Haha...This is me without furniture.  The craigslist sell was a little too successful a little too soon.  And after this photo was taken, the white table was sold.  :(

Do you like my new cooler-chair.  It was a gift from Andy, because he realized I would soon have nothing to sit on.  Now I can keep my drinks cool (notice the little bag under my bum) while relaxing in my big open living room with aTV on the floor.

Well...ok now I'm lying a little, because last night I lucked out and the people who bought my couches, said they don't need them yet and that I can keep them to sit on until I move!  woo hoo! 

My Adventures with Craigslist

My month of vacation has now officially started.  Now, now....it's not all fun and games.  I have been keeping myself super busy and I don't even get to sleep in.  Boyfriend needs a ride to work everyday at 7:30am, because he and brother share a car.  So, even though it's vacation - I'm busy.  Busy doing what you ask?

Well, I have a list about a mile long of things to keep me busy.  Topping the list is figuring out the best way to pay back my loans, try to find a place to live in Tucson (or at least a handful of places to look at once I get down there), sell most of my school books, have a moving sale and get rid of things I don't need, read for fun, try to learn more Spanish, cook a ton, and sell most of my furniture --- enter Craigslist.

I was thinking that once I put my furniture up on Craigslist it would take a few weeks for it to sale. Well, let me tell you I was waaaayyyy wrong.  Within 2 hours of posting my furniture, I had over twenty responses.  It was crazy!  I obviously did not charge enough.  So within a matter of hours nearly all of my furniture was possibly sold.

Couch, loveseat, bed, bookcase, dresser, kitchen table and chairs, coffee table, TV stand.  The only things I will be left with were my desk, because I hadn't posted that yet and the TV, because that's not mine to sell.  Oh and my patio furniture that I'm hoping to possibly squeeze in the back of my car for the drive across the country.

I posted all of my furniture yesterday, made a separate label for craigslist in my gmail account and...that file has 74 emails from people interested in the stuff!!!!

So there you go, if you have furniture to sell craigslist may be the way to go.

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Also, I have not forgotten:

Green Challenge #13:  Only using real silverware.  (No disposable utensils)

This means when eating out or eating at the hospital cafeteria (which I will likely be doing a lot next year), I have to bring my own utensils.

I have no facts for you on how this, but you can figure it out!

Yummy Granola!!!!

Since I will be moving in less than 2 months, it's time to slowly start to clean out my cabniets of food, etc.  So, since I had some granola and a bunch of nuts and a big tub of yogurt sitting in my fridge I decided to try to make my own granola.  Well...I loved it and have been back to the store to buy a big tube of oats to make another batch.  I reason it that I am still cleaning out my cupboard by using up the nuts and well because it's so yummy and much much cheaper than buying granola at the store.

Here's the recipe (and as any good chef, I changed a thing or two):
I got the recipe from allrecipes.com

Granola

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cups wheat germ (i didn't use this)
3/4 cup oat bran (also didn't use this)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of each:  chopped almonds, pecans and walnuts
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoos maple syrup
1/4 cup + 2 tbls honey
1/2 c vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (i used both yellow raisins & cranberries - 1/2 c each)
      -  I suggest buying these from the bulk the bin, because it is way way way cheaper than buying the brand name stuff on the shelf and you can pic how much you want

Directions:
1.   Preheat oven to 325F, line 1-2 baking sheets with foil or parchment paper
2.  Combine oats, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans & walnuts in large bowl
3.  Stir together salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat
4.  Pour sauce over dry mixture and stir to coat
5.  spread mixture over baking sheets and bake 20 minutes, stir halfway through. 
6.  Cool, then stir in raisins and cranberries
7.  Store in airtight container or empty oats container

I add flaxseed to the top of my granola (to add to the health benefits), serve with fruit, milk, or yogurt.
Super yummy in the morning and because of the protein in the nuts it keeps me full until lunch time!

Yum Yum!

World Water Day and Green Challenge #12

Green Challenge #12:  No more red meat.

Wait?!  What does that have to do with the environment?  How will not eating red meat help the environment? 

Well...because according to the Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental issues and options and a 2007 article from the LA times:  Pollution on the hoof (this is an easy to read interesting article)

• 18% of greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock (this is greater than the world transportation sector - that's all planes, trains, and automobiles!)
• this comes in the form of methane and nitrous oxide, which are more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide
• interesting tid bit: a cow can burp from 25-130 gallons of methane a day
• 64% of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to the acidification of ecosystems and acid rain come from cattle
• the world's largest source of water pollution is believed to be the livestock sector
• In the US, livestock are responsible for 1/3 of the nitrogen and phosphorous loads into freshwater (which ultimately leads to overgrowth of algeae, decreased oxygen in the water, and eventually fewer organisms such as fish in the fresh water)
• Destruction of once forested land occurs for cattle pastures

These are just a few of the statistics and that's not even mentioning the health benefits that one gets from not eating red meat.  Yes it would be more eco-friendly if I were a vegetarian, but I'm not there yet....we'll see where I'm headed after my next book - "Eating Animals"

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Moving on today is World Water Day!

If you have 8 mins then watch the video below and rejoice that if you made the eco-friendly change with me, you are no longer drinking bottled water and contributing to the process!  Go You!

Family Medicine Rocks!

So after the dust settled from the exciting news and day of yesterday, more exciting news filtered in to my radar. 

2010 Fill Rate for Family Medicine Highest Ever
    The fill rate (which is the number of spots filled in the match) was 91.4% for family medicine.  Those spots that are not filled in the match are filled in the scramble by people who did not match.  This percentage is the highest for family medicine ever.  There was also a 9% increase in the number of US grads entering family medicine!  I guess we are doing something right and people are figuring out the necessity and value of primary care physicians.
     The reason it is exciting that more US grads are entering family medicine is because oftentimes family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics (the primary care specialties) will fill in the remaining spots with foreign medical grads, because these are the least competitive specialties.  Even though in my eyes they are the most important specialties.  Just some very exciting news for the future of family medicine.

Here are some pictures from yesterday!  Enjoy.

Pre-envelope receiving or opening.

Mel and I with our 12-year-old-sitting-at-the-kiddie-table-at Thanksgiving-sparkling-non-champagne-apple-cider.  yum :(

It's in my hands...now just have to wait until noon!

ahhhh....

The Letter!

3 new family docs enter the world!