Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a nice week so far! I am enjoying the slightly cooler temps here in Michigan as well as having less rain! It has been quite the humid, rainy, and either too hot or too cold summer. This week has been a busy week with a rotation I am doing with the dietitians at the Michigan Medicine Pediatric Surgery clinic. I am mostly shadowing them in their patient visits and then we discuss the cases together, and I am also working on going through different learning assignments and resources related to topics like managing tube feeding regimens and other nutritional aspects of different surgery conditions. Many of the patients seen at this clinic have had pretty involved surgeries for various issues in their GI tracts making it impossible or hard for them to eat orally, so it is vital that they are working with a dietitian and the rest of their healthcare team to still get the nutrition that they need. I will be in this rotation for this week and next. So far I have been liking it and also learning a lot!

Here are some tasty eats I have been enjoying in the meantime!

Lately I have been snacking on yogurt bowls with granola and sometimes fruit mixed in, too. I like TJ’s organic plain yogurt and Costco’s ancient grain granola!

I made this fresh summer salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots to bring to dinner at the small group we’ve been attending. Our friends made a crockpot pork verde dish over rice!

I also brought this delicious fruit pizza! It is basically a sugar cookie crust topped with cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit. Yum!

Typical breakfast of steel-cut oatmeal topped with almond butter, chia seeds, and honey, all buried under the mound of fruit! Fresh peaches for the win!

I also really enjoy fresh mangoes, so this is another favorite oatmeal topping! Iced coffee with almond milk on the side.

Random dinner of scrambled eggs with bell pepper, onion, and cheddar, along with sides of broccoli, regular salad, and macaroni salad.

I made some sourdough last week that turned out really well! I used a slightly different recipe to make a finer crumb and a texture that is easy to slice for sandwiches/toast.

Such as this tasty sandwich with hard-boiled egg, lettuce, and sun-dried tomato hummus!

Black bean soup with all the toppings – sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheddar, and tortilla chips for dipping. Simple and delicious weeknight dinner.

Moroccan chicken salad with endives for scooping, along with a side of baked potato with butter. One of my favorite summer dinners!

I make these “green juices” every morning for myself and Alec – I call them that but they aren’t actually juices, more liked a blended fruit/veggie drink. This is like my “pre-breakfast drink” that I drink while I’m making breakfast, getting ready for the day, etc. Into the blend typically goes (all frozen) kale or spinach, celery, apple, lemon, ginger, and turmeric. I have noticed a lot of positive GI/health improvements since I started making these daily! I make 14 of these smoothie packs at once, freeze them, and then take one out to blend with water each morning.

What would an evening be without enjoying some of my favorite dark chocolate while relaxing on the couch?

Also enjoyed this beautiful lemon cake that my mom got for my grandma’s birthday! It was excellent!

Everyday Enjoyment

This past month and a half has been quite exhausting and challenging, so taking some time to focus on the positives seems especially important!

• Getting outside: I have been spending more time inside during the week due to my internship, so it feels especially nice when I am able to get outside for a run or walk. I have been going on runs most mornings, and although the sun is rising later, it still feels really nice to get some fresh air. I also try to head outside if only for a brief few minutes after the work day ends since I’m usually cooped up inside for all or most of that time. If I’m working from home and have time I sometimes try to head out for a short walk at lunch to get some sun!
• My plant! :  I have been watering this little sunflower plant since my birthday back in April (my mom gave me the seeds/pot as a gift) and it is finally showing a little flower! We’ll see what else starts to bud!

• Time to read: The other week I mentioned that I was reading the Dutch House, and I finished that last week – I really enjoyed this book overall! Definitely was a captivating and intriguing plot. Would recommend it for sure! Now I am reading this book and this book.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week!