Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Content Overload!

Today was the second day of school consisting of one class: Foundations in Genetic Counseling.  Basically we go over the basics of a session.  Things like taking a family history, case management, medical case prep, records, testing options, and insurance billing are all fair game.  It seems like a lot but they are all really necessary things to know.  I’m ready.

Breakfast was first up and I tried a new combo: 1/4 cup oat bran mixed with 1/4 cup oatmeal.  I cooked it in a water/almond milk slurry and it worked itself into a great thick consistency.  When it was done cooking I added some stevia, a shy pinch of salt, and 7g of chia seeds.  After it was mixed, I poured it into a bowl and topped it with PB2 and maple syrup.

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Wowza.  This was awesome.  I loved the texture that the oat bran lent to the oatmeal.  I will be making this again.  Most likely tomorrow.  It was that good.  If you haven’t tried out maple mixed with peanut butter.  You should.  NOW.  Trust me.  I devoured it.

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I walked to campus again, rocking out to Justin Timberlake this time, and got there again 15 minutes early.  I went to the student room and met up with my other classmates to walk over to Foundations.  We went to the library and started class on time.

We got hammered with long term assignments right off the bat.  We need to schedule some clinical observations in all three of the big categories: pediatrics, cancer, and prenatal.  Next, we need to pick out a support/advocacy group for a genetic condition that will we attend to see how the genetic conditions we are counseling about really affect the lives of our patients.  I am torn between going with a support group for a prenatal issue (like recurrent miscarriage) which is something I am super comfortable with and interested in right off the bat, or going with a disorder or conditions I know little about or really haven’t come into contact with in order to broaden my horizons.

Before going into lecture mode, we got an 85 item list of medical terminology that we are responsible for in general (basically we are going to seeing this stuff everywhere so we had better know what we’re encountering/talking about) but not tested over directly.  We can do it as a group, break it up, do it alone, it doesn’t matter but it does need to get done.

Lecture was about the most frequently referenced genetic condition examples used in our classes.  Our professor wanted to make sure that we had a basic understanding of what was being talked about should she bring up something like cystic fibrosis or neurofibromatosis type I.  She has said she will be bringing up stuff like this a lot so I’m glad she took the time to go over this stuff despite the fact that it was A LOT of information.

When class was over the first years headed their separate ways.  I headed back home to workout.  I spent 18 minutes on the treadmill and 18 minutes on the elliptical.  I was really proud that I ran at 5.5mph for 4 minutes and then ran 11 minutes at 6mph!  All of this was at a 2.0 incline.  I was pumped.  I feel strong.  I am still having trouble taking really deep breaths but hopefully that will go away.

Lunch was AMAZING!  I made a cherry tuna salad and put that on a slice of 10-grain, topped it with a slice of provolone cheese, and melted it on the Foreman grill.  It was so great.  I’m so glad the salad recipe (see the end of this post!) made three servings!  My sides were raw kale salad leftover from the Whole Food adventure, plantain crunchers, and a plum.

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I think tomorrow’s lunch will definitely incorporate a tuna salad sandwich.  Yum.

After lunch I showered, created a new Google Calendar for the first years that we can all share and access to schedule clinical observations and such, looked a bit into support/advocacy groups, watched an episode of Hell’s Kitchen, then got busy with my readings for Thursday.  I learned all about case preparation and all that is involved.  There is a ton to think about.  Wow.

I prepared a nice burger-and-fries sort of dinner tonight but it was anything but ordinary.  I made parsnip fries tossed in coconut oil and fry seasoning and then a salmon burger topped with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and sweet mustard.

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I am completely in love with parsnip fries.  They are so good.  I even love the little guys that get burnt.  They taste just as yummy.  I dipped mine, tonight, in ketchup.

Post dinner, the early part of the evening consisted of crosswords that I picked up from the department while I was there earlier in the day.  I worked both and did some of the sudoku and KenKen on the side too.  It was a nice way to decompress.

Dessert accompanied my crossword nirvana.

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I warmed a slice of deep dish cookie pie and topped it with ice cream and chocolate sauce.  I also noshed on two marshmallows while the dish came together.  Marshmallows are a weakness of mine…like basically every other sweet.

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Now for the recipe before I sign off!

Cherry Tuna Salad
A DNA and Dessert original recipe.

This is a great tuna salad that derives a hint of sweetness from the mustard and cherries.  It only takes 15ish minutes to make, doesn’t require the oven, and most likely uses ingredients you have laying around the fridge.  The recipe here makes three servings that are plenty for half sandwich melts.

Ingredients:
1 5oz can of chunk light tuna, drained and forked apart
1 large carrot, finely diced (about 60g)
1/4-1/3 chunk yellow onion, finely diced (about 60g)
2 tbsp dried cherries (I used, and love, Peterson Farms Triple Cherry Blend)
2 tbsp reduced-fat grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tbsp Miracle Whip
2 tsp Bavarian Sweet Mustard (you could sub another mustard but I would stay in the sweet realm like a honey variety)
Four shakes of garlic powder
Two shakes of paprika
One shake of curry powder

How to:
1. Combine tuna through parmesan cheese together and mix well.
2. Add in Miracle Whip and mustard and mix everything together.
3. Add in the spices and combine well.
4. Split into three servings and devour or you could eat the whole thing yourself, I won’t judge.  It’s that good.

I hope you have had as awesome a Tuesday as I have.  Before I let you go, it’s time for Tune Tuesday!  This is a song I absolutely LOVE and sung at the top of my lungs in the shower while making dinner. =D

Adele–Set Fire To The Rain

Question: Which support/advocacy group option should I go with? Something I am comfortable with or something to broaden my horizons?

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