Return to the Dark Side

Today marks the last day until late next week that I get to be a normal person, as I become a night dweller. Mid shifts, we meet again.

Everyone adapts to mid shifts differently, and each person has a preferred sleeping and eating routine that works best. I have even changed that routine mid career, as my body just stopped being able to remain asleep for a full 8 hours during the day, forcing me to split my sleep into a morning nap and evening nap.

As for meals, I also try to keep from mixing up my meals, following a breakfast, lunch, dinner sequence, although the timing of meals is shifted from a normal day. Breakfast follows my morning nap, lunch follows my evening nap, and dinner is reserved for work.

To make things easier this set of mids, I tried something different today: MASSIVE meal prepping. And by massive, I mean MASSIVE.  I spent two and a half hours in the kitchen today making 4 different dishes to give me a leg up on either my lunches, my work dinners, or snacks.

I present to you: Thai Peanut Chicken, Southwestern Turkey Cutlets (minus the corn/bean/onion mixture and grilled), Butternut Squash Soup (substituting carrots for the sweet potatoes), and Lemon Poppy Seed Energy Bites (minus the poppy seeds and formed into bars).

The recipe for the Thai Peanut Chicken is as follows:

• 6 oz chicken breast
• 2 T natural peanut butter
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper

1. Cut chicken into chunks and stir fry in cooking spray until done.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. The peanut butter may need to be microwaved for a few seconds to make it easier to mix.
3. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken.

My hard work in the kitchen today will free up a lot of time in the coming week, allowing me to sit in a blissful, semi-vegetative state for a longer period of time.

These recipes take care of lunch, dinner, and snacks, but what about breakfast? I rely a lot on protein smoothies when I need a quick breakfast or one where I don't want to have to think too hard (like during mids). Smoothies fit that bill easily. They are quite versatile, too.

The base recipe that I use is:

• 1 C baby spinach
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 1/2 C berries
• 3/4 C nonfat Greek yogurt

1. Use a blender or similar to combine all ingredients.

Seriously, one step. That's it.

I typically use a combination of raspberries and blueberries but was out of raspberries this morning.

This smoothie is surprisingly filling and is a great way to work veggies and their associated nutrients into your morning.

I'll sign off for now... It's almost time for evening nap #1...