We went to a “finale” party on Saturday night; all the plant employees and their spouses. I wasn’t overly looking forward to it but it turned out to be so awesome! There were just shy of 100 people there so approximately 50 union members. The food was amazing and everyone was lively and positive and….well…really it was the complete opposite of what I thought it would be. Most of the ex-employees have found good jobs and my overwhelming impression was that change sucks and people resist it but after being forced into it, it’s so much better. So. Much. Better. I can’t even remember how many times someone I was talking to said how different it was working somewhere that they are treated with general human respect and consideration. In fairness, I did not chat with everyone, only 10 or 15 people that I was close with over the years. And each one of those people that I care about has been successful in their career change. It feels nice to hear so much positivity after such a long time of negativity.
As far as how I’m doing, things are pretty good, third week of new job. I’ve been feeling a little under the weather (blue?) which I chalk up to a change-hangover as well as our financial situation still levelling out after unemployment and job changes. I know that for a couple months of an adjustment period things will be a bit harder but I’m trying to keep a positive spin on it. It doesn’t help that it’s dark the second I get home nor does it help that we are going through this transition at the holiday season. Unfortunately we are really going to be restricted with what we can offer as far as celebrations and gift giving and cooking/entertaining compared with years past. It seems that, although people are verbally agreeing that we are in a tough spot, they also don’t want “their Christmas” to be impacted. So….we have no money and limited time/flexibility….but we are still expected to put on a full Christmas dinner for 9 people and do a 9 person gift exchange. At $20/person that is a $360 bill that we have to figure out (not including the whole dinner + alcohol)….and no one will even discuss any other option because it’s obviously not their fault that we’re in the position that we’re in, they want their dinner and gifts! I’m not sure where people think this money is supposed to come from but I guess that’s not their concern.
Wow…total vent in that paragraph! LOL!
This week is the one that I designated as the one where I would go back to the gym. I’m not going to lie, I’m not looking forward to 4:30 in the morning. I am looking forward to getting my feet back under me though and I keep thinking that it doesn’t take long to see a change, to have something to build on. It just takes starting. Going. Getting up. Not making excuses. So, cross your fingers for me that I am happily propelled out of bed tomorrow morning and that I enjoy getting back to my gym.
As far as food goes, I’m making full cooked breakfast every morning now and trying to dream up what to make is a bit difficult. I could eat poached eggs and an apple every morning for a year but Ray needs a bit more variety than that. I made this Sweet Potato & Sausage Bake with Caramelized Onions. I used ¾ of what they call for in sweet potatoes and the balance as cauliflower just to try and keep it a bit lighter on the carbs. I baked it in stoneware last night and then this morning I took some out and reheated it in the frying pan. We dislike baked eggs so I just scrambled some and served it side by side. Really delicious and flavourful, inexpensive and makes quite a bit!
We also tried a recipe for brunch yesterday morning; Chicken Pancakes. Stay with me now, sounds horrid, tastes darned good! You take half a cooked chicken (include the skin but not the hard cartilage or bones) and throw in the food processor with a ripe banana, 6 eggs, ¼ cup of almond flour & a spoonful of coconut flour. Process until completely smooth (but don’t overdo it) and then fry like normal pancakes. You may have to flatten the batter out in the pan, it’s pretty thick. I put some coconut based margarine on them and a dab of pancake syrup and it was quite good. We got 17 3.5” pancakes from the batch. They hold up perfectly, better than any grain free pancake I’ve ever tried. We reminded ourselves that they are not meant to recreate fluffy flour based pancakes, they are their own thing. They have a bit of a meaty texture to them which I actually enjoyed. Give it a try! I thought the leftovers could make Egg McMuffin style breakfast sandwiches…but there were no leftovers!
Looking forward to getting home this evening, we were up until 2am on Saturday night after the party and man-alive it’s taking me a long time to recover! Early bed tonight, I think!
Fitty vs Fatty 