That's how I felt today: Desperate to find a comfortable place to curl up for a nap. The second day back after a break always feels far more difficult and tiring than the first. I shared this phenomenon with my students, half of whom agreed and half of whom looked at me as though I was ridiculous for thinking that any school day could be better or worse than any other.
Still, I managed some solid productivity at work and even stopped at the grocery store on the way home. Then I forced myself to work out, even though I was NOT in the mood (for perhaps the first time ever) for the boot camp workout awaiting me. Instead of half-assing the stuff I didn't want to do, I went with a back up workout. I pieced together an old boot camp strength circuit with a short HIIT routine on the treadmill.
It felt so good to sweat and move! I really needed that to help me get back into my usual routine. In the kitchen I'm getting back to usual too. For dinner I made a simple spaghetti squash pasta (just garlic sauteed with spinach to wilt it, marinara, and roasted spaghetti squash). My body was thrilled to take in some vegetables.
I also roasted a second spaghetti squash to see if we could do something interesting with it another night. But then I realized: I have no other ideas! I have my spaghetti squash lasagna, which is terrific, but can anyone suggest a non-marinara dish that uses spaghetti squash?
Also, after a break (from work, working out, whatever it may be), do you find the second day back to be worse than the first?
Okay, off to find a giant pillow for a good night's rest before day three back in action!
If you hear of any spaghetti squash recipes let me know. I have one waiting to be used up as we speak (okay, as I type this)
ReplyDeletei love that you said the other half of your students looked like you were crazy for even thinking one day could be better or worse than the last. i get that vibe from my kids all the time - they show up, the teachers talk at them, and then they move on to the next day. ahhh, the joys of teaching. that being said i definitely agree on the second day thing! it's similar to when i have a bad night's sleep...for some reason when i don't sleep well (or at all) i'm fine that next day but i'm a wreck the day after. takes a minute to catch up with me! and i'm going to check back to your comments to see if other people have non-marinara ideas for spaghetti squash because i have been looking for the same thing! i've seen some pesto recipes that look good, but i always veer towards marinara.
ReplyDeleteHey Julie! When I am in the mood for spaghetti squash but not the marinara...I sauteed the squash with some olive oil, garlic, and onion, basil or whatever seasonings you like. Then I mix in some spinach or kale (Whatever green I have on hand), mushrooms, or again whatever veggies you like. Then the best part...I add shrimp! Its like a stir fry!! So yummy, hope you try it!
ReplyDeleteshort and sweet workouts are great to do when you have little motivation, it is hard to feel like working out at the end of the day. good for you! yesterday all i wanted was a nap as well.
ReplyDeletei use spaghetti squash like stir fry too!
ReplyDeleteactually I think today has been the worst day back so far...or maybe it's just because I don't have tomorrow and Friday off like last week and it is depressing me :(
Hey! I always do bolognese with spaghetti squash myself because that's the only way I can get my man to eat it. However, my coworker had two delicious looking dishes the other day for lunch. While I was supposed to be paying attention to our research meeting, I was just eyeing her food trying to sleuth what exactly it was...it looked like potato pancakes and some delicious tofu soup in a chicken broth. My detective skills were not too good even though I was looking straight at the items. When I finally got a break in the meeting to ask her what they were...she said she was just trying to be creative with spaghetti squash because she didn't want tomato sauce with them, and her husband wasn't home...so she could experiment. She made some gluten free spaghetti squash like pancakes with some gluten free flour (maybe brown rice flour or something else), egg, and chives (you could probably add whatever fresh herbs you like). Then her soup was a tofu, chicken broth-based soup with spaghetti squash, spinach....both looked amazing. Haha that was sort of a long story with no actual recipes...but maybe it will get your juices flowing.
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