Martha-In-Training: Vegetarian Black Bean Chili & Gross Nursing

It's Friday so you know what that means....

Say Yes to the Dress!

It's my girlie downtime.

Oh and get ready to be so proud of me because (drumroll, please) I actually went to the gym after clinical today. I know! Last Friday I got home and just threw in the towel on the remainder of the day. Today I just had to give myself that little kick in the pants. I did a good bit of cardio and then did my Friday moves from Shape magazine. Maybe I'll take a picture of the pages I use and post them so that anyone else who wants to follow along can. They're easy moves to do at home and they give you that burns-so-good feeling.

Expanding upon last post, my friend who is throwing the Superbowl party is making it a potluck. I have volunteered to make a vegetarian chili so I thought hmmm who better to swipe a recipe from than the Domestic Diva herself. I may tweak some of the ingredients but we shall see!

Here's your recipe as promised:
Vegetarian Black-Bean Chili

You will need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 zucchini (about 1 pound total), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (19 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed

The How-To:

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
2. Add zucchini, carrots, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, and 1 cup water. Simmer until slightly thickened and carrots are soft, 8 to 10 minutes more.

...I'm pretty sure that might be the easiest recipe I've ever seen!

On a side note, before I settle back in on the couch to finish watching Say yes to the dress, I finally found a new area of nursing that repulses me. It used to be bowel movements but I've become so desensitized to poo that it really takes either a lot of it or some sort of GI infection to get to me. So friends, to my horror, I learned how to change, suction, and clean a trach tube. Upon my instructor's removal of the inner canula during the demonstration, she pulled out this clump of

***** NOT FOR THE WEAK OF STOMACH. TURN BACK HERE OR SKIP AHEAD TO THE NEXT ASTERISKS*****

mucous and blood. It was the most disgusting thing I have seen this so far this year. I actually gagged and thought I might throw up all over the poor man. That was yesterday and then today I watched her suction a man's trachea....shudder. You literally stick it down their throats (from a hole in their neck, mind you) until they gag and suction out mucous secretions. Barf. I hope I become desensitized to this too 'cause my patient next week definitely requires trach care.