1. Cheesy Zucchini Bites
I’m not quite sure when I’ll make these, but they are definitely on the top of my list. Tatte here in Boston has a summer breakfast dish that’s sourdough toast topped with zucchini fritters, avocado, poached eggs and some sort of creamy Mediterranean cheese and it so good. In the winter the zucchini fritters change to sweet potato fritters but I have to say, I’m a bigger fan of the zucchini. These zucchini bites are reminding me of that dreamy breakfast and I can’t wait to make these. They’d be great as an appetizer, but I also think they’d be awesome as dinner. Zucchini fritters, a salad and some chunks of bread dipped in olive oil. Sign me up. I also just realized the blog this recipe is from also has a recipe for southwest zucchini and corn fritters with avocado ranch AND zucchini, feta and spinach fritters with garlic tzatziki. Cheers to all the fried zucchini!
2. Structured Routine vs Flexible Rhythm
Hannah and I had a breakfast date on Tuesday morning. I meet with each of our lovely interns once a month for a mentor type of meeting where we can chat through anything they want and it’s one of my favorite parts of the month. She started a co-op position at a local hospital and is really enjoying the structured schedule vs her student schedule. So we got to talking about people who thrive with more structure and routine and people who thrive with more flexibility and rhythm. I think of routine and rhythm as different. Routine is more specific and doesn’t really change, while a rhythm isn’t specific, but rather it’s more of a flow that can vary based on the day. I love that some people thrive with routines and more structure and some people thrive with rhythms and less structure. How boring would it be if we were all the same?
I resisted being more of a rhythm person for years and I would attempt to make routine after routine after routine desperately hoping one would stick. They never did. And then about a year ago I realized, “this will never work for me” even though I wanted to be a routine person. Nick is a routine person through and through. I have friends that are routine people. Routine people usually work really well in a typical 9-5 work environment. The day is laid out, it rarely changes and that takes a lot of decision out of how the day will go and where to be when.
Then there’s the other me including me, the rhythm people. I actually sense my body tensing up and resisting when I know I have to be somewhere at a certain time on one day, let alone M-F. I feel most productive when I have a blank slate that I get to fill in each day. My daily rhythms look like this –> wake up / bible / coffee + breakfast –> clients all morning and answer email/do small tasks in between sessions –> lunch break –> get some exercise in as a mind break –> lunch + shower –> writing/ projects/ meetings in the afternoon –> wrap up work between 6-6:30pm –> dinner + friend/Nick time –> read/watch tv + get ready for bed.
Depending on the day though, I might exercise in the morning (rarely, but I do love it when I do) or maybe I have a meeting in the morning, or maybe I have a friend date in the afternoon and then start work a bit earlier in the morning or wrap up things later in the evening. It’s flexible, no day is the same and I can change things up based on what I feel like. I like that my current NP job fits this “rhythm” mentality since the days/times I work change and what I’m doing that day is always changing. After years of resisting being a rhythm person and wishing I was a routine person, I’m finally really enjoying working based on rhythms and I feel way more productive and less defeated since there’s not a routine I’m trying to stick to but can’t because routine simply aren’t my thing. Are you a rhythm or routine person??
3. Working weekend
I came down sick with a nasty cold that started on Monday and reached it’s peak Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Woof. A cold sounds harmless, but man can they put you out. So that meant I spent most of the day on Tues/Wed/Thursday in bed watching Netflix and scrolling through Pinterest. I’ve never called off work at any of my NP jobs and had to on Thursday and I hated it. There was no way I was in a position to be working in a hospital, but I hate the idea of inconveniencing my co-workers. Thankfully I turned a corner on Thursday night and was able to work on Friday. Being out of it for most of the week meant I had a lot that went undone so I spend Saturday seeing a couple clients and then working from a coffee shop getting a lot of writing done. It actually rained for most of the day which was perfect – I find being in a coffee shop working away with other people while it pours outside to be so cozy. I haven’t worked on a Saturday in a really long time, but it was really nice to have that day to do some catch up.
4. “If calories didn’t exist, would you still do that exercise or eat that food?”
I often toss this question out to clients when we’re processing through their thoughts/feelings/behaviors around exercise and food. I found it to be really helpful in my own journey and find that it’s really helpful for clients. So maybe it will be helpful for you too. Try asking yourself, “If calories didn’t exist, would I still choose to do _____ exercise?” when debating whether your motivations around exercise are for health vs body size. And you can ask yourself, “If calories didn’t exist, would I still eat ____ food OR choose not to eat _____ food?” when working through factors that influence your food choices.
5. Phone background
I find having a quote on my phone background to be really helpful. I recently came across this one and thought I’d share – maybe this one resonates with you.
Those are my thoughts. Share yours in the comments!
Have a great week!
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I am SO a routine person. I “slept in” about a half hour yesterday, and my whole morning felt totally off!
haha you are a routine person! although I really love early mornings
I’m a routine person who has spent the last 8 months (I graduated early in December and my full-time job doesn’t start until this week) trying to learn to become more of a rhythm person. It wasn’t for any particular reason other than that I hadn’t really relaxed for an extended period of time for seven years and I thought it would be good to try just doing what felt right, rather than what I felt like I had to do. I’m proud to say that while it was often really tough, and I had a bunch of mini freak-outs about how I wasn’t really living with a schedule, I think I could be either right now.
On the one hand, I’m looking forward to having a planner full of meetings and projects. On the other, I’m super sad that I can’t just wake up in the morning and decide to do some work on the couch with my puppy asleep beside me, run errands while everyone else is at work, and focus on what feels like I’ll be productive on that day.
I also love having phone quotes on my background. I found myself getting impatient with how slowly a project was going a few days ago, and I changed my lock screen to a picture that says, “You have nothing but time.” Seeing it there helps calm me down when I’m working through something difficult.
Love that phone quote too – what a great reminder about patience. Have a great week!
Good luck in your new job! <3
Love the “if calories didn’t exist would you….” question!! There was a time when it was only about the calories & it took work to let that go of that. Just recently I added in more intense cardio because I noticed my anxiety had gotten so much worse since switching to a lower intensity workout. I’m so much happier & calm & for the first time I’m working out extra hard without a single thought about how many calories I’m burning. Love intuitive eating & exercise 😊😊
And I’m SO a rhythm person!! Much happier without yoo many have tos in my day!!
So glad you found that question helpful in your journey Jen! 🙂
My phone background says “A head full of fears has no space for dreams”. Actually I just re-discovered that I am a quite routine person at work! 4 years ago I thought I had to change my routine lifestyle and quit my job and studied to be a nurse. During my internships and flexible study schedule I was so exhausted and unhappy. I always thought it’s from the study load, but now I am working as a nurse (no exams etc) and I am still so unhappy and tired from the irregulair working hours. Very humbling to say the least. Last week I decided to prioritize and applied for two jobs with regular hours Wish me luck!
On the other hand, I love the rythm in my free time! I don”t like to plan to many social things ahead of time or commit to whatever-2x a week (sports, hobby, etc). I fully embrace intentional living, as long as I have structured working hours! I am totally fine with working a crazy circus during the day, every day different, as long as the crazy circus is happening from 9-5 M-F!
I LOVE that quote Astrid! I like to think if it feels a bit scary, it’s a good thing 🙂
Good for you for realizing what you need to be your best self and seeking that out!!
I’m a routine person. I work the same shift everyday so to make my day as productive as possible I stick to a strict routine. Atowle|https://formationvacations.com/
so glad that works for you!
I absolutely love the idea of rhythm vs. routine types. I used to think I was a routine person, until I was forced to stick to a routine when I was living in D.C. and working full-time. Knowing I had to wake up at a certain time, be at the gym at a certain time, be finished with the gym at a certain time and be out the door at 7:15 a.m. to make it to work by a certain time totally stressed me out. A blank slate (like today) is where it’s at for me! I woke up eeeearly, but naturally. Worked on my blog + Instagram (and posted my very first GIVEAWAY!! So exciting!), sipped coffee in bed, read and finished a workout just now on my own time. It’s been bliss! – Kaitlyn | http://www.poweredbysass.com | @poweredbysass
I totally feel you on the stress of having to run on a timeline — ahh it stresses me out too! Hope you have a great day with a blank slate that you can fill in however you wish 🙂
Could you do a post about your NP job? I am a nursing student and I am interested in pursuing a similar career in women’s health.
Thanks!
I put fried zucchini on my pizza last night!! SO GOOD. Also, we need to do a Tatte bakery date ASAPPPP…I need this toast thing in my life nowwwww.
I LOVE a rhythm. That’s so neat that you described it that way. I’ve never really thought of it in that light. 🙂 Thank you for thinking through that and so thoughtfully sharing Robyn. It’s cool how God made us all different.
So many good thoughts here! I am a routine person, I think….I tend to get off track with work if I don’t stick to a routine. Love that question!! I feel like calories change everything for so many people – I hate seeing calories on menu boards and such because even if I don’t care about calories, it can cloud my decision
I am NOT a routine person, but having a baby has forced me to get in some sort of routine for her benefit – we’re still working through it. And love that quote about calories not existing – I’ve never thought about phrasing it that way!
I just commented that having kids has forced me to embrace rhythm even though I am a routine person…but reading your comment makes me realize that there are definitely still ways that I have kept some routine-sleep routine for the kiddos being the biggest thing.
I’ve been loving fried zucchini and cheese fritters!! That recipe looks super similar to these 🙂
https://audrasappetite.com/italian-zucchini-fritters/
Hey Robyn! I love and appreciate that you share what foods you’re eating. It’s helped me find a lot of freedom and think about the foods my body is needing and craving. I am working toward eating more intuitively. However, after restricting my eating for a long time, I find that I get full really quickly, so eating substantial meals makes me feel overly full and uncomfy. Does it take a while for our bodies to adjust to a higher caloric intake after we’ve been restricting for a long time? Any tips on how to work my way up to larger portions and more nutrients? Thanks so much for your work – it’s been such a blessing to me!!
I’m am naturally a routine person but as a stay at home mom with two littles, I have had to embrace the rhythm approach. I say ‘had to’ because it is nearly impossible for kids to NOT interrupt routine. I resisted for a while, trying to make hard and fast plans of what I would accomplish in a day, only to be frustrated and stressed, both with myself and my kids. Now that I have learned to embrace the rhythm approach, I actually really like it and find it quite freeing. I may even keep it up once my kids are older!
Wow, I LOVE this insight! I find it so interesting how unique each of us were created by God! 🙂 I am definitely a rhythm person and relate to what you were saying. It’s nice to hear this perspective, because I too, have tried to fit into a routine but have not thrived in that way. Embracing how we are created is a huge step for sure!