Econ 101

Had Economics not been a required class in both high school and college, I might have forgotten even the basics.  But since I took it twice, a few concepts have actually stuck with me.  This week was all about opportunity cost.

As many of us are only too aware, there are only 24 hours in a day.  I like at least 7 of these hours to be spent sleeping, leaving me sufficiently rested for the other 17.  These 17 hours tend to fly by, filled up with class, work, getting to and from school, and other necessities like feeding & clothing myself.  As a grad student, homework also takes up a "healthy" chunk of time, especially this past week.  Now, let's add in a new workout plan, requiring roughly an hour everyday.

My housemates and I have been exercising together since I got back to Charlottesville in January.  We started with P90, and worked our way up from level 1-2 to 3-4.  We didn't do it everyday, but were pretty consistent.  Now, spurred on by a challenge with their male co-workers we have leaped forward to Insanity, which certainly lives up to its name.  It is very challenging and incorporates exercises that I have never done (or even imagined).  

We are only a few days in and there is a huge difference in how I feel after Insanity vs. P90.  P90 felt like exercise at the time--with a moderate endorphin release afterwards--that allowed me to get on with dinner/homework etc afterwards.  Insanity has an intense endorphin release period after, which is great if I keep busy.  But the second I stop, or even worse take a (much-needed) shower, I experience a huge crash and want to curl up in the fetal position until morning.  I am hoping this gets better as I become more used to the workouts, since it is not conducive to my usual evening activities (cooking dinner and homework.)

Exercising and eating healthfully are right up there with sleep as necessary parts of my daily routine.  However, with long days at school and extra homework this week, something had to give.  I didn't eat a freshly made dinner until Friday, instead relying on salads, leftovers and frozen ravioli.  

So I had high expectations for my meal last night.  A few weeks ago, I went to Whole Foods and picked up some red quinoa from the bulk bins and found this "reci-pea" for Thai Fried Quinoa that sounded like it had real promise.

After Insanity, I got out the ingredients and got started before I even stopped sweating.

Quinoa: I knew it was healthy, but geeze!  I guess I will be back to the bulk bins soon!

 

It's hard to tell in this picture, but the red quinoa turned the coconut milk/broth a lovely pink shade as it burbled away.

My mix-ins: shrimp, peas, garlic, ginger, and pineapple chunks.

After what seemed like forever, but was really about 30 minutes it was ready to eat.

I loved the pineapple and shrimp, but overall found the 2 T of soy sauce stirred in at the end too overpowering.  I will use much less when making this again.

I am anticipating another busy week ahead, followed by another and another until the 60 days of Insanity are up and/or the semester finishes in early May.  In an effort to be better prepared for the time crunch in the evenings, I am planning to spend some time this weekend stocking the freezer with more homemade "reheat and eat" options.  Stay tuned....