Why I Like Not Working the 9 to 5

I haven’t talked a lot about my job on here, but I’ve mentioned once or twice that I basically work a non-traditional schedule. Forget the 9 to 5, I’m working a 3:30-11:30 am shift, including the normal weekend days.

Does it suck being at work when most people are still tucked into bed? How do I deal with having my days off on Mondays and Tuesdays when everyone else has normal weekends?

My “I hate being up hours before dawn” look. This didn’t last too long, fortunately.

No, it honestly doesn’t suck working weird hours and days! It did at first, but that’s because I was coming from the opposite shift (working 1:30-10:30 pm) and I had to get used to going to bed at 6 pm and getting ready for work before 3 am. I really thought I’d be chronically sleep-deprived because I felt zonked by the end of my shift every day. But trust me, your body adapts. And mine did after about a week or two.

And after that transition period, I began to see the perks of working a weird schedule. First of all, there’s no traffic when I leave for work. There are some random cars out on the streets (which creeps me out just a bit haha) but obviously no traffic jams and I pretty much always get the green light at all three traffic lights on my drive.

And it feels great to get home after work before noon and realize I have the rest of the afternoon to do whatever. Sure, I have to start getting ready for bed around 5, but I have those precious afternoon hours. And I definitely use them to my advantage. I hit the running trail across the street and have it mostly to myself (that might change with kids/teachers being out of school now). I can lay out by the pool on a random weekday afternoon and get the best sunlight hours and heat of the day.

Love having this view (almost) all to myself on my midday runs.

As far as working on Saturday and Sunday, I actually love it. The morning show team I work with is great — they always make me laugh and we get along really well. And it’s a lot less stressful than during the week. Without any managers around, we can do a lot more without feeling scrutinized. And I still technically can enjoy the weekend — I get off work at 10 or 11 and then usually run errands, fit in a run or a gym session and pool time.

And working those weekends mean my days off are during the traditional work week, which is also great. While everyone else is working, I can go to the mall, or do some meal prep at home or basically whatever other people do during the weekend, but I get more satisfaction knowing that those days are my weekend. Of course, it’s also a lot better for scheduling appointments. I shouldn’t have to take time off work to see the doctor or take my car in for an oil change because I have two weekdays off to do that kind of stuff.

Or I can go to a juice bar on a random Monday afternoon on my way to do some window shopping.

It’s crazy what a little shift in perspective will do. I remember when my supervisor called me to say that my schedule was changing (and originally it was only supposed to be for the month of May) to early mornings. I called my mom immediately and started crying about how much life sucked. Well, work still isn’t ideal for other reasons, but I’m learning to love my crazy schedule. I’m getting used to my ‘grandma’ bedtime and eating my breakfast at 4 am. I’m looking forward to my days off and secretly laughing at everyone who hates Mondays, because they’re my Saturdays. There’s always something positive to be found in every situation, and I’m so glad I was able to do just that!

Have you ever worked a non-traditional schedule? 

When Life Isn’t Perfect

One of my pet peeves is when bloggers (or I guess just people in general) act like their lives are always picture-perfect. You know those people. They carefully filter their Instagram photos, only post about the amazing things that happen to them and are generally just cringe-worthy because of how everything seems to go right for them.

News flash: no one is actually perfect. I know I’m definitely not. Life does not always go my way, and I try to be as honest as possible on my blog/Instagram/Twitter to show that I have bad days/weeks sometimes, and that’s okay. That’s normal.

So what about when my life isn’t perfect? I’ve been talking a lot recently about the job I started nearly a month ago, and yeah, I’ve been pretty positive about it so far. That’s because it was going well and fairly smoothly.

But then I hit a road bump late last week. My supervisor called to say my schedule for the month of May (and possibly beyond) had changed. Like, completely changed. I’d been starting to work my originally assigned schedule of Friday-Tuesday from 1:30 to 10:30 pm and I was getting into the swing of things and enjoying the camaraderie I was having with my coworkers who share my same schedule. So you can bet I was shocked (and very upset) when I was told I was suddenly shifting to the overnight/early morning shift for at least the next month.

My reaction to working the early shift.

I’ll admit, I called my mom after I got the news and I was crying and maybe cussing out my employer to her. But it was good for me to get that out. It’s normal to be upset when your schedule gets completely changed, especially right as you’re getting used to working 40 hours a week. And yes, some of the changes were unfair to me. I was told I’d be working a certain schedule after my training finished, and if my schedule did change, I’d get at least a week or two notice. I was told about my schedule change on Friday, and it will start on Wednesday. Not only that, but the specific position I was hired for feels like it’s being ripped out from underneath me as I’m expected to fill in on a position I never interviewed for, one that I don’t want and I’m really dreading.

Starbucks just around the corner is one perk of work.

So my life hasn’t been perfect since that call. I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to adjust to a totally different sleeping and eating schedule, how I’m going to fit in workouts/running errands/free time, and how I’m going to adjust to filling in on a position I hate for at least 2 days per week for the foreseeable future.

I’ve been trying my best to stay positive. I really like the city I just moved to, my apartment complex is nice, and the coworkers I’ve bonded with are incredible. On the other hand, I’m struggling to see how I’ll survive a year here if my employer keeps changing things on me. I think I’m entitled to some sense of comfort and a normal schedule, even in the industry I’m in. I was okay with having abnormal weekends & different hours (I actually loved those hours, because I could sleep in til 9 every day!) but now I’m dreading being a zombie AND working in a position I didn’t ask to be placed in.

No, my life isn’t perfect. I don’t love my first job, and it’s not the best fit for me. I’m slipping back a little into disordered thoughts as I fear weight gain from the weird hours/stress will catch up to me. Getting paid is nice, but my paychecks aren’t going as far as I thought they would, and I find myself getting upset that I can’t afford to get my car fixed, or new clothes every week, or all my favorite fancy treats from Whole Foods.

Ignore the fact that these are made for dogs (they’re good for humans too) but I love Brad’s Raw Foods despite the price.

I think what matters is that I’m trying. I’m trying to be as positive as I can, I’m trying to find the good in every day, I’m trying to look forward to the future and see this job as a stepping stone into better things. My life may never be perfect (hint: it won’t ever be) but making the best of it is what makes life good…and that’s good enough for me!

Not every day is sunny but that doesn’t mean it’ll never be sunny again!

How do you handle perfectionism? 

Working Girl

Don’t worry–I didn’t completely disappear on y’all (and yes, I can now use y’all because I’m living in Oklahoma)! It’s been a crazy busy few weeks, and I’m finally able to catch my breath long enough to share some of it.

I started my first job on Monday. This is actually my second paid job, but this is my first full time job, so it’s kind of a big deal. And…it’s actually in the field I’ve been pursuing since high school. How many recent college grads can say that about their first job? I’m incredibly thankful for this opportunity, and I’m making the very best of it.

Sneaky work selfie on my first day.

I’ve also been living on my own, and while it’s not the first time I’ve done that, it’s the first time in a different state than my family, nearly 700 miles from the place I called home for 19 years of my life. I’m living in a bigger city, which is nice, and the climate is warmer but not too humid (which I appreciate coming from a dry climate) and everyone I’ve met so far is seriously so nice. It’s just a different culture down here, which is great, but a small part of me misses home. It’s hard to change your routine, but I know with time, I’ll get used to this.

Work hasn’t been too hard to get used to. I’m in a similar environment as I was in my internships for the past two summers, but I’m working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and mostly working through lunch. It helps that my coworkers are friendly and funny, so right now I’m just trying not to be the awkward new girl and hopefully make some friends in the newsroom AND make my boss happy with my work.

Apparently I overdress for my position…but I’m dressing for the position I WANT to have someday!

I’m taking on a lot more adult responsibilities, though. My car’s been having an issue, so I’m trying to live with that until I can take it in and (hopefully) afford to get it fixed. I had to deal with an ant invasion in my apartment–gross, but not awful. I have to figure out health insurance at work, pay my bills AND pay my parents back for things they bought for me. As much as I want to buy all the things now that I have a paycheck, I know I can’t do that. So I’m going to try to avoid the Target/Forever 21/Whole Foods temptations as much as possible, even though I plan on frequenting these stores. I just have to stick with a budget, and keep fun purchases to a minimum and limit them to things I will actually get some use out of.

The WF salad bar here is even better than back home…and it’s closer to my apartment and work!

Adult life isn’t always fun, but it sure beats being in school (even though I’m seriously considering enrolling in an online program to get my meteorology certificate). It takes a lot of planning, and a little bit of luck, but I think I can hack this new life of mine!

What’s been going on in your world lately? 

WIAW: “Normal” Eating

This WIAW will be more ED focused than most of them, but I’ve got a few fun things to share so hopefully that’ll make up for the more serious talk!

So remember way back when (aka March) when I talked about how I was fed up with how much I was restricting? And I mentioned in other posts after that one about how I was working on making changes. Well…honestly…that didn’t happen. I didn’t make much of an effort to increase my eats, other than an extra handful of something here and there. I didn’t really make a conscious effort at all until…well, a couple of days ago. Okay, so it really started a few weeks back but lately I’ve been making big strides in eating more. And not only eating more, but feeling okay and ‘safe’ with it. Safe was one of the words my ED used to justify restriction–it felt safe and ‘normal’ to me. But now that I’ve seen the light, and realized I can eat way more and not balloon out of control well…I’m kinda saying goodbye to ED.

I know I still need to increase more. 2000+ calories seems to be the magic number for a lot of people. I’m fairly active, between walking to classes and doing daily full body workouts. But I’m also a small girl and I’m thinking I probably need fewer calories than somebody taller or wither a bigger build. But I know that what I’m eating now, even though it’s more than I was eating for too many months, still isn’t quite enough.

Anyways, enough of the chit chat. Let’s see how I’ve been normalizing my eating, and what better time to do it than WIAW?

Just as good as it looks, and so easy to make!

Yes, I made this. And yes, I also have been eating it. What exactly is it? It’s coconut whipped ‘cream’, completely vegan and totally yum. I followed Angela’s method, using a little bit of maple syrup and peppermint extract to sweeten it up. While mine didn’t turn out as fluffy as hers (maybe my canned coconut milk had a defect?) it is still delicious, creamy and crave-worthy. I’ve been enjoying a spoonful here and there and enjoying my new found love of coconut.

Another Whole Foods salad bar box? #sorryimnotsorry

This isn’t anything new…oh, wait, actually it kinda is! It was my first time trying beets (they had them in raw form at the salad bar) and I’m officially a fan. I’m also apparently a fan of veggies dipped in a big dollop of fresh guac and dumping tons of pumpkin seeds on my salad. Embrace the fats, people. So good.

Tall iced Americano. With 2 pumps pumpkin spice syrup and a splash of u/s vanilla almond milk. Welcome, fall.

It sure didn’t feel fall-like on Monday when I stopped into Starbucks for this new-to-me drink. But it totally got me in the mood for it. I finally gave in and tried the pumpkin spice syrup that everyone raves about. I took home my pumpkin-spiked Americano and added in some vanilla almond milk (seriously, Sbux, why don’t you have this?) It was good, but not amazing. I guess I’m more of a peppermint mocha kinda girl.

Disclaimer: not taken while actually driving.

Guys, I’m sorry. But I’m officially addicted to the ‘driving selfie’. Except I always take them in the parking lot, or mayyyyyybe at a stop light if I’m feeling rebellious 😉 I just like making goofy faces and seeing the reaction of my fellow drivers.

This meal made me a tofu lover. Mixed greens/broc slaw with raspberry acai vinaigrette. Curry spiked ketchup. Tofu “fingers”. Alexia chipotle sweet potato fries.

I was never a big fan of tofu. Yes, I know I’m a crazy vegan, but it’s true. I would eat it sometimes, but never loved it. All that changed when I made Angela’s tofu nuggets over the weekend. They were crazy good on their own. But they were even better dipped in ketchup. Oh yeah, now I also like ketchup too. I found an organic brand with only 2 grams of sugar, and it’s pretty good.

This truly was a bowl of decadence, and I enjoyed every bite.

My nightly snacks are taking on a different look lately. I don’t go for cereal much anymore. Instead, I like a bunch of different flavors and textures in one bowl. Enter, this bowl of healthy vegan decadence. Healthy, because the base was a protein microwave cake, made with a plant-based protein powder, some flax and almond milk. Decadent, because it was topped with a spoonful of Whole Foods vegan chocolate mousse (just a few healthful ingredients, but tastes so rich), Nada Moo coconut milk ice cream, semisweet chocolate chips and a little of the mint coconut whipped ‘cream’. Yeah, this was just as good as it sounds and looks. I think I’ll be repeating this soon.

So close to 90,000 miles! Alejandro and I will have to throw a party when that happens.

Contrary to what Alejandro’s odometer says, he’s only 4 years old. That’s kind of a lot of miles for that few years, but a lot of long distance driving was done in Alejandro before my parents let me have him. Oh yeah, in case you didn’t know, Alejandro’s my car, a super hot red Hyundai Santa Fe. I’m not totally crazy, promise.

Leftover tofu fingers with ketchup. Kale massaged with nooch and lemon juice. Fresh figs. Almond peanut cashew butter mixed with maple syrup and chocolate chips.

This was a lunch, but it’s a lot like my typical snackplates. What can I say, I love variety! My lunches lately have been more substantial, incorporating veggies, protein (usually edamame or my favorite protein powder) and fat (usually nut butter).

Breakfast is getting more delicious! Chocolate mint kale protein smoothie topped with mint coconut whipped ‘cream’ and chocolate chips.

Who says you can’t have dessert for breakfast? Okay, this wasn’t quite dessert, since it incorporated greens and protein (but I don’t exactly shy away from those things in my desserts) but the addition of the whipped ‘cream’ definitely took it over the top. And this pudding like breakfast packed 20 grams of protein, plus kale! Who wouldn’t go for that?

Sweet and salty kale salad–kale massaged with lemon juice and nooch, kalamata olives, strawberries, figs and dry-roasted edamame. Half sweet potato topped with maple-infused almond peanut cashew butter. Pumpkin spice iced Americano.

Coffee at lunch…why not? But let’s talk about this salad for a second–so good. I always love sweet and salty combos, and this was just amazing for a random mix. The sweet potato was great too. But that’s a given.

Do you like sweet and salty salad combos? Did you try anything new (food related or not) over the weekend?

2011 in Review

Hi guys, can you believe that there is just one day left in 2011? Time really flies, doesn’t it, especially at the end of the year!

I decided to do a recap of my year since I started this blog just a little over seven months ago. So much has happened since then, so I thought I’d give a little breakdown of the most memorable parts of each month, along with a couple of my favorite photos from that month.

May

One of my first overnight oats creations--carrot cake oats.

I first started AlmostVegGirlie on May 24, just a couple of weeks after I finished my freshman year of college. I have had a couple of blogs before (and still have a fashion-focused one on Blogger) but never a food-related one, and since I was really starting to get into cooking a lot, I decided to finally start one after discovering the healthy living blogging community. Besides starting my blog, I also celebrated my mom’s birthday (and Mother’s Day the week before) and went to a U2 concert up in Denver!

Celebrating my madre's birthday.

Post of the Month: My First WIAW

June

Enjoying the fun after the Elephant Rock bike ride.

I biked in my first real biking event (with my dad). It was only seven miles, but it really helped me discover my love for biking and inspired me to compete in future events. One of the best parts (besides the ride itself) was all the free samples tents set up after the ride.  Not gonna lie, that was super awesome 😉 I also started my volunteer job at the local library that continued all summer.

First trip to Pinkberry!

Post of the Month: Bad “Raw”mance

July

In Estes Park with my mom and sister.

July was a great month for me! I started it out with a family trip to Estes Park which was so much fun and a great little getaway for the fourth of July weekend.The excitement continued with my first trip to the Whole Foods hot/cold bar and my 19th birthday on the 27th. I loved being one of the first people in Colorado’s first IKEA store, plus it was nice to get a gift card for going there on my birthday!

I want to go back and have this all over again!

Post of the Month: Foodie Newbie

August

Sweaty bike ride=the best!

The month started out with a lot of active things, from bike rides to playing tennis to hiking in the mountains. I went on a couple of shopping trips before school started again towards the end of the month. I moved into a single dorm room and loved having even more independence.

Gelato is basically my favorite food!

Post of the Month: What I’ve Been Up To This Weekend (first ever vlog!)

September

First ever (almost empty) almond butter from Target.

Labor Day weekend was a whirlwind of activities, from going to see a production of a play my dad wrote to a day trip to Breckenridge (which was filled with tons of good food). School was…school. I discovered a few new foods, like deep chocolate Vitatops, Halo bars and of course, many new oats combos.

Me and my sissy in Breck.

Post of the Month: A Pain in the…Foot?

October

Carving pumpkins!

I like to call this the month that I rediscovered my creativity in the kitchen. I think I cooked more new things this month than I did all summer! I spent a couple of weekends at home, which helped fuel my passion. I made quite a lot of pumpkin-related things, but what can you expect for October? I also went to urgent care to check out the pain in my foot that started in September and found out I have plantar fasciitis. Oh, and I officially started my first-ever real job as the news managing and PR editor of my college’s staff newsletter! I love what I do (and I love the fact that I get paid to do it!)

First salted caramel mocha light Frap from the 'bucks...basically delish.

Post of the Month: My Story (parts 1 and 2)

November

Vegan festive garland bars.

Thanksgiving break was also a great time for me to get creative in the kitchen. I also stayed pretty busy outside the kitchen during break, with a big shopping trip to 16th Street Mall. I also had my first-ever vegan Thanksgiving meal.

I was excited for my first iHerb order!

Post of the Month: Simply Having a Wonderful Weekend Time

December

I promise you I'm actually really more excited about my new cookbook than I look like I am.

The stress of finals, projects and packing really got to me this year, but before I knew it, I was home! This month, I’ve enjoyed seeing lots of snow (even some on Christmas), playing games with my family, trying out new recipes, sledding, shopping and so much more.

One of my first raw dessert recipes–mini raw pecan pies.

Post of the Month: Jumping on the Bandwagon

It’s definitely been a very good year for me. Despite my struggles in school and with my eating disorder, I would have to say that I had more ups than downs. If you had told me at the beginning of 2011 that I’d be riding in a real bike event, go mostly vegan, get my first job, try something called ‘peanut flour’ (total life-changer, BTW), injure my foot and make raw desserts, I would have told you no way. But life’s funny that way–the things we least suspect always seem to happen. So here’s to 2012…whatever it may bring!

What were some highlights of your year? What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

Vegan?!

If you’ve read my about me page, or even just seen my new header, you’ll know that I eat a primarily vegetarian diet. This is an ethical and also personal choice I made a few years ago–I just don’t really care for the taste of meat. Up until this past year, I still ate chicken, lean turkey and seafood more regularly (I haven’t eaten red meat or pork in years), but considered myself a flexitarian, or someone who eats a plant-based diet with meat on occasion. Being away at college, I could eat whatever I wanted and because I didn’t like the dining hall food, I pretty much ate a vegetarian diet, except for when I was at home and poultry or fish was being served. But this summer, I really realized that A) I can’t stomach meat anymore and B) I don’t want to exploit animals for my enjoyment (erm, or lack of enjoyment). So I started turning more and more to vegetarian sources of protein. I also discovered that I don’t like dairy much anymore, aside from Greek yogurt, froyo and gelato.

Favorite. Overnighters. Combo. Ever. Mint chocolate gelato topped chocolate oats. Dessert and breakfast in one.

Before this point, my parents were dead-set aga inst me going vegetarian, let alone vegan. Because of my history with anorexia, they wanted me to be getting as many nutrients as possible, especially protein. However, I’ve convinced them that eating a mainly-vegan diet actually makes me feel a lot better and is helping me in my eating disorder recovery. So my mom discussed it with me, and she thinks it would be okay for me to go mostly vegan, as long as I keep some source of calcium. I’m still going to eat Greek yogurt (I can’t disown my beloved Oikos–I feel perfectly okay about eating it because it’s organic) and drink fortified soy milk. I’m probably going to end up taking a calcium supplement along with a B12 vitamin, just so I don’t run into any deficiency issues. And…I’m going to make a huge effort to increase my healthy fat intake. I’ve been scared of fats ever since my eating disorder, but eating enough fats is essentialto health. So I’m gonna up my nut/nut butter intake (I so wanna try the Archer Farms Almond Cashew Peanut Butter!) and hopefully that’ll help. I also really like Clif Mojo bars and Pure bars, and those have a lot of healthy fats in them.

I love me some carrot cake...oats that is! Raisins and crunchy almond butter really make this shine.

However…I think while I’m still at home for a couple weeks, I may still have to eat meat on occasion. But honestly, I just don’t like meat at all. Period. Not even seafood as much.  I’m actually really excited to be eating a mostly vegan diet. It just feels so much more natural to me.

Don't worry, yogurt messes, you're not going anywhere anytime soon! Superfruits Greek yogurt topped with Bear Naked Fit and bloobs, soy iced coffee on the side.

[DISCLAIMER: I am not claiming to be 100% vegan. I would say that I am a vegetarian eating vegan a lot of the time–I still want to include Greek yogurt and the occasional frozen yogurt or gelato. But honestly, I don’t really like labeling–labels are for cans, not people. Also, I’m not trying to promote a specific diet–I think different things work for different people, and this is what works for me!]

If you’re vegan, what kinds of foods do you eat to get enough fats?