Not Enough Words

This is a short and sweet post this evening as I'm in the middle of a training evolution called Coiled Viper. I'm at a camp in the middle of a Marine base surrounded by nurses, doctors, dentists, and corpsman. All reservists.  All people who, like me, signed on the dotted line and committed their life to this beautiful country.  But they...like me...also have full civilian careers and lives..and yet are all willing...and volunteering to drop it all in a moment to serve.  Let's just say these are really good people...

I lay here now in a cot in a room full of 13 other junior officer women...room is a nice word...it's a wooden hut really...but it became home. I've realized with the military it all becomes home quickly.  You make friends quickly and you trust each other quickly.  Each other is all you have really.

The other realization I had today was as I was sitting at the chow hall (aka the military's cafeteria) looking around at all the baby Marines (we are in a section of the base where they are all male and I swear all 18 but look 12)...I realized that these young men who have committed to lay down their life for this country..for you...for me...these are the very Marines I am being trained to treat. These are the ones...should I be mobilized to Afghanistan as many of my classmates are...that will be in my care...in my ICU ward.  It was a humbling moment...they are training to protect me...I'm training to save them...quite the paradox really.

So that's it really...training gives you time to think...and currently I'm thinking I couldn't be prouder to have made the decision to be a Navy Reserve Nurse Corps officer...and I'm also thinking I need to head to bed...early mornings around here!

XOXO

Jackie

I've had an EPIPHANY!!

No, not only that...

But that I'm really horrible at continuous blogging...

I get really great for a stretch...and then I fall off the wagon....

And I don't just take a small break...I go a loooonnnngggg time!

The last update was pre Hawaiian vacation aka Ironman Kona!!  That was Oct 2012...it's now April 2013...seriously...so much life lived since then.  So here is my feeble attempt to catch up and get on a better foot.  But with some adjustments, revelations and confessions. 

I'm not ever going to be a great blogger...I have 3 jobs, 2 kids, and a crazy life.  But I will continue to try my best...but my best may not be extremely regular.  I love to cook, I love to eat, I love to swim/bike/run, I love my job as a nurse.  I want to blog about it all...not in an effort to be all "I love me" about it but an effort to remember...to possibly help others in any and all of those areas...and in a effort to process my life on "paper" if you will.  I've always loved to write and it's like small version of therapy.  If you want to read, read...if you don't I won't even know anyway :)

So here it is...a catch up more in pictures than in words...because it's been a beautiful ride so far and I'm excited for what the future holds...

First...HAWAII!!  We spent 2 blissful weeks on the Big Island...swimming, running, snorkeling, tanning, exploring...and most importantly being present for the greatest triathlon around...the Ironman World Championships in Kona.  It.  Was.  Epic.

 

Kids and I after a hard morning of snorkeling

 

Kiddos rocking the Wattie Ink W after the Underpants Run

 

Pre Ironman Med Tent

 

Holy Big Honu

 

Hard to top a Kona sunset

 

Family luau

 

 

Next up in the land of big updates is all the amazing work I've been privileged to do as a flight nurse....it's an opportunity I never imagined I'd have but I've been sooooooo blessed to do it!  I've gone (I'm sure I'm missing some and these are in no particular order) to Palm Springs, Blythe, Seattle, Las Vegas, Anchorage, Adak, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Vancouver, Edmonton, Wisconsin, Denver, Cold Bay, and I'm sure a few more...some were for a moment...others were at least overnight...and it's been the experience of a lifetime.  I'm so excited to see where else this job takes me...but here are some pics along the way...

 

 

Outside Edmonton in mighty chilly weather!

 

 

Trying to look over the pilot's shoulders at Mt. Rainier

 

Even the training is cool!

 

The last big update comes courtesy of the Navy.  I've been privileged to already have some amazing experiences in my career in the Nurse Corps.  The best to date was my two weeks spent in "boot camp" also known as Direct Commission Officer Indoctrination Course in Newport, Rhode Island.  It was truly a life changing experience and I could never hope to sum it up in words....so some pictures will have to do...

 

 

With my amazing, fabulous roommate, Mikel.

 

 

Our one day of freedom after being snowed in by Nemo (the affectionate name the locals gave the blizzard that hit us hard!).

 

With the roomie again and my local SD girl Stephanie

 

 

My room for 2 weeks...pretty plush, huh?

 

 

Shoveling snow is oh so fun!

 

 

 I had to try....

 

So anyway, there it all is...a massive update in a small way.

 

Here's what's coming up....

 

First I leave Saturday (in 2 days) for 9 days of field training with the Marines to do some expeditionary field medicine....should be quite an experience to say the least.

 

Then once home it's onto another challenge...the Whole 30 challenge that you can read up on here...wanna join in on the fun?  I'm staring April 15th along with a few other friends who want to improve their health too...the more the merrier!  And yes, I know it's not vegan...but if you'll refer back here you see that I have only ever tweaked my diet for health reasons...and this is yet another step along the way of using myself as a guinea pig...it's science, right?? 

 

Lastly on tap for me is my return back to long course racing...I've registered once again for Barb's race...I've tried it once before and I aim to try it again...and do it bigger and better...watch out...

 

I think that's about all I can cram in one blog post since I'm getting slightly crossed eyed...hope I didn't bore you to pieces and I swear to be a bit better at this, even if it's only a mobile update!  Until then...

 

 

XOXO

 

Jackie

It's been too long...but it's gonna be a bit longer...

I've been MIA since...ooohhhh...October of last year or so...ever since I went on my Big Island adventure.  But with 3 jobs, 2 kids, and 5 animals running around my life I tend to get a bit behind.  So I just wanted to wave my hand around a bit...assure you all that I'm still breathing...and that I'll be back...this week I promise.  Probably sans recipe as I haven't really been writing a thing down lately!  But it'll be one big update I swear...

Until then!

XOXO

Jax

WIAW #3 On The Fly...

It's been busy 'round here...no surprise...

Only SIX more days till we head to the Big Island for some Ironman fun and even more relaxation!!!!  AHHHHH!!!

I'm more excited then I could ever explain...but prior to the vacation comes lots of planning...and working...

So today is another What I Ate Wednesday...I'll highlight some of the fab food I've been cooking up lately as well as give you a long awaited recipe....at the end ;)



I've been digging breakfast lately...in any form...at home or out and about...

Breakfast on the Boardwalk at the Wavehouse...good food, great views

This morning's tofu scramble at good ole' standby Snooze...no pic of the bloody Mary...but it was great too!



The usual morning standby at home...soyrizo with veggie galore!

Can you see a theme in my breakfast choices??  A little spice and a whole lotta veg...but occasionally I do splurge on some pancake love....

Smores pancakes anyone?????  Recipe's at the end...keep reading...

I've also been loving on salads for my work dinner...especially during Powercakes challenge (join us!)...

Or if I'm not at work I'm possibly at Casa De Luz eating from their fabulously vegan and gluten free menu...

And when all is said and done I enjoy my version of "ice cream"...frozen bananas, almond butter, and almond milk thrown in the Vitamix until creamy...talk about a treat!!

So there you go...lots of my goodies from the past week or so...now I'm hungry and need to go make some dinner...on the menu??  Roast cauliflower, broccoli, lentils, and I'm not sure what else yet...what are you eating tonight?

Oh yeah...here's the recipe...maybe you can eat dessert for breakfast tomorrow morning...hmmm...maybe I will too!

Smores Pancakes

by Jaclyn Trosper

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (6 pancakes)

• 2 cups multipurpose gluten free flour (try to find a brand that includes xanthan gum)
• 2 scoops protein powder (I used Sprouts generic soy vanilla)
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (only if your flour doesn't include it)
• 2 tbsp flax
• 3 tbsp warm water
• 2 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tbsp honey (not considered vegan but needed for that graham taste, use agave if you avoid honey)
• 8 drops liquid stevia
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 C almond milk
• 8-12 vegan marshmallows
• 1/2 bar organic dark chocolate (you can also use carob chips but the flavor is a bit different)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

In a large bowl mix flour, protein powder, xanthan gum (if using), applesauce, honey, stevia, vanilla, cinnamon, and almond milk. In a separate small bowl mix flax and warm water. Add flax "egg" to large bowl, mix well. In a well greased pan drop large spoonfuls of mixture to form pancakes. Cook on medium heat, flip when bubbly and brown. Meanwhile in a double boiler heat marshmallows with 1 tbsp of the coconut oil, stir often to create a creamy mix. In microwave (or another double boiler) heat chocolate with other tbsp coconut oil until melted. Serve marshmallow and chocolate between layers of pancakes...you can even sprinkle cinnamon on top!

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First Foodie Pen Pal!

I am so excited to share my first Foodie Pen Pal experience!!

Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean created the program as a means to share the foodie love throughout the nation...well the program is now huge and I'm stoked to be a part of it...here are the rules...

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
- Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!
***If you’re in the UK, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!

 



 

Now onto my first experience...I was paired with Claudia.  She's a blog reader from right here in my area of San Diego.  I found out her preferences and sent her these goodies...

 

 



 

 

Yum, right??

 

Here is what she had to say after receiving the goodies:

 

Hi box came today and it was perfect! TJ's is one of my favorite stores and you found things I had never seen!  A colleague at my office saw my box and got so envious that she signed up to be a foodie pen pal!

All my best,

Claudia

 

 

I'm so happy she liked it all!

 

As for myself, I was the foodie pen pal to Jay over at www.jaytravis.com  He lives in New York and had to work to find me some gluten free/vegan goodies...but he excelled!  He found a local bakery called XOXO Vegan Bakery and sent me a fudge brownie, an "ice cream" pie, and another awesome find of black bean spaghetti.  Please don't mind that both bakery good are already partially eaten...couldn't help myself!  Seeing as there is a $15 price limit the contents may seem sparse but trust me...you can taste the goodness in these baked goods!

 

 

So there you have it!  My first foodie pen pal experience!  It was a blast!

 

I'll be taking October off since I'll be HAWAII for most of the month!  But I plan on being back for November and already have some tasty treats lined up for my next pen pal...will it be you???

 

XOXO

 

Jackie

 

Any Given Sunday

It's a phrase my buddy Bex and I started saying often a few years back...

Every race can be great...

Or horrible...

Really, really fast...

Or you can't seem to find your speed at all....

On any given Sunday (since most races are on Sundays).

You never know who will show up to race against you, or what kind of day they will have...geez...you may have stellar training leading up to a race and you might have a painful day out there. 

You can do everything right...and the day unravels in front of you.

Or sometimes....

Just sometimes....

You reach really deep into your gut and pull out a great performance.

And on that given Sunday you did your best...and so did everyone else.

That's how today went.

Today was my 5th time starting the Mission Bay triathlon.  It was my very first race in 2007.  I skipped last year due to some serious overtraining and lack of motivation issues.  But this year, on less training...more fun...and some serious ultrarunning base...I came back to where it all began.  I even had my whole family there for support...and their support really means the world...it was the recipe for a great race... 

I knew immediately that the 25-29 age group women had brought their A game.  The pace on the swim was FAST...girls were pulling away from me (and I've really stepped up my swimming)...but luckily I started to reel them in as I went.  I ended up with a 1 minute PR on the swim and since I didn't wear a wetsuit I had a great T1!

I flew out on the bike and just tried to hold on to a few girls I saw in front of me.  One girl in particular was going just slightly slower...I didn't want her to think I was hanging on her wheel so I passed her and told her I was sure we would leap frog for a bit (she didn't pass me on the bike...but on the run...so we DID leapfrog-ish).  I was passed at mile 2 or 3 by the blazing fast Team CEC's Ashleigh Bordwell (who won our age group by a landslide).  I wasn't passed again until the very end but ended up catching her later.

I came into T2 knowing I had some work to do.  I had a solid bike but it wasn't a PR (at least I don't think it was since official results aren't posted yet).  I changed as fast as I possible could and headed out.

The run was hard...really hard...

And I was only putting down 7:20's (not my fastest but certainly not cruising either).  But they hurt!  Luckily I had my amazing mom there as I headed out yelling to me that I was in 6th place and to pick them off one by one (love her and her belief in my abilities).  I passed the first girl within the first mile...so now I was in 5th.  Then I was passed by the girl I had passed on the bike...she was also in a Catalyst Endurance kit (as were many of the top finishers...seeing as I used to train with them I should probably look into that again...they got some serious results!).  I couldn't hold her...so I just stayed at my pace and looked to the next girl since I was in 6th again.

I passed another girl as we went up the hill after mile 2...and I held that position till the end.  But I never had a moment where I could let up...they were always back there...fast, determined, amazing women.  I had to WORK out there.....

When I race (run specifically) I tell myself over and over that unless I'm fainting or dying I'm not allowed to slow down.  I used to put puke in there but after Oriflamme I had to take that bit out...

So that's was I was doing out there...not giving an inch...thankfully since the next girl was less then 30 seconds back from me!

After I crossed the finish line I dry heaved a bit (enough that they grabbed a garbage can for me...luckily I didn't need it!)...and then walked myself straight to the med tent to fix up a gnarly blister that had bled all over my shoes.  Shockingly I didn't REALLY feel it till I was done.

Mom was there and told me I probably got 4th or 5th (she was almost right on!).

And I was tired...

I found another friend Kaili, who had finished only a few minutes after me...I asked her immediately if she thought the field was super tough today...she agreed...the fast girls were out and we were forced to step up to the challenge.  My A game was good enough for 5th place today...and I couldn't be prouder.

Some people may only feel successful if they win...or place...but not today.

Today I raced my best (and got a 30 second PR in the process)...nothing to be ashamed of there.

Another day...another race in the books...another PR...and I'm happy.

Any given Sunday...you never know what can happen...as long as you try your best it's bound to be great...

XOXO

Jackie

Reflections...

It's been a busy month...

Wait...no...it's been a busy YEAR.

A year full of awesomeness the likes of which I never could have imagined on Jan. 1, 2012.

But here I am...September 29, 2012...and so much has happened.

I rarely take time to look back, but now I wanted to reflect a bit.  I've covered most of it in my blog so I won't bore you...but quick synopsis...

Figuring out issues with amazing little boy, finally following up on years of health issues and starting to tackle them, attempted an ultramarathon, deployed husband came home, baby girl started kindergarten, little boy started 3rd grade, hubby got a well deserved selection to chief petty officer, hubby went through 6 weeks of h*ll to be a Chief, started a food blog to track my successes and failures in my gluten free/ mostly vegan cooking life, and I was selected to the U.S. Navy Reserve Nurse Corps and commissioned as an Ensign.

I may have missed a few milestones...but those ones stood out for me.

And if you missed that last one...yes, it's true...I've gone and done it.  I'm in the Navy now! 

 

It's something I've always dreamed of doing...and I was further inspired by this song and video (yes I know it's for the National Guard but it's very applicable...



And when you are married to a man who loves the Navy almost as much as he loves his country it's easy to be inspired to do great things...

It will be a while before I start...but the very long process has finally been completed (minus some more paperwork...duh)...and I'll be off to bootcamp fork and knife school before I know it!

Tomorrow is the last tri of the season...Mission Bay.  It was my very first triathlon 5 years ago and as I toe the line float in the freezing cold water sans wetsuit to save some precious seconds...I'll remember how far I've come....

From the 24 year old girl who had no clue what she was doing...barely making it through her first tri...making so many mistakes...consuming mass quantities of calories in a short sprint race...barely jogging through the run...dying on the bike...feeling awful about herself...

To now...confident young woman who knows this sport and knows her body better then she ever has...knows her nutrition like the back of her hand...loves the run...flys through the bike faster then she ever imagined she'd be able to (still not as fast as the awesome women she races...but fast enough to be proud)...racing for a place in the top five...or even top 10...or really just faster then the last time...cause that's really all that matters...steady progress forward.

Relentess forward motion.

Learning from past mistakes.

Forgiving errors.

 

Planning for bumps in the road (proverbial ones or literal ones!).

 

Enjoying every, single, blessed moment....

 

Being grateful that she has the ability every day to go out and do it...to swim...to bike...to run...

 

And now...the ability to serve...

Serve her patients...and serve her country.

It's as American as gluten free/vegan apple pie (cheezy, I know)...or possibly as American as a hamburger on the grill...wait I don't eat hamburgers...what's a girl to do? 

Make one that fits the bill!  Most of the store bought ones are loaded with wheat and therefore off the table for me...and some others I've tasted taste like...well...grass...fresh cut grass...hmmmm...

So I made one instead...infused with a bit of Thai flavor (maybe I'll be heading to Thailand with the USNS Mercy or Comfort...who knows).  This burger kicks some serious boo-tay...not that I'm biased. 

Thai Veggie Burgers

by Jaclyn Trosper

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients (8 patties)

• 1 C quinoa (I used red but any kind will do)
• 2 C water
• 2 cubes vegan "chicken" bouillon
• 2 C cooked lentils
• 3 gloves garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 C soy tempeh, crumbled
• 1 tsp miso paste
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp curry
• 1 tbsp tamari (or other gluten free soy sauce alternative such as Bragg's)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (needed to help bind the patties...trust me, they fall apart without it!)

Instructions

Cook quinoa, water, and bouillon in a rice cooker or according to package directions on stovetop (though a rice cooker is like $10 and soooo worth it!). Meanwhile combine all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, mashing as you go. Once quinoa is cooked mix into bowl with all ingredients. Mix and form into patties. Place in pre greased pan and cook 2-3 minutes per side until slightly browned. Remove from pan and serve regular style or over a bed of veggies if you are so inclined...both taste great!

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Enjoy your day...enjoy your weekend...

Enjoy life...cause it's short...and precious.

Until next post...

XOXO

 

Jackie