Wednesday, January 06, 2010

The Dangers of the Pediatric ER

Monday I began my first month in the ER. It's a pretty good rotation as you work 14 or 15 12-hour shifts. Some of these go quickly and some (specifically 7p-7a and likely 2p-2a) go very slowly. My day was pretty quick. It wasn't too busy and I didn't see anything unusual. We had a string of lacerations and broken extremities. I didn't see any of those...now, unfortunately...I saw the scabies, well restrained child s/p MVC, walking pneumonia, and, my bane, TWO gastroenteritis! I even specifically and carefully washed my hands after seeing those patients! Guess it didn't work (unless that asparagus was bad)! Felt fine yesterday until around 4 then just didn't feel normal...definitely wasn't normal all night! Today, I'm feeling better, just resting up before I return for two days of 2p-2a shifts. What's your favorite thing to eat when your tummy is upset? I like chicken noodle soup and popsicles! I'm about to go make some soup (from the can...just something about that sodium laden liquid) but here's some soup my family and I made right after Christmas. I got a Le Creuset pot for Christmas and wanted to use it, so I found a yummy looking lentil soup. It was REALLY good, though I wished that the lentils were more part of the soup rather than being mushed within the soup. I changed the cooking process just a little bit and have made those changes in the directions.

Winter Lentil Veggie Soup from AllRecipes.com
  • 1/2 cup red or green lentils
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage
  • 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Directions

  1. Place the lentils into a stockpot or a Dutch oven and add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse lentils.
  2. Meanwhile, place onion, celery, cabbage, tomatoes, chicken broth, carrots and garlic to a large pot. Cook on medium heat until lentil are done. Add lentils and season with salt, pepper, sugar, basil, thyme and curry. Cook, simmering for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until desired tenderness is achieved.

7 comments:

Abby said...

I've always wondered if doctors pick up viruses and such or if they just have a stonewall defense after so many years in hospitals. Now I know!

I hope you feel better. My husband swears by gatorade and soup when he's sick. For me it's sleep. But I guess they all work on some level!

Katrina said...

The soup looks and sounds really good!
Ewww to the ER and thanks for the job you do, I always just feel so grateful that there are people who do such things that I could never do! ;)

Cate O'Malley said...

It looks like the perfect thing to make you feel better. When I'm sick, the first day or two, I don't want anything, and then the soup and cracker rotation begins. Hope you're feeling better!

The JR said...

What a great XMAS present. I have a couple of pieces of Le Creuset. My skillet is the best thing in the world for caramelizing onions.

Hope you feel better soon.

Valerie said...

Hope you are better! That's a beautiful pot and great looking soup inside. I am always looking for more lentil recipes.

Elle said...

Hope your tummy is feeling better by now. That soup is wonderful...lentils AND cabbage...good for you and yummy, too.

The Cookbook Junkie said...

I usually stick to saltines, ginger-ale and Gatorade when I'm sick. Then the first food I want when I'm feeling better is either a McD's cheeseburger or farina with milk, sugar and butter.