French toast

I don’t want to sound too whiny, but I’ll go ahead and say it anyway. Getting a PhD is harder than I thought. I saw Legally Blonde, and I told myself, “Omigod, I can totally do that”. But maybe the whole thing only works out well if you go to law school. Or maybe I just need another Chihuahua since my poor multi-race doggie passed away. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine…

There I go again, exaggerating and making everyday life sound much more dramatic than it actually is. Things are actually going well, but I’ve been struggling so much trying to keep up with my ever-growing to-do list. Doing the work is not a problem. My problem is that besides the occasional “end of the world” storm, the weather is steadily getting better and I want to be outside. And I want it badly. 

-Maybe I should take a break and run outside…  

-I think I may get a better perspective on this paper if I go for a bike ride…

-I’ll work from this coffee house that is just 1/2 hour away so I can take a hike during my lunch break.

How about I just shut the F* up and get more work done? I’m telling you, if this continues I will slap some sense into myself. I’ve had it.

Still, I did take a break to go and watch Green Day’s American Idiot during its one-week engagement here in Cleveland. And besides the girl sitting next to me going “Oh, I’ve heard that song before” several times, the show was fun, and I had a blast. Plus, I got the satisfaction of congratulating that sweet, sweet girl sitting next to me for her extraordinary accomplishment of having listened to the radio at some point within the last 10 years. Wow. You go girl.

But now it’s all work again. But that is not, and will never be, an excuse to skip breakfast, or to eat junk for breakfast. Although I often wake up and feel like making something on the spot, once in a while I do a little planning before going to bed to help my sleepy brain work at a better pace the next morning. That is especially helpful on the days that I need to make it to work earlier than normal. As an example, this week I was about to go to bed when I realized I could make French toast for breakfast. I took bread slices and put them in a paper bag so they would dry and harden. As soon as I woke up, I knew what I had to do, so I went and made them. Although my recipe is quite simple, they turn out really nicely every time. As an added bonus, this is one of those dishes that involve a bit of waiting, which gives me time to pack my lunch, gather my things, and get dressed. Then I have my breakfast and off I go.  Plus I don’t really need an excuse to make French toast…

On the road shortcut

Nutritional info per serving (2 servings):

Toast: 333 calories, 30 g carbs, 15 g fat, 20 g protein

Toast with optional sugar and syrup: 358 calories, 39 g carbs, 15 g fat, 20 g protein

4 (1oz) slices whole wheat bread

4 eggs

½ cup 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter

Optional

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

2 teaspoons fruit or maple syrup

Leave the bread slices in a paper bag overnight.

Beat the eggs. Add the milk and the vanilla extract to the eggs and mix. Transfer the mixture to a deep dish that can hold it as well as all the bread slices. Soak the bread in the mixture for 10 minutes. Flip the bread and let it soak for an additional 10 minutes. Use about 1 teaspoon of butter to grease a pan to make the toasts. At medium high heat, fry for 2 minutes. Carefully flip the bread, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for another 2-4 minutes.

Serve with powdered sugar and syrup if desired.