My OCD is Normal

Does anyone else ever get that afternoon slump? I don’t know what it is, but every time I come back from lunch, I NEVER feel like getting back into work. I seem to drone through the last few hours as my motivation to be productive falls.

I think this usually occurs after lunch because at least in the morning, I have lunch to look forward to and then once it’s over, it’s just another 3 or 4 hours of boring work. Oh well, I guess it’s just a part of life that comes with being a responsible working adult. Oh if only I could go back to the days where my biggest worries were what was going to happen next on Dawson ’s Creek or not being able to find a date to the homecoming dance.

For some reason, I thought that today was going to be a lot more miserable outside than it turned out. The weather man indicated that it would be the coldest day of the week and originally I thought it would be rainy and gross, but the sun actually stayed shinning for most of the day so it wasn’t too bad.

For some reason, when I think of rainy days, the thought of warm soup is always appealing. So I made sure to pack some in my lunch today. For the first time, I tired Amy’s Organic Chunky Tomato. I have been hearing about this for ages and I seriously don’t think I have ever heard one bad thing said about this can of soup. I love tomato soup so much and up until now, my canned tomato soup of choice has always been Progressive Hearty Tomato. Although I admit, it does fare a tad high in sodium and probably isn’t as natural as other organic brands, it does taste great! Well, I finally gave in to the hype and bought a can of Amy’s a few weeks ago. My thoughts….the hype is no joke! This is one good cup of tomato soup. Very creamy, slightly sweet, not too salty, and the chunks of hearty tomato are PERFECT. I bulked it up with some steamed kale and it turned into one delightful bowl. It’s probably safe to assume that I will be buying this more often in the future. Sorry Progressive but I think Amy’s has you beat!

Over my lunch, I read an evoking article on OCD. The article stressed that this disorder has become extremely populated in our country and 56% of people feel they obtain this disease or at least traits of it. One woman confessed that her rituals are as bad as having to brush the carpet every time someone walks on it to make sure the threads go just the right way.
I joke around about my own habits often, because I too tend to lean towards the neurotic side with certain things that others may find irrelevant. For example, I have to be sure that the dishes are put away JUST RIGHT in the dishwasher, the spoons with the spoons, the forks with the forks, the cups all aligned…etc. And everything in the fridge has its exact place. Okay, I know it’s a bit compulsive, but I like order and when things are structured the way I like, I feel relaxed and at ease.
I also know that I am a creature of habit. I need routine and I get anxious when things aren’t planned out. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am adaptable and I can deal with change, so long as I can work my way into it. Toly is a little more laid back in this area, so its great to have him to balance me out.
I took the short quiz after the article to see if I really was OCD and it turns out I am just “A Little Fussy.” Some of my habits may be OCD-like, but within the range of normal fussiness, I can live with that!
Does anyone else have OCD-like rituals or routines? Apparently, they are more common and normal than you may think.

Well, even though tonight was a little out of routine, I was actually looking forward to it. Toly went to his parent’s after work and then to a poker game so that meant a night by myself. Ah, sometimes, these nights are just grand! Mostly because this means I get to take my time creating the most extraordinary recipes that Toly would never eat. These nights only mean one thing….VEGETABLES. I like to take them to a whole different level when I am cooking for just me.
I was feeling some warm comfort food tonight, so I decided on my version of Mac and Cheese. My method is definitely not the norm, as I use no pasta. For my Butternut Squash Mac, I roast butternut squash with some salt, pepper, and rosemary and then mash it until its mushy. I then mix in goat cheese and steamed kale. The toppings are the best part….lots of ketchup and a spoon of Fage. AMAZING! See I told you this was different.

I ate my squash-mac with some roasted broccoli drizzled with rasp/balsamic and honey and also made some great tofu too!

This new baked tofu came from the inspiration of my friend’s recipe for her Baked Pecan Salmon. I brushed the tofu with a mixture of dijon and honey. I then mixed some chopped pecans, granola and parsley in a bowl and coated the tofu in this breading. Before I threw it in the oven, I drizzled the top with a touch of maple syrup. Oh wow, sooooo good! I LOVE this on slamon so I knew that tofu had to be just as good.

Now I am going to cuddle up with Sammy and watch American Idol. Maybe some frozen yogurt is in my future too! (Sammy seems like he is in the mood). :)
Hope your day was lovely!