I was soooo not ready to go back to work today! hehehe Where did the holiday go?!
I stayed up a little too late on the computer last night, per the usual, and woke up in a bit of a fog that stayed with me most of the day.
Breakfast helped me wake up. That and hot coffee. Mmm.
I put the leftover raspberry sauce from yesterday’s pancake breakfast on top of oatmeal.
I was going for the classic combo of berries and chocolate and put some cocoa powder in my oats whilst cooking them stovetop.
Have you ever noticed how much cheaper almonds are when you buy them whole? I think I need to start buying almonds not already chopped more. The only trouble is that I’m usually so groggy in the mornings, I’m too lazy to actually chop them up. hehe Details, details. 
***
Have I ever mentioned that I have a desk, 9-to-5 style job? Today, like most days, I sat in my tiny cubicle from about 9:30am-6:00pm sans breaks. I even ate lunch at my desk…another bad work habit. Not seeing sunlight or getting fresh air probably doesn’t help me snap out of a fog. Those are two reasons I love to work from my house, though I still don’t always get as much fresh air as I could. I’d like to work on building better breaks into my work days. Sitting at a desk all day cannot be healthy for you!
Anywho, I bought a lovely grass-fed beef brisket this weekend and had planned to make it Sunday night, but decided to wait till today. This would have been a better idea if I weren’t working till 6pm and the brisket didn’t take 3 hours to cook. lol But, I made it work. I typically eat pretty lately, anyways, though I do try to shoot for meals before 9pm.
I made a family favorite – Ina’s Beef Brisket. The recipe is straightforward in a style that almost reminds me of the simplicity of a crock pot meal. You pretty much just put everything into a roasting pan and bake. The brisket comes out super tender and the veggies become super soft. I like to entertain with this dish because it looks and sounds impressive, but is caveman-easy.
Anywho, I just served the brisket with some simple rice. I was going to go brown rice till I realized that we were out! So, white rice it was. I grew up eating white rice in my family thanks to my Filipina mom, but I’ve opted for brown rice over the years. But I usually have white on hand for emergencies. lol
And after dinner, I ate an entire GIANT Great Harvest cinnamon roll all by my lonesome. Nommy noms!
Are you a 9-to-5-er? What are your typical work hours?
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
I typically work from 8:30-5pm. Unless its a really crazy busy day, I often take a few minutes to go outside for a walk or offer to mail somethings for the receptionist.
The no sunlight is definitely a bummer since getting off after 5 means very little daylight left
I am so soory that you are stuck at your desk all day
Can you take breaks to walk around?
I work from home as a contractor 40-50 hours a week, sitting behind my computer typing typing typing. It is making me CRAZY, hence why I’m in massage therapy school!! I am looking to change careers and will be done with school in October! Can’t WAIT!
I have a 7.45 to 4.30 job… as well as grad school from 7 to 10 pm three nights a week — mayhem
haha.
I definitely agree that sitting at a desk is not healthy! I have to remind myself to go for walks at least twice a day, or I might not ever get out of the office.
I have thee best hours being a teacher. A typical day looks like this:
Class: 8-10
Recess: 10-10:30
Class: 10:30-11:30
Lunch: 11:30-12:15
Class 12:15-2:40
Dismissal: 2:40
Leave school at 3! LOVE!!!
It’s even better when the P.E. teachers are here & when we have library & computer class!
What time do you normally get home?
I have a full time desk job, too. Usually I work from 7:00 – 4:30, which is tough for me, as I’m NOT a morning person at all. I do try to walk around the building as often as possible and sometimes even go for a short walk during lunch break. This is so good for my mood.
not a 9-5′er. I work crazy hours, but they are my own lil version of normal
and i adore ina garten! that woman can COOK! she doesnt mess around
School day hours for me, 8:20-3:20. But factoring in commute time it’s more like 7:30-4:30. I used to bring work home and work til 10 or so my first couple of years but I no longer do that now that I’m in my sixth year; I guess I use my hour planning time during the day more efficiently.
Yep…more like 8-6:30! I love my job, but physically it can be tough. There was recently a NYT article about the hazards of sitting all day…I wrote about it here: http://newlywedindc.blogspot.com/2011/01/hazards-of-couch.html
I’m starting a new job thats like 8-4:30 and I am determined to take breaks from the desk every once in a while and not eat lunch at it (at least not every day…)
I am also in the 9-to-5 crowd, though most days it is about 8:30-6 or a little bit later. I used to come in even earlier and leave even later AND eat lunch at my desk regularly, but this year I decided that I need to increase the priority of my work/life balance. Work is still extremely important to me, but my physical and mental health have to come first if I want to succeed at anything.
Nowadays my co-worker and I have a standing lunch date which is a great way to break up the day. As soon as the weather gets nicer, the office has a rooftop area where we can go and eat and I’m sure we’ll take it up there.
My hours are pretty flexible- I start anytime between 8/8:30 now that I work at home. When I was going into the office, and if I was carpooling with the husband, I wouldn’t get in until 9. Now that I’m at home every day, I make sure to take a lunch break, usually to work out or set up a new baking experiment.
Your food always looks amazing! Right now, I am 7-5 pm, but I am starting my own business full-time in April…so I can make my own hours. And they will probably be worse!
I’m a social worker and typically work 7 – 3. Getting up early to me is SO WORTH IT if I can be home by 4 p.m.! My days are split between office work and client work, so I’m lucky in that I have reasons to leave the office most days!
I’m a college student but the way my schedule worked out it is pretty much a 10-6 schedule with very little breaks. So..yeah…9-5ish. But at least I can roll into those hours in some jeans and a hoodie! Not that I do that all the time…lol
YAY to coco powder in oatmeal! ( extra antioxidants to start your day) ….what a great idea to add cherries
My classes typically end around 4ish then I head strait to the gym and I’m back by 5. so technically I’m a 9-5er
I can relate.. Do you work from home as well???
I’m an 8-4 er. I like working a bit earlier.
I’m an 8:30 – 4:30′er…for now. I have an hour commute each way though, which involves a train and about a mile total of walking. I usually try to get out and walk around a bit at lunch, even though it is FREEZING in Chicago these days. But other than that, I’m pretty much stuck at the desk, so I totally feel your pain!
Well I think I’ve told you my schedule as a lab tech…24-7-365! Days are 7am to 315p, evenings 3pm to 1115pm, and nights 11pm to 715am. I mostly do days and nights, with the occasional evening shift thrown in (I trade evenings away for days and nights when I can). All holidays are fair game (of course we get time and a half or double time and as a full timer I get a day off in lieu if I work a stat), and I generally work two weekends a month. Unfortunately a lab never shuts down. I just worked days Monday and Tuesday, and am starting five nights starting tonight. It is fun to work nights with no bosses around…its just a much more relaxed atmosphere. As long as we don’t have someone bleeding out keeping us busy in blood bank, it’s all good.:)
I work 8 to 5 every day…I don’t get paid for my lunch hour! Boo!
I travel a lot for work, though, including overnight trips, and those hours can be really crazy.
mmm i love chocolate and berries
I work 8:30am to 5:00pm but I have a bad habit of eating at my desk while working just so my work doesn’t back-up and I don’t run the risk of working late. Then I have an hour plus commute home depending how the trains are running. I don’t have time for much and my bad habits are starting to show on my health. So I’ve been forcing myself to exercise from the Wii at night at home or walking on the treadmill while watching TV. I rarely get the chance to go outside during the day at work PLUS I do not have a window either at my desk!
Argh!
ina is a genius. that looks soooooooo good.
i’m a grad student, so my days are flexible, but for the majority of the time, i’m at my desk from 8-4:30 every single day. it does get old quickly. i try to walk around our building as much as i can – i sometimes take the longest route possible to get from point a to point b.
whatever i have to do to keep myself sane! 
Your breakfast pictures are GORGEOUS. I love how the red just pops!!
I’m not a 9-5er, I’m still a student…which means lots of weird hours. Honestly, I know I’ll miss it when I graduate, but I prefer a set schedule and routine!
Just stumbled on your blog
I am switching careers and currently looking for full time work in PR. It is going to be quite an adjustment moving into a 9-5 world after years of a crazy schedule!
its like a heart beef stew- ooo i so need to pull out my crock pot and make something similar. this looks so scrumptious <3 and the oatmeal is fabulous!!! i love the added crushed berry spread ontop, such a beautiful pop of color! <3
The whole meal looks amazing. Wish I had a GH nearby.
oooh that oatmeal looks delish. you could always prep your almonds the night before- or prep a bunch, freeze them, and get them at will
Where I work as a manager we get paid for 40 but must be there 50 or more. Over New Year’s Eve weekend a couple weeks ago I put in 36 hours in 3 days, one day was 18.5 only, I felt like death. I really need to redo my work/ life balance because at the moment I have none. I get to work about 7:30/8 and get out about 6/7 at night, normally I also bring work home with me. I love my job because 4 months of the year I am outside moving and grooving. The rest of the time I am in my closet (my office is an old mop closet), trying to be creative. At the moment I am failing 100% . I am glad to know though that I am not alone.
I work 8:30- 5 with a lunch break from noon-12:45ish. I go home for lunch, which is a nice break!
I know the feeling of not leaving your desk all day. It’s not a good one. I work (in a basement office) from 8-4:30 M,W,F and 9-5:30 on T&Th (Zumba starts at 6 and is right on my way home from work). I don’t take morning or afternoon breaks but make a point to go to the cafe for lunch every day.
Mmmmm, the raspberry sauce looks divine… I work 9 – 6:30 Tues- Fri. at a hair school. I absolutely LOVE my job, but I also love my 3 day weekends
I am a 9 to 5er, but the schedule varies a lot. I work in higher ed and work out both young alumni and student volunteers, so I have to flex my schedule often to fit theirs. I am pretty lucky though to have a boss that lets me flex my 9 to 5 schedule in return.
I agree that it is really hard to get away from the desk though. I typically always eat at my desk and it is a bad habit.