Soup & Bitterness

Of the few things I take seriously in life, work is one of them.

My parents have instilled a strong work ethic is me.  How they did, I don't know.  Maybe years of no-nos and  finger wagging, but there it is... Work ethic. 

I feel horrible calling in sick when I'm not that under the weather.
I hate walking away from unfinished work at the end of my shift.
I don't like chaos and confusion around me.  I like things neat and orderly.

These aren't so much good qualities as they are characteristics of my Type A, anal retentive personality.

Regardless...
I have high expectations of myself when it comes to work.  Admittedly, every once in a while I will slack off during my shift, but usually I time manage well and get everything done in a top notch manner.

Problems start when I have that same expectation from my co-workers.
If I make the effort to work extra hard and to be thoughtful about their needs, I expect the same treatment in return.

That is where things go horribly awry.  When a co-worker lacks any interest in being helpful or sensitive to another's needs, things get bad.  Bad bad.  I've started holding a grudge because I feel that I've gone out of my way to make their job easier, but it isn't reciprocated fairly.

After involving management with our issues, I had high hopes that the issues would be resolved fairly after we were given a chance to speak our minds and air our differences.  That didn't happen.  It seemed as though only one side was taken and it wasn't with me.  Needless to say I walked out of our meeting feeling very let down and discouraged.

It's hard to maintain a good attitude about work when you feel that your opinions are worthless.  
It's hard to maintain a good work ethic when you see people around you getting away with doing the minimum.
It's hard to maintain a good relationship with these people when all you want to do is shake them and make them see the light.

Thus, I am left feeling somewhat bitter about the entire situation and unsure about what to do next.

Find a new job?  Return to school?  Suck it up and wait it out?  

Two things are for sure:  

I don't want to get caught in this web of anger and bitterness

and

It's time for a change.

In the meantime...

I've always loved soups and have been envious of those who can concoct a delicious one.  I had actually never made my own soup (other than something from a can) until this past Easter.

It turned out like this~

It looked a bit mashed up and weird in that photo, but trust me, it was delicious.  I was so proud of my first soup.  Lentil and rice with carrots and celery, flavoured to taste.

Then, this past week I attempted a new recipe:  spinach & lentil soup.

(I've been trying to eat healthier-low carb-so I've been all about the lentil soups.)

This is how it turned out~

It was absolutely fabulous!

So, because it was so tasty, I am going to leave the recipe below for any of you soup lovers to attempt.  I doubled the recipe because I like matching a large batch to eat for a few days.  


Spinach & Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups brown lentils
• 4 TSP olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 20 English spinach leaves, stems removed, leaves finely shredded
• 4 TSP cumin
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 4 TBSP finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
• 2 TSP finely grated lemon zest

Rinse lentils and place in pot with 10 cups of water.  Bring to boil and then simmer for an hour uncovered.  Rinse, drain, set aside.

In a separate pot, heat the olive oil.  Add the garlic and onion and cook until golden.  Add the spinach and cook for a further two minutes.

Add the lentils, lemon zest, 4 cups of vegetable stock and 4 extra cups of water to the pot and add in the coriander and cumin.  Simmer for 15 minutes before eating.

***

Easy peasy!  I made a couple changes to the recipe and added some fresh parsley and bay leaves to the pot for extra flavour.  As well, I will note that there were definitely too many lentils when I had finished boiling them, so you could probably cut down the amount to 3 cups.  

My boyfriend promised me we'd invest in a good food processor soon, so I am excited to start making creamier soups!

Peace & love.