"I'm in the milk and the milk's in me"

One of the most amazing things we've witnessed this year are the embryological remnants that stay with you throughout your whole life. Our cadavers have hidden within them structures that have not been in use since they were fetuses inside their mothers: umbilical arteries turned into ligaments inside the abdomen; an opening between the right and left heart that closed instantly with the baby's first breaths; etc. Seventy, 80, 90 years later, a glimpse reminds us that these old dead folks were once new.

And the reverse is also true: by four months of pregnancy, a female fetus already carries millions of eggs in her ovaries. Both male and female fetuses develop breast tissue in the first trimester. Crazy, huh?

Today I went to the New York State Public Health Association annual conference and ate grilled asparagus and a mound of cheese and crackers for dinner before sneaking out the back door. More on the conference later, but I will report on the minimalist and yummy lunch I had beforehand.

Homemade "muesli" (barely a recipe, more of an idea):

• 1 Greek or regular yogurt
• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 strawberries, sliced
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1 tbsp each toasted flax seeds, chia seeds, etc.
• dash of milk

This was filling enough to get me through the afternoon and comforting enough to keep me away from snacks!

From In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak