Ways I'm Coping This Week
Limiting my exposure to news. I have seen enough to know to stay home as much as possible. Stopping the constant check-ins has been really helpful, for me. I know that this is not the case for everyone. Pie is what helped lots of friends get through the day with some joy, yesterday! I respect that. For me, I have to stick to what keeps me grounded.
Cooking well. Instead of eating ice cream or kettle chips, when anxious, I have lots of healthy options on hand - dates, seaweed snacks, cut-up veggies with tahini dressing (recipe below.) This past year, I have been recreating what my comfort foods look like. Now, believe it or not, I actually do get reassurance from a big bowl of homemade soup or a beautiful multi-colored stir-fry. And the actual act of cooking has become less of a chore and more of a chance to nurture myself and loved ones. This was not always the case! I have some delicious recipes that I assembled for a recent group cleanse here. I am adding to my website recipes here.
Eating more immune-boosting foods like raw garlic (in tahini dressing recipe below,) all kinds of greens, turmeric ginger shots (recipes below,) organic broth (I put it in soups like Pho, Mexican or Thai Chicken Soup, Borscht...,) celery juice, lemon water, lemon balm tea (also great for de-stressing.)
Going outside for a walk or to play in the dirt of our backyard garden. Watching spring emerge is helping me to remember the miracle of seasons; keeps me thinking big picture.
Getting out of my head and into my body. I am always shocked by how much better I feel after yoga. Our local yoga studio, Tough Love, is being as conscious as possible about limiting class size and keeping all surfaces disinfected. Tough Love is about to offer several classes online as well. Another at home option - a friend of mine is offering her video-taped fitness class subscription for free, because of the virus. I have been a subscriber for years. The 30-minute workouts come to your email. Laura is super funny (check out her FB page,) and great at motivation.
What are you doing? I'd love to know.
Love, Madeline
Tahini Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
*1/4 cup tahini (get a good organic one)
2-3 tbls. Lemon juice, to taste
Either 1-2 garlic cloves (to taste) or 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
4 tbls. ice cold water. The cold water makes it easier to emulsify the tahini. Use more water if needed.
Whisk or blend ingredients. You may add herbs if you wish. Experiment. It keeps for a week in the fridge but will thicken so you may have to add water. It is great on any salad, and on brown rice.
*Tahini is made from sesame seeds and is good for you in a myriad of ways! It is a great source of protein, calcium and iron. And it is good brain food. I used to feed my kids lots of hummus so that the tahini helped their growing brains. Now, I need it for my diminishing one!
Turmeric Ginger Shots
4 inches of ginger, grated
4 inches of turmeric, grated
2 tbls raw honey
2 lemons
4 cups filtered water
I make it by heating water to about 125 F. If you don't have a thermometer, this is below simmering. Add the ginger and turmeric. Let sit for 15 minutes, at least. Pour into a sieve, over a bowl. Let it cool for 15 minutes. Add the honey and squeeze in the juice of the lemons. Take a shot! You can store the rest in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Only do one shot a day.
Alternate way to make Turmeric Ginger shots - If you have a good juicer, put the ungrated, unpeeled 4 inch turmeric through the juicer. Into a separate container, juice the whole piece of 4 inch ginger. In addition, juice 4 cloves of garlic. Put one tsp of each into a container and add in 1/4 cup of orange juice. Stir to combine. If you don't have the right amounts, it will still be immune boosting. Ground ginger and turmeric won't work.
