So guess what I did this past week? Well, let me back up a minute and say that I thought long and hard about my post last week and my lack of desire to cook while in quarantine. Providing healthy meals for my family has always been important to me, whether I’m enjoying the process or not. I’ve been getting food on the table, though as reflected last week, I can’t really say I’ve been giving it my all. But this week, I decided to make an effort.
Hold on to your hats…I googled two new recipes! One of them I haven’t made yet so I will keep you posted. The other was a new sausage and peppers recipe. Paul and I love sausage and peppers but the kids tend to complain about one aspect of it or another. However, I had sausages in the fridge, and one can’t simply run out to the store nowadays to pick up something fresh, so suck it up kiddos!
At the onset, I made sure I left myself enough time, this way I wasn’t stressed and harried while cooking. I put my headphones on, my signal to the outside world not to approach me. (Note to all: just putting these babies on keeps people at bay. Even if someone says something to you, just ignore them, like you can’t hear them…they will eventually go away. This is key during isolation!)
Then comes my music or my podcasts. Depending on what I’m listening to, I’ll either randomly shout out “Yes!” or “Amen to that sista!” which means I have an awesome podcast on. If I’m listening to music I will be singing or dancing around the kitchen. Hey, I might not produce the best meal, but my heart will be a little lighter when I’m done. Enjoying the process is just as important as the final outcome.
What was my end result? Well, first I felt good about myself because not only did I take the time to do something new and exciting for my family, but I also made sure I had enough time, so I was able to enjoy the process. You all know one of my personal heroes is Mary Poppins. Yes, a spoon full of sugar in the form of music and podcasts does make the medicine go down.
Secondly, was the meal a success? Well let’s see…Karlie still picked out all the onions and grumbled about the sausages, and Luke still picked out all the peppers, stating it was a 4.5 out of 10. Little $h!ts. However, Paul and I loved it! We both gave it a 9 out of 10 and the telltale sign of a good meal is that there were no left overs for the next day.
My point? I hadn’t been making cooking a priority so it was getting pushed by the wayside and becoming a source of stress. Once I made it a priority, things changed. I googled a new recipe. I ensured enough time for the process so I wouldn’t feel crazed. I enjoyed myself and made the effort fun. Was it perfect? No. My kids still didn’t appreciate all I did, but I know they had a healthy meal (I used chicken sausage by the way) with veggies, that was made with love.
Last night I made an awesome chicken fried riced cauliflower dinner. I thought I took a picture of the actual meal but I forgot. Did I spend a lot of time lovingly ricing up the cauliflower and chopping up the veggies for this healthy dinner? Nope. See the pic below. This masterpiece (cough, cough) came from a bag. Cooking was not my priority last night. I took a yoga class via zoom with one of my favorite teachers, however, a relatively healthy meal was still served. My priority was my own peace of mind and doing something for myself.
Priorities can change depending on the day and we don’t have to be super powerhouses in every arena at all times. When we choose what’s important to us, rotating things in and out, we get to do all the things we love to do and have to do, and we can take the time to do them well. I know this is not always easily done, and most of the time is a work of progress for us all. But our intentions will inform our priorities. I didn’t google seven recipes. I googled two. I’m going to make a few kick ass meals some nights this week, and other evenings I will happily be laying in shavasana just before I serve a meal that only requires heating up. Ahhh, healthy mind and healthy body. Namaste.
Chaos to Calm 