Monday Check-In (Life Lately)

A few weeks ago, I shared A Bit About Staying Positive, which was a game plan and rallying cry one week into isolation.  Three weeks later, I might write that post differently.  While I’m still doing well, I would be lying if I said that all of my days are good days – they definitely are not.  While I’m in the privileged position of being comfortable, safe, and healthy, I’m also dealing with anxiety and the blues, and I know that I’m not alone.

My goal for this space is to try to pour the bright parts of my life into it, and to use it to celebrate what makes me happy.  So, with that, I’m recapping the last few days, and sharing what I’ve been up to.

Romanian Stewed Cabbage & Cooked Cornmeal (Varză Călită & Mămăligă)

Even though it’s officially spring where I live, it’s what I call “Pennsylvania Spring,” meaning that we might experience chilly rain, icy snow, and warm temperatures all in one week (it was last week). Warm weather is coming, but even still, with the meteorological limbo, I’m gravitating toward comfort foods such as this stewed cabbage and cornmeal dish. Hearty and warming, it will definitely fill you up, but it’s not greasy or heavy in any way. Add to the fact that it’s vegan (unless you add the cheese and sour cream as I suggest below) and gluten free, and this could even be a great dish for when you have family or friends over who have special dietary requirements.

Overnight Belizean Onion Sauce

In November 2018, Liviu and I spent our Thanksgiving weekend in beautiful Belize on the island of Caye Caulker (more on that another day). We spent our days in the sun, and our evenings eating at open-air restaurants that served everything from vegetarian curries to sauteed conch.

At dinner on our first night, we sat down at a picnic table and noticed that on each table in the restaurant was a plastic container of what appeared to be diced onion. Naturally, we opened it up and gave it a stir to discover that it was a container full of pickled white onion with habanero scattered throughout.

A Bit on Staying Positive

Positivity doesn’t come naturally to me. Those who know me well know that thanks to a blend of inherent intensity and persistent anxiety, I’m a worrier at heart who constantly struggles to control what I can. With that in mind, when I learned that I would be staying at home for most of a three-week period (and maybe longer) because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to dig pretty deep to find a way to be positive about….everything.

Thanks to the people in my life who are positive and a lot of hard work on my part, I’ve made the most of the first week in isolation. So, with that, I’m sharing my weekday routine, self-care priorities, diversions, and what I’m planning to do during Week Two.

Vegetarian Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole

You know when you find a recipe, and you like it so much that you find yourself seeking out excuses to make it? This is one of those.