This last week has been an overwhelming one and I know many of us are feeling cooped up and anxious. That is why I’m reaching out from behind my keyboard to say, I feel you. And we are all in this together. Here are a few things I have been doing over my last week of unemployment that have been keeping me sane and healthy and bringing me joy. I share it in hopes it will do the same for you.
1. Take Vitamin D. When your body is exposed to sunlight, it naturally produces Vitamin D, which regulates your immune system to fight off disease (super important these days!) and helps your bones and teeth absorb calcium. Between the rainy days we’ve been having in SoCal lately, and the order to stay indoors because of social distancing, my exposure to sunlight has been minimal. Enter, Vitamin D capsules to fill in the gaps.
2. Use the Blogilates free Fitness calendar to find daily workouts you can do from home. Yes, all the gyms are closed, but luckily YouTube sensation Cassey Ho has been posting workout videos on her channel since 2009. She now has over 4 million subscribers and a massive library of short workouts that she has organized into a handy calendar you can download here. Just type the title of each days’ assigned workouts into the YouTube search bar and they will pop right up. My gym is also posting new 30-minute workout videos on YouTube daily.
3. Join our virtual book club. My friend Jhoanna Belfer of Bel Canto Books is hosting a virtual book club via Zoom on April 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. PST. We’ll be reading an incredible novel called A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum. Order a copy online from your local bookstore (they need you now more than ever!) and come hang with us for a fun discussion.
4. Order takeout from your favorite restaurant. Speaking of supporting local businesses, most restaurants that are closed to dine-in visitors are still offering takeout. So take a break from cooking one night and show them some love.
5. But if you do want to cook, why not make pizza from scratch? Paul and I have been loving with this sheet pan pizza. It’s easy, cheap, flavorful, and makes enough to feed an army. Here’s how you make it:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the chilled water.
NOTE: (I use my Kitchen Aid with a dough hook. But if you don’t have one, use your food processor fitted with the regular blade.) Combine the flour and salt and process with 3 or 4 pulses. With the motor running, slowly add the yeast mixture allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Continue processing/mixing until the dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute, then process/mix for 1 minute more.
Coat the inside of a large bowl with the olive oil and place the ball of dough inside the bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.
When the dough has doubled in size, line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and either roll out the dough or stretch it out by hand until it covers the whole bottom of the sheet pan. Let it rest while you make the sauce and prepare all your toppings.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and apply liberally to pizza crust.
TOPPINGS:
Use whatever you like! But our favorite is half pepperoni, and half:
Grated Mozzarella
Grated Parmesan
Goat Cheese crumbles
Fresh tomato, chopped
Kalamata Olives, sliced
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Place the cheeses on top of the sauce and then add whichever toppings you prefer. Bake the pizza at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 minutes. Enjoy. And give yourself a high five for making pizza from scratch.
FOR WRITERS
If, like me, you’re finding yourself in the midst of an odd contradiction where you suddenly have all the free time in the world but are still having trouble writing – these next few books and resources are for you.
1. Organize your day. I stumbled upon Jordan Page’s Block Scheduling method and found it ingenious. It’s an easy and intuitive way to chunk your day into set blocks of time dedicated to different projects or tasks. If you enjoy structure but also like to hold things loosely, check it out.
2. Plan a Quarantine Writing Retreat. Author Alicia de Los Reyes has a fun digital guide called DIY Writing Retreat that’s only $4.99 on Amazon Kindle (or you can purchase a PDF version from her personal website). It contains a detailed sample schedule for a two-day retreat, plus loads of writing prompts, recipes, and even craft ideas to exercise other creative muscles. I can’t recommend it enough.
3. Get a dose of written inspiration from other authors. Two books I am obsessed with right now are:
I Wrote It Anyway, edited by Caroline Donahue and Dal Kular. An essay anthology featuring authors who faced many different obstacles to writing. From financial hardship, to mental blocks, lack of access to education, and physical disabilities, these inspiring stories are sure to provide comfort and motivation during this crazy time. As a bonus, all proceeds from the book sales are donated to arts-based nonprofits!
