quarantine

I’ve been quite impressed with Carrie’s attitude and creativity during our stay at home time; she’s actually thriving. She’s in online classes most of the day. During her lunch hour, we’re doing home workouts. She set goals and is sticking with her plans to achieve them. I’m watching her get stronger both physically and emotionally. She’s trying and learning new things. At a time when she could be complaining of boredom and isolating herself in her room, she’s enjoying life! She’s making the most of our time together and taking pride in the fact that she’s doing her part to help save lives by staying home.

She came up with a creative way to bring more fun to dinner time by planning themed dinners. Love it! We put our heads together and figured out meals based on things we had in stock and off she went.

Here’s the thing, I HAD THE BEST TIME! Somehow, Carrie’s ideas transported us to a new restaurant every night! She made cute invitations (until our printer ran out of ink) and gave us details for each evening. We prepared the meals together and Carrie was our server but she also dined with us!

Sleeper Sunday: Eat breakfast food for dinner, wear pjs and dine on the couch.
Menu: Eggs, Rosie’s Rivets with dipping sauces and apple butter and oranges.

I don’t have any pics of us in our PJs but we wore them and ate while sitting on the couch, which we never do. Can I just tell you how much apple butter (homemade by my daughter, Hannah) elevates Rosie’s Rivets?! Game changer!

Meditation Monday: Channel our inner zen and have a calming, nutritious meal.
Menu: Buddha-ish bowls full of greens, cucumber, nuts and falafel

This was very tasty and I felt good getting lots of veggies and healthy foods in! The weather was decent so we took it outside and soaked up the peaceful sounds of spring peepers. Namaste!

Talian Tuesday: Not much explanation needed!
Menu: Homemade naan bread pizzas and bread to dip in olive oil. CARBS galore!

We lucked out with another pleasant evening, so we made our pizzas and dined outside. The meal was delicious and I could’ve eaten another pizza and loaf of bread! We love to make pizzas, so this was a meal we were all looking forward to! I’m still full! Mangia!

Waikiki Wednesday: This was scheduled to be Tropical Thursday but the weather was amazing so Carrie switched the days and we really embraced the tropical theme outside!
Menu: Bowls filled with rice, grilled veggies, roasted sweet potatoes, beans and grilled pineapple and fresh fruit salad with shredded coconut. Grown ups had Masthead Brewing Company beer and Carrie had sparkling water.

ALOHA! My favorite night! We dressed in tropical clothes, brought Fifi the flamingo to the deck and plugged in the string lights. Carrie created a tropical music playlist and really set the mood. Everything combined, made me feel like I was in paradise! Look at that sunset. We laughed, danced, ate and had a blast! I can’t wait to do a dinner like this again!

Hibachi Thursday: Carrie planned to be our chef and was certain about what she wanted to grill for us. Super happy we switched nights because it was cold and rainy and an indoor Hibachi grill experience was perfect!
Menu: Carrots, onions, peas, eggs, rice and sesame seeds prepared before our eyes!

Carrie made her hat and we stuck the griddle on the table and away she went! How cute is she? She diced and grilled away! She even did a few tricks. We all agreed we want to do this again soon! Best Hibachi experience I’ve ever had!

Fancy Friday: Get dressed up for a nice dinner!
Menu: Pumpkin Sage Lasagna, homemade spelt bread and a freezer find of pumpkin roll and brownies for dessert. Random, but it was all DELICIOUS!

I’ve been sporting leggings and sweatshirts for over a month. It felt good to put on a dress and throw on a little lip gloss! We truly worked with what we had on hand for this meal idea. It came together and worked out perfectly (pumpkin-ish theme). Carrie played classical music, we cut flowers from our yard and lit candles. It was very nice and felt like a fine dining experience, right inside our house.

Carrie, you’re the best! Thank you for filling me with tremendous joy and keeping me excited for dinner time! I love you!

If you’re looking for something fun to do, here you go! It doesn’t have to be every night, you could just pick a couple nights. Play music, use what food you have, do some dancing and you’ve got yourself a fun-filled time! Carrie is already thinking about future themes! I can hardly wait!

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From the heart,
Shannon

Here we are! It’s nearly the end of March and what a month this has been. This post is kind of all over the place because there are resources I want to share but I also want to share a little personal life for a sense of connection to so many of you! I hope you’re staying healthy and safe and finding the extra time to be a gift. Finding “more” time is something I hear people say they wish they had more of. The bright side of this quarantine is that, more time is exactly what we have.

Time to breathe. Time to reflect on what’s really necessary in our busy lives. Time to give our kids and fur babies extra hugs. Time to get outside and notice that everything is waking up from the winter sleep. Time to connect (virtually) with family and friends. Time to dust off some old board games. Time to do TikToks with our teens (see the video at the end!). Time to clean out a closet or organize a pantry. Time for family room dance parties. Time to admire our kids for adapting to new ways of learning. Time to thank teachers for being creative and dedicated in ways they never imagined they’d have to. Time for driveway basketball and hopscotch games. Time to explore a hike we’ve always wanted to do. Time to figure out how to access and do a home work out. Time to bake and make meals together. Time to wonder what we’ll do when things go back to normal.

Home workouts; cinnamon rolls and coffee; hiking; matcha in my favorite mug (Billy Ritter)

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I thought I’d use some of my time to share what we’ve been doing to fill up our days (and a healthy recipe below). This week is Carrie’s spring break and we were planning to go to Florida to visit my mom and get in some sun and beach. This week looks a little different than we planned but we’re trying to make the most of it. We all are and I feel for everyone who’s had to cancel plans or wonder about what the next couple months will bring. My heart goes out to all the health care workers, grocery employees, airline employees and everyone else who must get out there everyday and do their jobs. Thank you! As always, I’m thankful for farmers who continue to do what they do so we have access to healthy food. If you live in NE Ohio, Countryside is launching Countryside Curbside to help with access to local food makers! Creative solutions are everywhere!

Since all of this quarantine came to be, we haven’t really been on a schedule, which is tough for me. I like structure and routine. I actually thrive with structure and routine. I’ve let it all go. No specific wake up time or schedule throughout the day. What I’ve tried to do is have a list of things I’d like to accomplish each day. I’m not getting hung up on specific times. For example, I want to work out, get outside, make meals, connect with a friend or family member, read, play games, tackle a house project and catch up on some shows I’ve wanted to watch. I try to fit all of these in each day but I’m not stressing about it because we all have enough to stress about. If I start to feel antsy, I take Daisy for a walk or pour myself into an online yoga session. How about you? What are you doing to fill your days? Are you finding joy in having time or is it stressful?

Here’s a snapshot of some of our days. Lots of outside time, cuddles, food and games (not pictured–plenty of wine!):

I voted; Daisy Mae keeps me warm; we spotted a beaver at CVNP; beautiful sunset; homemade soft pretzels; photo fun with Carrie (and Jasmine).

Voted!

Daisy Mae keeps me warm!

Spotted a beaver at CVNP!

Beautiful sunset!

Homemade soft pretzels!

Silly Snapchat time with Carrie (and Jasmine)!

Carrie and I did an Instagram Live on St. Patrick’s Day while making cupcakes; hiking in CVNP; playing James Bond (card game); supporting local brands-Masthead and Cleveland Kraut; more hiking in Summit County Metroparks.

Nothing too complicated here. I’m so lucky to have what I need and I hope to be able to share some of that with others throughout this challenging time. I keep supporting local and small businesses and we’re staying home. Carrie, Daisy and I have been home for 14 days (except for voting). Casey had to work and he’s been home for 3 days.

I’ve been baking but not nearly as much as I’d like because there aren’t enough home work outs to burn off the calories I’d consume if I had baked goods within reach 24/7. I don’t have any self control when I’m stuck at home! Also, I’m trying to not blow through all of our ingredients in case we really need them later.

The other day I made a healthier version of banana bread and it has been a nice little treat and thought I’d share it here. It’s not overly sweet and it’s delicious with a smear of nut butter (I love Nosh and they’re offering free shipping across the U.S. with promo code HUNKERDOWN) and a drizzle of honey (Brighton Wool and Honey is one of my favorites). I also love to sprinkle hemp seeds or chia seeds on top. The point is, this bread feels like bread but isn’t full of the carbs and sugar I’m trying to limit. Yay! I’ve also been experimenting more with healthy alternatives to some of my favorite comfort foods and baked goods. This one is a winner!

If you’re on Instagram, the videos are in my highlights. It’s easy, healthy and yummy!

Friends, I wish you health–physical and mental! We’re all in this and we’ll get through it with kindness, patience and love. Sending you all a BIG virtual hug and hoping you find lots of ways to spend your gift of extra time that bring you joy! Here’s something you might get a laugh out of (gotta love TikTok!):

From the heart,
Shannon

Tag: quarantine

Quaran-TEEN creative dinners

More Time (and a recipe)