Hello and a good Monday to you all.  We are now entering week 3 of Shelter in Place here in the Bay Area.  It’s been tough not being able to see friends and family or for that matter not seeing anyone really.  Technology has made it possible to stay connected but I sure do miss that high touch hug, smile and conversation. It’s been tough, but we will all get through this together.

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of posts encouraging us to use this quiet time to spring clean and eat healthy.  I truly don’t understand these two concepts, especially during these trying times. Let me explain.

Spring Cleaning

I hate these two words more than ever now, than I did before.  Who wants to do Spring cleaning??  Especially now? NOT ME!!  I see posts encouraging us to clean out our closets, our garages, organize our kitchens, etc.  Let me tell you folks, on a normal day the thought of cleaning these things gets me stressed!  I am talking I have a frown, a sigh, I’m stressed, and I’m not happy 🤨😟😖😣.

It’s not easy cleaning our closet or garage. We have to think about so many things – what to throw out, what to keep, what to donate, and what to keep as memorabilia.  It’s not easy.  So imagine me hearing the words spring cleaning when it’s Spring outside.  Why would I want to be cooped up inside cleaning of all things my closet or garage when the sun is shining, flowers are blooming, and birds are chirping?  All I want is to be outside, meet with friends, be in my garden.  Why, oh why would I want to stay cooped up indoors doing spring cleaning?

On a normal spring day I hate spring cleaning.  Then why of all times would I want to do it NOW when I am feeling bummed and sad about being isolated and social distancing?  This is not the time to be spring cleaning.  How about stepping out instead and enjoying some fresh air? Or sitting down with a cup of tea or coffee and just enjoying some peace and quiet?  Or sitting down with a good book? So I say lets start a new trend – no spring cleaning!

Winter Cleaning is the new Spring Cleaning

Winter is the perfect time to clean our closets, garages, organize our kitchens and other indoor chores.  Think about it, it’s cold outside too cold many times to even get out, or it’s raining.  All we want to do is hibernate in the winter. What perfect time to use the indoor time to cleanup.  Doesn’t that make so much more sense than spring cleaning?  So how about we start a new trend – Winter Cleaning.

Healthy Eating During Times of Uncertainty

The other encouraging posts I see are for us to eat healthy during these tough times.  I am all for it believe me, heck my whole blog is dedicated to healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle.  But even I know the limits of healthy eating during stressful times such as what we are experiencing now.

I am a perfect example of someone who’s life is about eating healthy and feeding healthy meals to my family.  As I’ve mentioned before, I only cook vegetarian meals for my family.  Being vegetarian its very easy to turn to carbs such as bread, pasta, and rice as our main course.  But on a daily basis my family tries very hard to limit how much bread we eat, how much sweets we indulge in, and even pasta and noodles are relegated to a “special weekend meal.”

Healthy South Indian Vegetarian Food

Growing up with my Mom’s healthy vegetarian South Indian food I gravitate towards what I know how to cook  – her style of cooking – which is mostly a veggie curry, daal(lentils) and whole wheat chapatis or rice.  This is my go-to week-day meal for my family.  Mom didn’t make dessert often, it was reserved only for special occasions, so I really didn’t have a big dessert recipe index of my Mom’s sweets.

Carbs to the rescue

But lately during our time of Shelter in Place I’ve found myself making way more week-night carby dishes than I normally do. These are hard times from a social mental state and I found myself making more sandwiches, pasta dishes, noodles and fried rise dishes.Carbs are scientifically proven to make us feel happy, for that matter in the form of sugary sweets or in the form of carby savory meals.  Though research has proven time and time again that these two have to be consumed in moderation for a healthy diet, it’s extremely hard to stay on the low-carb course during unprecedented times like ours right now.  We need that carby pick-me-up, and if we can accomplish that with healthier versions of pasta, noodles, bread, and rice  – I am all for it.

Let’s continue to eat healthy but let’s also give ourselves a break. We need whatever natural high we can get right now and if carby dishes is what it takes, then let’s do so guilt-free.

Stay well and healthy and take care 💕.
See you tomorrow.