Let’s kick the elephant in the room, shall we? Metaphorically speaking, of course! I don't condone animal cruelty. It’s been almost a week since the governor recommended schools close for (basically) a month so we can practice social distancing (6 ft please) and self isolation (thank you to those who are taking this seriously) to flatten the curve. The world (for the most part ) has come to a screeching halt because of COVID-19 (at least that's how it feels).

Cue anxiety and self-diagnosed ptsd. Around this time last year, I learned Lily (my lymph node) was cancerous and started chemo (with the self isolation/ extra diligence to avoid germs stuff that goes with chemo). Fast forward to last Wednesday for a monthly port flush (if you don't know what a heparin port a cath looks like, google it, the purple one is in my chest) at the local hospital. All the anxiety and feels I had from that first appointment… boom! In my face. I had to park in a different parking lot, have my temp checked, and went right up to the second floor to be registered in the area I receive my port flush. I know that's not a huge deal to most of you… unless you've been in that chemo induced, anxiety ridden panic that every virus is waiting to pounce. From the get go, I could feel my blood pressure skyrocketing, my anxiety swarming to a dizzying crescendo. It wasn't a pretty sight. By the time I was driving home, thankfully I felt almost normal (thank you Type A personality for my appreciation of order, ie counting floor tiles).

I’m about 9 months out from my last chemo treatment (July 27, 2019). When I catch a cold or a bug, it still wipes me out. Case in point, the last bug laid me out for a week. Mom had the same bug and she was better with a few extra naps. THIS is why it's important (I'll just jump up on my soap box for a minute) to practice what’s being recommended to flatten the curve (wash your hands, social distancing, stay home unless it’s an emergency). You may feel fine and don't feel you'll catch the virus, but you could be a carrier and pawn off the nasty little bugger to someone who has less than awesome immunity (think about how many surfaces you touch or cough/sneeze on on a daily basis and how many other people have touched those same surfaces). Think about the older people, the immunocompromised, and people with underlying health issues. You can help (ok, jumping off the box now. Whew, most exercise I've gotten in a week.. just kidding, I opened the fridge door too).

I had every intention on bringing green muffins to school Tuesday for St Patty's day (because who doesn't love weirdly colored food?). Alas, Monday was our final day before ‘spring' break.

Seriously awesome muffins. They have a crazy amount of spinach (natural green color, no spinach flavor), bananas, chocolate chips (Enjoy Life dairy free chips over here), and I added 6-8 dates in lieu of the maple syrup. Healthy Hulk Muffins recipe credit: The Hidden Veggies. https://thehiddenveggies.com/spinach-muffins/#wprm-recipe-container-7196

I may have made an extra batch and dropped them off at Mom and Dad's house (a fun version of ding dong ditch) so Clint and I could escape the confines of our farmhouse walls (and so we wouldn't be tempted to eat even more muffins).

To continue our festive train of thought, Tuesday night I made green curry with rice. Recipe credit: Cook With Manali. If you haven't tried green curry, oh my goodness, you are missing out (Cool Basil in West Des Moines has the yummiest green curry, besides this recipe of course). It has all the deliciousness of rich coconut milk married with veggies and green curry sauce. You really can't go wrong. Our local grocery stores both carry red and green curry paste and canned coconut milk. https://www.cookwithmanali.com/vegan-thai-green-curry/?epik=dj0yJnU9TXV4aXZqQmY5NDQ1bXVxR2J4MzVZTEktTUVsMVItMEombj0zQ2lxNS1DcFJwNWlkUS0tWklEZ2d3Jm09MyZ0PUFBQUFBRjRLWXJB

Wednesday I switched it up a bit and dove into some sheet pan shawarma with a homemade naan recipe from Sprinkles and Sprouts . Naan is this Indian flatbread (probably Clint's favourite type of bread). It's chewy and you can sop up all the little extras your fork missed on your plate. https://www.sprinklesandsprouts.com/simple-garlic-naan/?epik=dj0yJnU9SEFKMkFBT0xhQTl4ajF2dUJxRmt0WHEyMG9LSTJ4LVYmbj14bjNuZ1hzSkN5NTI5SFZicnhTSlBnJm09MyZ0PUFBQUFBRjNTd05J

The shawarma has these amazing seasonings- cinnamon, cumin, smoked paprika, that give it this unique, delectable flavor. Sheet pan shawarma recipe credit: Plays Well With Butter. https://playswellwithbutter.com/sheet-pan-veggie-shawarma/#tasty-recipes-7005

Last night was my piece de resistance for the week. Clint and I order out Chinese roughly once every other week. We love our local Chinese restaurant and they have good veg options. Because of my general unwillingness to leave the house and my newly acquired free time to make more food, I looked up a recipe for General Tso's tofu by Minimalist Baker. https://minimalistbaker.com/general-tsos-tofu/

I started by cooking rice (if you don't have a rice cooker, it’s a game changer) and steaming asparagus and broccoli. The recipe was easy to throw together (I cannot recommend using fresh ginger enough, it gives the dish an extra zing), I doubled the sauce recipe (we're both pretty saucy individuals), annnd voila! Scrumptious homemade Chinese take-in. We both went back for seconds and I may have had to talk myself out of thirds.

Until next week, air fives for everyone!