As I write this, NZ is on day 11 of our second level 4 lockdown.
I’ve had my ok days and my damn-right horrible days. I hope you’re all doing ok out there, world? Here’s a couple of things I’ve been doing to keep grounded in these strange, strange times…
– Morning meditation (I practice Vipassana meditation, but if you don’t know how to meditate there’s tons of apps/YouTube channels that have guided meditations you can try). Try Yoga Nidra before bed if your mind is racing.
– Sowing seeds for my summer garden + also micro greens for salad. I’ve planted around 20 different heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, different lettuces, kale, cabbage, perpetual spinach and a bunch of flowers.
– Hugging my family, as often as they’ll let me. And none of this 2 second hugging thing so many people do, long intentional hugs. The longer the better!)
– Dancing to cheesy 90’s music from my childhood, the cheesier the better. You should try it.
– Checking in with friends.
– Limiting screen time as much as possible (and not watching the news).
– Breathwork (you can find many online, I use this SOMA recording on Spotify).
– Yoga
– Afternoon walks with the kids down our annoyingly short rural road.
– Herbal teas, lots of them.
How about you? What’s keeping you grounded (and/or sane)?
Spiced kūmara + red lentil soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1 large (approx. 500g) orange (Beauregard) kūmara (sweet potato) peeled and finely diced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes + extra to serve, optional
- 1 cup split red lentils rinsed+ drained well
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- thick plain or coconut yoghurt to serve
- coriander (cilantro) leaves roughly chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often for 1-2 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, carrot and kūmara (sweet potato), stir well and cook for a further minute before adding the spices and cooking for a further 30 seconds. Add lentil, tomato paste and stock, mix well, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 20-30 minutes until vegetables and lentils are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot with a dollop of thick plain or coconut yoghurt, some coriander leaves and a pinch of dried chilli flakes, if you like. Any leftovers can be cooled and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
