Your January Map, plus my little detour …

Ah, the best laid plans …

I had all my posts for this exciting love child of mine meticulously planned out. I would start with what I start with and anticipate every year: Hoppin’ John and creamed kale (only for you it would be my Ayurvedic spin on it, loved and tested out by the family). Only, I got sick, which is not entirely unheard of in these days of Covid. And while I am unsure if this is a cold or the virus that refuses to leave us all the heck alone, all I do know is that my body needed a few things and Hoppin’ John wasn’t one of them. (Although, it is scrumptious and I have noted to indeed give y’all that recipe in December, I promise).

So, what did my body need? Rest and a few other tried and true remedies (some Ayurvedic, some not). Here are the few things I did to take care of myself while the bug and I battled it out (I so won, btw):

• Ginger Ajwain tea (just chop up a bit of ginger and put it in your teapot with a pinch of Ajwain or Oregano seeds and steep for 15 minutes), add lemon and honey once the tea is cooled a bit so the honey is not heated to intensely which makes it toxic (if you don’t have Ajwain or Oregano seeds, just do ginger, lemon and honey)

• Zinc lozenges

• Fire Cider (I had a commercial bottle on hand, but Joyful Belly has a great recipe I’ll be making now that my bottle is just about gone)

• Banyan Botanicals Bronchial Support (I actually didn’t need this this go ‘round, but my family did and they were grateful)

• Epsom salt bath at least 1xday

• 1 Emergen-C packet/day

• And did I mention rest?

Luckily (or perhaps luck had nothing to do with it and Ayurveda had everything to do with it), I was only tired and sniffly for a couple of days. Once I got my energy back, I went right to the pantry and fridge to see what I had on hand to make a super easy but nourishing meal which my body was craving like nothing else. Lentils to the rescue! Outside, the snow was coming down in droves, so I went for the little red beauties that are heating (other lentils and also moong are cooling), and whatever veggies I had on hand, leftover from the aforementioned New Year’s Hoppin John - some celery, leeks, and kale, and I found a bonus sweet potato on the counter. My point: you can make this with whatever you have on hand (and it’s allllways good to have a bag of lentils stashed away for a snowy day).

You do not, I repeat you do not, have to be recovering from sickness to make this. But I will attest to the fact that it tasted heavenly and perfect after having been sick. It’s super easy to digest which enables your body’s energy to go where it needs to go: giving the bug its final eviction notice.

I’ve linked the recipe in your January Map. Here’s to feeling better this year.