KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!

 

Just to give you some perspective on pandemic outbreaks in history and how they were handled, this message was adopted in 1939 by the Brits in WWII, just in case Nazi occupation in Europe would turn into a reality in Britain:

HOWEVER, the author of The Pandemic Century, Dr. Mark Honigsbaum traced the origin of this comment to Sir Arthur Newsholme, Britain’s Senior Medical Advisor in 1918 during World War I.  “Keep Calm And Carry On” was his response to the deadly outbreak of the H1N1 virus known as the Spanish Flu that started in 1917. It was known to turn it’s victims black and blue before their imminent death.  He was advised by the British ministers that isolation was the best modus operandi for this flu outbreak, but because Britain was on it’s last legs of WWI, Sir Arthur failed to give that message and instead encouraged men and women to return to the factories to work believing they needed them there to defeat the Germans (note the close quarters in those factories):

This is Sir Arthur, in his own words

“The relentless needs of warfare justify the risks of spreading infection and the associated creation of a more virulent type of disease.”

 

This motto that reflected the judgment call of “business as usual” in Britain is believed to be the underlying reason 250K Brits died of the Spanish Flu, with the number of worldwide deaths at 50-100 million.

 

Aren’t you glad we weren’t around then?

 

So, how are you all doing?  Are you staying calm and busy in your current house quarantine situation if you are at home or do you have those moments of panic that life will never be the same?  I’ve vacillated between the two extremes.  This is a pic from our family vacation  taken years ago.  I thought it shows the wide emotions we all feel at some level: panic (our daughters Shannon (eyes closed), Sammi and I) and “this is a challenge we can deal with” emotion (Randy and our son Sean-Lol):

 

I also know there are those out there that can’t stay home, you have to keep your doors open, serving the public in a variety of capacities: healthcare workers, police, first responders, firemen, grocery workers, postal carrier, disposal workers, restaurant owners who provide carry-out meals and the list goes on.  THANK YOU for your unselfish service to the public!

We are all suffering to some degree because of  the uncertainty of our situation: emotionally  (this is a picture of our little grocery store J’s in Memphis, Missouri in the bread isle, that is usually brimming with loaves of bread):

 

medically, and economically, on a personal and national level!

 

As a side personal note, this coming weekend my family (4 kids, 4 spouses,10 grandchildren and my Mother & Father-in-law) were supposed to celebrate my Dad’s 90^thbirthday, but for safety’s sake that is put off till late summer, and that’s okay! My Mom, who was 90 last year and Dad’s health come first! This is a pic of my sibs with Mom and Dad last Christmas:

 

Keeping the same routine everyday is the first line of defense for your mind in these uncertain times.  My routine is: getting up at the same time everyday, reading my Bible and asking God for guidance, taking our dogs for a walk:

 

feeding the horse, checking on our parents and kids, making sure to cover self-care by eating nutritious meals, motivating myself to get some sweat on with a home workout and before my husband walks out the door in the morning, fixing him a healthy protein packed breakfast:

because I know he won’t take the time to eat anything the rest of the day.  Notice I didn’t say anything about me doing a deep cleaning for our house (it really needs it- lol)!

 

When Randy comes home late at night, I always fix him some immune boosting meals that masquerades as decadent indulgences that were created with the love I have for him:

 

 

Then there are those moments of panic that hit me in waves.  Which is pretty easy to stir up when the virus news is non-stop, 24/7, in any media form you can imagine: radio, television, online news, podcasts, Facebook, Instagram and the list goes on.  However, if you get past the hype, you see that the virus predominantly hits the older generation and the immune compromised, so their quarantine is non-negotiable. That doesn’t make it all better, it just gives your perspective.

 

So, for those of you NOT on the frontline of the workforce right now, either medically or economically, you probably have a fair amount of free time on your hands. So what can we do right now, to deal with this crisis in a positive way as an example to others (besides the self-care of ourselves and our loved ones)?

 

Glad you asked!! Here are just three simple ideas:

 

1.How do you react to an emergency? Time to make some changes?

2.What is the “gift” you have to share with others? Got it? Start sharing it now!

3.Try to do something a little out of your ordinary.

 

1.How do you react to an emergency? Time to make some changes?– I’m doing a Beth Moore Bible study on the Book of Daniel titled Daniel: Lives of Integrity Words of Prophecy.  I just recently came across the storyline of Daniel when he was given the death sentence of being thrown into the lion’s den by the King of Babylon for praying to God instead of him, as the king had decreed (Daniel 6:10-16).   Beth outlined three general ways you can react in an emergency:

 

1) We can panic.

2) We can become paralyzed.

3) We can pray.

 

What is the only power move out of all three of those options? PRAYER! This hits us at home right now. I know you all are on different paths with your faith and there is no judgment on my part.  It took a crisis in my family more than 10 years ago to start my own personal journey of Bible reading to walk closer with God.  I was so fortunate to have a God-lead lady, Terry Sommers, introduce the Bible to me and we still do studies to this day! (See A Graduation in Faith for the story) I’m not perfect here because I’ve been a little panicked and paralyzed with our current situation, but prayer truly is the key to that perfect peace only God can give us, for He’s got this under His control, not ours!:

 

Philippians 4:6-7-“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Ravi Zacharias and Ben Shapiro just completed an interview on March 20^thregarding the power of prayer in dealing with the virus. Randy and I were fortunate enough to see this amazing Christian apologist in person this past year.  A Christian apologist defends the Christian faith, and Ravi adopts the method outlined in 1 Peter 3:15 with gentleness and respect (See A MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCE: Recapturing the Wonder). Ravi points out panic and fear are not the answer, nor indifference, but rather common sense in these situations.  Prayer in the sense of our surrender to God’s will is the power answer  to dealing with this tough situation. God has this under His control, we just have to put our trust in His hands.

2. What is the “gift” (or passion) you have to share with others? Got it? Pass it on!-Now that you have a little free time, what do you love doing, or thinking about and how can you share that love you have with others?

 

Do you have some ideas? No? I’ll go first.  I LOVE (and adore!) thinking about and creating healthy meals that taste fabulous!:

That is the entire process from the mise en place stage (placing out all the measured ingredients and reading the recipe) to food preparation and finally presenting the finished dish.  I made my mind up I’d like to share these recipes on a more regular basis with you.  I do about 1 blog per month, but I plan to increase that by posting healthy meals more often.

 

I know there is a lot of you out there that just don’t have the time or the will or the passion to think about healthy meals all the time, but I do (sometimes it gets in the way of the really important stuff I should be completing, like preparing our taxes (LOL)) because that is MY passion! What’s yours?   I have a dear friend, Bonnie Campbell :

who has a really wide network of friends.  I consider her passion and contribution the amazing connecting power she has with others!  So can you share your passion in some way?  Please do!  Or just a simple call to an elderly neighbor to see how they are and ask if you can pick up some groceries. Take this quarantine time as an opportunity to do those positive things!   Our world will be a better place for it  AND you will feel better for it in the end too!  Win! Win!!

 

3.Try to do something a LITTLE out of your ordinary.We already talked about how keeping a routine is good in this quarantine period, to keep you on a regular schedule and thus your sanity.What I’m talking about here is just a little change up to something you do routinely.  It has been and will continue to be a challenge in this necessary quarantine, but adding a little spice to it can really make a difference. Here’s my very little change that I did last Saturday night to Randy and my evening meal, a little make-over in how I prepare Caesar salad.  I saw a demonstration of this salad on television that morn, knowing that Randy could eat this salad everyday, all day (that is no lie).  But I wasn’t sure if  he’d appreciate this preparation:

You can see the romaine leaves are not torn, its just the whole leaf intact with a drizzling of dressing (instead of it being tossed).  He loved it and I really enjoyed the fact I tried something a little different, yet really the same.

 

My daughter Shannon had our grandchild Evie in the bathtub today without water, but dried oats!  She was treating it like a sandbox!  Evie had a great time and it was something new!

 

My wonderful Bible study friend Terry Sommers brought out her old Ukelele and started learning it again in her quarantine time with her husband!

 

This time of isolation will only be temporary, even though we don’t really know the duration.  We know it’s a good thing for our family, friends community and nation to be inconvenienced just this very short time, thinking in terms of a lifetime.   I believe in my heart, nothing happens by accident, we all were supposed to experience this and make something positive out of it, and we will!

 

I’m going to be so bold as saying God has a plan for whatever happens on this earth, all we have to do is trust Him!

Proverbs 3:5-6-Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

Keep Calm And Carry On! Recap:

1.How do you react to an emergency? Time to make some changes?

2.What is the “gift” you have to share with others? Got it? Start sharing it now!

3.Try to do something a little out of your ordinary.

 

This is sweet pepper recipe that my Mom inspired me to create.  She used to make a green pepper recipe for us as a family when we were kids.  I remembered it fondly.  That recipe was predominantly rice, cream of mushroom soup and full fat ground beef and cheese.   I changed up this recipe to increase the antioxidant punch by drastically increasing the veggie portion with the fire roasted tomatoes and green chilis, adding artichokes for their prebiotic gut health benefits and beans for their protein and fiber content.  Lean ground beef and minimal added full fat cheese were changed up to decrease the fat content of the original recipe.  This is a really satisfying meal that is really nutritiously good for you and your family for those quarantine meals, or anytime!  Thanks for the inspiration Mom!!

This pepper is packed with nutritious goodness to help keep your immune system in tip tip shape.  The ingredients have a plethora of  power-packed nutrients to fight COVID-19 or the seasonal flu, namely Vitamin A & C, zinc, and quercetin: Red  peppers, loaded with Vitamin C & A (remember yellow, orange and red peppers have more Vitamin C than oranges!), beans contain zinc, tomatoes are a great source of Vitamin C, onions have quercetin which is a powerful anti-inflammatory phytochemical and finally lean ground beef rounds it with more immune boosting zinc!!!  

 

STUFFED SWEET VEGGIE/BEEF PEPPER MEAL

 Portions: 4

 Equipment

Medium sized skillet

Medium sized casserole dish with a lid (tall enough

to cover the peppers)

 Ingredients

2 T. Olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (105 g.)

Minced garlic- squeezed (23 g.)

1 lb. lean ground beef (439 g.)

4 medium sweet peppers (your choice of red, orange or yellow)

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel) (10 oz.  (283 g.) per container)

1 can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (123 g.)

1 T. Pickled Jalapenos, minced (17 g.)

¼ cup (2 oz.  (60 g.) Salsa

1 can (255 ml. (about 8.6 oz.) )quartered artichoke hearts

1 can (455 g.) bean of choice (I used pinto beans)

4 slices (17 g. per slice) muenster cheese (or thin slice cheese of choice)

 Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place a medium sized skillet on the stove and use medium heat.
3. When heated, add olive oil and heat till it shimmers.
4. Saute diced onion till translucent, then add garlic and heat till fragrant.
5. Add lean ground beef and sauté just until the pink of the meat is gone.
6. Add cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis, fire roasted diced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, salsa, artichoke hearts and beans of choice. Stir till heated.
7. Remove the tops of the 4 peppers and take out all of the pithy (white) parts inside.
8. Place the 4 peppers in four corners of the casserole dish.
9. Stuff the peppers and then spoon in the remainder in the bottom of the casserole dish.
10. Top each pepper with a slice of cheese.
11. Place in the oven with the lid on for 50 minutes.
12. Then cook another 10 minutes with the lid off to get a beautiful crust on the pepper.  Keep an eye on it, if it’s getting too brown, put the lid back on. I’ve found that 1 hour cooking time cooks it through, plus, you get all the flavors melding together perfectly!

 Nutrition Facts:Each pepper is 640 calories, 12.8 g. fat, 44.2 g. carbohydrate and 31 g. protein.

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