Five Things
If you’re from Michigan – congratulations you have made it through another week of quarantine. Week 4 to be exact, you know I am still counting! It looks like we will be hanging out in self-isolation for awhile longer. The Governor of Michigan just announced the stay at home order has been extended through April 30. Since Michigan is having a problem with people following the order, she actually had to add more restrictions to it to get people to keep their butts at home. It’s so frustrating when you’re staying home, and because others cannot follow rules and think it’s okay to just roam around stores the order has been extended even longer.
So what did I do this week? Well, I finally caved and started binge-watching a couple of series on Netflix and checked out Onward on Disney+ which is a super cute movie by the way.
Double Chocolate Cookies
Spring arrived last week, and what better way to celebrate spring than with cookies! These cookies are super simple to make and offer the perfect amount of crunch and softness to them. If you’re not vegan don’t worry! These cookies can easily be made regular or vegan. I personally made them vegan and used vegan butter, unsweetened almond milk, and dairy-free chocolate chips. You can even add more flavor to these cookies by adding pecans or dried cranberries.
Springtime Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon milk of your choice
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
M&M’s or dairy-free equivalent to top the cookies
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add the butter, white sugar and brown sugar to an electric mixing bowl.
3. Cream together.
4. Add the vanilla and mix.
5. Add the flour cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and mix together.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet,
7. Mix together by hand until crumbly.
8. Add in the milk of your choice and mix by hand until a thick cookie dough forms.
9. Add the chocolate chips and mix together.
* The cookie dough should be very thick, but sticky enough to easily roll into balls. You may need to add more milk.
10. Roll the dough into small balls.
11. Place the dough balls evenly on a parchment-lined baking tray.
12. Bake for 10 minutes.
• The edges will be firm, but the cookies should be soft in the middle.
13. Press your colored candies into the top of the cookies when they come out of the oven.
14. Allow cooling.
15. Enjoy.
Five Things
Week three of self-isolation complete! How are you surviving? I am thankfully still working, and have been very busy reworking the calendar and getting things to align with everything that is going on. Groceries have been running short, and my parents have been trying to feed me a little bit until I get the courage to go to the grocery store. My mum sent me home with this super cute basket that included an egg salad sandwich, chips, candy, and water. Here\’s a peek at some other week highlights.
Here’s a peek at my adorable coworker this week. I am so thankful to have him, he adds a little extra happy to my life and gets me outside when I am stressed out.
Jack and I are starting to see spring slowly popup during our walks.
I decided to make some peanut butter and jellies just to have on hand and make things easier when I am hungry. They’re in the freezer now for easy access.
Well, I did it. I went to the grocery store for the first time during the quarantine. Let me tell you it was scary and an experience in itself. I wore gloves and a mask. Nino Salvaggio had a ton of meat and fresh produce and was taking all the safety precautions necessary – which made me feel safer shopping. Kroger, on the other hand, made me feel uneasy.
The hardest thing that happened this week was the fact that my mum has been feeling like crap for the entire year, was put on medicine for pneumonia and it didn’t help. She went to urgent care, but they refused to see her because of her cough. My dad called me to come over and get her onto video chate because he wasn’t sure how to do it, and my mum was starting to turn colors. Once she was on video chat, the doctor said she would have to go to the hospital. This was a crushing point of the day. COVID-19 is terrible in Michigan right now, in fact, Metro Detroit + Detroit are the hot spots where it is the worst. No one is allowed in the hospital besides the essential personnel and those that are sick. My dad literally had to drop my mum off at the ER where they took her temperature and brought her inside. None of us were allowed to go. The 6th floor of the hospital was all COVID-19 patience and half of the 5th floor. My mum is on the other side of the 5th floor and the anxiety has been building like crazy. Please keep her in your thoughts, prayers and positive vibes during this time.
30 Things to Do in April (Quarantine Edition)
Happy April loves! March felt like I was in a movie written by a child, where everything goes wrong and no one has the answers to anything – and April is following suit. Like many other states, Michigan is under a stay at home order and school has been canceled for the remainder of the year. Trust me, I know it is tough. Staying home is the worst, I know first hand because I am a social butterfly that can\’t sit still ever. However, I have been doing my part and have been staying inside to keep myself and others safe – hopefully, you can say that you have been doing the same.
My plan was to just skip doing 30 things to do in April, but as someone struggling with the isolation of social distancing, I figured I would share some things that are currently helping me. During the time of this pandemic, it is more important than ever to take time for ourselves, be creative and just stay positive. I hope this list brings a little bit of light and happiness to your life and you find a couple things that you want to do.
1. Paint rainbows or something bright and cheery in your windows. #RainbowsOverMichigan is making waves here in the mitten state, and it\’s nice to see doors decorated with cheer.
2. Build boards on Pinterest of meals you want to make, therefore you can have planned before you go to the grocery store and can get in and out as quickly as possible.
3. Watch Onward on Disney+ today!
4. Work on a puzzle.
5. Take spring cleaning to the next level and
6. It is the perfect chance to try that takes-all-day recipe you\’ve been wanting to try. I am going to giving French macarons a try and will post about my results when I finish.
7. Spend a day taking time to prepare various meals and freeze them, to make things easier on days you\’re not in the mood for cooking. I actually made a ton of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and egg breakfast sandwiches and froze them to make my days a little easier.
8. Today I am sharing some springtime cookies perfect for Easter on the blog.
9. Take a break from your phone and grab an adult coloring book or print out some coloring pages that companies have posted. I absolutely love Michigan Awesome\’s coloring pages as well as Lilly Pulitzer\’s coloring pages.
10. Why not do sudoku, word search or crossword puzzle? Even if you do not have a book there are some great resources online.
11. Curl up in a blanket and enjoy a new book.
12. Hoppy Easter! Celebrate the best you can this year and be thankful for your family and friends.
13. Give your friends a call on zoom, FaceTime and more to spend time hanging out.
14. Support local small businesses.
15. Take a class online. I am currently doing the Nikon online photography school.
16. Start a new hobby or restart an old one. I really want to give embroidery a try.
17. Binge-watch a show. I was talked into watching Parks and Rec.
18. Have a Zoom game night.
19. Get up and get moving, there are plenty of gyms offering free classes.
20. Take Yale\’s the Science of Well-Being class online.
21. Set aside at least 30 minutes a day of no screentime.
22. Start to meditate and clear your mind.
23. Create a vision board of what you want to accomplish once we are all released back into the wild.
24. Make sure you are staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water to help keep your immune system up.
25. Everyone likes receiving gifts, and during this hard time who wouldn\’t like to receive something special in the mail. Order a basket from your favorite local company.
26. Play Words with Friends.
27. Watch Netflix at the same time as your friends so you can talk about the show or movie.
28. Learn how to bake bread.
29. Take a trip through a virtual museum or zoo.
30. Share a favorite recipe with a friend.
Five Things
This is quarantine week two, and day 10 of working from home, for me. On Monday, the governor of Michigan has issued a mandatory “shelter-in-play” which means we technically are not allowed to leave our houses except for work, food (groceries/takeout), or gas for the most part. You can still get outside and walk, but people have not been practicing the 6 foot of social distancing rule, which makes me nervous to get outside. As you probably know by now, I am not one to sit still, however, I don’t want to get sick or be responsible for someone else getting sick so I am hunkering down.
What have I been up to this week?
Over the weekend I decorated macarons from Le Detroit Macaron Kit that my aunt got me, and then ate my body weight in them. Seriously they are so good!
My parents made steak and potatoes and invited me over to come pick it up.
I was feeling pretty down and a friend drew me this butterfly to cheer me up.
It looks like we will be hunkering at home for longer than we thought, so I decided to start doing workouts at home. I am loving the fact that there are so many workouts available for free online right now.
Fashion meets Food 