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Mac and Cheese with a Kick: 4-Ingredient Vegan and Gluten-Free Twist on This Favorite Comfort Food

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This image shows vegan + gluten-free mac and cheese—a mix of creamy cheese and pasta (yellow) and spinach and jalapenos (green) in a light green bowl.

Mac and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods, so when I became vegan in 2013, I began adapting familiar recipes. Some ways of making this favorite food are more complicated, but this 4-ingredient recipe is simple, straightforward, and smile-producing. In the pandemic, I’m cooking at home daily, even as my energy fluctuates day-to-day. This means that I sometimes want to stretch myself, try new recipes, and spend hours in the kitchen. On these days, cooking feels ... Read more ...

7 Strategies for Soothing Aches and Pains During the Pandemic

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This image shows the Word document "Parenting Myself Right Now ... Spring 2020" that can be downloaded and modified for use. This black-and-white checklist shows characteristics of self-parenting next to days of the weeks, where checks can be added for tracking daily behaviors.

It’s been weeks since I’ve had acupuncture, and old aches and pains are now resurfacing during the pandemic. In this week’s session of “Processing the Pandemic with Heart-Head-Hands,” I realized I wasn’t alone in having these sensations. Our conversation turned to shared back pains and how we’re supporting our bodies while staying at home and missing bodywork. Because many of us are dealing with similar questions of how to soothe aches and pains, I’m sharing what’s ... Read more ...

Q&A with Ileana Rodriguez: How Scrubs Station Spreads Hope During the Pandemic

Filed Under: Everyday Feminism, Interviews By Leave a Comment

This image shows Ileana Rodriguez standing next to UW-Madison Badger clothing and mugs (all red and white) inside Scrubs Station in Madison, Wisconsin.

There are many needs amplified during the pandemic, and among them are the needs to support small businesses and healthcare workers. It’s possible to do both through the plan shared here by Ileana Rodriguez of Scrubs Station. Read about Ileana. Get inspired by her story. And, if you can, buy a gift card to bring scrubs to healthcare workers. Why Highlight Ileana Rodriquez and Scrubs Station? I met Ileana Rodriguez back in 2008 in the Madison Public Library.  At the time, ... Read more ...

Wailing with the Wind: On Disrupting Work During the Pandemic

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Higher Education By 1 Comment

This photo shows scattered papers (page proofs) across a wooden floor in a bedroom—with a colorful bedspread, pillows, blanket, sweater, plant, air purifier, bedside table, books, window, and white walls all part of the scene.

It’s windy today—the sort of wind that announces springtime. The sort of wind that lulls and gusts. The sort of wind that howls and rattles windows. The sort of wind that whips through rooms, scattering papers. As it has here: The wind has scattered page proofs that I’ve been pushing myself to review, responding to an email that came out of the blue, asking for proofs to be returned in under a week. On the one hand, these proofs represent good news: a chapter written ... Read more ...

Heart-Head-Hands: A Journal Prompt for These Times

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By 2 Comments

This feature for Agnes Scott College’s #EachForEqual campaign includes logos, the hashtags #IWD2020 and #EachForEqual, and with two images of Beth Godbee wearing orange in nature. The feature has a purple background and includes the following quote: “We can’t just think our way out of incredible injustices … we must feel and act, too. We need our heart, head, and hands for envisioning and enacting a more just world.”

On this last day of March, I’m reflecting on what times we’re in. Truly: what times we’re in! I’ve written this sentence no fewer than 30 or 40 times in the past few weeks, but I’m still writing it, as I find myself at a loss for words. We’re certainly in times that are asking a LOT of us: from recognizing structural violence and witnessing wrongdoing to grieving through a full range of emotions and caring for ourselves and others in deep and sustained ways. My ... Read more ...