Remember last week how I said my allergies were SO BAD? It turns out that it wasn’t just allergies making me miserable, it was my first bout of Covid. I tested negative on Monday, woke up Tuesday, wrote my blog, and then tested again. This time it was positive. As Tina Fey’s character on 30 Rock Liz Lemon would say: BLURGH. I immediately went into isolation and started on Paxlovid. Thankfully, after six days of a very mild (by Covid standards) course of illness, I tested negative. I’m still quite tired but hopefully the worst is behind me.

Needless to say, none of the cooking plans I had for last week materialized. Whenever I’m sick I crave Pho and Tom Yum soup, so I started there, ordering in. I moved on to noodles and spring rolls. Then my husband and daughter left for admitted students day at my daughter’s college, a trip I was supposed to take her on, *sigh*. I proceeded to order in a falafel wrap from an African deli and a kale and vegan chorizo salad from a health food restaurant. And once, in a fit of feeling very sorry for myself, I ordered delivery from Taco Bell and a pint of Peanut Butter World ice cream by Ben & Jerry’s. I drank copious amounts of kombucha, Liquid IV, and water. Pro tip: Fill up an insulated large water jug with ice water, sliced lemons and sliced cucumbers. It’ll keep your water icy cold all day and night, and encourage a lot more consumption of liquids. Mine is 40 oz and has a straw, which makes it so easy just to take sips all day long. It is is from Target and you can find it here.

While I’m negative for Covid now, I’m still dealing with fatigue, so I plan to take it as easy as possible to reduce my chances of long term fatigue. That includes not doing a lot of (or possibly any) cooking this week, as standing up for longer periods doesn’t feel good. I ordered the chicken street taco kit from Costco yesterday. I like it because it comes with corn tortillas (whole grain) and cabbage as a topping along with the cheese. Overall, not a bad choice. I also bought more Rao’s sauce, which has been consistently rated the best jarred pasta sauce available. That on top of some Banza (garbanzo bean pasta) served with the easiest salad ever (arugula, squeeze of lemon, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of salt and pepper) makes for a great dinner. As for the rest of the meals this week, I’ll play it by ear. My husband works from about 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. these days, but he’s always more than happy to stop by the grocery to pick something up.

If you’re in the cooking mood, might I suggest this whole wheat orzo salad? I’m also partial to this braised chicken with green olives. And if you need some inspiration to let some things go, I still love this blog post from 2016. It resonates especially right now for so many reasons.

I hope you have a healthy week!