Souplantation: Asian Ginger Broth

Recipes

For many of us, watching Covid-19 globally cut down families and kill hundreds of thousands has been, at best, heartwrenching. As is human nature, we often seek escape. But even in this, the virus has swept through, cutting down businesses we enjoy so much. Spreading everywhere, corona awaits silently like a sentry. We don't know when, if or who it will strike. Especially difficult is finding who is carrying the virus and how it will affect anyone in particular. This makes large gatherings potentially dangerous.

Among the sad business casualties of the destructive Covid-19 pandemic is Souplantation. The San Diego-based eatery offered some of the healthier food options known in buffet-dom. Want to build a salad made primarily of spinach leaves? They had your back. Want quinoa? Peas? Carrots? Edamame? Onions? Bell pepper? Tuna tarragon? Chilled spiral pasta? They had your back.

Speaking on behalf of my family, we will miss Souplantation immensely. Especially my son who has rather severe texture issues, a result of ADHD. He loved the focaccia pizza and cheesy garlic flatbread. And I would rest easy knowing that we chose a restaurant where he would eat instead of sitting there looking stressed as he desperately searched his mind for a way to get out of eating something without upsetting his sensitive mother.

As soon as the announcement came down, my thoughts turned to the recipes that Souplantation had posted on their website. My hubby then told me other Souplantation fans were now scrambling to save or print them out. I printed the ones I could find.

In order to preserve them for myself, I am posting them here, starting with one of my favorites. Enjoy.

Asian Ginger Broth

Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 16 cups

Ingredients

4 tsp. Finely minced ginger

3 tsp. Finely minced garlic

2 tbsp Canola oil

6 tbsp Cornstarch

16 cups Cold water

6 tbsp Vegetarian base

Optional toppings:

Shredded carrots

Green onions

Chopped spinach

Sliced mushrooms

Wonton Strips

Cubed tofu

Shredded chicken

1. Combine ginger, garlic and canola oil in a large pot and saute for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch with 2 cups of the cold water until it is dissolved.

3. Add cornstarch mixture, vegetarian base and remaining water to the pot and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Top with any of the optional toppings you desire.

* Editors note: When I made this soup, I checked to see what the results were after the 15 minutes of simmering. I have an electric stove that does not get very hot. The broth was still watery, far from done. But I allowed it to simmer for most of the hour. The results were great. I ended up with a light, tasty broth.

The Power of Pause

I want to thank all of you who read my last blog about diaphragmatic breathing. I definitely got a bump in readership because of it. I’m terrible at getting the word out about what I’m doing sometimes. It doesn’t help that I promised to write something weekly then realized too late that I had forgotten to put up a blog. Still, I’m earnest about this venture. I’ve been trying a number of things to help keep me centered and focused. When life “resumes” I have to be ready in some way. Some of us will have to hit the ground running while others will struggle to get back in the work race.

A big thank you to Liz, who pointed out a great connection in last week’s blog. In that one, we talked about breathing from the belly. She wrote:

“Yes, wind instrument players use diaphragmatic breath and this (is) a good explanation. It’s the basic yoga relaxation breath, basic Buddhist mindfulness breath. It is very effective. A terrific thing to do to wake yourself up, gently, or to help you get to sleep if you’re over-amped. Excellent for stress and anxiety management. Like any tool, you need to use it. And that in itself takes discipline, especially if your initial response to stress is anger (which used to be me).”

Anger was my response too. It is said that music is soothing, but performing may be even better. The breathing entailed seems similar. I’m no expert so I won’t expand on it other than to say that this makes sense to me.

Today's exercise

With that in mind, I wanted to share another tip toward controlling stress. This tip is called Power of Pause.

It is exactly what it sounds like. Simply put, this is the practice of taking a moment to pause and look at what might be happening to you at any given moment. I love this practice because it can be used at so many different times and for different levels of stress. Taught to me by Cal Poly Pomona Professor Alane Dougherty*, this is easy, but it does take some self-discipline. Here’s how to do it:

1) Stop. Whatever you’re reacting to, or whatever you might be doing that is making you feel stressed or overwhelmed, stop. As soon as you stop, lift your head and take a breath.

2) Become aware of what is happening to you. Become aware of your senses. Experience all of this without engaging or reacting to it.

3) Become fully aware at this moment. Be fully present at that moment. You might even ask yourself, "Am I upset? Why is it upsetting me?" DO NOT pass judgment on yourself or anyone else.

4) Finally, be aware of what this means to you and what that experience or those emotions are doing to you or for you. Does it present an opportunity for something, be it change, or for an opportunity to say something that might make a positive difference for you or someone?

This can be done within a few minutes. And it allows us to really understand what is happening around us and to us. A pause lets us connect and understand where we are and we can be clear about the risks or benefits of our choices.

I suspect we think we're doing this more often than we really are. The reality is different. Most of us react based on past experiences or because "that's just who we are." We're reaching for the familiar, no matter how destructive that reaction may be to others or ourselves. Sometimes we have knee-jerk reactions or swallowing our emotions at the moment. That often does not work. A pause is so essential. It gives us time to be fully present in the moment.

One day, while I worked in the cafeteria of our school, the noise level seemed to be at an all-time high. I remember feeling tired from being on my feet for hours. I remember just wishing for the work hours to pass so I could leave. But then it hit me that I would need to take a long drive to Pomona before I could get a moment to myself. For a brief second I felt the inner turmoil, the meek voice of the tired inner-child saying, "I just can't anymore," squaring off with the inner coach's voice yelling, "get in there and keep going!" I realized I needed a pause. I literally stopped for a second and looked around. I took in what was around me. There were children talking, laughing, wiping down tables. I heard laughter among the screaming and general silliness. I smiled at one youngster and all of a sudden I was feeling so much lighter emotionally.

There are so many things that tug at us on any given day. Some things are small, like the pressure of getting ready for the day, or finishing a project, or having to keep after our kids. And there are big things. This quarantine and the fact that many of us are facing joblessness are large things.

One thing is certain, we can make better choices when we’re present in the moment, and not lost in the chaos of our emotions.

Before I let you all go, I do want to thank you for spending time on this blog. I’m trying not to spend too much time waxing poetic. I’m one of those people who get tired of scrolling past sweet or funny quips just to get a casserole recipe. I pledge not to do too much of that.

To learn more about the Power of Pause, check out this video.

* - Dr. Alane Daugherty is a writer, speaker, and professor. Her Power of Pause instruction can be found in "From Mindfulness to Heartfulness; A Journey of Transformation through the Science of Embodiment."

Learning to Relax

I recently had a particularly stressful Friday. I've been dealing with this level of stress thanks in large part to the Coronavirus forcefully pulling us out of the lives we knew. As many of us retreat into our homes, insecurity, restlessness, and anxiety have been keeping us company. Today, my body started to feel sick from the kind of stress that should never be allowed to run unchecked. But a realization hit me. Even though I grew up in a stressful home and learned to struggle with anxiety, I hadn't felt that kind of stress in a long time (dramatic pause) until the pandemic hit. I had reigned in my stress and anxiety with help from several professors at Cal Poly Pomona's kinesiology department. A need to fill out a college schedule pushed me to take relaxation/mindfulness courses. I had no idea what I would learn. It was a blessing in disguise. The professors taught me a great deal about what stress does to the body. I followed the advice as closely as I could and I remember getting better and doing better at the things that needed to get done. So when that feeling of anxiety and unease started to creep back in, I realized that I WASN'T USED TO FEELING A HIGH LEVEL OF STRESS ANYMORE! (Irony.)

With that in mind, I decided that I owe it to myself, and those who depend on me, to return to those principles that kept me emotionally and mentally centered. I aim to return to mindfulness.

This means going back to the relaxation techniques I learned and sharing those here once a week.

I will be taking it step-by-step, relearning those things that make up the foundation of mindfulness. Ever the journalist. I will give myself a question that I (and anyone else who stumbles onto this site) will answer for myself (ourselves?). And then I'll move on through the different exercises that I learned in my mindfulness courses.

This Week's Question: What is it that is stressing you? Be as specific as you can. Many of us are stressed about being locked in and losing work. Ask yourself specifically what is behind that stress and fear? Is it not finding another job? Is it having to juggle work at home with helping children in the home finish school work? Is it the fear of becoming ill? Or are you dealing with a sick loved one?

Whatever the fear or stressor, it might be time to stop carrying the burden alone. Understand that self-destruction only makes things worse. I've been carrying the fear of losing my job close to the vest. Ugly scenarios run unrestrained through my mind. "Here we are again," I say to myself. "Are we facing homelessness again? Just when I had gotten us back on our financial feet, I lost a job I had so worked so hard to earn. My family and I are now forced to again rely on one income."

What is the solution?

There is no quick or easy answer. However, we cannot throw our hands up. Depression robs us of possible moments of joy and chances to find a way out of our situation. My mother always said, "While on your travel along the road of life, don't look down, you might miss a turn onto a better road." 

Not much will run smoothly until we take care of ourselves.

Exercise of the week: Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing.

Often used by asthmatics and people with other breathing problems, belly breathing is the simplest technique to help lower blood pressure and heart rate. It also lowers levels of harmful hormones. Those hormones could be a topic for another day. Suffice to say that our bodies release stress hormones into our bodies that become harmful if not controlled.

How to do it: 

• You can sit or can lie down. Choose a position that is most comfortable and that will allow you to breathe deeply.
• Make sure your body becomes relaxed once you are in position.
• Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
• Take a deep breath in through your nose. The hand on your belly should feel your stomach rising as it's "filling" with air.  Hold your breath as long as is comfortable, but not longer than 10 seconds.
• Quickly make your lips into an "O" shape and breathe out as if you're blowing out the candles on your birthday cake.
•  8 to 10 of these breaths should be enough but you can do as many or as little as you like.

That's it. The American Lung Association provides a video with instruction. While the video addresses those with asthma and COPD, the tips apply to everyone. You can practice this at any time you need to.

Until next time, much love everyone. Remember you are not alone.