Daily Tasks
1. In order to have success during this challenge, you need to make a commitment. Any change in our lives requires effort. You are making an effort these days to be extra cautious on hygiene and hand washing. You are making an effort to practice social distancing. Now you need to make an effort to strengthen your immune system. It will need some change and some effort to get used to a new lifestyle, but in the time we are living in, it is an essential thing to do. So if you are in to that, take a piece of paper and write on it:
I commit to change my lifestyle in order to strengthen my immune system.
Take this paper and put it on your desk, the door of your fridge or any other place that is visible for you. You need to have every day this reminder that you have an objective to achieve.
2. Examine your last week. How much exercise did you do every day? Make a list of your activities on every single day. Classify them in cardiovascular exercise and resistance exercise. How much is missing to reach the recommended 30 to 60 minutes of daily cardiovascular exercise and your 2 weekly sessions of resistance exercise?
3. Make a plan on how you are going to implement a weekly exercise schedule in your life. If there are no explicit restrictions for that in your area, use every opportunity you can to do outdoor exercise, like a walk around your community. As long as you keep the safety distance of 3 feet or 1 meter to other people on the street, the risk of catching the virus outdoors is actually very slim, and the benefit for your immune system is enormous.
4. Examine your last week. How much time did you spend every day in front of the TV, social media and other entertainment channels? Think about how you could use your time in a more productive way. Make a personal commitment for a media fast. You can decide how far you want to go. You know your weak points, and what you need to watch out for. You can decide to watch only the evening news, or no TV at all. You decide if you need to stay away from Facebook, and if you are firm enough to watch on YouTube only educational subjects without getting sidetracked. But make up your mind and commit to your individual plan. Make some plans for fun activities as a whole family. If you need some ideas, check out this article:
10 Creative & Fun Family Activities You Can Do at Home
Recipes
If you do faithfully your exercise routine, you need to load up on the right fuel for your body. You should plan to fuel your tank right in the morning with a nutritious and delicious breakfast. Focus on complex carbohydrates in their natural form, accompanied by a good amount of fiber. Think about a whole wheat bread, or some of the options here below. Proteins are essential for muscle buildup, but if you are not on a restrictive diet, you probably have plenty of those already.
Coconut Lime Oatmeal
1 c quick oats
3 c soy milk
¼ cup coconut milk
1 grated lime
2 tbs brown sugar to taste
Cook all except oats on medium heat for 5 min. Then add the oats and cook for another 10 min.
Granola
12 cups rolled oats
2 cups wheat germ or bran
1 cup cashew pieces
1 cup almonds
1 cup date pieces
1 cup dried pineapple
2 cups soya flour
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil
Mix all dry ingredients together well. Mix water, honey, and oil in blender. Add to dry ingredients. Mix well. Bake at 250° for 1 1/2 hours in shallow pans, stirring every 1/2 hour. If you like, you can dice some bananas and add them
Scrambled Tofu
1 firm tofu
3T Olive oil
1/2 tomato diced
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic diced
2 T celery diced
2 T green onion diced
¼ c green bell pepper diced
3 mushrooms sliced
Seasonings:
11/2 t yeast flakes
salt
1 dash sage
parsley
rosemary
¼ t Italian seasoning
½ t turmeric
1 T basil shredded
Sauté with oil: onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic in a skillet, drain water from tofu. Crush tofu and add it to the skillet with green onion, then add seasonings except basil.
Cook on low 5 minutes then add basil and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Waffles
This easy to make waffle is high in fiber, and is made with no eggs or dairy.
INGREDIENTS
2½ cups water
2 cups old-fashioned oats (if gluten intolerant, use oats that were processed in a gluten free facility)
½ cup raw cashews
½ cup dates, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until the batter is smooth.
2. Let the batter sit for a few minutes to thicken up.
3. Pour a ladle full of batter onto a waffle iron and brown as usual.
Note: due to the ingredients in the batter, each waffle may take a minute or two longer than usual to cook.
Enjoy!
Pancakes
Simple, healthy pancakes made without any animal products. Enjoy a healthier breakfast!
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups quick oats
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 ripe bananas
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add the water to your high speed blender, then add the oats, bananas, vanilla, and salt. (If you don’t add the water first, the oats will stick.)
2. Blend until creamy and let set for a few minutes.
3. Pour the batter (in whatever shapes you prefer) onto a non-stick skillet. When the pancakes are cooking, sprinkle some blueberries on top.
4. When little holes appear on top of the pancake, flip them and cook for a couple more minutes.
5. Serve with fresh fruit, jam, or real maple syrup.