Saturday, August 15, 2020

Hotel Quarantine Part 1

After a good night's sleep, we began to prepare ourselves to be in a hotel room for the next 14 days. Of course, I went right to thinking about food. Preparing food for myself, my friends, and my family has always been an expression of love. I know, I know... "food shouldn't be used to fill a void or presented as a gift of love or a search for approval." But you know? I'm a southern girl and in the South, where food is an important part of our existence, so I began to cook. That's an understatement when I say I started to cook. My kitchenette has two burners, a fridge, a microwave, a sink, and a dishwasher. I didn't have an oven, but after cooking 12 meals on a campfire, I knew I could adapt. 



Before I could make breakfast there was a knock on the door. Since we're in quarantine for 14 days, we're not allowed to leave. There isn't any free breakfast in the lobby or exploring the town for gluten-free gems...at least for now. Since we're in quarantine, the hotel delivered packaged breakfast to the room. When I inquired about a gluten free option, they asked if I could eat fruit. Each morning, they have brought either juice, milk, or water. It varies from day to day, but the boxed meal typically includes oatmeal, a pre-packaged sandwich, and a pre-packaged danish. One morning, we also got boxes of cereal, neither of which were gluten free. On my favorite morning, there were 2 bananas at my door. After pilfering through the bag, I decided it was best to fix some breakfast of my own: an over-easy egg on sweet potato bowls with sliced avocados. 


Honestly, when I first arrived in New York, I panicked for a brief moment. There's plenty of space to explore on my own living in the mountains away from civilization. Thinking about not leaving my room for two weeks was a little....well... overwhelming. Once I settled in and realized that this was an opportunity to rest, create, and spend time with my daughter, my heart was filled with gratitude. I decided there were a few things I'd like to accomplish each day. Plus, I figured it would help me find time to move along. Without my normal walks on the trail, I decided to do Pilates in my room. My workout doesn't take up more space. I also wanted to spend some time doing online seminars and working on my Ho'ponopono certification. So far, we're all hanging in there. 


Did I mention each day we're contacted by the New York Contact Tracer? They check in with each of us to make sure we remember what day in quarantine we are on and to report any symptoms. For lunch, I decided to prepare a hotel fajita bar. Here's a few pictures below. I used a meat alternative called "Beyond Sausage" for the filling, combined with peppers, onions, and garlic. I served the fajitas with gluten free corn tortillas and "Crepini" cauliflower wraps. Lunch was quite yummy! 


The day went by surprisingly fast. I could see how the days could quickly pass by. It seems like I'm spending lot of time in the kitchenette....by now, there's no place that feels like home to me more. This morning, I prepared some sweet potatoes and gave them a mash. This saved me time this evening. I just fixed some steamed asparagus with olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. I seared up some salmon I brought from Virginia with a little garlic, lemon juice, and maple syrup (which will come in handy for pancakes later.)






 





 

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