Coronavirus: A DIY approach to restoring your sanity during lockdown
From fun projects and easy recipes to frugally solving aches and pains.
By SHARON FEIEREISENKeep busy at home during the coronavirus pandemic(photo credit: COURTESY OF SHERI PAVLOVIĆ)
It seems like everyone is spending their newfound free time learning TikTok dances; surely there are better things we could be doing with our time.For one, here in Israel, viewers can tune to channel 41 on HOT or 34 on Yes, to find a channel dedicated entirely to DIY ideas (or YouTube). In New York, artist Dara Piken (darapikenstudio.com) will turn any image you have into a 1,000-piece puzzle (international shipping is offered), while wellness blogger Calyn Brooke took DIY to the next level by tie-dyeing socks, which she is selling to benefit food banks. For now, she’s focused on US shipping, but for Israelis hoping to follow suit, the process is simple – and this is a great project to do with the whole family.Tie-DyeTo tie-dye at home, in a large bowl mix equal parts water and vinegar until there’s enough liquid to soak your garment of choice. Soak for 45 minutes. In the meantime, take a water bottle with a squeeze cap and fill it with ½ cup of water and 8 to 10 drops of dye (or food coloring). Shake well. Use a different water bottle for each color you want. When ready, take your garment out and wring out the liquid. Roll it into a sausage shape and tie rubber bands to create your design. Wearing gloves, squirt the various colors onto the garment. When it’s covered, wrap the design in plastic and let it set overnight. Then, take the design out, the rubber bands off, and wash it with cold water (wearing gloves) until the water runs clear. For the first few washes, wash the dyed garment on its own to avoid staining other clothes. More fun DIY projects: Candy artFor something equally bright, CEO and founder of ArtSugar, Alix Greenberg, recommends making your own candy art.“To form the candy, you’ll need either a Styrofoam oval or you can roll up socks or rags. The candy will be covered, so it’s all about the shape, not what it looks like,” says Greenberg. “To start, wrap two pieces of tissue over the Styrofoam and tape the tissue in the middle so the ends are open. If you’re creating the candy with your own material, make a ball shape and tape around it so it is confined and there aren’t any loose parts. Next, cut a large piece of cellophane and wrap it over the tissue paper lengthwise to get that classic candy look. Tape the cellophane where it meets in the middle. Cut two 12-cm. pieces of ribbon to tie on either end of the candy and use a scissor to curl the ribbon. Use the tape to cover any rough, uneven parts. Grab your staple gun and carefully staple both sides to the wall just between the candy and the knot of the ribbon so the staple is not visible.”Sheri Pavlovic of Confessions of a Refashionista offers up more fun project ideas.Bleach pen and embellished shirt“Grab some bleach and a light-colored marker,” says Pavlovic. “Take the marker completely apart then soak the inside sponge and tip in bleach for a few hours until it’s completely saturated. Cover a piece of cardboard in plastic wrap and slip it in between the front and back of your shirt to prevent the bleach from leaking through. Carefully draw your design on the fabric and, once complete, let it sit until it reaches your desired color then simply launder the garment as usual. Quick tip: store your DIY bleach pen in an airtight container and use it over and over again. Once the bleach runs out simply take it apart and re-soak it.”Upcycled teacup garden“Grab an old tea or coffee cup, glue, a popsicle stick, toothpicks, ground for your garden (such as dirt, stones, beads, dried moss, or grass) as well as a few tiny toys or mini decorations to furnish your garden,” says Pavlović. “Create a cute ladder by simply cutting a popsicle stick in half and gluing a few trimmed toothpicks rungs to each piece. Fill your cup with the ground for your garden and then stick your tiny furnishings in place.”Quick and easy refashioned earrings“Grab two small plastic toys, earring hooks, a couple of jump rings (mine are reused from a broken necklace), a candle, thick needle or pin and pliers,” says Pavlovic. “Heat the needle over the candle. Push the heated needle through the area of the plastic toy where you’d like the earring to hang from. Paint the toys with nail polish if desired. Attach the jump rings and earring hooks to the toys.”Refashioned earrings are easy and fun to makeDealing with WFH body achesToo much free time isn’t the only issue many are facing. Our new work from home (WFH) reality means that a number of us are spending hours working from a couch. You don’t have to be a genius to figure that this is a recipe for back aches and pains.“If you’re working from your couch, use a pillow under the laptop to help raise the monitor closer to eye level and try and have your feet planted on the floor,” says Dr. Gregory Shure, founder of Madison Square Wellness. “Also place a smaller pillow behind the lower portion of your neck/shoulder region to help support the weight of the head. Without a pillow, the neck and upper back muscles get tired more quickly, often resulting in discomfort and headaches.”If you’re lucky enough to have a work station set-up, Dr. Steve Knauf, D.C., director of chiropractic and compliance for The Joint Chiropractic, notes that maintaining certain body angles is key.“Make sure the back is straight, to avoid leaning forward or straining the neck. Strive for sitting with 90° angles at the knee joint, hip joint and elbow joint. It’s also helpful to keep the elbows in closer to the body. This means sitting with feet flat on the floor, chair at a height that allows the thighs to be parallel to the floor, shoulders above the hips, forearms parallel to the floor, and wrists resting in a level position. Keep the keyboard and computer at a comfortable distance so as to not lean forward or back.”No matter your setup, all the experts we spoke with recommend taking microbreaks: for each hour you sit, stand and stretch for five minutes to loosen the muscles – get a timer if you must. “If this isn’t possible, stretch and move the neck and back muscles while seated, including shifting in your seat and flex your ankles and feet,” recommends Dr. Knauf.Frugal healthy home cookingHere’s another idea: why not use your microbreaks to slide in some cooking? In these doleful times most of us are fighting the urge to bust out our fat pants, a great way to work against this is to create structure. Instead of mindlessly drifting toward the kitchen every time the urge hits, draft a schedule for when you will cook and when you will eat. You’ll also want to stock your kitchen with healthy ingredients. To make that more appealing than Bamba and Mekupelet, we reached out to Israeli wellness experts and asked them to share nourishing recipes, all of which are fitting for these penny-pinching times.Spicy Cauliflower “Siniya” (serves 4-5)By Dor Ezra and Moran Naor“This is one of our favorite nutrient-dense recipes. It uses common ingredients to create a unique flavor profile.”1 large cauliflower head broken into small size florets2 large white onions - roughly chopped4 large portobello mushrooms - cut into cubesAvocado oilHandful of seeds200 g. raw tahini6 garlic cloves2 Tbsp. amba2 g. tsp. smoked paprika3 Tbsp. ground cumin1 tsp. ground chili½ tsp. turmeric½ tsp. salt1½ cups waterPreheat oven to 200 C. Place the cauliflower florets and the roughly chopped onions on a baking sheet and top with avocado oil, salt and pepper; mix roughly with your hands and bake around 30 minutes. Preheat a frying pan. Add the Portobello mushrooms and sauté. The mushrooms will release liquids, after all the liquids are gone, add avocado oil and fry until they are soft and well cooked. Separately, mix the remaining ingredients (except for the seeds). When the cauliflower and onion are finished baking, put it on “top grill” mode, on 250℃. In a bowl. Mix everything together (the baked cauliflower and onions, mushrooms, and tahini mix) and mix very well. Pour everything into a baking pan and put in the oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes. After 15 minutes of baking, take out the pan, spread the seeds and put back in the oven to continue the baking. Serve with fresh greens and enjoy.Spicy Cauliflower "Siniya"Overnight Green Bean Artichoke Stew (serves 8)By Dor Ezra and Moran Naor, founders of Piece of Nature“We love this recipe because it includes milk thistle, which we pick ourselves. We always encourage people to look around and use ingredients that are growing right next to their homes. Thistle is a very common plant in Israel and it’s great for liver and brain function. If you don’t have thistle, any other greens are good as well.” 350 g. of dry beans1 large leek - white and light green parts only - sliced into thin stripes1 Tbsp. avocado oil600 g. Jerusalem artichoke - peeled and roughly chopped100 g. kale - chopped130 g. collard greens - chopped90 g. milk thistle leaves, without the thorns, chopped6 garlic cloves130 g. shiitake mushrooms (around 25 mushrooms)2 tsp. ground cinnamon½ tsp. ground cumin1 tsp. turmeric powder1 tsp. ground chili9 cups waterPreheat oven to 150 C. Preheat a frying pan with avocado oil, add the leek stripes with a little salt and sauté until the stripes are slightly golden. Add all the chopped greens to the pan and keep sautéing until the greens are half the size they were. Add all the greens and leek into a food processor, add the fresh garlic cloves and process until a paste is formed. Add the paste together with the water, mushrooms, and all the spices into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the Jerusalem artichoke and cook on a medium heat for another 20 minutes. Season to taste. Drain and rinse the beans well, then add to the pot. Place the pot in the oven and cook overnight (around 12 hours). The next day before serving you can heat either on your stovetop or in the oven.Green Bean Artichoke StewOrange Lentil Hummus (serves 2)By Karen Ann Gaiman, RD“This dish is simple and healthy and it’s particularly great for people who workout, since it’s rich in high quality protein, minerals and vitamins. The raw materials needed for this dish are all environmentally friendly and inexpensive.” 1 cup orange lentilsJuice from 1 lemon½ cup of raw tahina2 cloves of garlic¼ tsp. of salt¼ tsp. cuminOlive oil to tasteHandful of parsleyRoasted pine nutsPlace the lentils in a small pot and fill with water until the lentils are covered. Cook with an open lid until the lentils are completely soft. Check while cooking if the water runs out and add. Place the cooked lentils in a food processor and add all other ingredients. Grind to a perfectly smooth texture. Adjust seasonings to taste.If the texture is too thick, add water and grind again until you get to a smooth texture. Serve fresh and upgrade with a little olive oil, parsley, and pine nuts.Orange Lentil HummusBuckwheat Apple Muffins (makes 12 cupcakes)By Nilli Grutman, functional nutritionist and founder of The Jerusalem Nutritionist“I came up with this recipe looking for something yummy and delicious for my 11-month-old. The cupcakes are fluffy and delicious, while being low in sugar and high in fiber.”1½ cup buckwheat flour1 cup apple sauce1 ripe medium mashed banana1½ Tbsp. olive oil2 to 4 Tbsp. water1 packet baking powder1 tsp. cinnamonMash the banana in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Spoon the mixture into a silicon cupcake mold and set oven to 200 C. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.Buckwheat Apple Muffins
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