Self-care and dumplings

Every other Saturday I get a whole lazy day to myself.  With no kid or work or relationship obligations.  I often get overwhelmed with all the possibilities, paralyzed with indecision on how to get the most out of the day.

This Saturday marked the last time I will have a day like this on a regular basis.  The Handsome Ginger's schedule changed, and now we will spend both weekend days together, and with the boy every other weekend.  So I really wanted to do something for my self-care.

The answer: the soothing, productive process of making dumplings.  I am the only one in my household who likes dumplings, and these are especially just-for-me because they are full of mushrooms and tofu.  For two hours I was filled with the smell of ginger, garlic, and rice vinegar.  My hands completed repetitive movements that needed just a little bit of attention.  I watched a movie that I alone was interested in watching: Ready Player One.  At the end of it, I was relaxed and I had a special lunch treat in my freezer stash.

It would be easier and less time consuming to just buy a bag of dumplings at Costco.  The cost difference isn't really that much, and it is so much more convenient.  But the time invested into creating each little pocket of deliciousness ensures that, when I bite into them during harried lunches in the future, that sense of satisfaction and relaxation comes through.

I feel that is the best part of meal prepping.  Yes, it makes my life easier, and I spend less eating out.  But more importantly, meal prepping is a reminder of a more organized, motivated, and calmer me.  On busy afternoons when I have back to back calls that last until the moment I pick up my kid, I thank that relaxed and satisfied version of myself for thinking of the anxious, busy, stressed out version of myself.   And I can bite into a moment of peace, and be happy.

Dumpling recipe loosely based on this one from The Kitchn.