Chile we are still in this game of Jumanji that has been going on since March 2020. Like most of the world, I am tired! The kind of tired that makes you just want to flip the table, and say F!@k IT ALL! From missing friends and family, being bored in the house and being in the house bored this shit has been for the birds. But one thing that is on my “Top 5 List of Things That Gets on My Nerves” are Zoom calls. Zoom has consumed us. For school, work, worship services, family gatherings, everybody runs to Zoom. But listen; it’s gotten really old really quickly. I’m talking like Motorola pager old. Now don’t get me wrong, it was all cool and fun in the beginning, but after being on Zoom for several hours a day I’m tired. And what makes it worse is that these Zoom calls that could’ve been emails!

In the beginning like most of us I put on a nice blouse, did something to my hair, hell I even put a little color on my lips and gave myself a ole nasty brow. But it came to a point when that got old. I found myself wondering ‘why am I doing this?’ Zoom fatigue is real y’all. If you don’t believe me, the folks over at Psychiatric Times (2021) defined Zoom fatigue as “the tiredness, worry, or burnout associated with overusing virtual platforms of communication.” Virtual platforms such as Zoom have also been found to make your brain work more due to lack of social cues. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got enough going on. I mean we are in a whole ass Panasonic that has wreaked havoc on so many aspects of our lives. So I often find myself wondering if the 800th Zoom meeting this week really worth my time? Couldn’t this have been a phone call? Better yet, how about hitting the send button and sending an email!

One thing that we can’t get back is time, and I for one value my time. I mean did everyone forget how to use email? Or, what about the good old-fashioned phone call? In the interest of self-care I have decided that I am reclaiming my time!!! Remember it is ok to say no. A part of good self-care is setting boundaries, and those boundaries include boundaries at work. Start practicing them TUH-DAY! Start small. Even if it’s saying to yourself ‘I’m not going to check emails after office hours.’ AND DON’T JUST SAY IT, DO IT. DON’T DREAM IT, BE IT! Even better, if you have a question about something, why not just send an email because not only are we being respectful of our time, but we are also being respectful of the time of others.

Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken

Since we are on the subject of time and all… If you find yourself ‘booked and busy’ or just want a quick meal, this is a great recipe. Before the great wave of innovation that brought us such modern advances as Zoom, the air fryer (side note: I still feel I am letting my ancestors down by frying chicken in the air fryer 😒) and the Instant Pot, there was the crock pot; old faithful.

Ingredients

• 8 Chicken thighs (you can use bone in, but I prefer skinless, boneless thighs)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (coconut aminos work too or low sodium)
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp Herbs De Provence (or italian seasoning)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 lb baby carrots
• 1 lb green beans

Directions:

Combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic and seasonings in a small bowl. Whisk together to make your marinade. Place 4 of the chicken thighs in the crock pot and cover with 1/2 of the marinade. Layer that carrots over the chicken. Layer the remainder of your chicken thighs over the vegetables and add the remaining marniade. Cook on either low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. The final 30 minutes add your green beans. If you used bone in, skin chicken thighs you may want to take your chicken out, and broil them for about 3-4 mins.

Now for some added razzle dazzle grab yourself a bag of Trader Joe’s Stir Fry Cauliflower Rice or Wegman’s Asian Style Cauliflower rice, throw it in the microwave, and you got yourself a meal everyone will think took you hours to make!