Kale and Cranberry Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

I am a routine-driven human. I wish I were more spontaneous and fun. I long to be out-of-the-box, full of whimsy and someone who is always up for anything, anytime.

But I’m not.

Instead, I’m a by-the-book, steady on kind of gal. Totally not cool and spontaneous but at least you can predict where I’m going to be, what I’m going to be doing, and sometimes even what I’m going to be eating based on the time of the day and the angle of the sun. Sure, some might find it a little boring, but as a WAHM, writer and blogger, it’s the only way I know how to actually be productive, get all the things checked off of my to-do list (sometimes) and still get some quiet self-care moments slipped in each day.

I mean, don’t all trip over yourselves trying to invite this life of the party to your next event or anything.

Seriously, though, in the past three years that I’ve been working from home, it’s how I manage to stay on task, keep myself from going down really random flights of fancy and distractability (though that still happens from time to time) and get things done. Sure, it’s oddly structured for someone with no real “boss,” yet I find tremendous freedom in this predictability married with productivity.

I mean, my day goes something like this:

5:30am: wake, turn coffee on (that was set the night before. always)

5:45am: coffee, Bible and journal

6:15am: make lunches

6:30am-8:10am: kids & carpool, carpool & kids

8:10am: walk or workout

8:45am: make oatmeal (always with the oatmeal), go through email, make to-do list, schedule IG and FB posts for the day

9:30am: get dressed and put some make-up on so I don’t look dead*

10:00am-2:30pm: write/cook/take pictures/work/housework/miscellaneous stuff that is too boring to recount here but that also keeps our house running smoothly **

2:30pm-4:15pm: kids & carpool, carpool & kids

4:30pm-bedtime: sports taxi service, dinner, kitchen cleaning and coffee setting, binge watch Netflix, read, go to bed.

AND REPEAT.

Sounds like a barrel of fun, right?

OK. So don’t get me wrong, I actually really enjoy this life. There is enough flexibility in it that if my kids need me I am there at the drop of a hat. I actually LOVE being the carpool mom (cause intel is best gathered in the automobile) and the dinner prep mom and the “every kid is welcome at our house mom,” because, and I cannot stress this enough, it’s of utmost importance as your kids get older that you know their friends very, very well. Trust me on this one. I can, at any time, sub in coffee or lunch with a friend or scrap all of this is I’m not feeling well or need a break.

I love this life I’ve built, even if on the outside it seems super lame and make me seem like I would wear mom jeans, but not in an ironic sort of way.

But in the past few months, I’ve noticed something about my time and where it’s being sucked up like a vacuum even amidst this productive and structured schedule, and it’s disturbed me very very deeply.

Because a few weeks ago, right after the election when everything seemed to be going to hell in a handbasket and fast, I topped out my screentime usage at (wait for it) an embarrassing 6 hours a day, or, in more terrifying terms, half of my waking hours.

What in the actual hell?

So basically, in between each of those little “calendar” items in my daily routine, there was a whole lot of scrolling, liking, commenting, and probably stressing over things I cannot control. Which, in turn, created a little interweb addiction I lost control of.

Ah, the circle of life.

Y’all. This is not how I want to live my life. I am old enough to be of the generation that lived without smartphones for most of our formative years. I lived through rotary phones (for just a hot minute and then as relics), single line-landlines, the ubiquitous see-through phone of the early ’90s, carphones, flip phones, the Motorola Razr, and, finally, the first gen iPhone (which I did not have).

I know the difference. And I PREFER life without connection 24/7. I just got a little skewed.

So I did what any good old-fashioned middle-aged lady would do when faced with her own screentime addiction. I went cold turkey.

OK, not really. What I actually did was lock my phone away for an entire weekend. Like, really lock it away because I don’t trust myself to be able to resist the scroll if I have access. I mean, six hours of screentime don’t lie. I have a problem. I actually recruited my family to hold me accountable, gave Jeff the lock and key so I couldn’t get access and didn’t even so much as glanec for 72 hours.

And it was GLORIOUS. Y’all, life without constant connection is, well, connected.

Here is what happened, in completely honest #truefacts

First, I 100% went through withdrawal. This is the nitty-gritty truth. It was not pretty. I didn’t quite have a cold sweat, but I was pretty darn close. I felt a near physical itch to grab my phone and scroll. It was painful at times. I realized what a reflex it had become to look at it when I felt either 1) bored 2) uncomfortable 3) alone. I also felt oddly disconnected. This was awful at first but soon became the biggest blessing.

After the withdrawal passed beautiful things happened. I felt less stressed. I felt, and I’m not even kidding, more alive, like I was an actual participant in life and NOT, as a stark and terrifying contrast, an observer. I was connected to my kids, like really connected (which is funny because now that they’re older they were mildly annoyed at this and did their best to escape my constant need for conversation and quality time). I wrote. I was productive. I read.

I felt lighter, freer, and better than I had in a long time. All because I put the stupid phone away for a few days.

When Monday morning rolled around I was required to hop back on. First of all, it’s kind of my job and livelihood to post on socials and share my things. If I don’t share it, y’all don’t read it. And, one of the pluses of social media and the connections is I’ve been lucky enough to make some incredible friendships on the ‘gram and the ‘book that I would miss if I left it. But secondly, life as we know it requires me to be connected–to coordinate carpools, figure out schedules, and generally keep my house and my kids’ lives running smoothly. It’s a necessity.

But what this weekend taught me was that I had to make a change in order to keep my mental health in check, my productivity in line, and my relationships front and center. So now I have a curfew (yes, like a teenager again). I put my phone away in a dedicated “time out” closet after dinner every night. When I wake up, that coffee and bible time, yeah, it’s back to coffee and bible and NOT, like it had become, FACEBOOK, coffee and bible.

I want to be more present, more connected, and less beholden to something that is ripping the soul right out of my very body.*** I want to live my life, not “share” my life. And that means I’ll have to become more mindful of where that “time” is going and how I’m using it and what I’m paying attention to.

Friends, there is absolutely nothing wrong with time on our phones. Nothing at all. It’s how we connect in today’s world. But, if you’re like me and find yourself in a place where it does more harm than good I strongly urge you to take a break. Step away for a bit. Even if your business depends on it, I promise you, you’ll be ok. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. I’d love to help you break up with the connection, even for just a few days.

*most days I still look dead

**most days our house doesn’t even remotely come close to running smoothly

***not actually true

 Kale and Cranberry Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Funny that I should be sharing this Kale and Cranberry Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette recipe at the same time I’m writing about connecting because it was created completely on the fly when I was last minute prepping for a Sunday Supper, which happens to be all about connecting. I typically serve my Clean Kale Salad at these dinners because it’s so easy and everyone loves it but figured out that I had a few Gluten-free people and the bread crumbs will ultimately count them completely out. So I raided the pantry, pulled out some staples and threw this together. The best part?

Everyone loved it.

This is the perfect go-to comfort food salad. It’s so easy to customize yet delicious as is. I highly recommend buying pre-cut kale because it makes life so incredibly easy. My go-to bag is THIS BRAND from Aldi (cause I love me some Aldi). And while celery seems like a BLAH ingredient, please don’t skip it in this salad, it provides a much-needed crunch that is a deal-breaker with this salad. I’ve since made this and put feta cheese on top which is a delicious addition, though not necessary.

Massaging the kale is a funny thing but it works to break down the bitterness of the leaves so be sure to work it hard, like get up close and personal with your salad. It makes a difference, trust me. Kind of like in real life, don’t you think.

Peace, love and connecting,

Meg

Kale and Cranberry Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

November 20, 2020

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• For the Salad:
• 12 ounces of finely chopped kale (stems removed)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 6 ounce bag of dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds (roasted, unsalted is best)
• For the dressing:
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2-1 cup olive oil

Directions

• Step 1 For the salad:
• Step 2 Dump kale into the serving bowl and sprinkle with oil and salt.
• Step 3 Using your hands, massage kale, rubbing the oil into each leaf. Kale should reduce to about 3/4 of its initial volume as it’s massaged.
• Step 4 Set aside for 10 minutes to let rest.
• Step 5 Meanwhile add garlic, salt, a grind or two of fresh pepper, dijon, and honey to a bowl. Whisk to combine.
• Step 6 Slowly pour in oil, whisking as you go, until it’s a pourable dressing consistency.
• Step 7 To assemble:
• Step 8 Add celery, cranberries and sunflower seeds to the kale.
• Step 9 Pour dressing over salad and mix well, being sure to get as much of it coated as possible.
• Step 10 Serve immediately OR store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

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