Y-raises, Year End, & Yeast

Dec 05, 2023

The MSing Link with Gretchen Hawley

Dr. Gretchen is an MS specialist physical therapist who hosts a podcast, wrote a book, runs virtual programs to help people improve functional movement patterns. She had a big Cyber Monday sale this week and as I love a good deal, I bit the bullet and am now testing out her Total Strength Program and 4 Week MS Mobility Challenge. As I continue working on my goals of eventually walking unaided, improving my stamina, and strengthening my ankles and hips, it’s nice to have such an upbeat coach and to just play the next video rather than having to think about what exercises I’ll do. I’ve been resistant to joining one of the many MS-focused workout programs because I’m no stranger to exercise routines and thought I didn’t need the extra nudge. Turns out it’s kind of nice to be part of a challenge and check off days as I complete them. I have a habit of pushing myself to exhaustion, which makes it tough to find motivation the next day. Turns out a light but consistent touch is not only more sustainable, but more enjoyable, too!

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Spotify Wrapped

A decade into the digital music behemoth’s end of year wrap-up and I will say I’m pretty surprised by my top artists. I watched The Playlist, Netflix’s fictionalized series on Spotify’s beginnings and loved it, but it actually put me off using the service considering how little artists are paid for their streaming content.

So these are my top five:

The Smiths

I once waited several hours to see Morrissey headline at Riot Fest in Chicago. His people were busy visiting every vendor to make sure they weren’t seeing any animal products during his set. I am all for plant-based eating, but this felt a little extreme.

Wildlight

Folk vocalist, Ayla Nereo, delicately crafts songs that climb and tumble through a landscape of crescendos and harmonies, electronic music composer David Sugalski (aka The Polish Ambassador) keeps the beats and bass rooted deep in the subatomic layers of the earth.

Evan Craft

Evan Craft is a singer songwriter out of California who performs both in English and Spanish. He’s a Christian artist, placing him squarely outside what I would typically listen too, but it’s good to expand your aural horizons.

FLETCHER

American pop singer songwriter Cari Elise Fletcher, performs as FLETCHER. The X Factor alum is currently on hiatus following a Lyme disease diagnosis in September. Her song “girls girls girls” borrows from Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” and is worth a listen.

Joudy

Joudy is a psychedelic trio who relocated to the U.S. in 2020 due to political unrest in their native Venezuela. This is certainly the heaviest sounding artist on the list and reminds me of the type of music I listened to in my early teens.

What artists were on your top five? Who should I check out?

Oil-Free Plant-Based Cooking

Bread

I got into the sourdough craze for a while during the pandemic cranking out sourdough bread, muffins, cookies, biscuits and everything in between. While it was fun (and delicious) for a while, the need to feed the starter and not wanting to waste the discard lead to a pressure to cook (and eat) lots of carbs each week. While complex carbohydrates are healthy and a key part of a whole foods plant based diet, it’s best to get from a variety of sources (beans, peas, vegetables) than from bread products alone. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with craving a thick slice of homemade bread fresh from the oven.

Ingredients

500g (about 4 cups) Bread Flour (whole wheat is more nutritionally dense than white)
1 TBSP (or 1 packet) Rapid Yeast (alternatively dissolve dry yeast in lukewarm water according to package)
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
~1.5 cups Water

Method

This is one of the few recipes in this book that cannot be made gluten free. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a spoon or stand mixer with a flat beater attachment until it comes together in a shaggy dough (adding a bit of water if it feels too dry). Once the dough is mixed, dust your worktop with flour and knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and bouncy. Pull the dough toward you and fold in half then press away with the heels of your hand. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat. Alternatively, use the dough hook on your stand mixer and mix for 6-8 minutes until bouncy and smooth. Let the dough rise 1-2 hours in a bowl with a lid or covered in cling film. You can grease the bowl with a tiny amount of extra virgin olive oil if it seems like the dough will stick. Once it’s risen, deflate the dough and separate into two halves. Knead again 1-2 minutes to form a loaf shape using the heels of your hands by pressing the dough into a flat oval and folding the short sides of the dough into the center. Place the loaf seam side down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover the loaves and let them rise for another hour. Score the loaves either down the center or 3-4 times diagonally across. Bake at 230C for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into it to avoid a gummy, sticky texture.

Creative Wellbeing

Discussion about this post

Creative Wellbeing

Y-raises, Year End, & Yeast

Mindful Movement

The MSing Link with Gretchen Hawley

Art + Culture

Spotify Wrapped

The Smiths

Wildlight

Evan Craft

FLETCHER

Joudy

Oil-Free Plant-Based Cooking

Bread

Ingredients

Method

Links

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