Easy Like Sunday Morning
By Dontrey Britt-Hart
“Ooh, that's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning
That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning!”
— Commodores, “Easy”
Raise your hands if a relaxing weekend morning sounds good. After a long week of work, meetings, completing to-do lists and adulting, it’s safe to say that we could all use a mental health break mixed with a heaping teaspoon of self-care and a side of something tasty to enjoy. I’ve got you covered on all three.
Take a minute to listen to the first few bars of Easy. Just hearing those four words – Easy Like Sunday Morning – takes me back to childhood and sleepy starts on the weekend: music by the Commodores, the O’Jays, Nancy Wilson and Billie Holiday echoing from the living room to the kitchen where my mom chopped, stirred, whisked and transformed whatever she found in the refrigerator into a feast. There were eggs seasoned with spices and scrambled with cheese, English muffins toasted and topped with jam or cinnamon rolls iced with glaze, ruby red grapefruit halves or peaches with cottage cheese, grits or rice, and something savory sizzling in the skillet. The scent of bleach and Pine-Sol lingered from the mopped floors and scrubbed sinks that were tackled before and between dishes.
As a mom of three now myself, I fully accept that there was absolutely nothing easy about my mother’s morning, and, truth be told, it was definitely not a Sunday, because the music blaring from the speakers would have been The Clark Sisters, Shirley Caesar and gospel-singing Aretha; we’d be having a quick bowl of cereal or toast; and my mom would be scrambling to get three children bathed, brushed and shined up for church (yes, the grooming experience included a nice facial rubdown of good ol’ Vaseline).
But in my imagination . . . let’s rephrase that: our collective aspiration is to reclaim at least one morning of our weekend to be easy, relaxing and centered in peace. The Commodore’s song seemed, at the time, to be the perfect anthem for this post until I focused on the lyrics beyond the chorus: it’s a break-up song. But you know what? We’re claiming the parts of the message that we want: Easy Like Sunday Morning.
So, here’s this week’s assignment for the weekend: put on your good pajamas, pull out the good dishes and treat yourself to an easy, but satisfying brunch right from the comfort of your home. (*We’ll talk about enjoying the good stuff in an upcoming post.)
I’ve pulled together a super simple brunch menu that will keep the easy-breezy in your morning without sacrificing the magic my mom used to make. After your meal, relax. Spend some “disconnected” time connecting with your loved ones. Be still. Chillax & take it easy.
Easy Like Sunday Morning Brunch Menu:
- Whipped Berry Yogurt Parfait
- Simple green salad
- Whole wheat toast or English muffins
- Tea, coffee or juice
