Hello and welcome to the weekend. Sending this out from one of the most productive, surprisingly relaxed-feeling, weeks I’ve had in a long time. There is always a backlog of background tasks with a website that’s as large and as old as mine. I have to regularly update 10+ year old posts for today’s reader/search algorithms and go through hundreds of old links and recipes. Compared to, say, sharing a gorgeously spring-y lemon loaf with you, these tasks are obviously tedious!

I’ve tackled a lot of it this work recently though, largely due to a changed relationship with my biggest distractions. I’ve blocked Reddit for over a week now using the Freedom app. With the same app, I limit news consumption to the late afternoon/evening hours. The biggest change has been installing Instagram on my iPad, which freed me up to delete the app from my phone. The iPad is strictly an entertainment device for me. I read news/Substack on there, watch YouTube, use Pinterest etc.

My Instagram scrolling has gone down to 20ish minutes a day. The iPad version of the app (introduced in September of last year) doesn’t have that same addictive “slot machine” swipe feel. I am not compelled to watch Instagram Stories on my iPad because the screen is too big and it feels… weird and oddly embarrassing to do that for some reason (I am old, this is the reason).

It’s also much easier to toggle between their suggested feed and the chronological feed on the iPad version, which brings me to another observation. For YEARS folks have been complaining about the reduced access to the chronological feed (posts from people you actually follow in chronological order of when they went up). Let me tell ya: there is way too much stuff there and it gets overwhelming and admittedly boring very fast.

So, perhaps without realizing it, Zuck and the gang did me a solid introducing this version of the app. If you’re trying to spend less time there and have access to an iPad, I recommend trying it. I think the functionality is similar when logged into a web browser on a desktop computer?

Just another step on the journey of using my smartphone in smarter ways. Our usual assortment of reads and such below! Take care out there.

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. My first year without an iPhone via Rayon on Substack
2. How Brick Became a Status Symbol for the Aspirationally Offline via SSENSE
3. The Death of Spotify: Why Streaming is Minutes Away From Being Obsolete via The Artist Economy on Substack
4. How Chance Birthed Our Improbable World via Atmos
5. Why We Can’t Stop Reading—and Writing—Food Diaries via The New Yorker (non-paywalled link)

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. We’re doing a “buy nothing” grocery week next week! I think I saw this on Front Yard Veggies, but I could be wrong. Anyway, a natural progression from my ongoing bean buying ban. Just using up what we have and cooking from the freezer/pantry. Can’t wait to see what random combos we come up with honestly.
2. The idea of an “easy sunday garden”
3. Other gardening stuff: researching fruit options for my hardiness zone
4. Listening to Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore’s Tragic Magic album a lot.
5. A thing on Instagram that I actually like: the Iron in Disguise series by @raquels.pantry

5 Questions:

1. I can’t find smoked tofu at my grocery store. Is there a substitution for your roasted mushrooms and tofu kale salad?
   This has been a surprisingly recurring question! Is smoked tofu not a thing in some areas? If you’re wondering, use regular extra firm tofu and substitute smoked paprika in place of the regular paprika in the spice blend. It won’t be exactly the same, but you’ll still get that smoky flavor coming through.
2. I want to start lifting weights but find the gym intimidating. Tips for overcoming this?
   I was in the same spot when I started, and I’m still working on it to be honest with you. I worked with a coach to essentially learn how to work out this way because I had never even touched a barbell before. A lot of coaches offer group training sessions if you and some friends are in the same boat and want to learn fundamentals. This takes some of the intimidation out of it and also helps with splitting the cost. I’ve been going for almost two years now, but even still when I work out solo I go quite early so that I can have the gym to myself and focus on my workout (rather than what other people are doing, if I look silly doing something etc). Ultimately this helps me stay consistent so I’m fine with the early wake ups. I also have to say that if the idea of approaching a deadlift platform/squat rack or doing bench press is terrifying, try them on the Smith Machine at your gym. It helps with stabilization and the safety bar/pin features are great for starting out. Also, YouTube is your friend! There’s a tutorial with full breakdown for every exercise you could possibly be interested in on there. I still refer to it often!
3. Do you have a mandolin recommendation?
   Still using my basic Benriner one from 2009. The blade could honestly be sharper–years of consistent use will do that! I’m going to look into options for sharpening the blade locally; rather than replacing the whole thing. I have to take my garden shears/pruners in to get sharpened soon, so we’ll see!
4. If you weren’t a food blogger, what would you be doing?
   Probably something adjacent like recipe/content development for a food brand.
5. How can I reduce or replace sugar in dessert recipes?
   This is a tough question and maybe a touch outside of my baking wheelhouse! Sugar adds sweetness but also structure, contributes to browning, and it also helps to retain moisture. King Arthur has a lot of good tips on substituting liquid sweeteners for sugar here. If you need to reduce your sugar consumption, but still want to try your hand at baking sweets, looking to blogs that specialize in this style of baking is your best bet. Also, on this topic, I’ve been meaning to check out Brian Levy’s dessert book called Good & Sweet, which utilizes fruit and other unconventional sweet ingredients (freeze dried corn!); rather than sugar substitutes or even natural concentrated sweeteners like maple syrup.

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. White Wine Lentils with Mustard & Thyme
2. Coconut Green Soup with Celery, Kale & Ginger
3. One-Pot Spinach Artichoke Orzo with Chickpeas
4. Spicy & Crispy Peanut Tofu with Green Beans
5. Spring Thaw Smoothie