Hi everyone! Welcome to the weekend. Some April showers and brisk temps are in the forecast here in Niagara. I’m starting more seeds, heading out for the usual errands, catching up on some things at home, testing a hot cross bun recipe, and staying up past my bedtime to watch The White Lotus finale. A real rager! 😂

I had some back/hip pain flare up this week, and have been trying to balance remaining active but also taking care to heal up the inflammation. Consistent movement like walking and dynamic stretching is what helps me the most, so I’m just trying to keep at it. I linked two movement/yoga routines below that have really helped me in case anyone is interested.

I hope that you’re taking care of yourself and each other out there!

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. People With “Grandma Hobbies” Have Better Mental Health, Experts Say via House Beautiful
2. The return of Sicily’s ancient ‘white gold’ via BBC
3. How to Really Rest via The Atlantic
4. How Not to Freak Out via Lion’s Roar
5. Think twice before you smear beef tallow and salmon sperm on your face via Vox

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Last week’s email blast with Liz’s recipe for Chocolate Cake with Black Tea Ganache & Raspberry Rose Compote 🥀 + Liz’s email with my Vegan Lemon loaf with Strawberry Sumac Tahini Glaze!
2. Splurged on a Martha Stewart Television subscription so I could watch old episodes of Martha Stewart Living. Zero regrets!
3. Mesmerized by the craft of willow fences!
4. Internet Brain 😵‍💫
5. Dynamic stretching for Piriformis Syndrome + Yoga For Sciatica

5 Questions:

1. I’m looking for lunch inspiration – what recipes (either yours or not) would make a good packed lunch?
   For salads, I recommend: Cold Ginger Noodle Salad with Mint, Edamame & Orange, Tangy Four Bean Salad with Rosemary & Roasted Peppers, Green Lentil Edamame Salad with Spiced Lemon Dressing, Green Love Quinoa Salad with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette, and Roasted Potato Salad with Lentils & Spring Vegetables
   And for soups/stews: One-Pot Vegan Minestrone Soup with Potatoes & Beans, Simple Chickpea Soup with Rosemary & Garlic, Spicy Sesame Carrot Soup with Red Lentils, and Ginger Sweet Potato Coconut Milk Stew with Lentils & Kale
2. Savory breakfast ideas! Getting tired of tofu scramble.
   You’ve gotta try Soccata! It’s a chickpea flour based socca/frittata kinda thing that you can mix up with whatever veggies, herbs or greens you have on hand. It’s also a great dish for prepping ahead of time because you sear up the slices as you need them. I feel like you could probably make them in a muffin tin even? A slice of soccata with some avocado and toast? Ideal! One of my go-to savory breakfasts is brown rice and black beans with avocado and hot sauce/salsa. I’ll add leftover roasted veggies, diced tomato, sprouts etc if I have some hanging around too.
3. First thing to keep in mind while developing a recipe?
   The main considerations for me are: the number of ingredients, how long it takes start to finish, and how many implements (baking sheet, pot, blender etc) the recipe requires. I try to keep at least 2 out the 3 on the minimal side if possible.
4. Zero gardening experience – recommendations for easy veg to start with?
   Radishes, beets, carrots, peas, and beans are fun and easy because you just sprinkle the seeds in the ground after the threat of frost has passed. I also find greens like kale and chard are pretty easy to grow as long as you keep the area closest to the ground trimmed (bugs like to hitchhike up from the ground to the leaves). Cherry and grape tomatoes are pretty easy and usually have very high yields. You can even find ones that are in a hanging basket-style planter!
5. How do you manage a cooking/posting Reels slump as a creator?
   I’ve been in one for a while haha. The news cycle has been so tumultuous the last few months and promoting my new vegan recipes feels like possibly the least important thing ever? But I just keep going because folks need to eat, feel joy, take in art, and sometimes escape a bit. Most of my audience comes here from my emails or Google search so I’m less focused on creating Reels and social media content honestly. I say embrace the slump if possible! No sense trying to force something beautiful and useful to emerge from an empty cup. When you do feel inspired again, take advantage of that feeling and batch up some content for when that slump inevitably comes back. Creating things that are useful is an ebb and flow. Sometimes it’s on and sometimes you’re eating the same things over and over because more important things are happening in life. Maybe finding a way to share the cooking slump would be useful to your followers? You truly never know what’s going to be a smash hit on Insta’s algorithm these days, so you might as well try!

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Pickle Panzanella Salad
2. One-Pan Harissa Eggplant, Pearl Couscous & Chickpeas
3. Spicy Maple Tofu Bowls with Golden Garlic Rice & Broccolini
4. Veggie Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner with Pesto Cream
5. Strawberry Salad with Mint Poppy Seed Dressing