Hello and welcome to our first weekend catch up of June. The summer busyness is starting to ramp up a bit over on our end. I’ve also been working on a lot more projects with the blog and things that orbit the blog (Facebook, Pinterest, more Reels, switching email services). Hoping to get email services switched over in the next week or so! If you notice a disruption there, don’t hesitate to email me and I’ll look into it.

I wanted to post a question to the community this week. In the “reading” section of Saturday Sun, I usually share one paywalled article per week. Next to this link, I’ll have a “non-paywalled link” option that you can click on. This takes you to an archived screenshot of the article provided by a website called archive.today. Some of you have expressed that this option does not work for you. Can folks weigh in on this? Do they work for you or not? Can you share what browser you’re using?

I will add that you can always use archive.today manually for those paywalled articles. Just copy the link and paste it into the second dark box that says “I want to search the archive for saved snapshots.” It has always worked for me with a variety of sources.

I am reading most of these articles through the Apple News+ app, which is a worthwhile investment in my opinion. But I do want to provide an option for everyone that’s visiting here. Anyway, let me know if you can! Take care out there and have a good weekend.

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. How Craftsmanship Can Save Us via The Career Archetypes by Joel Ulli on Substack
2. The Rancho Gordo Effect via Eating Patterns on Substack
3. The Last Straw via The New York Times (gift link)
4. No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious via The Atlantic (click here for non-paywalled link)
5. in defense of inefficiency via Sustainable Gabs on Substack

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Optimization culture and the tyranny of measurement
2. Random but nice: romanticizing my evening shower with a rechargeable cordless lamp. One thing about the summer, I am guaranteed showering twice a day, every day minimum. Getting in from the garden, working out outside, even walking the dogs after dinner makes me feel dusty, and I’m washing my hair more in general because the pollen sticks to it and makes my seasonal allergies worse. I use a glowy little cordless lamp (mine is similar to this one) as the only light source of my evening shower and I find it sooo relaxing. I only do this if I’m not washing my hair because that takes a bit longer (folks with long curly hair know!!).
3. New Kurt Vile on repeat. Perfect for chill summertime activities.
4. Using bean-based pasta in pasta salad. I like a lot of the bean-based pastas (Kaizen, Brami, Solenzi) for the fiber and protein content, but the texture can be a bit crumbly/mealy in a hot pasta dish (with some brands anyway). They are universally perfect for cold pasta salads though! Made a great one for meal prep this week.
5. My all-time favorite doughnut from Beechwood is back this month: the coffee cronut. Something about the slightly bitter coffee glaze and the rich croissant-like layers of this one.

5 Questions:

1. I’m going on a camping trip next month with some friends (only one other vegan). Any ideas for recipes that would be easy to make at camp and good for mixed company or ones that would work for making ahead and packing?
   Camping with mixed eaters is very doable and can go beyond veggie dogs, although those absolutely have their place! The trick is building meals around a strong vegan focal point that everyone just adds to. A batch of spiced black beans with rice, grilled corn, shredded cabbage, and tortillas becomes a build-your-own taco situation that also has breakfast-appropriate components. Folks can add meat/eggs if they want to. Same goes for a simple grain bowl: bring cooked farro or quinoa in a sealed zipper bag, grill whatever vegetables you have, and use bottled sauces to customize. Also for the grill, marinated tempeh or firm tofu gets incredible char and holds its own alongside anything else on the grate. Marinate it at home in a sealed bag before you leave so it’s ready to throw on. For packing ahead, pasta salad or bean salads travel well and are good for the first couple days in a cooler. For snacking, homemade trail mix, energy balls, or a big batch of granola are all worth making before you go. Do as much prep at home as you can. Chop your vegetables, get any sauces lined up, marinate your proteins, make the bean salad/grains. After all, camp cooking should be mostly an assembling or heating endeavor. Save your energy for s’mores!
2. Any tips for someone new to meal plan/prepping to allow for some flexibility and not go crazy with decision fatigue?
   Start small! Don’t try to do too much because you’ll resent the process. I generally make one finished thing that can be ate on its own or with other things for lunch (bean/lentil salad, pasta salad, soup). I’ll make one sauce/vinaigrette that has a versatile flavor profile (my red wine vinaigrette, spicy cashew dressing, or peanut sauce are go-tos). I clean and chop the vegetables that can sit in a bag in the fridge for a few days so that they’re ready for me (cauliflower, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts are good examples). And lastly, I’ll prep either one breakfast thing or a snack (chia pudding, date bark, muffins, overnight oats, cookie dough bites etc).
3. Favorite brand of rolled oats for overnight oats?
   I was using the One Degree Organics sprouted oats for a while and liked them! Unfortunately my last big bag from Costco had a rancid oil smell to it, so I’ve gone back to Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. Reliable, widely available, and I find that the oats are on the pleasantly thicker side.
4. Can you recommend “beginner” tofu recipes? For s.o. that doesn’t like tofu but really wants to?
   My air fryer tofu and crispy baked tofu bits are your best bets. Cook as the steps lay out, and then you can douse them in whatever sauce you like and pop them back in the air fryer/oven for a bit to crisp up again. Always so good! Nisha’s tofu stir fry is excellent if you want to try a saucier recipe. And Fraser’s tofu bacon technique is so, so good.
5. How old are your dogs?
   Cleo is 12 and Mickie is 8. Both technically senior girlies, but they don’t really act like it. Cleo has a bit of a tough time with the stairs these days (some days are better than others and I also think she just likes the attention when I carry her down), but both are still very energetic and demanding lol.

Pinned Recipes This Week:

1. Shaved Cucumber Radish Salad with Garlic Lime Tahini & Basil
2. Green Goddess Bowls with Pepita Lime Sauce
3. Pesto Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables & Chickpeas
4. Chamomile Iced Latte with Vanilla
5. Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Chile Lime Tahini Sauce