Hey there, it’s great to be catching up with you once again here. The weather is looking pretty near perfect this weekend and I’m excited for a little baseball, gardening, and to just be with the quiet moments. We finished our backyard cedar veggie beds and I’m so pleased with them. I had started seedlings in March and bought a few plants in the weeks leading up to the project’s completion. When I finally got to plant them, there was exactly enough space. Veggie synchronicity at work, ya know?

I’m gonna head out and enjoy the sunshine. Love you!

5 Things I’m reading:

1. On letting people in, a conversation with Sharon Van Etten via The Creative Independent
2. Why Even Try if You Have A.I.? via The New Yorker
3. On Instagram, Recipe-Sharing Automation Is Here to Stay via Eater
4. Injera’s Microbial Autonomy via MOLD
5. Are you a mosquito magnet? It’s because of how you smell. via The Washington Post

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Such ecstatic enjoyment of Bon Iver’s new album “Sable, Fable” is happening over here. I must have listened to the track “I’ll Be There” 30 times in a row when I was (finally) swapping my winter clothes out of the closet the other day. I also really loved listening to this conversation on NYT’s Popcast.
2. Every dang slide.
3. Ocean Vuong & Jia Tolentino discuss transformation without change
4. I benched 100 lbs this week! For two reps! So ridiculously proud of myself. Thrilled to be going up to 4 weight sessions a week soon.
5. I love a lil’ veggie shortcut sometimes and Arte’s zesty kale Caesar salad kit is so tasty and easy. It’s okay for things to be easy sometimes :)

5 Questions:

1. What are some ways to get motivated to work out again? Or even just to get started.
   Two tracks I can recommend. One is to start slow and be gentle with yourself. When you’re winding down for the night, think about where you can fit in a YouTube workout, a walk (walks are very underrated!!), or a trip to the gym the next day. Follow through on that promise to yourself and then try to do it one more time that week. Another track is to seek the help of a professional, which is what I did last summer. I had never worked out in a gym or lifted weights, and the the whole thing was intimidating to me (it still is sometimes). The first few months, my coach was truly just teaching me how to work out. Two sessions a week with him turned into two sessions plus one solo sesh per week. Now around my one year gym anniversary, I’m moving to four days a week. The consistency and showing up when you don’t want to is the hardest part. But it all compounds over time and I’ve never felt stronger in my life.
2. What would you say your main weakness is as a recipe/food content creator?
   At this stage (14 years in), I lack ambition sometimes and generally resist the possibility of expansion. I was thisclose to starting on a new book around the holidays/this winter. Everything was laid out with the concept, I had talked to the editors and agent, we had an agreement to a deal for book two. But while we were up at a cabin over my birthday, I was restless and anxious thinking about it. It just hit me that this wasn’t the right move for me at all. I like my life where it is right now, the workload is good, I am happy with and connected to what I’m putting out there, and I know that I have enough. It’s possible that I’m averse to risk taking and am choosing to build a feeling of safety/predictability around what I’m doing. It’s also possible that I’ve been creeping around the edges of burnout with food for a while and didn’t want to risk fully plunging into that. The goal for a lot of people making food online is more followers, more subscribers, more books, more sponsorships, more visibility, just more. I understand it and felt this way for a long time! Ultimately I’m at a place with the work where I can go a bit slower and still be present to the other things in life that are important to me, which is all I could ever truly hope for.
3. We all love roasted chickpeas but do you ever roast an equivalent thing like a bean?
   Yes of course! Especially in the air fryer. I’ve done white beans (12 minutes on 390 in the air fryer–absolutely bonkers with chili crisp), edamame, and even crispy baked lentils (which are featured in this squash recipe). Very early on in my blogging days, I posted a photo on Instagram of a shaved root vegetable salad with a crispy lentil garnish, and there were so many comments with an “ew” and “gross” kinda flavor, but now you see crispy-crunchy legumes everywhere! Guess I was just ahead of my time. Also, I’m never offended by comments like that–it’s good to not get too gassed up on what I’m doing here haha.
4. How do you eat well when those around you don’t?
   This is something I’m always working with. My guy is a big snack person and our family/social hangs usually feature classic comfort foods and the salty/sweet snack trappings. Sometimes I just go for it and it’s fine! Other times I go for it and I feel rough at the gym the next morning, which usually motivates me to tighten my sh*t up a little. I’m at an age now where I generally can’t consume whatever I want and reliably perform well afterward. Ultimately I want to wake up every morning feeling amazing with positive energy to carry me through to bedtime. If I keep that in mind and get on a hot streak of good days, I’m golden. Living in alignment with a goal requires a bit of consistency/momentum and remembering to be kind to yourself no matter what comes up on the journey.
5. Homemade nut milk method/tools and your favorite nut milk recipes?
   My full homemade nut milk method is broken down in this post with tools and everything! I will say that I mostly make a 50/50 almond cashew combo these days. Macadamia nuts are a bit too rich for my blood lately lol.

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Shaved Zucchini Salad with Plums, Herbs & Almonds
2. Smoky Grilled Beets with Mint & Parsley Pistachio Pesto
3. Herby Whipped White Beans with Smoky Mushrooms
4. Pickle Panzanella Salad
5. Golden Peach Sunrise Smoothie