Hello and long time no chat! I’m really struggling with sleep this summer and it’s been messing with my typical schedule unfortunately. I try to grab an hour to sleep here and there when I can and generally feel half awake/zoned out a lot of the time. Summer is a much “slower” season for the blog so hopefully you don’t mind that I ducked out for a couple weeks.

Mid-August is when things pick up again for most food sites, so I’m doing my best to get into a proper sleep routine with the hope that things can go a bit smoother here. I’ve had bouts of sleep issues like this before (always in the summer months), so trust me when I say I’ve tried most things haha. On to our regular reads and links below!

As always, you can leave me a question for the next edition–either in the comments or sent via email. Take care out there ♥️

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Thinking Is Becoming a Luxury Good via The New York Times (gift link)
2. On dealing with dread via The Creative Independent
3. What comes after farm to table? via Consumed on Substack
4. Enough With the Ugly Cakes via The Cut
5. On my nightstand: You Have a New Memory by Aiden Arata

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Maybe enjoying isn’t the right word, but I had my skin checked by the dermatologist this week, and now I have to get a few moles removed and tested. Early detection is so important, so if you’ve been putting it off (like I was), take this as a sign to book an appointment!
2. Using May Lindstrom’s The Pendulum Potion to clean the layers and layers of sunscreen off my face every night (see #1 above) without sacrificing moisture.
3. Fave afternoon pick me up right now: dipping pitted Medjool dates into this pistachio spread. Truly sensational.
4. Listening to a lot of Mk.gee, Waxahatchee, Danielle Caesar’s new single, and Rachmaninoff these days.
5. Just beginning to flip through Rachelle Robinett’s brand new book Naturally: The Herbalist’s Guide to Health and Transformation. I love, love LOVE (really love) Rachelle’s Substack.

5 Questions:

1. Why do most of your sauces and dressings contain maple syrup or another type of sugar? Can I just leave it out?
   I’m always just trying to balance the overall flavor. Using a bit of maple/agave is typically not an attempt to make the dressing sweet. I just want the other components (heat, acid, salt, umami) to shine even more because of the slight presence of sweetness. By all means, leave it out if you’re avoiding added sugars or just don’t appreciate the flavor in any context.
2. Do I need both a blender and a food processor? Can I get by with just one?
   They have lots of overlap, but a lot of individual capabilities as well. Smoothies, salad dressing, hummus/other silky smooth dips, and puréed soup are exceptional in a high speed blender. I prefer a food processor for pesto, salsa, chunkier/more textured sauces, and I even make galette dough in it! (learned that from Ina Garten). I’m a big smoothie and soup girl in my day-to-day cooking life, so the blender is much more practical for me.
3. How is Cleo doing since her surgery?
   Great! You wouldn’t even know that she had little bumps on her neck and stomach. Mark and I joke that she got a “tummy tuck” for summer lol. And she’s doing great with some of her teeth removed–eating fine and her little tongue bleps out a lot more often. It’s really cute.
4. It’s so hot and I have no motivation to cook for myself at all. Do you have any low effort meal suggestions?
   I get like this sometimes and thinking unconventionally about what constitutes a meal can be helpful. If my guy is out for the evening and I truly have no motivation (but need to nourish myself), I have a bowl of cereal with a green smoothie (banana, soy milk, protein powder, baby spinach, ice, almond butter, cinnamon, salt) as the “milk.” It’s cold, satisfying, takes me 10 minutes to make, I always have the stuff on hand, and it involves zero cooking. I also turn to a snack plate in times like this! Hummus/another bean-based dip, maybe a little vegan cheese, pickled veggies, raw veggies, fruit, handful of nuts, and some seedy crackers are incredibly satisfying all together!
5. What do you make of all the protein talk?
   Like any food trend these days, I take the parts of it that are useful to me, integrate them, and leave the rest. I was not always like this!! I’ve been blogging recipes since 2011 and fell into the raw vegan, grain-free, high fat stuff like so many others! I’m a lot more balanced with it all and generally just care less about following any set of rules. One side effect of hitting weights at the gym though is that I do benefit from incorporating protein into all my meals with a bit more intention! I want big muscles so I just gotta, ya know? But I try to do it in the most free and chill way possible (I don’t weigh food or count calories/macronutrients). Sometimes I do just want a plate of pasta with zero/minimal protein though and that’s okay haha. Only you can know what foods are best for you in the moment! Please don’t start eating 200 grams of protein a day because some ripped influencer does the same!!

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Juicy Black Lentil Salad with Peaches, Tomatoes & Fresh Basil Vinaigrette
2. Gochujang Peanut Sweet Potato Salad with Green Beans
3. Red Wine Lentils with Confit Cherry Tomatoes & Fennel
4. Creamy Corn & Lemon Pasta with Thyme
5. Vegan Peaches & Cream Muffins