Welcome to the weekend! It’s a long one here with the Labour Day holiday. We’re not getting up to much besides visiting some farm stands, going out for coffee, hiking with the dogs etc. I love rolling up to a farm and getting the late summer/early fall goods this time of year. Peaches and apples, tomatoes and squash, abundance is off the charts! I have a squash and tomato recipe coming next week that will help us bridge the seasonal gap 😉

I hope that you’re keeping well and that you have a nice weekend! As always, feel free to email me questions for future editions of Saturday Sun. You can also leave your question in a comment on this post if you like. Big hug.

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Risking His Own Extinction to Rescue the Rarest of Flowers
2. Can Transcendental Sound Experiences Change the Way We See the World?
3. How To Spot AI Made Recipes (Thanks for recommending this John!)
4. Pumpkin spice lattes — and the backlash, and the backlash to the backlash — explained
5. Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Hope you don’t mind a little self promo! I was on the Plant Based Canada Podcast and also contributed to How to Make Your Food Famous
2. Pigs show affection with gifts 🥹
3. This display of heuchera is stunning and so perfect for fall! I love the variety of colours that this plant comes in.
4. Since I started lifting, it’s been a challenge getting my protein intake up. Protein shakes with soy milk, Vanilla Epic Protein by Sprout Living, raspberries, peanut butter, and ice are helping to fill in the gaps–plus they taste amazing! My code thefirstmess gets you 20% off any Sprout Living order and it never expires.
5. How to eat 30 plants this week | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Prof. Tim Spector on the ZOE Science & Nutrition Podcast

5 Questions:

1. Do you have a link somewhere to all the things you did/currently do to help with your sleep?
   Here’s a breakdown for you below:
   ♥️ As much daily walking as possible–10,000 steps is always my goal
   ♥️ Weight lifting 3 times a week has been helping me sleep better as well
   ♥️ Getting sunlight/daylight in my eyes in the morning and evening
   ♥️ Cutting off caffeine at noon
   ♥️ No screens or beverages 2 hours before bed
   ♥️ Take 200 mg Magnesium Glycinate after dinner
   ♥️ When I was REALLY struggling, I took the following for 3 months to get myself back on track: Thorne’s Stress Balance in the morning and Gaia’s Adrenal Health Nightly Restore at night. I recommend consulting with a medical professional any time you’re thinking of trying new supplements.
2. What’s your favourite pickled food 1) for snacking and 2) for cooking with?
   Dill pickles or quick pickled carrots for snacking and olives for cooking (but also snacking). I would looove to do more olive recipes on here, but they can be a bit divisive (ie not super popular haha).
3. Getting ready for football season! Best vegan game day eats?
   I would love to post more game day recipes this year! Here’s a few from the archives:
   ♥️ Vegan Jalapeño Popper Dip
   ♥️ Spicy Vegan Artichoke Dip with Kale
   ♥️ Vegan Seven Layer Dip with Buffalo Refried Beans
   ♥️ Sticky and Crispy Sesame Cauliflower
   ♥️ Sticky Sweet Potato Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
   ♥️ Vegan Butternut Nacho “Cheese”
   ♥️ Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza with Roasted Onion Cream
4. Do you still make your own nut milk? Do you still find it worth it?
   I haven’t been making my own lately! Sometimes I’ll make a small batch before the weekend, so that I can really savour it in my morning coffee. Lately I just haven’t had the time and find myself buying Elmhurst’s cashew milk for my lattes (just cashews and water for ingredients). I use store bought soy milk for my smoothies every day for the bump of protein–I usually get the unsweetened version of whatever brand is on sale. A part of me feels embarrassed sharing this, but everyone needs a few shortcuts in their kitchen life. I find myself embracing them more and more lately 😊
5. I like to do what I call mindful reading after yoga and before meditating in the mornings. Do you have any recommendations for Buddhist or other books with short chapters/sections that might work for this?
   What a beautiful morning routine! There are so many schools and sects of Buddhism and each has its own archive of important texts (that can be challenging/almost antithetical to study solo). Here’s a few books that I recommend as they are educational, easier to digest, and can be read bit by bit as part of your morning practice:
   ♥️ The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo
   ♥️ The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
   ♥️ The Practice of Metta by Bhante Gunaratana
   ♥️ Wherever You Go, There You Are by John Kabat-Zinn
   ♥️ Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
   

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. 30 Minute Tomato Orzo with Balsamic Broccolini
2. Sticky Ginger Tempeh with Coconut Rice
3. Loaded Shawarma-Spiced Fries with Crunchy Veg Salad and Lemony Tahini
4. Actually Grillable Vegan Black Bean Burgers (10 Ingredients)
5. Spicy & Crispy Peanut Tofu with Green Beans