Hello and welcome to the weekend! I’m spending mine getting some work done, catching up on chores, and starting on fall yard cleanup–nothing too exciting! I enjoy the mundane, quiet, and routine things though 😌. There will be many cups of coffee and tea to power through it all. It’s still pretty warm here, so I’m squeezing in all the outdoor time that I can as well.

This week really took it outta me for some reason, so I’m gonna keep things short today. Be well and take care out there! ♥️

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. In the powwow circle, Indigenous people are ‘dancing for our families, our Elders and our babies’ [The Narwhal]
2. I’m a Chef. This Grain Should Be the Next Quinoa. [New York Times gift link]
3. Factory Farms Make Bad Neighbors. Meet the People Who Are Fighting Back [The Bittman Project]
4. A Practice for Developing Kindness Toward Yourself [Lion’s Roar]
5. On my nightstand: What If We Get It Right?

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Two great episodes of Dean and Ayesha Sherzai’s (aka The Brain Docs) podcast: Your Brain On… Coffee + Your Brain On… Having A Pet
2. Delicious Fall Mocktails to Sip All Season Long
3. That’s a big stick buddy!
4. Six Things Trees Teach Us About Relationships
5. Treated myself to Elmhurst’s Maple Walnut Barista Milk and the Cinnamon Churro Cashew Creamer for some extra deluxe coffees this weekend.

5 Questions:

1. Working for yourself – any tips on creating a work/life routine?
   The flow I’m in now is great! My days used to lack structure and I had zero concept of work/life boundaries. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are recipe developing or photographing days. Thursdays and Fridays are devoted to backend website tasks, writing, keyword research, working on the newsletter etc. Sometimes things have to shuffle around or I have to do a bit of work on the weekend, but it’s usually all good. I also use the Productivity Planner to figure out what I have to do daily/weekly and what’s feasible from a time perspective.
2. What doggie beds do the girls have?
   We have a few doggie beds in different rooms, but the fuzzy/snuggly ones that I always show on my Instagram stories were a lucky HomeSense score! The brand is Nandog and you can find the beds here, but I paid less than half the quoted price at HomeSense. The dogs love them and they’re easy to wash too. I look at the dog beds every time I’m there now just in case haha.
3. What knives and cutting board do you recommend?
   I have a large Boos Block maple cutting board that I absolutely love. I’m chopping a bunch of vegetables pretty much every day and this board is big enough to hold everything and provide a decent workspace. My favourite chef’s knife is the Messermeister Oliva Elite, which was a gift that I received a couple years ago!
4. Need a plant based side for Thanksgiving to feed 20!
   Thanksgiving in Canada is coming up FAST! My favourite Thanksgiving side recipe from my archives is my Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Apples & Walnuts. Cooked sweet potatoes are whipped up with spices, a touch of orange juice, vegan butter, and coconut/cashew milk. Then we top that with sautéed apple slices and crunchy rosemary walnuts. It all gets baked together until it’s piping hot. This dish is loaded with holiday flavour, but it’s not overly sweet–just seasonal and nice! If I was feeding 20, I would probably double the recipe. And of course I have more options for you to peruse here.
5. Which brand of mandoline would you recommend?
   I’ve had my basic Benriner mandoline (affiliate link) for over 10 years now and it’s still razor sharp. I recommend it to everyone. Perfect for the hundreds of fennel and arugula salads I make in a year haha 😉. I never really use the bonus attachment blades for julienne slices, so if I had to replace mine, I would just order the bare bones mandoline exclusively.

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Creamy Vegan Vegetable Stew with Sun Dried Tomato Broth
2. Spicy & Crispy Peanut Tofu with Green Beans
3. Sautéed Cabbage, Kale & Butter Beans with Mustard Cream
4. Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
5. Coconut Couscous with Golden Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpeas