Welcome to a new feature on the blog that I’m calling Saturday Sun. Before the redesign, I had a couple posts up in this category, but they randomly disappeared when everything switched over. So! I guess this is the first edition :)

My goal with this weekly catchup is to share a tiny bit of what’s happening in my life, things I’m reading/listening to, practices that I’m enjoying, and to answer a few questions every week too. The weekly recipes that I post can get a bit formulaic if I’m being honest! I’m excited to share the other ways and modes of creativity, learning, and nourishment in my life. For the questions, I usually collect them via Instagram Stories, but you can always submit one for next week in the comments.

This weekend is quiet for us. Both of our dogs had their yearly checkup this week and all was good, which is always a huge relief. We are reflecting on the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (more in the links below). My mom and dad planned out and planted a beautiful new garden at the front of our house this week. My mom’s sense of textures, colour, and space in a garden is unmatched, so I just let her do her thing.

I’m excited for the quiet contemplation and hopefully some nervous system regulation over the next couple days. Lots of things have been happening with the backend of the site/my life that have been building up over the last few months. A calm couple of days with nothing super urgent = an ideal reset.

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. “If you want to learn about Indigenous Peoples and who we are, you have to go to our own forms of self-expression, like our art and our stories, and do that in a way to really learn.”
2. What does reconciliation actually mean?
3. How To Be A Sensitive Person In The World Right Now
4. “Pets do quirky things. […] Such conduct often is a modern incarnation of their evolutionary roots, and also draws upon their current bond with humans.”
5. The Endless Torment of the ‘Recipe?’ Guy

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Having great results with consistent dry brushing, using this brush and this method. I have KP and this practice definitely helps to tamp it down a bit.
2. Just really on an herbal coffee thing lately! I try to wait until mid-morning to have my actual caffeinated/normal coffee these days (one of the billion other things I’m trying in an attempt to sleep better), and herbal coffee fills that gap when I want a hot cozy cup first thing. My favourites are Dandyblend, Rasa Cacao, and Teeccino’s Dandelion Caramel Nut flavour.
3. I got a tongue drum to increase the no-screen activities in my life, and it really has been such a great addition to my life! You don’t need any musical skill to get started and it’s very calming.
4. I’m just really having a homemade applesauce moment. My favourite breakfast right now is steel cut oatmeal (that I batch cook and reheat throughout the week), a big dollop of coconut milk yogurt and lots of super cinnamon-y applesauce. I use this recipe with local gala apples.
5. Aiden Arata’s guided meditation satire makes me laugh every single time.

5 Questions:

1. Favourite way to cook leeks?
   I love using leeks in a simple mixed veggie sauté with some chickpeas added. I’ll usually season that with lots of garlic, fresh dill, and lemon. It’s also nice to sear/grill whole halves of them and serve them with romesco!
2. Did your dogs not like each other when you first introduced them?
   It was not smooth sailing at first and we still have our days. Cleo was used to being top dog for a few years and adding Mickie into the mix was a challenge at first. Especially because Mickie just really wanted to be her friend and Cleo was not understanding that. I really try to not be harsh if one of them wants their space and acts out at the other a bit. Most of the time they tolerate each other and get on just fine.
3. How do you manage work/life balance?
   Truthfully I don’t do it very well! I have a very “all or nothing” personality/work ethic which isn’t great for a sense of balance. I’m either going very hard with content or I want nothing to do with any of it. I mostly just try to be consistent these days and to distribute my effort in the most efficient and impactful way.
4. I can’t have coconut milk. What’s the best sub in soup/other recipes? 
   Depending on what you’re making, I would aim for something equally rich and slightly sweet. Cashew milk/cream and oat milk/oat-based “creams” are the easiest options in my opinion. Here in Canada, we have an amazing oat-based cooking cream by Earth’s Own that I use often.
5. Do you have a freezer, and what do you keep in it?
   We do! I mostly have frozen berries and bananas for smoothies, frozen cooked spinach, some Beyond Meat sausages, ice, tempeh, bagels, sliced bread, batches of cooked beans, vegetable stock in 1 litre containers, frozen peas and corn, and a ton of frozen cauliflower rice because my partner accidentally bought two huge bags of it at Costco (I had asked for the bag of fresh cauliflower florets haha). So if you have a great cauliflower rice recipe, send it over please!