Hey there, hope you’re having a nice start to your weekend! We have nothing major planned and no commitments at all. A couple days with no structure is what I’ve been craving lately, so I’m happy. Just living and being! We’ll probably take the dogs for a hike or two, have a dinner out, get caught up on laundry and all the other sort of boring but nice things. I always take a Sunday evening power hour to plan out my week on my Weekly Dashboard planner, usually with a nice hot drink or a little mocktail if I’m feeling fancy. It really makes a difference in my weeks! Not just in terms of work, but also making a point to schedule in walks, breaks, and an overall sense of balance.

For cooking, I’m craving waffles after contemplating one of your questions below, so I might do a Fall remix of these spelt ones. I want to give an upcoming chickpea soup recipe one more test round this weekend too. We almost always do a cozy pasta night on Sundays–my fave is with broccoli rabe and some broken up vegan sausages. Waffles, soup, and pasta… cozy season is here! Be well and take care of yourself this weekend :)

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Blue Hill’s Dan Barber is Reimagining the Future of Restaurants
2. “My feeding tube means I can no longer enjoy the feeling of being sated after a meal. But there are other ways to nourish myself beyond my body.”
3. Are You the Same Person You Used to Be?
4. How to Breathe Properly (side note: I love using the Othership app for breathwork)
5. Thinking about next year already! How to grow vegetables in pots

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. I love the Food Heaven Podcast, and am really into their 4 part series on burnout so far. It starts with this episode.
2. Watched two great basketball documentaries this week! The Redeem Team and 38 at the Garden.
3. These walnut carvings are incredible and SO cute.
4. Craving everything in the Evergreen Kitchen cookbook! Lots of easy weeknight dinner inspiration.
5. Drinking so much Lake & Oak tea now that the temperatures are dipping. Chaga Coconut Chai and Gut Love are my favourites.

5 Questions:

1. What are the kitchen appliances/tools that you use the least, but still find essential enough to keep?
   I love this question! I feel like I have a few in this category. My mini food processor is one–I love using it for small batches of pesto, finely chopped nuts/seeds, vegan “parmesan”, and a few other things. I probably only use it once a week though. Waffle iron is another one that’s appropriate here! I don’t make waffles very often, but I’m really glad that I have the iron when the occasion strikes. And, believe it or not, my KitchenAid stand mixer is on this list! I know that it’s essential for lots of folks, but I just don’t love baking and will always prefer to use a hand mixer or to mix up a batter by hand if I can.
2. What are your favourite Trader Joe’s items to grab in the US?
   The TJ’s vegan feta is outstanding and I also always have to get their “Ode to the Classic Potato Chip” chips because they’re the perfect texture and saltiness level. The trail mix with the cashews, almonds, and dark chocolate chunks is amazing. I like their frozen pre-cooked rice, quinoa, other grains for convenience sometimes. We also load up on fresh and jarred salsa when we go there.
3. How do you keep active in the Winter? 
   A couple years ago I invested in good quality outdoor gear–an ankle length, super warm puffer-style jacket with a hood that can tighten around my face/accommodate a top knot hairdo (that also zips open from the bottom for better range of motion with my legs), a Gore-tex shell to go over my base layers, well-fitting gloves, and Winter-appropriate hiking shoes (mine are by Hoka, but I don’t think they make them anymore). Doing this made all the difference for me! Just having the right gear to keep me warm and dry eliminated a lot of the excuses that I would build up. Now I absolutely love Winter walks! I really want to try getting into snow shoeing this year.
4. What chia pudding recipe do you use?
   On Instagram I’ve been sharing my go-to breakfast lately, which is Amy Chaplin’s chia pudding with a big dollop of chunky applesauce and some toasted sliced almonds on top. The chia pudding recipe is here (I only use 4 dates and skip the vanilla bean), and I use this applesauce recipe (without the maple syrup though), leaving it quite chunky.
5. Do you think that you will write another cookbook?
   I’ve been thinking about it more lately! That’s all I can really say about it though. I love the immediacy and super seasonal aspect of publishing on here every week. It really is a lot of work and pressure to make (and promote!) a book, and to also keep the site and social media up to date at the same time. A tricky balance for me personally. I would have to be super, mega inspired by the concept for the book to even begin. I am thinking about it though :)