What's Good This Week

I'm supposed to be in New York right now. 

Sigh.

Back in January or February I bought tickets to a bougie little food blogging conference (yes, we are THAT cool) in New York. I've been to New York twice before, have stayed in the East Village each time, but this time had plans to stay in Brooklyn, close to the conference venue. 

Unlike another big food blogging conference that caused a lot of drama by trying not to cancel, this one pulled the plug quite early, switching to a virtual conference and transferring our tickets to an in-person conference the same weekend in 2021 (god willing), but I just don't have it in me to attend this thing virtually. 

I know they've tried really hard to make it into a great experience, with great keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and so on, but I bought the ticket because I wanted to get on an airplane, go to New York, and spend a long weekend wandering around one of my favourite cities. I wanted to rub shoulders with like-minded people, make new connections, and learn more about my craft. 

Maybe I'm being a party pooper by not attending the virtual conference, but I just can't bring myself to sit in front of yet another Zoom meeting. Also: I'm grumpy today. Just going to make myself a gigantic chocolate chip cookie and get on with things. 

Current grumpiness aside, I feel like over the past couple of weeks I started to hit my stride for the first time in a long time. 

I'm still going to be on the early side, which means on days that I don't have the kids I can get up and work on the blog for a couple of hours before I have to start work. Just me, a big mug of milky tea, and the backend of Wordpress. Ahhh, living the dream. 

Since I'm not trying to cram blog work into the end of the day, it means I'm able to regularly make time for exercise (other than my bike commute) for the first time in? I don't know. A long time. 

I've started doing yoga classes again, which feels like the thing I need right now. One of these days I'll get my butt back in the pool, but it's not calling me the same way as it used to, so I'm focusing on what feels good. 

Since I've decided to make self care a priority, I decided to join some friends for a sound healing class last Monday. We went to a fancy pants newly opened pilates studio that offers a range of different classes, and even though the drop-in classes are bonkers expensive, it was totally worth it. 

The class had a limit of eight people, and we lay on thick mats with our knees propped up on bolsters, snuggled under blankets and with lavender-scented eye pillows. The instructor lead us through a guided meditation to help us settle in, and then proceeded to play various Tibetan bowls, crystals, chimes, and drums.

The idea is that the vibration of the sound is supposed to help relax both your body and mind, and help you sink deeper into a meditative state and allow for healing. I quite honestly didn't want it to end, it was so lovely lying there listening to the sounds.

At one point she put a bowl on each of our chests so the vibrations we're going directly into our bodies, and at another she was walking around with these tinkling chimes while wafting peppermint scented essential oil near our faces. For a tired, stressed out mom, it was glorious. 

At the end of the class she asked everyone to say one word to summarize how they felt, even if you just wanted to say "pass" for whatever reason. People said predictable things like peace, calm, happy, relaxed, safe, etc. I said pass. 

Truthfully I was still trying to process the experience and couldn't really decide how I felt. I also had a really hard time shutting my mind down and spent the hour thinking about things that I'm confused about (i.e., my entire life) and ending the class by saying "confused" seemed a little weird. 

On my bike ride home I felt like I was floating. I couldn't feel any bumps in the road as I rode over them, and my legs didn't burn AT ALL while riding up hills.

Was it those sound vibrations? I dunno. But I feel like this is a cool thing to incorporate into my personal journey of healing and self-discovery. 

ALSO. My enormously talented friend Harmony Trowbridge just released a new album called Sacrilege and it it everything you need in your earballs right now.

The song The President is Dead is my favourite. It used to be called Forest Fire and still is in my heart, and I campaigned hard for it to be included on this album. So happy it is! 

ON HEY NUTRITION LADY THIS WEEK

We started things off this week with Cinnamon Roasted Apples. They're easy, delicious, and just like eating the inside of an apple pie. 

Next up, a brand new recipe for Vegetarian Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes. This one uses store-bought pesto sauce to make dinner time a cinch!

WHAT’S TRENDING ON HNL

Yeah, yeah, we all know that Mung Bean and Coconut Curry is in number one. So let’s look at what else is trending.

1. How to Cook Mung Beans. Yup, again. 

2. How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Purée. Love seeing this one up top.

3. Chia Fresca. Still going strong. 

4. Turmeric Latte Mix. Made a fresh batch of this today!

5. Cinnamon Roasted Apples. Well hello there!

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

Linda left the following comment and 5-star review on my Fudgy Adzuki Bean Brownies recipe: 

I just made these brownies in my instant pot. Used a 6” springform cake pan lined with parchment paper and rubbed a little butter to coat the parchment. My husband kept saying this was like cheese cake! So moist. Thank you.

Thank YOU, Linda! I'd never thought of making this recipe in the Instant Pot before. 

THIS WEEK’S MENU

One thing I realized last week is that I've been planning too many meals into our week. It may not look like a lot, but since I'm feeding one adult full time and two kids half time, leftovers tend to go quite a long way.

I usually find myself at the end of the week with groceries for at least one meal that I haven't gotten around to, and since I'm trying to trim down my grocery budget (*almost* squeaked under my goal this month) I think it's a good idea to try and plan a little less.

I also photographed a bunch of recipes over the weekend, so we need to work our way through some of that food as well.

Having said that, here's what's on the menu this week:

Sunday: Tonight we're going to try this Cast Iron Skillet Pizza from my friend Kylie's blog, together with this Roasted Butternut Squash Soup that I re-photographed yesterday. 

Monday: This is going to be a crazy day, so we're going for Beans n' Buns since it was so easy and such a hit last time. 

Tuesday: Roasted Pumpkin and Kale Frittata. I re-photographed an ANCIENT recipe, so you can look forward to it in the coming weeks.

Wednesday: Kale salad. I've really been digging kale salad together with a vegetarian chick'n cutlet for protein. 

Thursday: Hot dog day in the park and / or leftovers depending on the weather. 

Friday: Snack dinner!

Saturday: I'm hosting a girl's night and will no doubt make a Vegetarian Cheese Board and perhaps Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas. 

WHAT’S GOOD AROUND THE WEB

1. It's time to revive the interesting breakfast. 

2. The problem with wellness-y wine. 

3. More studies shed light on the value of zinc for covid. 

4. Aww - this rat was awarded a gold medal for landmine detection. 

5. Maybe back off on your daily black licorice habit.