What's Good This Week

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a blue sky above water with a single cloud — The lone cloud in the sky

Hey friends, hope you're enjoying a nice weekend.

We had a couple of weeks of glorious spring weather here in Stockholm, but in typical Swedish fashion, just as people had gotten comfortable sipping rosé on patios and felt confident that the winter was behind us, the snow came back.

I started kinda sorta running again recently. I use the term "running" pretty loosely as I'm still back at the very beginning of the C25K program, so it's really more power walking with a little sprinkling of running than it is actual running at this stage.

If you recall, I made an attempt to start running this time last year, which was foiled by my perpetually cranky hip. This time I front-loaded the running initiative with a 30-day yoga program (which I actually did over more like 45 days) with the hopes that my hip would be a little bit stronger when I got started.

I've also decided to repeat each week of the C25K program twice, so the progress and the buildup is much slower, and hopefully more sustainable. I'm finished my second pass at week one now, and although my hip has certainly voiced some displeasure about the whole thing, it, so far, seems to be cooperating.

Since our swimming pools are still closed and I'm not much of a gym person to begin with, it's been nice to get out and move my body in a different way these days.

a woman's feet in running shoes — Back at it

I started reading How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen on the recommendation of a friend, and although I'm not very far into it, so far I'm pretty impressed. The book is geared as a survival guide for parents of kids from 2-7 years old, and even within the first few pages I felt really seen.

I hate (HAAAAAATE) not being listened to, and not being listened to by my kids when I'm trying to get them out the door in the morning for school, or anything really, turns me into a cranky, shouty mom. Because I have two boys (until they tell me otherwise), and because I'm on my own with them, I feel that it's particularly important to establish a calm and respectful relationship in both directions.

My biggest fear is losing my boys, in the emotional sense, and since most dudes I know, with the exception of my brother and maybe one or two others, describe their moms as "crazy", I feel that I need to start small and start early, and perhaps learning to communicate well with them and not completely lose my cool when I'm trying to get them dressed and out the door for school when we're already late is a good place to begin.

(And for the record, the crazy mom / crazy woman / crazy ex-girlfriend archetype is, I believe, in most cases, a fallacy that is perpetuated by the patriarchy, but I digress.)

I'm still more or less at the beginning of the book, but already I'm finding the tools are coming in handy. I've also heard great things about the original book, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen (And Listen So Kids Will Talk) which is geared towards older children.

a little boy in a plaid shirt standing on a blue skateboard — Tiny Tony Hawk

Hot tip alert! American readers, I'm hearing reports of people finding Halloumi cheese at Costco these days. If you've been itching to try my Halloumi Carbonara or Baked Halloumi with Vegetable Ratatouille recipe and haven't been able to find it, you may want to check Costco!

Although you guys may have halloumi envy a lot of the time, I gotta tell ya, I've been having serious vaccine envy these days. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked for each and every person who I see posting about being partially or fully vaccinated, and I am beyond relieved that my parents have had their first dose.

But we are so behind in the vaccine department here, which is incredibly frustrating. They're still saying that vaccine appointments will open up to all adults by mid May, and I think we are expecting around six weeks between doses. I have a genetic blood clotting disorder and a history of deep vein thrombosis, so I am assuming I won't be eligible for any of the clotty vaccines, which may slow things down a bit more.

Even with vaccine roll out being what it is, I still feel like we're at least a year away from things getting back to normal-ish. I like to play a mental long game to avoid being disappointed about things like another year without being able to travel back to Canada to see my family - just imagine, my youngest was only 9 months old when he last saw his grandparents, and he'll likely be nearly four before that next becomes a possibility for us. Bonkers!

I feel like there is so much we still don't know. Even though *I* might have a vaccine in my arm by this summer, they're not yet vaccinating kids, and is it really smart to be stuffing those little germ conduits on an airplane and lugging them halfway around the world?

I'm also not convinced we're not going to see some sort of shakeup with a new vaccine-resistant variant or something like that. But this is just me being a pessimist - I find disaster thinking to be comforting - and also I have seen the movie Contagion so my mindset has been that this will be a 2+ year process all along.

Anyways, enjoy your vaccines, my friends!

ON HEY NUTRITION LADY THIS WEEK

First up a reboot of this easy and delicious recipe for Tempeh Tacos. If you haven't tried making tempeh taco meat before, now's the time!

Next up, a shiny new recipe for Vegetarian Baked Ziti! I was trying to crack the code for the perfect veggie baked ziti recipe with extra veggie and extra protein while still being cheesy and carby and deliciously comforting, and I'm happy to say that I've done it!

And lastly, these DIY Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt Cups. So easy, so tasty, and so affordable.

WHAT’S TRENDING ON HNL

Yeah, yeah, we all know that Mung Bean and Coconut Curry and How to Cook Mung Beans are in the top spots. So let’s look at what else is trending.

1. Chia Fresca

2. Turmeric Latte Mix

3. 10-Minute Vegetable Ramen Noodles

4. Collagen for Vegetarians

5. Black Bean and Quinoa Freezer Burritos

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

Claire left the following comment and 5-star review on my Almond Butter Date Smoothie recipe:

Happily sipping on this right now! I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a while, but I don’t usually make smoothies. This morning I had limited breakfast options and decided to give this a try. Delicious! I used peanut butter instead of almond, soy milk instead of oat, and I used 2 dates. I’m pregnant and craving all things sweet but trying not to eat junk food. This is a delicious option for me; it really does taste like a peanut butter shake!

I hear you, Claire! This smoothie is the only reason I consumed any vegetables during the first trimester of my last pregnancy. It really is a winner!

THIS WEEK’S MENU

I'm working on a mix of quick and easy back pocket dinners and trying a few new things. Also STILL trying to eat down the pantry and freezer, which both just seem to be self refilling.