What's Good This Week

I'm trying a new thing this week where, rather than sitting down on Saturday or Sunday and try and write this post all in one go, I'm spending 15 minutes each day during the week and just writing what comes. Hopefully it'll mean a) that I actually get this post ready and scheduled before my self-imposed Sunday 1pm deadline, and b) that the content is more meaningful than the rushed, panicked posts I usually write. 

In spite of having done this, I'm still hitting publish approx 7 hours past my aforementioned deadline. Because, you know, life. 

The other day I was walking through my office at the end of a long day and a colleague looked at me and said, "Wow, you look tired!" 

What are you supposed to say to that? Thank you?? 

I told him that I am tired. Deeply tired. I don't remember ever being not tired and I wonder whether there will come a point in my life when I don't feel tired all the time. 

Does everybody feel this way? Are there people out there who spring out of bed and feel energized and ready to face the day? 

I am not a morning person, but I set my alarm clock for early each day so I can get up to work before I go to work. Ok, maybe I need to start taking iron pills again, but also I'm probably trying to do too many things. 

Each morning when my alarm goes off I hit the snooze button minimum two times. Sometimes I straight up sleep through my alarm. So I'm clearly setting it for earlier than my tired brain desires. But if I set it for later, something would have to go. Blog work? Exercise? Reading? I'm not willing to give any of it up. 

This phase of life with small kids is exhausting. I was at work one Monday morning and a colleague asked how my weekend was. I said great, we had skating lessons on Saturday morning, a playdate in a park on Saturday afternoon and then made a family dinner. Then on Sunday we took the kids swimming, had hockey practice on Sunday afternoon, made pizza, and then got ready for the coming week. 

He said, wow, is that what having kids is like? And then told me he had spent Saturday on his sofa and watched three movies. 

Haha, what? I did that when I had covid and was self-isolating, which I guess is like a vacation for working moms. 

I kept getting targeted ads from this natural wine supplier on Instagram and Facebook, and although I was intrigued, I managed to resist hitting the order button.

Then they hit me with the vagina wine. And I mean, come on, obviously I had to buy it, right? 

Of course I bought it. And it was delicious, of course. 

I bought the kids iPads for Christmas, which really was buying myself the gift of peace and quiet. Except that it has kind of backfired because Niko constantly wants to add new games and apps that he doesn't know how to play, and is always hounding me for help with said games, typically when I'm trying to make dinner which is why I gave them their iPads in the first place. 

But also, I set up their iPads using my Apple ID, which has turned out to be incredibly annoying because they seem to be synching with my phone even though that uses a different Apple ID. I don't know how to get them to unsync now, and no amount of switching things off seems to help. It's like the freaking matrix in there! 

Those of you who have set up devices for your kids, do you create their own Apple IDs or something? Have I done it all wrong?  

Also, if you have a tween or pre-teen who is into Minecraft or Roblox, can you please send them over her for spring break so they can teach my kid how to play and he stops asking me 8 million questions per day? 

Many thanks, and kind regards. 

This week I posted a recipe for Borscht and then mere hours later Putin started bombing Ukraine. In a away it felt kind of tone deaf, but this is a post I have had sitting in drafts for months and a recipe I first published in 2014. 

I couldn't have predicted the timing, but man did it feel weird to be making Pinterest graphics for this Ukrainian soup recipe at a time I knew there were people huddling in bomb shelters. 

My apartment building has a bomb shelter in the basement. Most do, though they haven't been used since the 40's. There are air raid sirens on the roofs of buildings around the city, and on the first Monday of each month, the sirens are tested at 3pm. 

I always find the sound to be quite eerie, and never imagined that in this day and age they'd actually be put to use. And yet that's exactly what is happening, not all that far away. 

As I watched the news report where Putin directly threatened Sweden and Finland, my anxiety over this situation started to grow. The way I feel now reminds me of how I was feeling exactly two years ago, in February 2020, watching the pandemic start to unfold. 

After two years of chaos, loss, anxiety, and grief, it finally seemed like things were starting to get better, and now this? 

Ukraine needs our help, and this situation is a big, big deal. We must act. And those actions need to be more than posting Ukrainian flags and memes on social media.  

As always, when I'm a loss for anything else to do, I throw some money at a cause. This week, all of the proceeds from Sunday's post will be going to Together Rising for their funds specifically directed towards Ukraine. 

I trust this organization deeply. They are always quick to listen, and truly understand a situation, and then begin working with local organizations that have their boots on the ground to disperse funds in the most meaningful way. They're transparent with their financials, and none of the founders take a salary from the organization, which means you can trust that every dollar you donate will go exactly where it is supposed to. 

Every little bit helps, so if you can spare $5, $10, or more, it will make a difference. I'll report back next week and let you know how much HNL donated this week. 

ON HEY NUTRITION LADY THIS WEEK

This week I resurrected another oldie but goodie from the archives and updated it with Instant Pot Instructions. I don't even like beets, but this Instant Pot Borscht is bonkers delicious and you can't beat that vibrant red colour!

Next, we updated and republished and old favourite for Roasted Romanesco. If you haven't tried this freaking looking vegetable yet, now's the time!

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. Yes, still! So let’s look at what else is trending.

1. 10-Minute Vegetable Ramen Noodles. So, so good. 

2. Black Bean and Quinoa Freezer Burritos. Mmmmm, I wish I had some of these on hand now!

3. How to Cook Adzuki Beans. Love these little guys!

4. Red Lentil Dal. So nourishing and delicious!

5. Savory Cottage Cheese Muffins. These would go great with soup!

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

Pär left the following comment and 5-star review on our Kale Lasagna recipe:

Thanks for an amazing recipe, Nutrition Lady! The lasagna turned out great! I can really recommend making a fresh batch of the Instant Pot Pasta Sauce for the lasagna, linked in the recipe. It was well worth the effort. I will be making both the sauce and the lasagna again.

I agree, Pär, the homemade sauce IS worth the extra effort!

THIS WEEK’S MENU

This is a super wonky week so it's not really a proper menu per se:

HERE’S WHAT’S ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

Monday: Leftovers! I made a batch of Spicy Instant Pot Black Beans (except not spicy, because my kids are sensitive) and Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice on the weekend, so we'll be making meals out of those. Thinking bean and cheese quesadillas with rice on the side. 

Tuesday: It's Niko's birthday and he has requested McDonald's for dinner. Typical nutritionist's kid. There will also be cake, which is to be adorned with donuts per the birthday boy, and whatever non-McDonald's adult dinner we manage to scrounge up. 

Wednesday - Sunday: I'm in Chicago! Or in the air en route to Chicago. So no menu plan, but hopefully a lot of fun eats on the horizon.