What's Good This Week

Most evenings after my kids are in bed I've been going out walking for an hour or so. Mostly so that my watch doesn't get up in my business about not getting off my butt enough that day, but also because a kid-free hour alone in my thoughts while moving my body is pretty much pure bliss these days.

The other day I walked out along the beach, but since the tide was getting pretty high and I knew the way back would be tricky, I decided to walk home along the road instead. When I got up there I passed a car parked on the side of the road, and in it was a couple who appeared to be having a fairly heated discussion.

I kept going, but a couple of minutes later I heard car door slamming and the dude, now out of the car, yelling at the lady in a way that gave me the creeps. After another minute I decided to turn around and casually loop back past the car, just to make sure that she was ok.

There was something about the tone of the yelling and the words that were being used that left me feeling super unsettled, and I knew if I didn't turn back I'd always wonder about it. By the time I got back to the car they'd both gone, having taken their fight up a very steep hill in a residential area.

I could see them walking and fighting and waving their arms, but they seemed to be ok and there were enough people in the area that I felt that I could turn around and sleep well at night. It made me think, though of this time many years ago when a young woman was killed in Vancouver early in the morning.

She was attacked and was yelling for help, and although dozens of people in houses nearby reported hearing her, not one of them called the police. Each and every single person assumed someone else would call for help, so didn't bother calling themselves.

It's called the bystander effect. As I walked past this fighting couple, it worried me, but I definitely thought it's not my business, someone else will help, and things like that.

Let's make it always our business to quickly check in and make sure people are ok. Better safe than sorry, right?

This week we had Paul's sister and her family in town, which is always a good time. There's a pretty big age gap between our kids (her youngest is 7 and my oldest is 3) but the cousins still seem to have a pretty good time running around together. Or, the big kids tolerate my three-year-old well enough.

We spent a good amount of time at our favourite local brewery, Persephone, and if you're ever on the Sunshine Coast of BC I highly recommend a visit. The land used to be a flower farm (and in fact we got the flowers there for our wedding, 10 years ago) and has since been converted to a farm-to-bottle brewery.

They have a demonstration farm on site where they grow hops, an organic vegetable garden, and a tasting room. Outside are lots of picnic tables, an excellent food truck, and tons of things for kids to run around and play on.

This year they had a crop of apples too sour to make their usual dry-hopped cider with, so they made a low alcohol cider spritz, which at 2.2% was the perfect thing to sip on a sunny afternoon.

My sister and her family arrived from London on Thursday and my brother has just started his holidays, so that means we've currently got eight adults, three toddlers (3.5, 3, and 2.5 years old) and three 9-month olds under one roof. It is insanity, but it's soooooooo fun to see all of the cousins together.

To keep things a bit more sane, my mom is running the place like a summer camp, with set meals for the babies and toddlers and one adult in charge of set up and clean up each time. We've got a dinner rota where each couple takes responsibility for a meal a different night, from grocery shopping to clean up.

My turn is coming up soon, and I'm planning to raid my mom's garden of kale and make this Kale Caesar Salad, and then grill up a butt-load of veggies to serve with quinoa. I'm also planning to test some recipes that I'll hopefully be able to photograph in August and share with you before the summer is out.

Speaking of recipes, I have a question for you guys! I'm working on my content calendar for the next quarter, and I want to know what YOU are looking for from this site.

Are there any kinds of recipes you're really missing? Nutrition topics you want to learn more about?

Do you guys want more Instant Pot recipes? (By the way, it looks like the Instant Pot I have is still on sale 50% off right now on Amazon. Super good deal!)

Should I get an Air Fryer so I can start experimenting with those recipes? (That guy is also on sale right now). I'm loathe to add another appliance to my kitchen (I gave away my slow cooker as soon as I got the Instant Pot), but it seems like Air Fryer recipes are super popular so I may just have to find the space.

ON HEY NUTRITION LADY THIS WEEK

This week we kicked things off with a roundup of Low FODMAP Snacks. It's such a bummer when even a simple snack can give you tummy troubles, so having a list of good go-to snacks is important!

I also shared one of my favourite quick and easy meals, the Veggie Burger in a Bowl! It's a bunless burger meets salad kind of a meal that's ready in 15 minutes and is topped with tangy vegan burger sauce. Omg so good!

We all know we should probably eat more veggies, but it's not always so easy to come up with ideas for how to do it. That's why we finished off the week with a simple post about 9 Ways to Get More Vegetables Into Your Diet (and why you should).

WHAT’S TRENDING ON HNL

You’ll always find the top 5 recipes (like Mung Bean Curry and Chia Fresca) over in the sidebar. Here’s a look at what else is trending this week, according to Google Analytics:

1. Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Wraps. These beauties are great for summer road trips, just so ya know.

2. Is Popcorn Healthy? Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't.

3. 20 Vegetarian Lunch Ideas. This post is heating up!

4. No Sugar Banana Bran Muffins. My mom made a batch of these with blueberries the other day.

5. 7 Vegan Tempeh Recipes You Should Try. Straight to the top 5!