Welcome to the weekend. It’s a long one here with the Canada Day holiday, which has increasingly taken on a variety of meanings over the last few years. I think to be Canadian and to have gratitude for the freedom and opportunities that exist here, is to also engage with our country’s history of colonialism and the repercussions of the residential school system. This day is complex and contains multitudes, just like every single person that lives here.

Somewhat predictably, we’re spending a lot of time outside this weekend in the yard and at some gatherings (weather and air quality pending). July is a month of many birthdays and celebrations on my partner’s side, so we’re always a bit busier during this month. I also have a bit of work I need to get up to this weekend (in the midst of testing pound cake recipes), so we’ll see how it all goes.

Here’s my usual assortment of reads, things I’m enjoying lately, and some of your questions answered below 🙂

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Digging deep into a humble lake in Canada, scientists found a spot on Earth like no other — and a record that could redefine our history of the planet
2. On National Indigenous Peoples Day, remember to thank the caretakers of the place you call home
3. Does Journalling Actually Improve Mental Health?
4. We Should Be Ambitious About Our Friendships
5. Burnout by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Seed to Table by Luay Ghafari is the ultimate guide to growing your own food, cooking with the bounty, and preserving it for the off season. I contributed the foreward to this book and I couldn’t be more excited about its release. Such a beauty!
2. A competition for spacing out
3. Barbie’s dream house in every US state
4. I loved Atomic Habits, but also enjoyed this discussion of its pervasiveness on the If Books Could Kill podcast
5. Sound on for this otter compilation

5 Questions:

1. Would you say that air fryers are a kitchen essential these days?
   The air fryer has really helped with my kitchen and cooking life in general (we have this one). It feels like an essential for us, especially in the summer. I generally want to eat roasted veg all year, but turning the oven on when it’s already hot out is something that I avoid. The air fryer gets the same effect, but doesn’t heat up my kitchen like the oven does. The air fryer also helps on those nights when I lack cooking inspiration/ambition because I can just throw some veggies and tofu in there with oil and spices and have a meal super quick. It’s also the best for reheating leftover pizza haha. I would be upset if I had to give mine up!
2. What do you use for hair care? Any good natural product recommendations or tips?
   I have fine, curly hair and lots of it. One of the key things I’ve found is to limit washing to 1-2 times a week if possible. I use Rahua’s hydration shampoo and conditioner (comb the conditioner through in the shower), their control cream, and this styling gel by Innersense. One thing I learned from my hairdresser is that my hair has to be super soaking wet when I apply styling products and scrunch with gel. The shape and definition of my curls is so much better when I do this. The drying process is kind of annoying (just chilling with a soaking wet shirt for a couple hours lol), but since I wash once or twice a week, I’m fine with it.
3. Recipes to use up my nutritional yeast?
   I recommend making my vegan parmesan, vegan pesto, cheesy vegan broccoli & barley with white beans, veggie sausage & white bean skillet, or my vegan red pepper pasta with charred corn and basil. I also love to sprinkle nutritional yeast on freshly popped popcorn with some salt and olive oil.
4. What do you feed your dogs?
   I get this question a lot. Our dogs do not follow a plant-based diet. With approval from their vet, they eat a high quality kibble with salmon or white fish, veg, and whole grains plus a few human treats here and there–notable faves are peanut butter, sweet potatoes, and watermelon. Cleo has been fussy with food since we got her and Mickie’s digestion was messed up after she had a bout with leptospirosis a few years ago. Finding something that they both love that also works for them feels like a miracle honestly.
5. Thoughts on the many vegans/vegetarian influencers eating meat again recently?
   Mostly, I feel what other people eat/opt not to eat is none of my business. A lot of former vegan/plant-based content creators have said that they chose to eat that way initially because they were motivated by a certain health outcome, and then after a number of years began to feel unwell. I also know that a lot of folks have chosen to go back to eating animal-based foods out of a deepening commitment to local food and agriculture. Everyone is different and takes different approaches–it’s what makes us human! I don’t believe that there is any one right way to eat that works for every single person. With some influencers/bloggers that I know who have made the switch… if they are feeling better because of it, I’m truly happy for them. At the same time on a bigger scale, it unfortunately seems like vegan and plant-based eating was a trend a number of years ago and is now fading away from the spotlight in favour of higher protein diets that focus on animal-derived foods. The pendulum swings, you know? I still prefer to eat a wide variety of plants and continue to love sharing that adventure here.