Hello and welcome to our weekend catch up! It’s been cool and rainy here, which is fine by me. I bought a pumpkin spice creamer for my coffee that I’m actually enjoying (sometimes I buy these fun flavored creamers even though I end up disliking them 98% of the time lol). We’re going to see Berlioz in a few days, and I hit PR’s on both bench and deadlifts this week! September is off to a great, very fall-feeling start.

I’m really excited about the recipes coming out over the next couple months. There’s an alternative vegetable “fries” recipe that we’ve been making a lot at home, my very vegan take on a classic Italian soup, a quirky little seasonal breakfast smoothie, a remix of one of the most popular stews on the site, a classic vegan holiday entrée that I’ve absolutely pitched up with flavor, and a simple/lovely fall taco recipe. It’s gonna be a tasty and great few months.

Thank you for all of your running shoe recommendations a couple weeks ago! I ended up going with a model from Saucony and I love them so far. I’ve learned that folks are VERY passionate/precise about this subject.

Hope you’re taking care out there. Have a good one!

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. J.Crew used A.I. to counterfeit their own vibes via Blackbird Spyplane on Substack
2. A good life is inconvenient. via The Well Guide on Substack
3. She Knows Your Next Favorite Snack Before You Do via The New York Times (gift link)
4. Consider the Crunchwrap via Eater
5. On my nightstand: Isola by Allegra Goodman

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Listening to the new Blood Orange album Essex Honey in the car, kitchen, and pretty much everywhere else. Also playing To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1 by English jazz musician Alabaster DePlume during work sessions.
2. This episode of On the Job: How a TikTok-Famous Chef Feeds a Sorority
3. The return of sweatpants weather at the gym. Not a spandex or shorts girly AT ALL. The workout hits different when you’re at max comfort/confidence!
4. Our one dog Mickie gets seasonal allergies this time of year and her paws get so irritated and itchy. The pet store we go to recommended this spray and it’s been helping a lot.
5. Re-watching Gilmore Girls along with everyone else, what can I say!!

5 Questions:

1. Never been a meal prep gal. Advice for some healthy bites to prep?
   I am not a meal prep gal in the traditional sense either! But I do handle my snack prep. I make a batch of breakfast cookies or no-bake oatmeal cookie bites for the week whenever I can because I like having a healthy-ish thing to reach for when I’m feeling snacky mid-morning. I like to make (or buy!!) a dip and just enjoy that with seedy crackers and veggies that I wash and cut up on Sunday (broccoli, carrots and celery are my go-to’s). Chia pudding in cute little jars with fruit/granola on top saves me when mid-afternoon hunger hits. Also, Sarah’s life-changing loaf with a bit of mashed avocado or hummus on top is my ultimate emergency/no time lunch that is actually satiating. I make a loaf, let it cool, slice it up and freeze. I thaw/toast as I need it from there!
2. What was one of your earliest recipes you still love/are proud of, and why?
   It’s this maple cinnamon pumpkin seed granola from 2011 (with updated photos from last year). Granola is one of the first things I learned how to make myself after returning from a trip to Costa Rica in high school. They served it to us with warm milk at a nature resort with this gorgeous sunrise view of a lush valley. It made such a strong impression on me! I still make this exact recipe with slight variations (different spices, nuts, seeds, adding dried fruit at the end) all the time.
3. If you republished your book, any changes you’d make to any of the recipes?
   I would change SO many things honestly. So many of the titles and notes would be adjusted. I would love to combine and then trim the breakfast and beverage sections (maybe eliminate the “small bites”). I’d refine the main courses and soups for sure. A much smaller dessert section. I truly wish I could just do it all again lol. But I also accept that it was all a reflection of my life and what I knew at the time! To look back and immediately know what I would change points to some level of growth, which is reassuring in its own way.
4. Favorite podcasts about health, food or training?
   The Rich Roll Podcast
   excellence, actually
   The archives of Stronger by Science
   The Allsorts Podcast
   Your Brain On…
   ZOE Science & Nutrition
   Maintenance Phase
   I don’t really listen to podcasts about food if I can be honest! A lot of my energy/thoughts are focused on food from a culinary standpoint because of my work. So if I’m listening to podcasts, the subjects are usually health/training, humor, culture, or current events.
5. What do you think about ChatGPT and other A.I. in your personal and work life?
   Knowing that it is resource-intensive (drinking water in particular), I try to avoid it (although I recognize that it’s being used in so many things that I’m not aware of). I have to admit that it is quite useful when it comes to tasks that involve a lot of considerations/data/inputs–like filing your taxes. For creative tasks and idea generation (which is at the heart of what I do), I’m not particularly interested in it. I don’t think that useful creative inspiration can come to you via a well-worded prompt. You have to go out of your way and have a willingness to be uncomfortable/go through sh*t sometimes. Real input from lived human experience always cuts through for me personally. Recently I considered purchasing an A.I. powered plugin to generate alternative text descriptions for photos on my site. I took a week to consider it and eventually gave up on the idea. Sure, the task can take some time and it’s repetitive, but I don’t want to lose touch with that process. I’m not obsessed with efficiency. The goal with my work is to always offer better; not more. I’m also just old fashioned and still enjoy Googling things and “surfing the web” hehe.
   

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Zucchini Involtini with Almond “Ricotta”
2. Crispy Tofu in the Air Fryer
3. Harissa Coconut Lentils with Kale & Roasted Sweet Potatoes
4. Roasted Butternut Squash with Lentils, Cherry Tomatoes & Herbed Yogurt
5. Tender Morning Glory Bread