Hello and welcome to our first Saturday meetup of October. This is a super busy month for us, but nothing terribly urgent is happening this weekend, so I plan on savoring the time. This is also easily my favorite month of the year. Almost everything I could want is in season, apple desserts abound (my fave of all the desserts), and the cool nights feel extra cozy with my furry pals nearby.

I’ve been super locked in with the gym lately. Everything is moving really well and my progress continues to trend upwards. Consistency wins over motivation every single time.

I have a mega comfort food/cozy-coded recipe lined up for next week and I’m also testing a hippie-dip hamburger helper kinda thing that’s going really well. For my fellow Canadians planning their Thanksgiving menus, all my best options are featured in this 60+ recipes deep holiday recipe roundup. I’m not on the hook for any cooking that weekend, which is shocking!

Hope you’re taking care and carving out some moments of peace this weekend :)

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Magicians Are So Back via Cosmopolitan
2. When Did Everything Become So ‘Intentional’? via The New York Times (gift link)
3. The Age of Enshittification via The New Yorker (non-paywalled)
4. Jane Goodall (1934–2025): primatologist, conservationist, and messenger of hope via Mongabay
5. The Truth of Reconciliation via The Walrus

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Absolutely sat for Nik Sharma’s Flavor Forward series for America’s Test Kitchen.
2. For my fellow fibermaxxers: Mairlyn Smith’s chocolate bran bud clusters are an elite treat. I make them often!
3. Watching: Task and season 2 of Gen V
4. Helping a butterfly take flight once again
5. Really putting away these salt and vinegar roasted edamame snacks lately

5 Questions:

1. What did you grow in your garden this season and what were the biggest successes and learning points?
   Tomatoes, hot peppers, zucchini, lettuces (earlier in the season), and honey nut squash were big winners for us this year. Less successful was kale, chard, and sweet peppers. I could not stay on top of the bugs eating the greens and I definitely didn’t water my bell peppers enough. It was a super hot and dry summer, which didn’t help. I recently planted some kale (Lacinato) that I found at a local garden center nestled among the fall mums and decor, and it’s doing great! I think it just needed some cooler evening temps to flourish. Most importantly, I know what I need to change next year. The learning never ends!
2. Where the heck are you getting fire roasted tomatoes? Are they canned or jarred? (fellow Ontario gal)
   I use Muir Glen’s canned fire roasted tomatoes, which I’ve reliably been able to find in the “all natural/healthy” section of Loblaws stores or Sobeys, as well as through well.ca online. Sometimes FreshCo stocks them as well! My local independent health food store has them all the time, so I’d check in with an option like that near you! Lastly, not sure if you have a Healthy Planet store near you, but they stock the Vita Bio brand of fire roasted tomatoes–these are in a smaller can, but still taste great.
3. Trying to add more protein to my meals (no powders) and struggling. Help!
   You gotta make friends with soy-based foods if you’re looking to dramatically increase plant-based protein. Tofu, tempeh, soy milk, and edamame are big fixtures of my meals. Legumes are heavily in the mix as well–I eat at least a half cup of beans/lentils/peas every day! The legume-based pasta/rice options have also been a game changer for me (Kaizen, Brami, Barilla, Banza and Catelli all make their own versions). Enjoying whole grains, nuts, and seeds regularly also adds up throughout the day!
4. What’s your go-to soy milk that you can find in Ontario?
   It’s generally Silk unsweetened soy milk, but once in a while I treat myself to Edensoy from an online retailer like well.ca or Nature Santé. I really and truly believe that soy milk is due for a massive comeback. I would be over the moon if I could get an unsweetened vanilla variety here.
5. Do you ever just not feel like cooking for days at a time? What do you do?
   Yes, often! Especially in the summer. I admittedly don’t handle this very well and resort to snacking, the most basic pasta, rice and beans, or takeaways. I do try to get curious about it when it happens though. Why do I not want to cook? Am I really busy right now or just lacking motivation to take care of myself? Where can I make space/find a reason to take care? What’s getting in the way? Thinking about food creatively is my job, and I can be a touch resentful about it when I get in those low motivation cooking ruts. I just try to remember that everything has a season and I really am doing my best. Nothing ever stays the same, which is one of the best/hardest things about life–cooking and otherwise!

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Ginger Sweet Potato Coconut Milk Stew with Lentils & Kale
2. Thanksgiving Panzanella
3. Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
4. 30-Minute Hearty Vegan Chili
5. Marbled Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins