Hi Reader, It's been a minute since I checked in. I hope you'll forgive me because May was a lot. Like, a lot a lot. We packed in a road trip to Vermont, the Indy 500, the last day of school, and some serious garden work—and then my body promptly sent me the bill. I've been in a major chronic illness flare and boyyyy have I spent a lot of time horizontal, which has given me plenty of time to catch up on TV and reread my favorite books. Here's what the last few weeks actually looked like:...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Can I be honest with you for a second? Life has been a lot lately. The kind of a lot where standing over a hot stove for an hour sounds like an actual punishment. Thank goodness it is grill season. Throw it on, walk away (especially if you have a Bluetooth meat thermometer), come back to dinner. No mountain of dishes. No sweating in a hot kitchen. Just food that tastes like summer and a sink that's basically empty. This week's entire menu is grill-friendly (either outdoor or use an...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Workweek mornings are not the time to be making decisions about lunch. You're already trying to remember if your kid needs a permission slip, get your hair to do something presentable, figure out where you put your keys, make a decent cup of coffee, and get out the door before you're late—again. Packing a thoughtful lunch is simply not happening in that window. The good news: none of these five lunches require morning brain. Throw them together the night before or knock them out on...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Maycember is in full swing around here. I thought I could escape the end-of-school-year schedule crunch because we homeschool, but nope, it's still total chaos—and maybe even worse because a lot of it is of our own doing. It's good chaos, but chaos none the less. The garden is also taking every spare minute we have (we're drowning in lettuce, the weeds are trying to take over, and of course, I've added just one more bed about 10 times), and I also have 100 recipe ideas bouncing...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Mother's Day is a week from today, and my Mom's Day request for my family this year is super simple: let me putter around in the garden all day, and please, for the love of all things holy, do not ask me to make a single decision about anything. The decision fatigue is real, friends. So consider this your Mother's Day gift from me: the menu is already decided a week in advance. Whether you're cooking for the mom in your life or forwarding this email directly to someone who loves...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I have been absolutely living in the kitchen the last few weeks developing recipes for both Wholefully and Gentle Kitchen (my energy-aware cooking Substack that went kinda viral last week thanks to a silly note I made about removable bra cups 🤦🏻♀️). From My Kitchen Gnocchi on repeat: We've been making this 15-minute, one skillet Pesto and White Bean Gnocchi weekly for the past two months. It really does just take 15 minutes and one pot. It's so easy, and so packed with flavor! I...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Be honest: how many times this week did you stand in front of the fridge at 7am, completely lost, and end up just... not eating breakfast? No judgment. It happens to the best of us. I got you covered though. Here are five ideas to make breakfast so much easier this week! Three of them can be prepped ahead, and the other two are so fast to make "live" that you'll still be on time to work. Enjoy! Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight OatsDessert for breakfast, but make it nutritious. These...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, This week's meal plan is a pantry clean-out. You know that jar of diced tomatoes that's been sitting in the back of your pantry since...well, let's not talk about when? That can of tuna you keep meaning to do something with? The dry pasta you have three open boxes of? This is their week to shine. Every dinner on this plan is built around stuff you probably already have on hand—canned beans, dried pasta, pantry spices, and whatever odds and ends are hanging out in your fridge. Let's...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, There's a moment every spring that makes everything feel official, and for me, it's the first time I walk out to the garden and come back with a handful of asparagus. Honestly, nothing tastes more like spring than asparagus that was in the ground an hour ago! If you've got asparagus at the farmers market, in your garden, or just showing up at a good price at the grocery store right now, this roundup is for you. Welcome to Spring, friend. Maple-Mustard Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon with...
4 months ago • 2 min read