#is this going to be the thing that makes me actually use my instantpot for the first time in seven years

[bedlamsbard]

I hate this thing so much and it scares the hell out of me.

I have a gas stove for the first time ever and friends. I hate it. this feels so uncontrollable. my entire cooking process has revolved around an electric stove because I'm used to being able to cook on really low temperatures over a long period of time, so I can, for example, do most of my prep while my onions are gently sautéing. how the fuck do people deal with this. I am dreading experimenting with the oven.

My last stove was a glass top electric and I got really used to that one, even though there were things I wouldn't do with it. (like, technically it was probably strong enough to take my Dutch oven, but I was worried about that so I only ever used my Dutch oven for baking bread.) I liked the glass top! easy to clean! simple!

I'm sure I'll get used to the gas stove but friends. I hate it right now.

[ed-recovery-affirmations]

vent/rant i guess..

i see a lot of things regarding ed recovery that talk about how "i got sick and tired of being this way or of starving myself/ect. ect." and i just.. i appreciate the sentiment but that's never been how it works for me. at most, it's temporary motivation that fades out soon.

sometimes i'll be eating okay and then our stove is broken so i can hardly eat anything (i live with my parent as a student) and we can't go out either because our family friend is staying with us to do some repairs to our house, so my dad and him just eat steak every night or something similar. i tried steak with them once because i just. didn't feel like starving. and.. it wasn't my thing. so i can't really eat steak either because of the flavour and texture.

and i discovered the weight machine a few weeks ago so that's been.. not so conducive to my recovery. and i was losing weight. faster than i've ever lost weight before. and.. i found myself happy about it. it wasn't any sort of concerning rapid weight loss, but.. i was happy.

found out i can actually make food in an instantpot now. which is.. not ideal, but. it's better than nothing. and now i'm not really losing weight anymore which.. is a little bit of a disappointment?

anyways, as i was saying. i fluctuate constantly between: "ok lets do this. i like eating food because it tastes good i want to consume it." and "ew i hate food i don't like eating food it makes me gain weight i don't like it."

(i think it may be good to note that eating doesn't actually make me gain weight with the amount of food i used to consume daily. i think it's mostly bloating since i always tend to return back to the same weight in the morning and then hover around the same weight after i eat food.)

agh, i guess this is kind of long. but. idk. needed to get this out to someone who actually understands lol

Hi! I'm glad you found my blog a safe place to get this out! I took a while to get to this (It's taking me some time to get to asks rn bc Life) but I think that a lot of people will be able to relate to this. It can be really hard to commit to recovery, especially because peoples' EDs & motivations can fluctuate. I definitely get what you're saying, since I also have temptations to sort of "punish" myself when I'm down or deny myself things like good foods.

It can be hard to commit to recovery when you never know what circumstances will trigger a relapse! It can also be hard to figure out exactly what will work for your body and mind at differing points in your mental cycle. I'd suggest you bring a safefood to just nibble on if you find yourself in a circumstance where you can't bring yourself to eat whatever food is on offer.

While it sounds like your relationship with food could use some healing, I think it sounds like there might be more underlying work to do regarding your relationship with yourself and with your body. Like learning to tell yourself "I deserve health and healing even when I'm in a place where I feel like I do not" or "I deserve to treat myself with care especially when I feel like I don't" or "My body has worth because it houses me and that worth does not change based on my weight/appearance/meal bloat."

(Also, speaking as a chronic illness sufferer, if you are experiencing extreme bloat even after eating small amounts, or are in physical discomfort after eating from bloat, you may be allergic/have an intolerance to a specific ingredient. If this is the case, and if it won't trigger your ED too much, I suggest you fiddle around with your diet until you find out what's making this happen! Small amounts of bloat are normal after meals, especially if your body is adjusting to eating normally again after a lengthy pattern of restriction, but serious physical change/discomfort could indicate an underlying problem. Remember, your body deserves to have food that makes it feel good!)

[pearlsandpigswisconsin-blog]

Your slow cooker. It’s not just for the winter.

It seems as though all of the blogs and writers that I follow are publishing summer time hacks--nobody wants to be standing over a hot stove or oven when it is 90 degrees outside. I am no exception. However, I would like to make a case that your slow cooker might be the perfect tool for summer time cooking. You can wake up, throw your evening meal in the pot, go about your day (preferably outside) and come back in the evening to enjoy a roasted chicken, soup, braised cabbage, or pot roast. And your apartment isn’t hotter than it was when you started. I am so enjoying the Dane County Farmer’s Market, and many of the wonderful vegetables and meats available to me were BORN to be put in my instant pot. 

All of these gorgeous veggies come from the Dane County Farmer’s Market. See what they look like in the dutch oven, being softened by butter, before joining the cannelini beans and the ham hock in my instant pot.

I took a walk down State Street earlier this week and stumbled upon the most glorious book store I’ve been in since I was fortunate enough to visit Prairie Lights in Iowa City.  A Room of One’s Own sells both new and used books and had an extensive cook book collection. Be still my heart. They had vintage copies of all of Julia Child’s books as well as all of the new, hot titles. I stumbled upon a slow cooker cookbook called, “The Chef and the Slow Cooker,” by Hugh Acheson. It is beautifully photographed, and seemed made for all of the wonderful ingredients available to me in Wisconsin. My first go at using my instant pot and the recipes in the book happened on Wednesday of last week, when I made a pot roast with a chickpea and charred onion salad. I think my dinner guest on Wednesday will confirm that it did not disappoint. Today I am back at it, making a soup that will get me through this week. It is white bean, escarole and ham soup. 

I have befriended The Curious Farmer at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, and I emailed Matt this week to see if he could bring me a smoked ham hock this Saturday that I could use in my soup. Grateful to be given the heads up, Matt proudly pulled out a beautiful Ham Hock on Saturday, which is currently sitting in my instant pot, along with the cannelini beans, a bunch of herbs, carrots, celery, onion and parmesan rind (the escarole comes in after the other items have cooked for 6-8 hours). You should definitely check out The Curious Farmer’s website, Matt does the beef and pigs, and he has co-conspirators who do poultry and vegetables. (https://curiousfarmer.com/)

So, consider this my argument for using your slow cooker in August. Your kitchen won’t be 500 degrees, you won’t be sweating over a dutch oven (or an actual one), and it is a great way to use all the lovely things available to you this time of year. 

Until next time, friends, happy eating!

#instantpot #slowcooker #wisconsingoodness

[the-expert-zone]

What Every Keto-er Needs in Their Cart! –

This post may contain affiliate links. See affiliate disclaimer here.

When is Amazon Prime Day 2020? Prime Day kicks off at midnight PT on Tuesday, October 13 and runs through Wednesday, October 14, for Prime members.

Who Can Shop? Amazon Prime Day is a perk exclusively for Prime members. If you’re looking to shop Prime Day deals and don’t have a membership, definitely signup for a free 30-day trial here ASAP, so you can access the exclusive event for free.

Support Small Businesses! I love supporting small businesses whenever possible and to be able to do that during Prime Day is amazing.Prime members can shop deals featured in the Support Small storefront, Amazon Handmade and Amazon Launchpad.

An interesting fact I learned while researching all the best deals this year is that more than half of the items sold on Amazon are from mostly small and medium-sized businesses, and last Prime Day, these sellers surpassed $2 billion in sales.

And as an added bonus for shopping small, Amazon is offering a $10 credit to use on Prime Day to members who spend $10 on items sold by select small businesses in Amazon’s store. Visit the link here to learn more about it and to start shopping!

My Picks If you have read some of my other posts, you know I am an Amazon addict so I have been scouring the site for the best deals for you guys. I’ve added my favorites below – let me know if I missed out on a good deal in the comments below!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know my obsession with my Nespresso Vertuo machine (and my excess buy of all their pumpkin spice cups). I actually bought my Nespresso machine from Amazon because of the deal I got during last year’s Prime Day – the machine came with an aerator so I can foam up cream to put in my coffee and was 30% off. This year the deal is even better with 41% off the Nespresso machine! ProTip: I bought my machine from Amazon, but it makes more sense to purchase the coffee pods from Nespresso’s website (and it still ships in just a couple of days!).

Get your Nespresso here.

Is it me, or is it easier drinking all your water if you are drinking it out of something pretty? I love these ombre water bottles that are not only gorgeous but keep me honest with my refilling time. I usually refill mine 3 times a day!

Get you ombre water bottle here.

I have been stalking the InstantPot with Airfryer lid price an Amazon waiting for the moment that it would hit a sale price. And boy it has come! This gadget seriously does it all. Now with the air fryer lid, the InstantPot air fries (obviously lol), pressure cooks, sautés, steams, slow cooks, sous vides, warms, roasts, bakes, broil and dehydrates. I mean, come on! I literally just ordered this during the Prime Day sale, and I am so excited for it to arrive – expect A LOT of healthy recipes to be filling the blog very soon!

Get your InstantPot with AirFryer lid here.

I use my blender everyday. I make smoothies, nut butters, juices, and more but I hate when I want one serving of something to dirty up the huge blender. I love this Ninja blender because it comes with small, to go cups that you can blend right in with the full power of the blender! This feature is amazing because I know what I’m blending is one serving and I only have to wash one thing.

Get your Ninja here.

Working out at home has been a total game changer for me. After saving up for a year, I bought a Peloton in March and it has been so incredible! (add me on the leaderboard: robolikes) Recently, Peloton added classes that used resistance bands and these classes are so good! Andy & Hannah teach them and they are so good and leave you feeling sore. These bands are my favorite because they are much more budget friendly and are so easy to use. I use them whenever I need extra strength workouts added to my bike riding!

Get your resistance bands here.

Also recently added on the Peloton app are barre classes! These classes are also with Hannah and OMG let me tell you they are so tough! I love adding Bala weights to my wrists and ankles to make the moves even more challenging. These weights are also great to add an arm workout while walking too! I also love a great product that was also a contestant on SharkTank but that’s just a fun factoid for me ;D

Get your Bala weights here.

I love these workout pants. They are super high waisted & have 3 pockets! They are also super breathable & always stay put during my workouts filled with pilates ab workouts, barre squats, power walks, and spin classes. They also come in a ton of awesome color and lengths and are beyond affordable.

Get your leggings here.

I am an avid meal prepper. I actually really enjoy taking a few hours on a Sunday and cooking up a storm – it’s almost like meditating to me! I love these containers to keep all of my prepped food fresh throughout the week. They are airtight and have never had one of them stain even with soups and sauces.

Get your containers here.

I love walking. I personally feel it has been instrumental in the positive changes in my body and mind. But it’s not always feasible to get in the amount of steps I want daily. Which lead me to research treadmills. Now, I live in a tiny apartment in New York City so the tread needed to be compact and hopefully something I could shove underneath my bed when necessary. Enter this little folding miracle from GoPlus! This treadmill is exactly what I wanted – it’s small and lets me get in all my steps. It should be noted that I only power walk on it and do not run so definitely look into it more if you are a runner!

Get your treadmill here.

I eat lots of salads, but get tired of making them, cutting up all the stuff, etc. Enter my new favorite kitchen tool, OXO Good Grips Salad Chopper & Bowl! With this, I just throw everything in the bowl and in only a few seconds it’s a salad!

Get your salad chopper bowl here.

Unexpected sale alert! Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Powder is 50% off! definitely stock up on this powder now by clicking here.

Let me know what you get or if you end up getting any of my favorites below!

NEW TO KETO? YOU’LL LOVE THESE KETO RECIPE EBOOKS! Hey! Thinking about trying the Keto diet? I’d love to help! I’ve lost over 65 pounds doing Keto and have kept it off! Take a look at my Ultimate Keto Diet Beginner’s Guide & Food List, take a spin through my Pinterest page or click on an e-book below! Each ebook has 30 recipes with 5 ingredients & are 5 grams of net carbs or fewer! Right now they are on SALE for $9.99 each! Talk about a no-brainer.

So you can choose 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner & 1 dessert from their Keto in Five cookbooks and know you’re under your daily carb limit for the day!

You can click the LINK to start creating your 8-week plan. Simply follow the plan to achieve a successful keto diet.

⠀ LINK : CLICK HERE LINK :CLICK HERE

from Your Keto Plan https://ift.tt/3q147wp

[annualsurveyresults]

2017 Year End Survey Results

2017 Year End Survey!!!

Hi Friends…

Happy Valentine’s Day, we hope you’re all well and that love is in the air. 

This email is going out to the awesome ones who responded to the poll (51 out of approximately 150 recipients). It turns out it hit a lot of people’s spam folders, so next year we will do a better job of clarifying the subject, etc.

As the survey has grown, there are now too many answers for us to add comments and include links, so this year the answers are coming as filtered lists (we cut where necessary, to try to be useful and concise).

Thank you so much for your answers!

Section 1: What is Tickling Your Brain

Meaningful Books

Margin of Safety by Seth Klarman

Sapiens

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

American Eclipse

Cryptocurrency

Seven Mysteries of Life

Owned: Property, Privacy, and the New Digital Serfdom

Tiffany Haddish The Last Black Unicorn.

Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad

Fourth State of Matter (New Yorker piece)

The President’s Devotional

Born a Crime

Creativity, Inc.

A Little Life

Hillbilly Elegy

Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

Don Quixote

Oryx and Crake

All the Rivers

The Fifth Season

The Nix

Persepolis Rising

The Female Brain

The Undoing Project

Moonglow by Michael Chabon

The Girls on The Train

Underground Railroad

When Breath Becomes Air

Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

The Innovators

Caine Mutiny

Pachinko

Beyond the Sky and the Earth

Saints for All Occasions

We Were 8 Years in Power

The Odyssey: A Father a Son & an Epic

Achilles in Vietnam

Zero to One

The Taste of Empire

May We Be Forgiven

Homegoing

Being Mortal

Born to Run

The Smartest Kids in the World

Groovy Song or Band (well known artists/songs were filtered out, focusing on discovery)

James Booker

“Sound of Silence” - Disturbed

Electrocutioner – Soraia

Flamingo

I’m The One

Sharkmuffin

Chicano Batman

Lord Echo

Jason Isbell

Hank 3

Waist Deep in the Big Muddy

Zodiac by Dave Douglas and friends

Static and Ben El Tavori

Ben Franklin’s Song (the Decembrists)

Kevin Morby

CHVRCHES

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Secret Weapons

Squirrel Nut Zippers, Metropolitan Klezmer

Dr. Dog’s Abandoned Mansion

Old Crow Medicine Show

De La Soul

Despair

The XX

Favorite Apps or Websites (well known apps/sites were filtered out, focusing on discovery)

Autodesk Graphic, Robinhood

Kaggle

ParkNYC

Hades Star - game

Weather.gov - everyday weather

Strictly Dumpling Mike Chen Food Reviews on Youtube

overcast

TheRawStory.com

ThinkorSwim, Kerbal Space Program

Nextdoor

Design Home game, Monument Valley, Redbubble

childmind.org

Ars Technica

Duolingo, NPROne, Feedly.com

Remodelista

Verify (OCR receipts - expense tracking); Day One (journal)

Strava, belfastcommunityradio.org, All Trails app

Wirecutter

The RealReal, Pickett of London

Citymapper

cupofjo.com

.alltop.com/photography

goodguide.com

blinkist, farnamstreetblog, bothsidesofthetable

Podcasts (well known podcasts retained, focusing on reinforcing quality)

Chapo Trap House, Intercepted, Archaeological Fantasies

Fresh Air, RadioLab, Terrible -Thanks for Asking

The Daily, On Being, Radiolab

Planet Money, Pod Save America, Radiolab

Real Vision, The Moth

99% Invisible

S-Town

Kalaidocast

The Daily, Pod Save America, Lovitt or Leave It

Imaginary Worlds, Jay + Miles X-Plain the X-Men, Blank Check with Griffin and David

Slow Burn; Pod Save America; RadioLab More Perfect

Slate’s The Gist; MSNBC Rachel Maddow; Week in the Knees

Wow in the World, Deadpod, Dope Queens

The Daily, S*Town, How I Built This

Splendid Table, Pod Save America

Busy Phillips podcast

Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me; It’s Been a Minute; This American Life

NPR 1 (for Terry Gross), Global Politico, Preet Bharara’s new podcast

HBR Idea Cast, a16z, Tim Ferris Show

Adventures in Finance, Bloomberg Surveillance, The Moth Radio Hour

In Our Time, This American Life, Fresh Air

S-town, Revisionist History, Rachel Maddow

Section 2:  Soul - Feeling Better

What Makes You Happy (answers filtered based on broad applicability and usefulness)

Silence

drawing

Puzzle Mania 😀

Beer and wine

The possibility of reducing work to three days a week

family time / family vacation

Salty food and walking the local golf course with my dog off leash

Tennis

My SodaStream

My dogs

Exercise

Los Angeles

Sleep

Freedom

Skiing

Jogging

Civic Engagement

Reconnecting

Reading

Learning about self-compassion

Robert Mueller

yoga and Bulgarian yogurt

Stress Relief (answers filtered based on broad applicability and usefulness)

Drawing cartoons on my iPad.

Crossfit & Krav

Table Tennis

Quiet Places

luna & larry’s coconut bliss dark chocolate ice cream

Running

Hot shower on the weekends

Building Stuff

Citibike

Tennis

Swimming/hot tub

Mindless computer games like solitaire

Long Walks

Making Art

yoga and Tango Dancing

Reading and Writing Poetry

Transcendental Meditation

Kickboxing

Skiing

Needlepoint

Stop Taking Things So Seriously.

Being organized to that I actually get the piles of papers/bills/etc off my “To Do List”

SLT (strengthen lengthen tone) UWS

Mindfulness practices & class (meditation, writing prompts)

Biking

Cooking

vodka or tequila mixed with club soda with a squeeze of lime

Meaningful Not-For-Profit Organization (no filtering, if you named it, it’s in here…)

Sleeping Giants

Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

misophonia research causes

Yvote

Israeli Venture Network

Humane Society of NY

International Refugee Assistance Project

Courageous Parents Network, helping families parent children with serious illness

The Bronx Freedom Fund

Goddard Riverside

IBD Support Foundation

Village Health Works

I just discovered the store BoxLunch, Badass Brooklyn Dog rescue is cool, also Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary is an amazing Group.

Hadassah hospital.

Jewish Funders Network

Child Mind Institute

CASA - court appointed special advocates for foster care children

EFF

The Trevor Project

Run For Something

Apex for Youth

Hazon

Indivisible, Hadassah

Child Mind Institute, Planned Parenthood

Mercy Corps

Harlem Children’s Zone

Indivisible

Second Harvest

City Step

Center for Justice and Democracy

Karuna Foundation

Speak Up Africa - helping mothers and newborns stay healthy

God’s Love We Deliver

Amani Global Works

Biblioburro

Gabby Giffords antigun PAC (giffords PAC) is fighting the right fight

AGW & WEACT (We Act for Environmental Justice)

ADL

Coney Island Prep

Polaris Project

American Cancer Society

Charity Water

Climate Reality Project

Inspiring Politician (no filtering, if you wrote it, it’s in here…)

No One/LOL (8)

Elizabeth Warren (5)

Donald Trump (“he inspired me to be active”) (3)

Tarana Burke (2) (#MeToo)

Kirsten Gillibrand (2)

Danica Roem (2)

Bernie Sanders (2)

Sally Yates (2)

John McCain

Jimmy Kimmel

Angela Merkel - her face says what I feel about American politics.

Adam Schiff

Samantha Bee

John McCain

Scott Stringer

Jeff Flake

Chris Murphy

Joe Kahn

Cory Booker

Michelle Obama

Jon Ossoff

Hillary Clinton

Bob Ferguson - Washington State Attorney General

Best Restaurant Experience This Year (no filtering, if you wrote it, it’s in here…)

PABU Izakaya in SF

Blanca

Berns Steakhouse in Tampa, FL

Breakfast Burrito from Frank’s on Fairfax

Sushi Nakazawa

Los Angeles Tatsu Ramen, Pork Bao on Melrose.

Asiate

Boulud Sud

Tomahawk steak at Gelso & Grand has changed me as a person

Park Avenue Summer

Pokeworks at lunch

Azurmendi ½ hour outside Bilbao Spain

The Modern (2)

Atlantic Grill

Candle Cafe

Barbuzzo (Philadelphia)

ABC Kitchen

Here’s Looking at You (LA)

Excellent Dumpling House in Chelsea

Burma Superstar

Blue Ribbon Brasserie, SoHo

Eataly

Quality Italian

Sate Kampar, Philadelphia

Shalom Y'all

Nix

Azurmende (in Bilbao)

Breakfast at Hyatt Kathmandu

Vietnam on First Avenue NYC

Maison Pickle

Jeni’s Ice Cream (ATL)

Sushi Takeshima in Kanazawa, Japan

Mastros

Picco Larkspur, CA

The Old Rose in the Jane Hotel

Souley Vegan - Oakland

Four Seasons Jackson Hole

Chris Aerni’s is the chef/owner of the Rosemont Inn in New Brunswick, Canada

Bite Into Maine - Lobster Roll

Sushi Inoue

Best Purchase Under $500 (answers filtered based on broad applicability and usefulness)

Allbirds runners

Samsung 4K HDR Monitor

Adidas Ultra Boost running shoes

Netgear orbi

Airpods (4)

5 nights of babysitting

SodaStream

InstantPot!

Deluxe Ninja blender

Salomon hiking boots

Brookes walking shoes

Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bag

Amope Electronic Foot File

Contigo hot cup for on-the-go. Really does keep my tea warm for 4hrs!

Madewell Jeans

Wrinkle-free shirts from LL Bean

Amazon Echo

Bombas socks (honeycomb support structure rocks)

We designed a glass vase and had it blown for us by Lexington Glassworks in Asheville, NC

Smart Light Bulbs

F2C Indoor Exercise Bike Stand trainer W/ 8 Levels of Resistance

Dream “Off The Beaten Path” Vacation (filtered to focus on discovery)

Northern India

Hill Tribes of India

The Color wars in India

Jacmel, Haiti

Rocky Mountain National Park

Lake Louise

Azores (3)

Portugal (4)

Mississippi

Namibia, Africa

Morocco

Aran Islands, Ireland

Northern Scandinavia

Lamu, Kenya

Palau

Iceland - Fire and Ice experiences

Cuba

Health Products or Insights (not filtered - you were all very interesting on this one)

Sleep more

ClassPass - yoga once a week

Pull-up bar that pops in above door

Stretches learned during physical therapy, amazing. Better posture while standing. Using a standing desk that can move up and down.

Switched from Eucerin face cream to Rose Hip and Hibiscus Moisturizer, skin feels much better.

One big meal a day

Citibike

under desk bike, apple watch

Yoga

I have begun Pilates this year and it really seems to work with my body. I am hoping I can join a studio to work with the machines next year. Also the foam roller will change your life ! I roll my back daily and it helps soooo much!

Not eating 5 or more hours before going to bed

Started tai-chi

Drink water

Cycling

doing at least a little bit of yoga or stretching every single day

intermittent fasting

alkali water

Flotation

TM

Mindfulness in every-day moments

You can do a lot in one day rather than spread it out over 5-6 days

More mindful breathing.

Hiking with walking sticks really helps the knees.

Still searching for something that I will stick with

SLT and retinol nightly

Yoga. And stretching.

I had some imaging done on my heart. Does that count?

Feldenkrais

hot yoga (I know, it’s so 10 years ago)

Stretching!

Marula facial oil and MCT oil in coffee aka bulletproof coffee

Float tanks

Eating low carb

Insight: Dry Fasting as implemented by Dr. Sergei Filonov in Siberia – cured my friend’s debilitating Lyme disease with six weeks of treatment.

Magnesium Taurate (back pain)

Milk thistle

How often do you meditate?

3+ times per week:             6.1%

1 or 2 times per week:     18.4%

1 or 2 times per month:   12.2%

rarely:                               22.4%

never:                              40.8%

Prediction: Bitcoin price at the end of 2018

>$25,000                                        22.0%

Between $25,000 and $2,500       63.4%

<$2,500                                         14.6%

Prediction: Senate after 2018 Elections

Republicans gain seats (>51 seats):        6.4%

51 Rep / 49 Dem (stays the same):         4.3%

50 / 50:                                                  23.4%

Democrats gain control:                       66.0%

Prediction: Who will win the World Cup

“I don’t care”:           53.1%

Germany:                 14.3%

Brazil:                       10.2%

Spain:                        6.1%

Argentina:                  6.1%

All other choices too low to bother with…

Favorite Life Hack (light filtering for usefulness)

Always be kind to your wife

Make a daily list of three things each day for which you are grateful.

Rely on the experts. They’re generally right

Better to “get over it” quickly

Using binder clips to hold loose wires to back of desk

Gowanus is as cool of a neighborhood as it is ugly.

Seek out comedy and laugh as much as possible. Recent interests Tiffany Haddish and Judd Apatow has a few good laughs on his special.

You don’t control your circumstances, you can control how you deal with them

Ink + Volt Planner

shave only once a week

Practice patience…

This is probably common knowledge to everyone, but it turns out there’s an arrow near the gas display that tells you which side of the car has the gas tank.

I learned about living an aloha life and while it is not super easy in NYC it is always a conscious decision that has not failed to make me feel better

“Books make my bed dirty, and alas, I ain’t got no transcendental eyeglasses”

Technology is not my friend

I should’ve spent more time with the Gottliebs in 2017. Will not make that mistake again.

Less social media. Facebook / twitter / insta can be bad for you.

overnight steel cut oats

Voters need to show up

Gmail allows variations to your address that include inserting a “.” anywhere or adding +“whatever you want” before the “@”. Generally logins require both you’re email address and your password. Half of that equation (your email address) is publicly available. For painless added security, when creating logins to sites, consider adding “+whatever you want” to the email address. A hacker would require both your password and this variation on your email address, which no one but you would have knowledge of. Incoming messages can also be filtered into folders by variations of this kind if you like (so “+secure”; “+junk”; “+temp”; “+important”).

Stop watching the news.

TM

It’s not as bad as it appears

To help kids be independent, we need to trust them.

Most damage can be repaired.

Be kind as often as you can because it will come back to you in spades

Book called subtle art of not giving a bleep….very good life advice

Take chances and try to be happy. Life is too short not to do so.

We need to regain a more equal distribution of income and the belief that we should take care of each other.

bidet

Getting old sucks

Growing old is good and becoming invisible has distinct advantages.

It’s not a new one, but work/life balance is CRUCIAL

Life is short.

When I say “yes” to something, what I am saying “no” to?

Electric power consumption will increase steadily over time notwithstanding efficiency gains in products that consume electricity

[pepprs]

presidential alert the girls are beginning to confront the fact that when they m*ve o*t they may not be coming back.... 🤭

[koreanpike3-blog]

Real Women Approved: 30 Tried and Tested Fall Recipes You’ll Love

Velvet leggings: Spanx–one of my favorite pairs of pants in the winter! I never take them off! They run true to size–such a fun alternative to regular leggings, and so warm! Turtleneck: J.Crew’s tissue turtleneck…duh..when am I not wearing one? I own one in every color (and pattern!) They run true to size! (I always get asked what size I wear–the one I’m wearing here is size small, but I also have them in XS…it just depends on how you want them to fit!) Cardigan: this one is old from last year, but similar here, here and here! 

What are you cooking this fall?

Happy Friday, guys!

I can’t believe it’s already been a YEAR since I originally published this post! With so many amazing recipes, I decided I had to refresh it for 2018 again! So–that means, even MORE recipes to make this year!

I asked for your submissions on Instagram and got sooo many incredible recommendations! I tried my best to include as many as I could! This post (originally published last fall) was actually my second installment of my “Real Women Approved” series (where I round up YOUR recommendations on varying topics) and it was really fun to see how many more posts we’ve published since then! (Find them all right here!) These are some of my favorite posts to create because I think the best ideas come from you guys, and I have so much fun collaborating all together!

A change in seasons always re-ignites my excitement to get back into the kitchen (I’m always partial to warm winter recipes! I think everything tastes better roasted, braised, or cooked in a dutch oven!) I’m always on the hunt for new recipe ideas (aren’t we all?) so I figured this would be an awesome topic for my next reader favorites roundup!

I might be a little biased, but I think you guys have the best recommendations around! 😉(Like your book recco’s for example? LIGHTS OUT! Or your most praised all-purpose totes for work and travel? AMAZING.)

Personally, one of my favorite things to make in the fall and winter is lentil soup–it’s so simple, rustic, and delicious.

The best part about lentil soup is that you can really go any way you’d like with it–I always start with this classic base recipe and then riff off of it based on what I’m feelin’ that day. (I love to finish it with a squeeze of lemon and freshly grated parmesan cheese!) Lentils are so good for you, so I love this soup when I want a detox but want something heartier than a salad. Despite the fact that it doesn’t have meat in it, it’s one of Neal’s favorite soups! (Sometimes I add kale as well!)

If you’re feeling a little indulgent, add bacon when you’re sautéing the veggies, and a bit of wine while the soup is cooking. You could also give it an Eastern twist adding spices like tumeric or curry powder, and a splash of coconut milk. It’s so easy to make your own and is perfect for a cozy night in!

Now, even more fun–below are LOT’s more fall recipes recommended by my favorite gals–you guys! Get ready for pumpkin and butternut EVERYTHANG. (And make sure to follow along on Insta stories so you can weigh in on our next reader roundup topic! I always love to hear all your opinions!)

Fall Recipes

TJ’s Cauliflower Gnocchi Hack:

Melissa says, “I’m obsessed with this TJ’s Cauliflower gnocchi hack from Kai and the Kitchen! It’s a bag of frozen gnocchi, rotisserie chicken, mushrooms (I buy them pre-sliced, obvi), butter and sage. Best weeknight hack that is good enough for the weekend!” 

Fall Chicken Skillet

Jean says, “You have to try the Fall Chicken skillet from Well Plated! SO good with apples, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts yummm!” 

Veggie Fall Casserole

Reader Molly loves this broccoli cauliflower brown rice casserole for fall! She says,“it’s great for when you need to use up extra veggies or want something meatless!

“Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good!”

Suddin says, “We make ‘pumpkin stuffed with everything good‘ every fall. It’s bread, cheeses, herbs, etc stuffed into a pumpkin and baked. I look forward to it every year. I usually grab a small pumpkin from Trader Joe’s and it’s the perfect size for two!” 

Roasted Tomato Soup with Everything Grilled Cheese

Tina, who also has a great food blog, Shredded Sprout–says soup is her fall go-to, especially roasted tomato soup with everything grilled cheese. YUM!

Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma

R says, “Just made this oven roasted chicken shawarma last night and it was super simple, but so easy and so tasty! The notes at the bottom give good tips on what to include so I added bell pepper along with the chicken as well as homemade pita and rice pilaf! 

Autumn Glow Salad

Kimberlyn says, “This is a delish salad perfect for fall. It has sweet potatoes and apples (AKA the Fall faves!) and keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge so it’s perfect for meal prep. I usually make one big batch on Sunday and eat all week!”

Chipotle Pumpkin Soup with Chorizo

Laura is hooked on Halfbaked Harvest’s has chipotle pumpkin soup with chorizo! She says, “It has all the warming fall flavors you need and you can use soy-rizo/cut back on the cheese to make it healthier! I am obsessed with it 🔥”

30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen

Carly says, “I made 30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken from @halfbakedharvest via Cooking w/ Liz (@lizadams) last week and it was delicious! Plus, it was also quick, easy, and such a cozy meal.” Side note, if you don’t follow Liz, you definitely need to! I know you will love her–she does an Instagram live series called “Cooking with Liz” and it’s always so much fun!

Creamy Squash Rigatoni

Hannah says, “This pasta recipe has been my go-to fall recipe for YEARS! It’s basically like an inside out butternut squash ravioli! I’ve started using canned pumpkin (not the pie filling–the plain, unsweetened kind) instead of roasting the squash when I don’t have time!” 

Chicken Chorizo Chili

Karen describes this yummy Chili as “Spicy, easy, and a different take on chili. Such a cozy dish for a cold weeknight. And anything topped with cheese and sour cream is a MAJ victory IMO.” 

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Cat says, “Okay, so this recipe takes some work, but I kid you not, everyone in my family is now OBSESSED with this pie an dI HAVE to make it every Thanksgiving! All of Sally’s recipes are so great because they give you small tips that you wouldn’t otherwise realize so just be sure to read the entire thing before baking!” 

Spiced Pork Tenderloin

Kathleen says, “For the past couple years when the weather gets juuust crips enough, my husband and I have a lightbulb moment: ‘IS IT SPICED PORK TIME?!’ We use this recipe just as a guide and basically dump tons of the spices onto the tenderloins for maximum fall flavor. It’s very quick easy, and low cal for a busy weekenight, and it’s absolutely delicious!” 

The Best Creamy Chicken Soup:

Helen says, “For this recipe, I use leftover rotisserie chicken and substitute half and half for heavy cream but it smells amazing (thank you, celery!) and it freezes wonderfully so you can eat it later in the season. My boyfriend and I love to eat it with crusty bread or homemade grilled cheese!” 

Panko Crusted Chicken Thighs:

Emma says,  “Right now, my favorite is this Bon Appetit Panko Crusted Chicken with carrots. It’s UNREAL. So fast, so easy, so cozy on a cold night. It’s comfort food for me, plain and simple. And pretty inexpensive. Usually I use chicken breast instead since that’s my go-to. Whatever floats your boat!” 

One Pan Autumn Chicken Dinner

Bethany says, “I love the One Pan Autumn Chicken Dinner by @cookingclassy ! It’s easy, makes the whole house smell amazing, and goes perfectly with a glass of 🍷!” 

Instant Pot Short Ribs

Clementine loves Tyler Florence’s ultimate short ribs with parsnip purée. “Omg so good “ she says, and shared her time-saving hack: “I did it in the InstantPot in under an hour last week if you aren’t into using a Dutch oven!” 

Thai Butternut Soup

Charmain says, “this is my favorite go-to recipe for those comfort food days and it’s really so simple to make. Everyone I’ve made it for always raves about how tasty it is and then is shocked at just swapping out milk for coconu tmilk and adding a few unexpected spices turns ordinary butternut soup into something amazing!” You can see the recipe posted on her instagram right here! (Plus, her feed is so pretty, too!)

Crock Pot Zucchini Lasagna

Do you follow my friend Lauren from Lakeshore Lady? She shares TONS of amazing recipes–but her crock pot zucchini lasagna is one of her go’to’s for Fall! “Super cozy, and once everything goes into the crock pot, you can forget about it until it’s time to eat! Stress free!”

Quick Apple Turnovers

Whitney says, “These apple turnovers are SO simple and made with ingredients that most people have on hand during the holidays. They taste best when hot from the oven and served with vanilla ice cream!” 

Winter Vegetable Chowder

Katie loves Rachael Ray’s Winter Veggie Chowder–she says, “I made it in a Crock-Pot on high for four hours. It’s easy but there’s a lot of chopping–just throw veggies in the crock and heavily salt. HEAVILY. )You think it’s too much but it’s not–because it will draw the liquid from the veggies, which is where your borth comes from!) I just let the veggies sweat it out in there, and then add the remaining ingredients!” 

Skinnytaste Pumpkin Chili

Lee recommends this pumpkin veggie chili from Skinnytaste–“My husband who is a total meat-a-tarian (you know what I mean?) even says this is his favorite chili. Seasonal, delicious, lower guilt, even more delicious as leftovers with some shredded cheese and tortilla chips.”

Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Smoothie

Do you guys follow Morgan on Instagram? She’s a Chicago fitness and health blogger and she’s my go-to for EVERYTHING healthy and workout related! I might be her most annoying follower with how many questions I ask her on a weekly basis. Example: she actually didn’t SUBMIT this Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Smoothie recipe for this post roundup, I saw her post it on Instastories and pestered her for the link so I could include it 😂 I’m really lazy so let’s be honest I probably won’t ever have Medjooll dates or multiple kinds of nut butter on-hand so my version will likely never be quite as healthy or as delicious as Morgan’s, but hey, include what you have and I’m pretty sure it will be fantastic.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Muffins

Haley says, “I LOVE pumpkin muffins, we use the yellow Trader Joe’s pumpkin dry mix and add in chocolate chips. Voila! Muffins!” 

Winter Corn and Squash Veggie Chili

“This is my favorite plant based chili,” Allison says! “It’s healthy (from my favorite magazine, Cooking Light) easy (either slow cooker or on the stove), flexible (you can throw in whatever you have around.) I always add in some cinnamon, because I don’t think you can have chili without it! It’s also freezable (because making soup for one person is difficult!) I swear by the recipe and make it several times each fall. It pairs amazingly with homemade corn bread!” 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cinnamon, Butternut Squash, Cranberries and Pecans

Jessie calls this roasted brussels sprouts recipe “the most delicious fall dish EVER!” If you’re in charge of bringing a side dish for Thanksgiving, I think this one would be such a great one to try out! Different than every other Brussels sprout recipe I’ve ever seen, but still with traditional fall flavors. Yum!

“Too easy” Pumpkin Waffles

Nina shared the most genius hack EVER. “My newest fall thing is pumpkin waffles. I make them the easy way. I follow the directions on a regular box of waffle mix and then add in pumpkin puree! It’s so easy it feels like cheating!” HAHA I like Nina’s style!!

Spiced Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Lindsey raves about this recipe for pumpkin spiced coffee cake (UM. YUMMM?) because it’s 1. Idiot Proof. and 2. Uses a boxed cake mix, but tastes completely homemade! Sign me up!

She says “I took it to a weekly group meeting and received so many compliments! Also, I live on a TINY island in Washington state and none of our grocery stores had the pumpkin spice pudding mix, so I used regular vanilla pudding and added a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice! Delish!” 

Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup

Carley says, “this soup is so flavorful and delicious! It’s my husband’s favorite dish and I took it to Thanksgiving last year and it was a hit! If you enjoy this, her blog has a ton of great recipes as well!” (Jess’ note: I agree–Damn Delicious is one of my favorite food blogs!)

Pumpkin Alfredo

Rachel recommends Pinch of Yum’s Pumpkin Alfredo! “It’s definitely indulgent (not healthy at all) but it is so so yummy. It’s rich with lot’s of flavor. Also, surprisingly, it only has 5 ingredients and is ready in 20 minutes! It’s the perfect weeknight meal when you’re craving pasta!)” 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Laura’s go-to recipe for fall is this one for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! “They are super easy and always fly off the plate,” she says. “My friends and family love them!” 

Pumpkin Maple Pecan Granola

Kaylee says “this pumpkin maple pecan granola tastes like fall and is super easy to make! I love eating it on Greek yogurt with a little bit of honey or even just a snack on its own! It’s delightful!” 

  Bon Appetit! What have you been cooking lately? I would love to hear your reccos! Tell me about your favorite Fall recipes below (links are even better!)

Shop my outfit: 

Source: https://thegoldengirlblog.com/what-are-you-cooking-this-fall-13-reader-approved-fall-recipes-to-try-this-season/

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PGY1 Reflections Part 1: Stream of Consciousness

My saved Tumblr drafts throughout the year have effectively become a time capsule for the evolution of my thoughts throughout this year.

I had a Californian culture shock in which I looked forward to coming back, so that I wouldn’t have to deal with styrofoam plates and take-out boxes (I actually had to ask my co-residents whether you could microwave Styrofoam, because I was so clueless), non-compostable utensils, the excessive use of plastic bags (a part of me died whenever I saw double plastic bags), bibimbap with raw mushrooms/bell peppers/cauliflower/broccoli, having to explain to people what bulgogi and ramen are, feeling like I was in the deep south whenever someone said pop, and secretly judging each time someone said “Cali” or “San Fran”.

Michigan has shown me a hot and sporadically stormy summer, a colorful and gorgeously basic but short-lived autumn, the stunning frosty snowy winter (in which I always felt a childlike bliss when I see the beautiful snowfall and Christmas-card-like white-capped landscape, and finally felt that the coming of winter was winter-is-coming-meme-worthy), and the brisk dramatic return of spring with colorful fields of flowers and #springhassprung all over social media).

For most of the year, I remained wholly true to California, retaining my home address for almost everything, refusing to change my Yelp location from SF, all while embracing the comical snobbery that is expat Californians: the lack of good ethnic food or Michelin star options unless you travel to Chicago, the backwards reliance on plastic instead of reusable everything, a big internal eye roll when anyone makes a comment that is a hair more conservative than the far left, being clueless about all things related to snow because in California snow means 1) an optional 2h drive to Tahoe if you feel like it or 2) the snowy plover, a hipster coffee drink at Andytown. Even for one short year, I found it difficult to think of myself as living in Michigan, in the Midwest surrounded by cornfields and giant lakes. I noticed that during the wintertime, the sun is always at a low angle from the northern altitude--in the occasional moments when the sun is not hidden by thick clouds, it looked like either sunrise or sunset. This eternal golden hour makes great lighting for photos, but it’s odd when noon feels like 4pm. I got spoiled by the long summer days in which I got sunlight for nearly all but one of my waking hours since sunrise was 6am and sunset was past 9pm in June. 

I had a strange relationship with Michigan; most of my time I was counting down to return to California, until the last month when I realized how much I would miss the gorgeous seasons, chill vibes, reasonable cost of living, wonderful 6% sales tax, Restaurant Weeks with the original intended corresponding prices and options in which you don’t pay an arm and a leg for an extra salad and brownie, abundance of parking, a simple straightforward American identity, the close 1-2 hour flight to Chicago and the East coast, the relative safety because you can leave bags in the car without significant risks in getting mugged, the driven atmosphere of medical expertise concentrated in the Michigan difference.

My perspective has forever changed: Nimbex sounds more right than Nimbus, it’s easier to say code blue than cold brew, and I mix up impatience with inpatients.

I learned to watch and get excited about football and basketball, I learned that “rain and snow” means (it doesn’t mean that there are some clouds with rain and some clouds with snow), I learned how to use communal washers and dryers, I learned how to cook rice, I learned how to become in InstantPot expert, and the words lit/wack/janky/occasional swearing became a permanent part of my daily vocabulary.

I realized when song lyrics precisely reflected my state of mind,  including Hanging by a Moment, Blank Space, Thinking Out Loud, Love Me Like You Do, I Want Something Just Like This, Say You Won’t Let Go, Too Good at Goodbyes, and Never Be the Same.