I was a bit rusty slipping back into the Sunday series after a lovely break. While I did remember to capture a good chunk of outfits and meals, I missed a night out for my sister’s birthday (truly one of the most delectable steaks of my life) and lots of the mundane in-between. If you missed Friday’s letter I’m back to regularly scheduled programming as far as my autoimmune disease diet goes and O is doing his routine start of the year fast which means nothing but clean vegan protein, fruits and vegetables with no packaged food whatsoever. If you’re doing the math—yes. That’s a whole, whole lot of meal prep and cooking time for your girl. I made tons of veggies, salmon, breakfast casserole salmon patties, crockpot barbeque chicken for fast tacos and salads, meat sauce for meatball subs and ground turkey for tacos and rice bowls between Sunday and Monday. Some of it was photographed, lots of it wasn’t.
As you’re reading this, I’ll be serving my first baby sprinkle pancakes and celebrating nine years with one of the most special boys on the planet. This time nine years ago, I was crying in a bathtub in the birth center after being stuck at six centimeters for a solid eight hours. I didn’t know I still had many hours to go, but I did know it’d be worth it. And it was.
Some items in this post are affiliate links. If you shop them, I may earn a commission given by the brands at no cost to you.
when I have ten minutes to be dressed and ready for church and it’s sixty degrees outside, this is the winning go-to. old denim shirt (similar). old Mango jeans (similar) old j.crew striped knit.
date night at the library with O. current favorite coat (sold out everywhere and the opening image of the site I found it in stock on is a jump-scare). borrowed the hoodie I got O for Christmas. trousers. ancient superga sneakers that have always been too small.
the only photo I have from my sister’s birthday dinner and the red lipstick left me looking like her daughter who currently has a burn around her mouth from constantly licking her lips. The $19 two pack of earrings is still the instant outfit elevator, though.
this sweater is everything I dreamed it’d be and more. I rarely buy cashmere anymore because I prefer just wearing the same cashmere sweater I’ve had for over a decade, but this one is wonderful. jeans are sold out in this colorway but here are the light wash and dark
a closeup featuring my nieces’ bathroom mirror which we won’t speak of.
just for full reality, this is what most of the week looks like. schlepping and fume preventing in a repeat sweatsuit and a coat I didn’t realize I got paint on.
this just needed to live here because i’m obsessed with him.
Brief intermission to say this is a long one so if the message cuts off for you at the end of your email, you can see the full post here and also can click “View Entire Message” at the end.
I got a late start on my go-to breakfast casserole so we ate on the way to church and I wished I leaned into the voice that said, “you know you need a bigger slice.”
paleo salmon patties I make without a recipe
my mom used to make this salad without the pomegranate seeds and red onion and my family will tell you this is their favorite salad I make. poppyseed dressing, vegan feta, red onion, strawberries, pomegranate seeds and candied pecans over mixed greens. adjust if you’re not eating sugar and it’s still phenomenal.
I’ve made this cauliflower soup for years and it’s surprisingly delicious. I tweak it to make it extra delicious so adjust it to your tastes. I only added rice to the kids’ bowls and O and I bulked ours up with roasted spaghtetti squash—O (the man who said soup wasn’t a meal when we were dating) says it’s one of the most comforting meals he’s had in a long time.
aforementioned roasted spaghetti squash
an example of one of O’s current meals—praise God I’m not vegan anymore,
a salad a day keeps the boring away. I ate two tacos on the side with my favorite sauce, the barbeque slow cooker chicken I made for meal prep and almond tortillas. My milk supply has tanked and I’m working to keep my calories and protein up as best I can, a job historically solved by ice cream.
this was the kids’ and O’s dinner the last night before he started his fast. it called for giant meatball subs and their favorite salad.
dinner after a day of basketball games needed to be quick and easy and filling so a couple breakfast sandwiches for the kids did the trick.
Love this series!