Lovely Meals Lately: April 2023

How's it going pals? It's been a whirlwind this month unpacking at the new house, traveling to Vegas and Ojai, and officially entering the third trimester.

I can't believe baby boy will be here in less than three months. We are getting soooo excited! Now onto the good eats!

Have you made my carrot cake overnight oats yet? What a game changer.

I cant get enough of this mac and cheese for yummy lunches drizzled with plenty of hot sauce. I use Banza chickpea pasta (such a steal from Costco) for a protein boost.

I made this no-knead double chocolate bread and it was so fun and delish! It tastes heaven-sent with salty peanut butter and freezes great, too. Max likes to pick out the chocolate chips.

I'm really into savory oatmeal right now. This is my overnight steel cut oatmeal with fried eggs, avocado, and plenty of everything bagel seasoning. Hot sauce usually makes an appearance!

I've been making a variation of 10-minute chickpea veggie salad every week for lunches. I'll usually have it alongside some roasted sweet potatoes with hummus and hot sauce.

Sometimes I'll go off my recipe and sometimes I just do a can of chickpeas, cukes and peppers, a spoonful of tahini, plenty of lemon juice, dried dill, fresh parsley if I have it, and lots of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. So fresh and easy!

I have a cod recipe my friend and recipe tester extraordinaire Dylan created that I've gotta post. I started with about 1 ½ pounds defrosted wild cod patted dry. To make, first brush fish liberally with Dijon.

Whisk 1 cup panko with 2 tbsp melted butter and ½ tsp each Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Pat topping onto fish. Bake at 350F for about 18 minutes. Serve with roasted potatoes and asparagus!

Gorgeous lemon poppyseed muffins that I have to fight with Max over....

Veggie curry with frozen veggies I needed to use up and basmati rice. Such a flavorful dinner with naan and salad.

Having my smoked salmon quiche in the fridge made lunches so easy! It reheats super well.

Perhaps my best batch of vegan lasagna yet!

I had the most incredible "Betterfinger" smoothie at Farmer and the Cook when we went to Ojai, CA for a little baby moon. It had banana, date, peanut butter, cacao nibs, gojo berries, carrot juice, and coconut sugar. I must remake!

The next morning we got pastries at an incredible bakery café called The Duchess. I'll never forgot this frangipane croissant!

I also had their chewy house-made everything bagel with cream cheese, dill, mint, pickled red onions, and castelvetrano olives. Absolutely divine.

Tacos with pineapple salsa and store-bought guac for dinner! Tortilla chips and salad on the side. Tacos are on our weekly rotation and this veg fest is always a winner.

An epic walnut chocolate chunk cookie from the famous Tartine bakery in Santa Monica. I also brought back some whole wheat sesame bread and it's magnificent as toast with almond butter, raspberries and flaky salt.

Things I'm Loving Lately

1. A bunch of you asked about this laptop stand when I posted my desk setup on Instagram. I've had it for 4 years and I love it because it prevents me from straining my neck looking down!
2. The sweetest muslin blanket and toddler pillow for Max!
3. These dark chocolate salted caramel truffles are seriously everything I could ever want in a chocolate.
4. My friend helped bring to life Fourth Trimester, an incredible Columbus-based support system for moms-to-be and new moms. As new moms, we could all use more comprehensive care during this tender time. I'm so inspired by their mission to fill the gap with care and support after baby arrives (when so many of us feel like we're drowning)!
5. The newest Love Every play kit is our favorite yet. One of our favorite toys is a sink that you fill with water, complete with a faucet that the water comes out of! Max is constantly asking to wash dishes in it and loves turning the water on and off. I continue to be amazed at how high-quality these boxes are!
6. I got this large floor planter in the terra cotta color on sale for our front step and it's gorgeous!
7. We've been using this eczema shampoo and body wash on Max since he was tiny. His skin is still super dry and I love that the first ingredient is aloe. It's super high quality and a little goes a long way!

Have the best week, pals!