Lovely Meals Lately: February 2024

After months of feeling quite morose over the winter, it feels so good to be writing this with spring around the corner feeling...myself. Like I can exhale. Like I climbed out of this hole and I can see the sunlight. Like it's going to be ok.

Life news...I'm done pumping! OMG...words can't describe the relief. It was a beautifully messy chapter I wouldn't trader for anything AND I am very much at peace with starting a new one.

This month's posts! Baked goods and confessions. Shocking to nobody...LOL.

1. Bakery-Style Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins: like actually my favorite muffin.
2. Chocolate Lover's Blueberry Smoothie: see above but smoothie.
3. I Have Been Changed: My Journey to Eating Meat Again: I don't think I've ever gotten more comments on a post, so THANK YOU. I love your comments more than anything. I think I need to write from the heart more often....
4. Greek Yogurt Oatmeal with Strawberries and Dark Chocolate
5. Moist and Rich Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread

Lovely Meals

Dreamy blueberry muffins. We've been enjoying these early with coffee before we have eggs and toast later on.

This chopped salad was so delish for the Superbowl! Adding pasta to salad is so good. The dressing was simple but incredible.

Greek yogurt oatmeal bowls have been so satisfying for lunch when nothing savory sounds good and I had eggs for breakfast.

Random mid-week leftovers lunch: leftover turkey meatballs, TJ's cracked olive salad, roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli, quinoa, and tahini.

Jeff made us quesadillas with grilled chicken, cheese and frozen bell peppers for an easy Saturday night dinner. They really hit the spot with some salsa, guac, and Greek yogurt!

Preschool lunch and snack assembly line!

8-ingredient banana brownies for Valentine's Day (and every other day).

Shrimp tacos are the dinner I crave over and over!

20 minute gochujang bowls. These were fun, flavorful, and different!

Lasagna, garlic bread, and salad. You know this one's in the regular rotation! Is it weird I sometimes add parmesan to my vegan lasagna? Nope.

Things I'm Loving Lately

1. This Dear Chelsea podcast episode about grief, showing up for each other, connection, and humanity tugged at my heart strings and made me cry in the best way. I wanted to scream "YES" from the rooftops like seventeen times. Why do 30% of us not know our next door neighbor's names?!
2. Deeper Well by Kasey Musgraves is on repeat. "I just think that maybe it's natural when things lose their shine. So other things can glow..."
3. Taylor's "You're Losing Me." I'm emotional.
4. I devoured Jojo Moyes' Me Before You and now I'm loving The Giver Of Stars. I'm listing on Audible and I love the narrator. A traveling library, trailblazing women, helping the world...count me in.
5. I am IN LOVE with this Saie cream bronzer (I got medium bronze). I was forever a powder gal but this is sooo smooth and luxurious and blends incredibly well. I've also never spent more than $5 on a makeup brush so I *splurged on this one and let me tell you, it's simply perfect for applying the bronzer (not too flimsy, ya know?). I also got this highlighting quartzglow "warm bronze" blush and it adds the perfect highlight. What a duo!
6. Bronzing drops...you need them. I got these to add to my SPF and it's seriously a bronzing dream. I use this as my base every morning, then CC powder, then the above bronzer and blush. Sun-kissed bliss! Is this a makeup blog?! And yes, I wear makeup even when I work from home all day because makes me feel like me.
7. This electric ceramic griddle is in my cart. I have visions of not using three pans every Saturday morning!
8. I finally bought a PackIt freezable bag so I don't have to use ice packs for Max's preschool lunch. What I like most is that I can pack his whole bag early before kids are up since it stays so cold versus scrambling right when we're leaving to get it done. (I got the bag version because I see myself using this to keep snacks cool over the weekend versus just school).
9. Affordable kiddo sunglasses since Max loses his almost as often as I lose mine.

Charlie is about to turn 8 months, which means another 8 months of my brother not being here. How? I hope you're reading this and smiling from above over a jar of pickles, big bro. <3