Hey friends! How are we? I'm headed to Columbus this weekend to soak up time with dear friends and visit Alchemy, the restaurant group I helped start back in 2014.
I was looking at my Lovely Meals Lately post from last September and Charlie looks sooooo little. The days are long and the years are short--man, that's never felt so true. Time is a thief!
Funny story: Max, my 4 year old, asked me why I take pictures of dinner. I explained that I write about it for work, and then he asked me to take a picture of his plate. Now every night he says, "take a picture of my dinner, mom." Ha!
Lovely meals, snacks and dessert
Usually I'm stirring cacao into yogurt (why is chocolate Greek yogurt not a thing?!) but this time of year I loooove mixing in pumpkin with maple syrup plus lots of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Do yourself a flavor and mix in some crushed graham crackers for ultimate pie vibes.
I'm so excited about fudgy pumpkin brownie season!! Extra flaky salt, please.
It looks simple, but my creamy roasted red pepper pasta with cashew cream is easily one of my favorite recipes from 2025. Truly so flavorful and satisfying! I usually add seared shrimp and LOTS of parsley.
I love a no-prep little snack bowl lately. This one was a kiwi, walnuts, carrots, and Babybell cheese (I got a big pack on sale at Costco and naturally neither of my kids are into it).
I make a lot of recipes from other bloggers and this chicken tikka masala was delishhhh. I didn't have the two Indian spices she called for, didn't use green pepper, used crushed tomatoes without citric acid an cashew cream per her recommendation, and added 1 tsp sugar. The ghee added so much flavor! Very sad that the store was out of naan.
I served the kids leftover ziti with olive oil, kiwi, and broccoli. I did expose them to some chicken and Max took it off his plate, LOL. Seven Hot Wheels under the chair...absolutely.
The return of my reader-fave chocolate avocado ice cream! Because we're still living our best 80 degree life.
On the rare occasion we don't go out for pizza on Friday night, we usually get Thai takeout. This was pad see ew and cashew chicken DoorDashed from Ros Siam. Yum!
I made my Mediterranean zucchini bowls with sumac potatoes using the last of our garden zucchini. When am I not in the mood for Mediterranean, that is the question.
Pesto pasta with store-bought pesto is a Thursday dinner I come back to often for an easy meal that the kids enjoy, too. P.S. We've had this construction plate + utensils for years and Max still requests it every day!
A random end of summer lunch salad with peaches, tomatoes, mint, air-fried honey mustard tofu, feta, and leftover dressing from Mendocino Farms.
Mint feta turkey burgers and chunky tzatziki from The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner cookbook, air-fried sweet potatoes, and salad with Mediterranean salad dressing. Fresh, veggie-packed and so delish!
Another meal my kids love is burger bowls. I cook 90/10 ground beef and season with plenty of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, keeping some big chunks for easier eating. I serve with air-fried potatoes, cashew based burger sauce, cheese, lettuce and good pickles (Bubbies or Grillos). Sooo tasty!
I'm still making my zucchini feta chickpea quinoa salad and I'm still not over it. SO HERBY AND GOOD.
My chicken fajitas always hit the spot. (I'm working on a tofu version that's divine.) The key to epic guac--avocado, plenty of lime juice, cilantro, onion, and kosher salt--is a good pinch of coriander.
We absolutely loved Jamie's tuscan turkey and butter bean skillet. I used cashew cream since we don't keep heavy cream on hand but followed the rest of the recipe (minus no fennel seeds and subbed ground chicken). Will make again!
I devoured Monique's sesame roasted veg with chickpeas and tahini yogurt for lunch. The herbs make it! I did think a textural component like rice or something crunchy would really add.
Things I'm Loving Lately
- Abercrombie is having an incredible sale and I found so many steals from great fall staple tops to flare leggings, a bathing suit and cover-up, and even a wool trench coat!
- I can't stop listening to Swag II, the second half of Justin Bieber's new album. My favorite songs are Love Song, Better Man, I Do, Lyin, and Safe Space. Tell me yours!
- Also on repeat: Russel Dickerson's set list since I'm going to see him in concert in Columbus THIS FRIDAY!
- I just started ordering from Thrive Market (affiliate link) and I'm super excited about the number of healthy brands they have, especially for kids snacks all in one place. You can join today and get 30% off your first order + a free gift, yay! My first order is on the way 🙂
- I bought these gorgeous ballet flats (also obsessed with black leather) to elevate everyday looks. The detail is so good! Love the black leather and walnut, too.
- If you have upcoming travel with littles, these five finds have been clutch on flights: matching memory game, writing tablet, a baggie full of magna-tiles, and tons of snacks of course.
- Cute (and roomy!) overnight oat jars coming in hot. I use them for oats, chia pudding, storing leftovers, etc. Jeff dropped one on the floor yesterday and it didn't break. Impressive!
- You may or may not know this but I'm really into skincare. I was waiting to post about this before I gave it some time but I'm happy to report that I've been using the ZIIP HALO Facial Toning Device for a month now and I LOVE IT. I do a 4-10 minute treatment about 4x a week. Its' relaxing and easy because there's an app that shows you what to do. I swear my skin skin has never looked better--firm, bright, glowy, lifted, smooth, all the things. I know it's a splurge, but if you're looking for something to elevate your routine at home without spending $$ on laser treatments etc. (disclaimer, I do get Botox), I really recommend it. ZIIP gave me a discount code, too--use ALEXISJ for 10% off at checkout!
Hugs and good eats to everyone!
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