July 28, 2024
Welcome to A Lovenote.
A weekly digest where I say hello and share. You’ll find things you can cook this week + some things you didn’t ask for but might enjoy. I’m so glad you are here!
Hello! I hope you had a great week and that when you receive this, you have your feet in some sand or grass or maybe even in a body of water and are enjoying your morning coffee.
This week, I attended the funeral of a friend’s mom who recently passed away. The speakers shared moving stories about her life, highlighting her impact, interests, contributions, and the way she loved. She was a quiet force who touched so many people around her.
As I listened to these heartfelt speeches, I found myself contemplating how I show up in life. I reflected on how I am for those I love, what I contribute to their lives, and how I pursue my own passions. There is nothing quite like a funeral to make you stop and think about your life and legacy. I thought I would share. It’s important to pause and reflect.
Let’s dive in shall we….
WHAT I DID THIS WEEK
We packed Sully and Sadie up for camp. It’s no small feat! Check out what we packed in my Ultimate Summer Camp Packing List! We drop them off at camp today! (woohooo!)
I get asked all the time how I stay ‘in shape’ or ‘on track’ with all the food I make and share. I put together a blog post outlining the things that help keep me balanced and feeling my best in the summer months. You can check it out here.
I had an impromptu visit with my old friend who now lives in Nashville. It was quick and perfect to reconnect with her! She asked me for ideas of things to do in the car with her kids on their school commute. My go to’s are Wordle, Crime Junky Podcast, Connections, and Global. What kinds of things do you do with your kids while driving? Oh! I almost forgot the Superhuman App. My girls and I love this….well…they might roll their eyes sometimes but they do listen.
I went back to Toronto to check on our house between renters. The house is in great shape and it was nice to be back in the city for a few days. If you are curious about what goes into Airbnb’ing your house, you can check out this blog post.
I updated my LinkedIn profile! Let’s connect over there where I can help you tackle dinnertime dread!
The Ultimate Summer Camp Packing List
Sleeping bag | Mesh Shower Caddy | Clothing Stamper | Fitted Sheet| Nalgene Water Bottle | Packing Cubes | Portable Fan | Kindle | Camping Chair | Wipes |Playing Cards | Clogs | Sunscreen Stick | LED twinkle lights | Digital Camera | Lantern | Hanging Mirror | After Bite | Bug Spray | Over the door hanging | UNO | Mad Libs
What caught my eye this week
WATCHING. The Paris Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies. What did you think about them? My heart broke for the organizers about the rain. And relatedly, I was searching for the Simone Biles Documentary and stumbled upon the awful story of Larry Nasser and the abused gymnasts. Shocking. Just shocking. And disgusting.
This summer diary video brought me joy!
LISTENING To this episode of Diary of a CEO that my mom recommended. It shares similar findings to this podcast I shared a few weeks ago. The data around muscle and health after 40 is staggering. Ultimately, I’m becoming hyper aware of the critical role muscle strength plays on longevity - not just in living longer, but in living ultimately. Perhaps we should start a PodClub (instead of a bookclub) where we share our thoughts around this. Anyone keen?
DISCOVERING There’s an AMAZING website called Inkbox where you can custom design a tattoo you’re thinking about and they’ll send it to you, and it’ll last for two weeks! (They also have designs readily available.). I am slightly terrified my kids will get a tattoo. It seems like an unreasonable phobia….but there you go!
READING 11 Mostly free things that you can do that will bring joy. I LOVE this so much!!
Thinking of a last minute getaway? 11 Europe Trips that everyone should add to their bucket list.
TRAVEL This is timely! South of France Packing List. Fras and I are heading to France the 1st week of August! Yippeee! And on that note, flight attendants dish on how to stay healthy while travelling.
EATING All I want to eat right now is some combination of peaches and berries. I’m thinking about making this today. In addition to my peach obsession (it will be going strong for a few more weeks!), I am loving plain buttered pasta right now. Need an easy lunch, or snack for the kids? Plain pasta, tossed in olive oil or butter with a little bit of salt, stored in a zip lock bag in the fridge. This has been saving me this summer. It’s great for road trips or picnics, it can be dressed up or dressed down.
Also, adding orzo and cherry tomatoes to the rotation this week. I love this orzo dish from last summer and this sheet pan cherry tomato situation is a MUST try.
Don’t forget that if you’re heading to a cottage anytime soon, pick up my done-for-you cottage meal plan, complete with grocery list, that will alleviate any decision fatigue when it comes to planning meals while you’re on holiday.
SCROLLING BigTimeAdulting gets me every time! The tequila rash!
Looking for past issues of A Lovenote? Catch up on what you missed with and Episode 27 and Episode 28 and Episode 29.
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Recipes to try this week…..
Peach Wine Slushy
Ingredients:
2 peaches, sliced and frozen for at least 1 hour
1 cup white wine (can use non-alcoholic or regular)
Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until the desired consistency.
Pour into a glass, garnish with a slice of fresh peach
Enjoy in the summer sun!
Recent posts
Let’s do yoga!
After a bit of a shoulder injury, I am slowly getting back to my yoga practice. Don’t forget that I have a library of classes available on my website for you to access anytime this summer. Before I started cooking on the internet, I was/am a yoga teacher!
Make sure to take time during these busy summer days to reconnect with yourself and feel your feels.
Thank you for being here!
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I would LOVE to hear from you! Please let me know what is on your mind and how I can help!
These easy protein peanut butter and jam cups are the perfect midday treat. Rich and creamy peanut butter center, with a dollop of sweet jam hidden inside, they taste so good you won't even be able to tell these are packed with protein!