Subject: Food tips, kaleosophy :) and more...

kaleifornian

Hi Friend,

Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day! If you're a Dad, I hope you're able to connect with your children today! I know it's also a sad day for many who are missing their Dads and Granddads--and Dads who are missing their children and grandchildren. We're feeling that mix of emotions in our household today too. Sending you an extra big hug if this is a tough day for you.

Here are a few things I've been thinking about, plus a few tips and resources:

Summer reds

Dry Farm Wines* is doing a Summer Reds promotion that I wanted to share! The box includes 3 bottles for either a one time buy or a 3-month temporary subscription (3 bottles each month for 3 months). With warmer weather, these light bodied reds offer a refreshing, food friendly, and sugar free way to indulge in a glass (or two) of red wine. I personally love a slightly chilled red on a hot evening and appreciate the lower alcohol, headache-free experience of drinking natural wine!

The promotion lasts through June 30 (unless they sell out earlier). Let me know if you have any questions about Dry Farm Wines. I'm a longtime customer and a huge fan! If you want to learn more and take a mental vacation, check out this 10 min video from one of their winemakers in Italy.

Done is better than perfect

This week I did a post on a mindset shift I've been trying to embrace: not letting perfection stand in the way of good (enough!). In other words, sometimes done is better than perfect. This seemed to resonate with a lot of people and I think it's especially important to remember in these challenging times. Many of us are wired to want to do everything perfectly, but that can actually hinder us from doing things that are worthwhile... even if it's just "good enough" or slow progress.

That can look something like this: doing just 15-20 mins of a yoga or barre class, even though you'd normally do a full hour; slowly swapping out products for "cleaner" options rather than being paralyzed by the desire (overwhelm) to change them all at once; a socially distant / masked visit with a friend or loved one, even though it's awkward to stay outdoors and not to hug. So often we skip things that can't be done perfectly, or how we're used to doing them. But I really think that "progress is perfection" as my friend Bethany said. Especially right now.

An important form of self care

Also in the category of "kaleosophy" (lol) is a message I posted about keeping up with preventative medical care and routine exams as a critical part of "self care."

I haven't been going anywhere, even the doctor's office, but I realized that COVID-19 is going to be around for a while and I'm not going to postpone important medical visits indefinitely. At my son's two-month-delayed well-child visit, we learned that a beloved doctor at the practice had recently died of melanoma. This reminded me that I was overdue for my annual visit with the dermatologist and that I've wanted to get a freckle on my daughter's scalp checked out for a while... so off we went. Both doctors had very tight protocols in place that made me feel comfortable about going.

My 2 cents: if COVID-19 is holding you back from important medical screenings, I suggest giving your doctor's office a call to learn about what they're doing to keep everyone safe. If you don't think they're doing enough, call another doctor.

Food & cooking tips

I stumbled on the "How to Cook..." section of Food52 and wanted to share this amazing resource. It's got pages and pages of tips like How to Keep Berries Fresh, the Best Milk Substitutes, and one of my favorites: the Technique for Perfectly Braised Chicken Thighs. Lots of awesome tips and tricks.

And here's my tip for storing loose greens like parsley and kale (we're still washing food as soon as it comes into the house). I do a quick soak in cold water with a few sprays of Branch Basics* (my go-to all-purpose cleaner), rinse well, air dry on a cotton dishcloth, and then loosely wrap it all up into a "burrito" and store that in the crisper drawer. They've been keeping well and I really like that they're already cleaned and dry when I want to use them. (I really don't like soggy greens and avoid the salad spinner at all costs!!).

Hemp hearts

Check out this post for more on my favorite pantry protein and a definite superfoods: hemp hearts*. I add these babies to salads, nut milks, and more.

That's it for this week. Thank you so much for reading! Wishing you a safe and healthy week ahead.

Be well,

Jess XO

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*Note: I partner with a select handful of companies (that I shop from regularly!) and I'm also an Amazon Associate. I receive a small commission on qualifying purchases made through the provided links at no additional cost to you. In fact, I'm usually able to get you something extra, like a $.01 bottle of wine or a shopping credit when you make a purchase -- so just ask if you need a link! These partnerships help cover some costs of running this site. Thank you for your support!

Please feel free to ask if you have questions about any of these products. I will always give you my honest opinion and do my best to point you in the right direction!