Hi Friend,
Happy Sunday! I hope you’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I’ve loved the time with friends and family, but I'm looking forward to a low-key week of home cooking and lots of veggies after having so much on the schedule these past 5 days!
What I’ve been cookingIf you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen a couple of repeats this past week:
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| | I put together a winter salad that I recreated for a family dinner because I can't get enough. It’s got arugula, roasted delicata or butternut squash, crumbled goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, toasted almonds and a simple vinaigrette of evoo and champagne vinegar. Delicious! |
| | I’ve also been experimenting with mashed cauliflower. I first made a vegan version with just garlic and puréed, steamed cauliflower similar to this recipe. The second go (with a scoop of cream cheese and some Parmesan cheese like this recipe) would rival the best mashed potatoes you’ve ever had. For real! Served with a pinch of truffle salt, it was so good! Tips: using frozen riced cauliflower for round 2 made the process easier. Also, whole cauliflower cooks down to very little, so I’d plan on at least a 1/2 a bag or 1/2 a head of cauliflower per person. |
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What I’ve been working on - I’m so excited to share my Gift Guide (or ‘wish list’ ideas as some people have requested). This covers my favorite non-toxic and clean-living products for cooking, plastic-free food storage (a big ask!), cleaning, and other household items we love.
- I also just published Part 2 of my non-toxic baby gear post. This installment covers travel cribs, carriers, baby chairs/bouncers, toys and bath accessories. Check it out to see my picks in these categories. And if you missed Part 1, take a look for some good background info, including the '5 rules of thumb' that guide my decisions and why.
What I’ve been learning aboutPFOA and Teflon. This week I watched the documentary, The Devil We Know (available on Netflix). My sister recommended it, and she knows her stuff... she’s spent years in the cookware industry and heads up product development for the Five Two line from Food52. Though I ditched Teflon, non-stick cookware, and Scotchgard many years ago, it was an eye-opening look at these materials. A few take-aways I wanted to share:
- Products are often known to be harmful for years (maybe decades) before they're actually banned (e.g. same story with asbestos and BPA). They're often replaced by something just as problematic, so it's important to be informed. That's one reason I like sticking to tried-and-true materials.
- If you’re still using Teflon or traditional non-stick cookware, remember that these are very sensitive. Never use metal on them, stop using if there're scratched or peeling, and remember these are not designed for long-term use. Typical lifespan is just 1-5 years!
- If you want to invest in quality, non-toxic cookware with some real longevity, check out the cookware section of my Gift Guide. These pieces have been some of my favorite gifts over the years!
Ok, that’s it for installment 2! Thank you for reading and for sharing your precious time with me. Have an awesome week!
Be well, Jess
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