Hi Friend,
Happy Sunday! Happy December!
I can't believe we're in the final stretch of the year (and the decade!). Since this is the season of parties and more cocktails than usual (though it's usually wine in my case), I wanted to share a couple quick tips that keep me feeling well through holiday party season...
Quick party survival guide: - Two glasses of water for every alcoholic drink. Obviously this is no hall pass...it'll only do so much, but I notice a huge difference in how I sleep and my energy the next day if I follow this rule and stay really well-hydrated during a party.
- Find the veggie platter. Or bring one if you're contributing something. If you can munch on veggies rather than cheese, that's another way to sleep better and avoid feeling bloated or poorly the next day. Dairy is highly inflammatory and so many people are sensitive to it. I'm fine when I eat it sparingly, but don't feel great when I have more than a little. So as much as I love a good cheese platter, I'm better off parked by a plate of veggies at a cocktail party!
New blog posts: This week I published two of my go-to winter recipes on the blog. They had a lot of engagement and saves on Instagram recently, so I wanted to get them up for everyone: |
| | Here's the recipe for my favorite chicken soup. It's loaded with vegetables and a special ingredient: lots of fresh dill. No wonder it's called Jewish Penicillin. This is my mom's adaptation from a friend's matzo ball-less chicken soup. Then I put my own spin on it and adapted it to be an Instant Pot recipe (though I have instructions for a stove top preparation as well). Since I love citrus, I sometimes add a little lemon juice to each serving at the end for a brighter flavor. It's really nice with the dill! |
| I've been making this Moroccan-spiced chicken with olives and lemon for years, and it's one of my husband's favorite meals. I use chicken drumsticks and thighs, and by the time it's done, the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. This dish features lots of healthy spices like turmeric, cinnamon and ginger and a big dose of vitamin C from the lemons. This is another one that I've adapted for my Instant Pot from a traditional dutch oven, stove-top cooking method. This post also includes instructions for both the Instant Pot and stove-top methods. Just know that the cook time for the stove-top option is over 2 hours (mostly hands-off, though).
A note on chicken (and animal products in general) As I've become more educated about food and nutrition, I've gotten pretty specific about my meat, eggs and dairy. I recommend buying the best that you can afford and looking for meat that's organic and pasture-raised. There are a lot of benefits to cooking meat on the bone like the two recipes above, but the nutritional value (and treatment of the animal) really varies depending on how the animal was raised. Here are some of my favorite sources: - Bay Area: Good Eggs (basically a local farmer's market delivery service with meat and produce); Whole Foods usually has a great selection in the Bay Area as well.
- Chicago: Local Foods (brick and mortar) and Seven Sons (local delivery).
- I've also heard great things about Butcher Box (national delivery) from several people. Local farmers markets usually have great options also.
Coming up Next week I'm planning to dive into one of my favorite categories: "clean" personal care products. That was one of the first things I overhauled when I started getting into healthy living and I love sharing my favorite non-toxic products and brands! Switching to clean products is daunting (especially for women because we tend to use so many), but once you find swaps you love, you're back on auto-pilot and it's really easy! Is there anything in particular you'd like me to cover? You can reply to me from this email. I'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for reading and for sharing your precious time with me. If you know someone who'd enjoy this content, I'd really appreciate you sharing it!
Have an incredible week!
Be well,
Jess
P.S. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up for future newsletters here.
|
| |
|
|
|
