shows

Margo’s Got Money Troubles on Apple TV - I read the book a couple years ago and loved it (a 5/5 read for me) and though the show wasn’t quite as good because it simply never is, it was still worth watching

If you’ve hung around for a bit, you know that I’m watching the newest season of Love is Blind UK. I am who I am!

books

My first book this month was Best Offer Wins which was good and had me hooked although the premise and main character was a little wacky. 3.5 stars.

I read Dolly All The Time and loved it; it was a sweet, New England-based, charming little rom-com. I’ve been hooked on Annabel Monaghan since I read Nora Goes Off Script a few years ago and this one didn’t disappoint!

I just started The Shampoo Effect - according to my Kindle, I’m 26% of the way through but I’m invested! Unintentionally another New England/Massachusetts-based book.

reading

Mothers Aren’t Failing They’re Being Failed - this felt so validating and also so frustrating to read because of course. If you’re like me, you’ve been watching the Lindsay Clancy trial closely and feeling so much along the way. Liz Plank really gets to exactly what a lot of mothers I know have been feeling. If you don’t read the whole thing, at least read this:

The abandonment of mothers has become so normalized we think it’s resilience. We celebrate women for doing it all. We applaud their strength. Then, when the predictable consequences of isolation begin to appear, we diagnose the mother instead of the conditions she’s been asked to survive. We assume something is wrong with her rather than asking what kind of society expects one person to do the work that entire communities once shared.

Woof.

The Bears are on Ozempic - The lore of Bear Week in P-town is something I love and appreciate as a straight woman living nearby the Cape but more importantly, I work with a lot of queer people in my practice and of course, GLP-1s come up in at least half my sessions on any given day so this felt relevant.

Life:

I’ve used Nuuly on and off since my son was born and I’ve found it to be really great for seasons where I have a lot of events or just want some new/different clothes to wear and need different sizes than what I have (which has been a frequent postpartum experience). I’ve been using it again recently and I loved my last box! Using it again for September partially because we have a wedding to go to and partially because it’s fun. If you sign up, use my referral code and get $30 your first month!

Once again I’m here to remind you to thrift your clothes/your kid’s clothes! Both my kids are moving up sizes for the fall season and so we’ve had to buy a lot of clothes recently - I’ve been hitting up FB marketplace and thrift stores and it’s so fun and so much less expensive than buying everything new (they’re just going to get it dirty anyway!) My friend just told me about Vinted and I’m curious to try?!

If you’re local and have little kids - we went to the Franklin Children’s Museum, the Easton Children’s Museum, and Universal Playground this month with friends and my kids (and I!) would highly recommend them. Highly recommend planning play dates with friend’s kids so you can hang out with your friend and yap while your children create chaos around you.

Before I go, might I recommend chopping all your hair off? My hair might be the shortest it’s ever been (see pic above - it was humid so don’t judge too harshly okay?) and I’m loving it! So fun, so easy, somehow feels perfect for back to school season?

Please share what you’re reading/watching/loving lately! Enjoy September 🍁

balsamic peaches & pork chops

It’s really difficult for me to get excited about pork - we eat it sometimes because it’s relatively cheap and adds some variety but I’m never particularly excited about it. But for maybe the first time ever, I found a recipe that I was legitimately happy to be eating. My mom, kids, and I went peach picking and used some of the peaches for this pork & peaches recipe and honestly if that sounds good to you at all, you should try it. I made it twice in two weeks which is saying something for a person who feels extremely meh about pork!

beet salad with goat cheese & balsamic

Another summer favorite: beets! I love a beet salad but I don’t often make them at home because 1) beets are a tough sell to kids and my husband also lacks my enthusiasm for them and 2) I don’t like all the way my hands turn all red when I roast and peel them (this is a silly reason but it is my truth). However, my mom bought some when she was staying with us and I turned into into a beet salad inspired by this recipe from Love & Lemons. I didn’t follow it to a tee and I certainly didn’t make my own dressing but it definitely satisfied my craving for a good beet salad.

shrimp panzanella

Caro Chambers does it again - I’ve mentioned her in at least half of the editions of You Deserve Dinner because her recipes are oftentimes exactly what I want to be eating for dinner. Once again I will tell you that I think the subscription to her Substack is worth it and I am very excited to check out her new cookbook (it’s currently on hold for me at the library but I will almost certainly end up buying it). I’m not affiliated with her in any way; her recipes truly just saves me at dinner a lot of nights. Anyway, this summer shrimp panzanella was delicious and would make an excellent end-of-summer meal. Most of the recipes I share here I can modify in some way to be appealing to my children and unfortunately, this one wasn’t doing it for them. I learned shrimp is an extremely tough sell to both my kids. Alas, they had leftovers.

coconut granola

We had a bunch of fresh fruit ready to be made into yogurt bowls so I made this easy homemade granola. I’m not opposed to store bought granola but I will say that making it at home is very easy and cheaper than it would be to buy at the grocery store. An easy breakfast I fall back on is vanilla yogurt (I have surrendered to the fact that even with stuff in it, I just can’t get on board with plain Greek yogurt), sunflower seeds, fresh fruit (blueberries, bananas, peaches, whatever we have on hand), and this granola.

What have you made recently that you were excited about? I’d love to know!

I will be honest with you- my first reaction was low-level envy. That used to be me. I went to a fair share of exercise classes and for most of my early 20s, was way overexercising. It wasn’t healthy but I could walk into basically any fitness class and be fine. Now I am wading into exercise again after many years away from any kind of formal movement and it challenges me in a way that feels good but still new and different (something I say to clients often is that different does not mean bad and this applies here).

I got pregnant with my first 4 years ago this month and there have been many, many moments over the years that I realized just how much my body has changed and this was just another. But it made me think about the version of me that was going to exercise classes, rearranging her day, pushing herself to the max. Her goal was to burn as many calories as possible, work as hard as possible, shrink as much as possible. I was not in it for the love of the game; I was in it to be thin. It feels icky to admit now but it’s true. I extend a lot of compassion to 21-year-old Meghan who was so unsure of herself and getting all the messages anyone born in the 90s got - fat is bad, no actually carbs are bad, you should look like a supermodel, no not like that, you also need to have curves, not that many curves, etc etc etc. I spent years working really hard to unlearn these messages, devalue thinness, and prioritize my mental and physical health.

Yes, my body is different. It has grown and birthed two children. My hips are wider. There are stretch marks in places I’ve never seen. Everything is softer. My body feels tenser and crunchier (?) from breastfeeding in non-ideal positions, carrying a child in one arm and 84 bags and two water bottles and a set of keys in the other; from crouching on the floor to play, holding my legs up to make a tunnel for matchbox cars, bending over my daughter as she learns to take her first steps.

But my brain is also different. This is a brain that is well-nourished, that no longer worships at the alter of thinness but rather wants to care thoughtfully for the body I’m in. I don’t show up to an exercise class to be the thinnest or most toned. I show up so I can lift my kids until they won’t let me anymore, so I can play with them with ease. I show up because my brain feels better when I move my body and have an hour for myself. I know that this body will never be what it was pre-pregnancy because literally how could it? My body and my brain were irreversibly changed by pregnancy - that’s the way it should be. I wholly reject the idea that we should be “bouncing back” or striving for our pre-pregnancy bodies and I invite you to do the same.

Reading:

Last month I wrote that I ordered a Brick and I must say that I am loving it. I have it set to block my social media after 9pm and not turn back on until I physically tap the Brick which means I can’t start my day by scrolling in bed. The combination of the Brick and vacation means that I have actually been able to read!

• I finished American Fantasy - not my favorite Emma Straub book. I do not need a ton of action and love a character-driven novel but I didn’t feel super connected to any of the characters. But it’s fun and nostalgic!

• I read The Perfect Marriage and cannot for the life of me figure out why it has a 3.97 review on Goodreads? You guys - this book is not good. The writing is not good. The ending doesn’t make sense. This was a rare 2 star book for me and I would not recommend reading it.

• The real highlight of the month for me was Into the Blue. I loved this book. It was long but I loved the characters so much - I miss them! I finished it a week ago and I genuinely miss them! The characters are both actors and in the beginning, you’re brought into the sci-fi world they live in on a show and because I’m not a sci-fi girlie at all, the author almost lost me. But it is relatively short-lived, important for the plot, and you must push past it! 5 stars!

Watching:

• Most of July I was watching season 4 of The Ultimatum and honestly I can’t even say I recommend it because it’s pretty bad! And not in a fun drama, gossip-y way either - the people on this season were in low key (or high key!) abusive relationships and it was not great!

• If my son were here, he would recommend “the spider show” aka Miniscule which is a whimsical French show about bugs. There are only 4 episodes (on prime video) and I’ve seen them all about 20 times. It’s fine I guess but if you have a 3 year old, they might really love it?

• My mom is here and we’re currently watching The Five Star Weekend. We both read the book when it came out a few years ago and the show is a little cheesy but also good and fun! Plus I’ve loved D’Arcy Carden since her Broad City days and it’s fun to see her in a different role.

Life/play:

• We just spent a week in Florida and when is the last time you just splashed around in a pool? We went in the pool every single day and it was so fun plus my son got so comfortable and brave in the water. A win win!

• My husband did a very cool thing in July and donated bone marrow for a stranger in need - if you feel so inclined, might I recommend getting on the registry and potentially saving someone’s life?

• My daughter has slept in pack and play for the last 2 weeks because we were on vacation and then my mom has been staying with us and when we have guests, my daughter gets moved to a pack and play in my closet (sorry Nora). Unfortunately pack and play mattresses are basically a piece of cardboard but my mom found these pack and play mattress toppers and I do think this has helped her sleep better in there! (Also my sincerest apologies for linking to Amazon, I try at all costs to avoid it)

• Mostly this month was seeing people we love - both sets of my parents visited and I went to an engagement party for/with my closest friends from high school and there really is something about being with people who see you and make you feel like the best/funniest version of yourself. Highly recommend doing more of that if you can 💗

Looking ahead to August:

• I’m onboarding a couple new people into my practice which always feels fun and exciting! As a reminder, I’m happy to support you in eating disorder recovery/relationship with food stuff, pregnancy/postpartum, PCOS/PMOS, and everything in between!

• I said this last month but putting it here again for accountability - I have so many continuing eds to do and also want to prioritize some lactation education classes!

• We have another busy month of family/summer parties/etc and I’m excited to see some people I haven’t seen in awhile!

• I am continuing the long, confusing, bittersweet process of weaning my daughter. At this point, I could be breastfeeding for another few weeks or another few months and isn’t uncertainty fun? 🫠 My experience with breastfeeding and sleep has been so different this time around - at some point I’ll share more but hopefully by the end of the month, I can be nursing just in the morning and at night. We’ll see!

What were July highlights for you? What are you excited about in August? I’d love to hear!

farro salad

On my last trip to Savers, I picked up The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook and made her roasted broccoli farro salad. Unfortunately, I cannot find the recipe shared anywhere on the internet so I can’t share it with you but for the curious it was farro, roasted broccoli, tomatoes, pistachios (I used walnuts because that’s what I had), arugula, parmesan, and olive oil/lemon/salt (this one from NYT is similar-ish). I really enjoyed it and am excited to keep cooking from her cookbook when I have a chance.

zucchini muffins

I love a zucchini muffin in the summer - something about them is so satisfying. This recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is good for adults and kids - I usually do half whole wheat flour and half all purpose and the recipe doesn’t call for a ton of sugar so they feel like a good option for my kids. For the record, I’m not obsessive about my kids’ sugar intake - my son took a pop tart to school with him this morning and will happily tell you his favorite food are jelly beans and Mike and Ike’s (he did not get his candy preferences from me) - but I do pay attention to the overall nutrition profile when I’m buying/making food for my kids. Whether or not they actually eat them is another story 🙃

*update: I started this post a couple weeks ago so I’m back to say they did not, in fact, eat them! My kids refuse to eat muffins I make and it continues to drive me crazy. Nevertheless, she persisted (read: continues to try to get her kids to eat muffins).

corn and zucchini orzo

I made this recipe last week when I was visiting my parents in Florida and it was delicious - a wonderful summer pasta option that was easy and relatively quick. We served it alongside grilled chicken but it could be a meal on its own depending on how many people you’re feeding!

cookie dough bites

I have shared before that I love this no bake energy bites but recently have been on a mission to find a recipe that 1) didn’t have coconut to accommodate my coconut-hating husband and 2) had more of a cookie dough consistency. These cookie dough bites checked all the boxes and were so easy - they’re made with oat flour rather than whole oats so the consistency is different and otherwise just have peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and chocolate chips. They remind me a lot of Perfect Bars so if you’re into those, I highly recommend this recipe! They’re an easy snack and much cheaper than a Perfect Bar.

What have you made recently?

Okay first thing’s first: what is protein?

Protein is one of the three macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) and acts like a building block in the body. Most of us know that protein is good for muscle growth and repair but it also helps with enzyme production, cell signaling, structural support, and immunity among other things. It’s doing a lot of work. You probably already know this but for a review: foods rich in protein include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese), beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. There’s also, as I’m sure you’ve seen, a lot of protein-fortified foods on the market - everything from pancakes and ice cream to cereal and donuts.

How much protein do I actually need?

Here is where I tell you that the wellness/fitness influencers you’ve been following might be spreading false information. I’ve seen people recommending a blanket recommendation of 100g protein per day or 1g of protein per pound of body weight. I often blow client’s minds by sharing that the official Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein needs is 0.8g protein per kilogram of body weight. This is decidedly less than 1g protein per pound of body weight. In general, I don’t recommend counting/tracking macros because for many people I work with, it creates anxiety and obsession. However, I share the RDA just so you have an idea what protein needs actually look like. Of course, these vary from person to person. When I’m working with someone one-on-one, we’re looking at various factors including activity level, reproductive status, breastfeeding, health goals, and other considerations. But in general, most people do not need crazy amounts of protein and most Americans who are eating consistently meet their protein needs without having to think too hard about it.

What if I’m pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding?

Your body is doing so much work during these times - growing a baby, healing a massive wound if you’ve birthed a baby, maintaining and replenishing nutrition stores, etc. Because of all the work your body is doing during these times, protein needs do increase - how much is variable depending on what your current status is and what your goals are. I often recommend a collagen-based protein powder or supplement later in pregnancy and in postpartum. I also tend to recommend higher protein intake if someone is managing blood sugar concerns or gestational diabetes. If you’re feeling confused about this or wondering what makes sense for you and your life, I recommend chatting with a registered dietitian to get personalized recommendations.

So…should I buy the protein waffles?

Are the protein-enriched products worth the hype? Or the price tag? You certainly don’t need protein waffles and like I said, most of the time people can meet their protein needs without buying fortified products. There are some instances where I find myself recommending things like this as an easy way to increase protein needs like if someone is having trouble tolerating other protein sources in pregnancy or for folks in eating disorder recovery who need an easy way to get more protein/nutrients. Sometimes a protein shake or protein bar is a convenient way to meet nutrient needs. And if folks like these products and want to continue to include them - that’s great! Getting too much protein is not really a concern; assuming healthy kidney function, our body knows what to do with excess.

What are some easy ways to increase protein?

• Greek yogurt with berries and pumpkin seeds (~20-30g protein depending on the yogurt)

• 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 2 tbs peanut butter (15-20g protein)

• Cheese stick and/or meat stick with whole grain crackers (10-20g protein)

• Oatmeal with 1-2tbs flax seed, 1-2tbs almond butter, 2tbs pumpkin seeds (aka my breakfast every morning - about 15-20g depending on amounts and milk used in preparation)

• A grande iced latte with whole milk & a Kind bar (14g) pssst a small iced latte with dairy milk (whether it’s skim or whole) contains 8g of protein which is nothing to sneeze at!

What other questions about protein do you have? Or what other questions do you have generally for a dietitian who specializes in perinatal health and eating disorders (🙋🏼‍♀️). I’d love to answer it next time!

One of the cookbooks I have checked out right now is Don’t Think About Dinner by Jenn Lueke because over the last few months, I’ve had a couple people recommend her Instagram account to me. If you are gluten-free or like plant-forward recipes, I would recommend! I am not gluten-free so have made a couple swaps where it made more sense for me.

This week, I made her Pineapple BBQ Chicken Lettuce Wraps except I served it over rice bowl-style rather than lettuce wraps because your girl needs a carb (and lettuce wraps are way too messy with kids). It does not appear she has this recipe on her website (although she has these pineapple bbq chicken tacos that look delicious) but I found this recipe from Half Baked Harvest that looks similar-ish and is intended to be a bowl. This recipe made me realize I think I really enjoy the pineapple chicken combination and will be trying to find more ways to work this into my life. It also helped me discover that my son loves pineapple!

I also made her one-pot dish with chicken sausage, spinach, and rice and while it didn’t blow my socks off or anything, it was tasty, simple, and had minimal clean up so I will likely be making it again. Both my kids seemed to really enjoy the rice even though there was spinach in it - hooray!

Now that we’re down here, can I share something vulnerable? I love a good potato salad. I know some people are a hard pass on that but I really enjoy a hot dog and potato salad in the summer. Surprisingly, I’ve never made a potato salad until this past weekend when a friend requested I bring one to a barbecue and so I tried my hand and made this one from Love & Lemons. I followed the recipe exactly and thought it was delicious - herby, pickle-y, and not overly mayo-y.

Special shoutout:

these crumble bars from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Another cookbook I have out from the library right now is Sally’s Baking 101 which is excellent. Sally’s Baking Addiction has been my go-to baking resource for years and her cookbook does not disappoint if you are a baker or if you want to be a baker! All the recipes are graded beginner level, intermediate, or difficult but there are many in the beginner level if you’re just starting out. The crumble bars I made are from her cookbook so they’re a little different than the ones linked above but so delicious, particularly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

these banana oatmeal bars for daycare snacks

/snacks for me! Super easy, no added sugar (besides the chocolate chips) and my daughter seemed to enjoy them (my son not so much but they can’t all be winners)

I would love to hear what you’ve been cooking recently! Feel free to share and take good care of yourself in the meantime.

<3 Meghan

In this break between clients, I’m currently wrapping up June which for me means looking at client totals, insurance billing, and some other administrative things. But I also wanted to wrap up on the month in general and figured I’d share - so here are some things I enjoyed in June and what I’m looking forward to in July.

Reading:

I’ll be honest, I’ve been reading sloooow lately. I’ve done a really poor job of maintaining social media boundaries and so have spent more time scrolling my phone than opening my Kindle app which I hate! I’m working on it for July. Here’s what I’ve read lately:

• I finished Yesteryear (technically that was in May) and have…so many thoughts? I won’t give any spoilers but I did not enjoy the last 20% of the book and overall didn’t think it was worth the hype.

• I read Where the Girls Were about a home for unmarried pregnant women in the 1960s - I’m not usually a historical fiction gal but I enjoyed it!

• I’m 80% done with American Fantasy - I really enjoy Emma Straub’s books and I’m enjoying this one although would say it isn’t my favorite of hers. It'’s about a boy band on a cruise ship and it is definitely fun and nostalgic.

Watching:

I don’t even know why this is a category - most of the time my son isn’t falling asleep until 9-10pm so I don’t get a ton of TV time these days! The needing-to-drop-the-nap-but-still-napping-at-daycare phase is taking me OUT.

• I did manage to watch the new season of The Four Seasons on Netflix which I did enjoy mostly for the cast - Tina Fey, Will Forte, Colman Domingo.

• I’m rewatching Schitt’s Creek because it’s been awhile and it never misses.

Living/playing:

• We celebrated my daughter’s FIRST birthday. I’ll save the emotional onslaught for another day but suffice it to say it was very sweet and very sad to watch what I am 99% sure is my last baby turn one. I wrote more about her party last week!

  

• My sister and I bought tickets to see Paul Simon at Tanglewood and it was the coolest, most beautiful venue! If you’re reading this and in New England, it is absolutely worth the drive. Highly recommend getting lawn tickets so you can have yourself a picnic (as long as you’re okay with not being able to see the stage which for us was totally fine!)

• I had my first beach day of the season! Pre-kids, I was at the beach almost every weekend since we are lucky to live within 30-40 minutes of a good beach. My dream day is going to the beach solo on a weekend morning with a book and a coffee and sitting in the sun (with sunscreen on!) until I’m hot and crispy and ready to go lay on the couch for the rest of the day. Alas, this is not the season of life I’m in but going to the beach with my kids is starting to get pretty fun (at least with my 3 year old, a pre-walking 1 year old is a little tougher).

Coming up in July:

• I’m taking my kids to Florida in July because I’m a crazy person! And also because daycare is closed, my husband will have just had a surgery (he’s fine!), and visiting my parents allows for lots of pool time and free childcare. Win win minus the heat & humidity (but again it is literally 100 degrees here today so what difference does it really make?)

• I’m hoping to have our first expert workshop in the Millennial Moms Club to come chat about body image. We’ll also have our usual twice monthly calls which so far have been so fun! You can still join for $29/month and if you like it here or on my Instagram, I promise you’ll like it in there!

• My work schedule is slowing down as it always done in the summer so I’m hoping to dive more into my lactation education course to get that Certified Breastfeeding Specialist credential and I’m also hoping I can clean out my closets/desk/drawers because why is there so much STUFF everywhere!?

• Part of the reason my schedule has slowed down lately is because I’ve graduated a few clients from my practice or decreased session frequency because they’re feeling good with food & body (YAY!). That all being said, I have a few openings for one-on-one nutrition counseling clients! This is virtual and for anyone hoping to improve their relationship with food & body. Also in network with several major insurance companies. You can learn more here!

• I just (as in 30 minutes ago) ordered a Brick (not sponsored!) to hopefully help with my abysmal screen time/social media scrolling lately.

Share what you’re reading/watching/loving recently or what your goals are for July!

Talk to you soon,

<3 Meghan

I’ll be honest, I have not been cooking a lot of new recipes over here recently. Our June has been very busy with work and family stuff and I’ve mostly been cooking whatever is easiest to make after we spend our evenings outside in the warm weather which is to say we’ve been eating burgers, easy stir-frys, and bowls. Last week when my husband was traveling, I made Greek-ish bowls with orzo, grilled chicken, chickpeas, feta, tomato, cucumber, hummus, and olives and served all the components deconstructed to my kids for dinner. This a go-to for me in summer especially when my husband is traveling since that’s not his favorite flavor profile (I think he’s crazy for that!)

This past weekend, we celebrated our little (big) one year old at my in-law’s house and my goal was to keep things simple. I’m the queen of making too much food or complicating things until they’re not even enjoyable anymore. Here was my menu for her party (full disclosure I used my 3 siblings-in-law to help assemble everything the morning of) while I ran around like a crazy person:

• rainbow fruit skewers - we went to Costco and got whatever fruit looked good and then used Roy G Biv to put these babies together. They were so fun!

• charcuterie skewers - in theory this was supposed to be a cube of cheese, salami or pepperoni, and a grape or tomato on a skewer but some lines got crossed and we had cheese slices instead of cubes so charcuterie board it was!!

• slider sandwiches - we bought a ton of King’s Hawaiian rolls at Costco and some soft white slider rolls from the grocery store and made Italian (provolone, salami, ham, pepperoni, shredded lettuce), ham and cheese, and chicken salad sliders

  I do not have an exact chicken salad recipe but if you need an easy lunch, might I recommend taking the meat off of a Costco rotisserie chicken (or whatever kind of chicken you want) and mixing it with mayo, a handful of cut grapes, a handful of walnuts, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper?

• homemade uncrustables for the kids - I will say I came up with this idea, googled uncrustable maker and landed on this one from Walmart that I could get the next day if I ordered in the next 23 seconds so I jumped on it without thinking that hard about it. I don’t feel great about buying from Walmart but where even is there to feel good about shopping from these days? (I try to buy local when I can I swear!) The uncrustables came out great and I’m happy to have this option for my kids moving forward!!

• the best pasta salad - this has been my go-to pasta salad for the last couple summers and it’s sooo good. It’s sort of like an Italian sub in a pasta salad (mozzarella, salami, olives, pepperoncini) with an olive oil & vinegar dressing. It’s very satisfying and you won’t mind having leftovers!

Then I had some family and friends bring various sides like broccoli salad, a veggie tray, and caprese skewers. My mother-in-law knows her way around a cake and made us the most delicious silly-goose themed birthday cake and we had the best day!

I hope you are enjoying your summer and please feel free to share your favorite summer party (or just general summer) recipes below!

Anyways.

Full disclosure: the first two recipes I share this week are from Caro Chambers and I know they’re probably behind a paywall. It’s not sponsored I swear, I just genuinely enjoy her recipes because they are 1) simple & straightforward and 2) delicious. Her substack is absolutely worth the $7 per month or whatever is is. If you haven’t subscribed and can’t access these recipes I’m sorry!

First, I made her sticky honey-ginger salmon and snap peas and immediately added it to our regular rotation. So good, so satisfying, so easy. I didn’t follow her instructions for the rice prep and rather just used our rice cooker to save time but otherwise followed her directions exactly (and opted for brown sugar instead of honey since we have a baby who is not quite a year yet). Our grocery store also sells frozen salmon cubes which made this even easier. The whole family enjoyed and somehow my toddler ate all his salmon??? Magic!

I also made this recipe for gringa conchinita which is a shredded pork with taco seasoning and various citrus juice (lime, grapefruit, ideally orange if you don’t forget to buy one at the store) and it was delicious. A pork butt is relatively cheap (I paid $10 for about 3lb of meat) and while this recipe is a little more involved than just throwing it in the crock pot with some BBQ sauce, we will be making it again! Just note that it needs to be in the oven for 3 hours so you need 3 hours where you don’t plan on leaving the house (and don’t mind having the oven on).

Pinch of Yum was one of my go-to recipe sites for awhile and for whatever reason, I stopped making her recipes for awhile. But recently on Instagram, she’s been sharing what she made for her family for the week (sound familiar LOL) and it’s inspired me to make a bunch of her newer recipes. That all being said, this crunchy cashew chicken salad has actually been on her site for awhile and I’ve made it before but I rediscovered it this week. 10/10 no notes. I used a rotisserie chicken to make my life easier and served basically everything but the cabbage deconstructed to my kids. I discovered my son loves crunchy chow mein noodles, who knew? This also makes great leftovers for lunch the next day.

Speaking of lunch - I have been trying really, really hard to prep myself a lunch option for the week that is not a turkey wrap with honey mustard, avocado, and lettuce which was my lunch for literal years (minus pregnancy because of the deli meat). There is nothing wrong with a turkey wrap lunch but I was starting to get a little tired of it and also was interested in finding a lunch that gave me the opportunity to eat more veggies. Last week, I made this peanut sauce from Common Kitchen (a substack you should check out if you’re looking for accessible recipes!) and prepped a huge bowl of quinoa, red cabbage, carrots, tofu, edamame, and cashews to keep in the fridge for the week. It has been hitting the spot, especially on those warm summer-y days New England has been getting recently.

Okay that’s all for now except to tell you that if you haven’t heard, the Millennial Moms Club which is an online membership I’m running where I’m offering nutrition & body image support along with a virtual community of other moms unlearning diet culture (and probably also struggling with what tf to make for dinner) is launching THIS WEEK. VIPs get in today so if you haven’t already, get on the list!

Ttyl!
Meghan

Which is all to say things have been busy around our house and I’ve been relying on a lot of our staple meals. The first of which is BBQ chicken sliders - no recipe because this is so easy. Step one: put a pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the crockpot (nothing else needed!) on low for a few hours (it takes about 3 hours to reach 165 degrees which is what we want for chicken thighs in our crockpot but you might need a little more/less time or turn it on high - I feel like our crock pot runs very hot). When they’ve reached an internal temp of 165 (or any time after that), shred them with a couple forks or put them in the stand mixer with the paddle for a minute on low. I personally hate shredding chicken by hand (I don’t know why!) so I much prefer the ease of the stand mixer shredding chicken quickly/evenly even if it means extra dishes. Then toss in some BBQ sauce, throw it on some slider rolls, and add whatever toppings you please. We usually get some good pickles and this past weekend I made a slaw with frozen fries on the side. My son loves BBQ sauce (and French fies) so this is an easy win with him and is very low effort.

Another go to meal in our house is salmon sushi bowls which is a little more effort but barely. First, we put some rice in the rice cooker or make according to package directions. We also love a frozen or microwavable rice in this house to save some time! Second, we make some salmon. This does not have to be intimidating! Here is what I do: I buy either frozen cubes of salmon or fresh fillets and I marinate them in some soyaki sauce ( you could do any soy/teriyaki-type sauce). I turn the air fryer on to 350ish and throw the salmon in; depending on the size/thickness, we’re looking at some tender, juicy salmon in 5-8 minutes. I don’t temp fish when I cook it, I just use a fork to break into one piece and see what it looks like in there (it should be opaque). And if cooking fish is not a thing you want to/have time to do, tinned fish (salmon or tuna) works great! Then we get some toppings. Our faves: some combination of frozen edamame, cucumber slices, grated carrot, soy sauce, sesame seeds, furikake depending on what we have in the house. I have also mixed mayo with sweet chili sauce for a dressing but recently we’ve been digging this Japanese barbeque sauce (btw nothing in these posts is ever sponsored, just things we like!). I serve this deconstructed for my kids and it’s a hit with all.

While we’re here, can I plug getting cookbooks from your local library? I am at our local library at least once a week with my kids and I love to peruse the cookbook section and pick one out to try at home. The perks: you can try a few new recipes without being overwhelmed by the endless options on the internet. You can see if a cookbook is good enough to buy. You can find cookbooks you never would have found otherwise. And you support your local library which we should all be doing!!! I recently checked out The Minimalist Kitchen and so far have made the cashew chicken (which I found underwhelming tbh) and the chipotle garlic taco salad which I’m eating leftovers of as I type and it is very good.

A breakfast/snack/lunch rec before I go:

I have tried many times to make an egg bite/egg muffin at home and they’ve never come out that good - always dry or overcooked or weird texture. But I want to make one I like because it’s such a good option and eggs are delicious (and also have a lot of great nutrition benefits especially for the pregnant/postpartum people).

Anyways, I am happy to share that I found a recipe that works! The bad news is the recipe is a little bit of a pain in the ass. It requires a blender and a water bath for your muffin tin (it’s easier than it sounds but just a couple extra steps). The good news. is the texture and taste hold up and my family enjoyed these all week. I put chicken sausage, spinach, and mushrooms in mine but the possibilities are endless. Also, don’t let the cottage cheese put you off - you blend it so the texture is a nonissue and it does not leave any specific taste.

Also before I go - Happy Mother’s Day to the moms, the grandmothers, the almost-moms, the hope-to-be moms, the grieving moms, and everything in between. I hope you feel celebrated this weekend!

<3 Meghan

What that also means is that I’m in a lot of mom/parenting Facebook groups and I’ve gotta be honest with you all: things are bleak in there!!! A lot of toxic friendships, bad husbands, and endless in-law drama. But the posts that always catch my eye in particular, maybe unsurprisingly, are the ones about food & bodies. These posts are seemingly endless. The mom asking how people lost the baby weight. The person asking how to get rid of their c-section shelf belly. The folks looking for healthy meal and snack ideas. The people asking where to get GLP-1s when their provider won’t prescribe them or insurance won’t cover it. The ones who share how much they are struggling with their body image postpartum - my heart breaks for these moms because I know how distressing it can be to rapidly experience body changes through pregnancy and postpartum and how intense negative body image can feel. And then I am immediately the little angry guy from Inside Out because the comment section is filled with people sharing how they lost weight, promoting some sketchy online “nutrition coaching program”, and singing the praises of their GLP-1.

I’m not angry at the commenters, not really. I’m genuinely glad they found something that works for them. I’m angry about a culture that sees a mom struggling with self-care and body image postpartum and tells her that the way out is by trying to change her body in a season of life where she is probably already overwhelmed and tapped out. I’m angry about people reinforcing the message that people need to bounce back postpartum rather than reminding them that even if their body never goes back to the way it was, that’s okay because no one ever goes back to the way they were before giving birth and raising children.

I’m angry because I know that there’s a better option for women and that’s creating space for them to just exist and be present in the messiness and the chaos that is postpartum. Rather than jumping to solutions, letting them be seen and held as they explore the body image upheaval they’ve experienced throughout the processing of growing, birthing, and caring for a baby. I don’t think most people need suggestions on how to lose 5 or 10 pounds. I think they need a reminder that losing 5 or 10 pounds is not what will make them a good mother. It’s not what will make them a better human. It’s not even going to solve their body image problems because our body image is processed in our brains and not our bodies so how we are thinking about our body is more important than what it actually looks like.

There is always room to evaluate how someone is caring for herself especially in the weeks and months and years of early parenthood where so much of our energy goes into caring for someone else. In my work as a dietitian, I am always supporting people in finding small, manageable changes that are tailored to their life and experience. Maybe there’s something we can add to better meet your nutrition needs and leave you feeling more energized or more satisfied. Maybe there’s a way to incorporate some gentle movement so your back doesn’t hurt and you don’t fall down the rabbit hole of feeling bad in your body. Maybe there’s some reflection we can do to unravel the complicated feelings you have about your body.

But of course, you’re not going to find that in a Facebook group. You’re going to find people sharing their quick fixes (that usually aren’t quick and usually don’t fix anything) and selling you random supplements that aren’t FDA approved. This is why I’ve been working to create the Millennial Moms Club - a virtual membership community where you get twice monthly group coaching calls with me (a registered dietitian) and 24/7 access to a private online community so you have somewhere to post your questions that’s not a toxic FB group. If you’re curious, you can learn more and get on the waitlist here.

Either way, please know that random lady on FB doesn’t know more about your body than you do. You are the expert of your own body and I am a firm believer that any health/wellness/nutrition provider that doesn’t honor that is not a person you should be working with.

On Sunday night, I made this baked ziti which is my tried & true baked pasta recipe. I think a baked pasta dish is an excellent option if you have a few extra people for dinner or want leftovers for the week (this makes excellent leftovers). This one is made with sweet Italian sausage and an easy, homemade sauce. It gets a lot of dishes dirty (pasta pot & colander, sauce pan, baking dish) but is relatively simple to make.

I also made these sheet pan chicken pitas with tzatziki when my parents were here and they were tasty. A couple of my thoughts:

1. if I make it again, I’ll probably use boneless chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts as the chicken was a little dry (plus I probably overcooked it whoops!)

2. I used store bought tzatziki instead of making own in the interest of time

   

3. I make quinoa on the side so we had the option of either pitas or bowls.

4. This also makes excellent leftovers - I made a little extra of everything and had mediterranean bowls for the rest of the week (quinoa, chicken, chick peas, olives, feta, cucumbers, tzatziki, hummus).

I recently made these air fryer chicken tacos and they are pretty simple however anything that requires me to pull out the food processor feels a little extra complicated (it’s just the washing that feels burdensome). I will say in this case the green sauce is worth it and taco-obsessed husband called it, and I quote, “maybe the best taco you’ve ever made” so I’ll take it as a win. Usually if the adults are eating tacos, I make a quesadilla for my kids because it’s easier to eat/more likely to be accepted.

Breakfast bonus

Because my parents were here this week, I decided to make a baked oatmeal one morning. If you’re new to baked oatmeal think: less mushy than regular oatmeal, easy to prep ahead of time and heat up each morning, endless variations and recipes. I used blueberries in this one and added flax seed and served it with a scoop of vanilla yogurt. It’s a nice way to add something new into the breakfast rotation.

Baby bonus

My baby has somehow gotten to the age where I have to send real food to daycare so I’ve been trying to make a batch of mini muffins every week. I love Yummy Toddler Food for this because she has a lot of options that taste good and are whole grain and low in sugar (for reference my daughter is 10 months so I’m a little more cautious of sugar than I am with my son whose favorite food right now is jelly beans). I made these applesauce muffins this week and my daughter has been loving them. Surprisingly, my son ate 3 out of the oven too (and then never touched them again but that’s his MO with literally all muffins so it’s not a criticism of the recipe).

That’s all for now! Please share anything delicious you’ve made recently in the comments.

<3 Meghan

• nachos with a can of black beans so I don’t have to cook meat

• cheese plate - cheese, crackers, an apple!

• Trader Joe’s veggie fried rice

• cereal & milk

• sheet pan - chicken sausage, frozen vegetables, diced potatoes

• almond butter toast

• Asian beef and cabbage served with ramen

• scrambled eggs

• frozen chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, frozen steam-in-the-bag veggies

• Grub hub!

• frozen pizza and steam in bag veggies with ranch and buffalo sauce

• quesadillas with a side of beans

• rotisserie chicken, microwave side, bagged salad

• Pasta with Rao’s sauce and some Meredith Dairy sheep/goat cheese stirred in

• peanut butter & jelly

• egg & cheese bagel sandwich

• Chipotle!

• bagged salad with cheese & crackers

• I think the kids call it girl dinner. Some nuts, cheese, crackers, berries or other fruit, a cookie or two.

• Meat and cheese roll up. Any fruit or veggies I have on hand. Crackers and cheese. Almonds. PB&J.

• canned soup

• canned tuna, salad, crackers

My usual is listed here (frozen Costco chicken nuggets, a box of mac and cheese, baby carrots) but I will add one more into the mix which is using a rotisserie chicken and ceasar salad kit to make a chicken ceasar wrap. Delicious. I hope this helps next time you’re in a pinch! Feel free to share your favorite low-effort meals in the comments below.

<3 Meghan

This weekend also meant a lot of chaos - we had a birthday party, we had family visiting, we went into the city on a real train (an absolute dream come true for my train-obsessed guy). There wasn’t a whole lot of time for grocery shopping or for planning meals outside of what had to be planned like party food, birthday breakfast (donuts), and birthday dinner (French fries). All the other meals were born from convenience and accessibility. This makes total sense and I worked hard earlier in my life to get to a place where I had the kind of flexibility that allowed me to subsist on pizza, donuts, and birthday cake for a couple of days.

And. My body didn’t feel great after the weekend. I was tired, my tummy felt weird, I was simply out of sorts. I am not a person who believes in “getting back on track” - my relationship with food is built on a foundation of pleasure & flexibility and I know that eating toddler birthday foods for a few days is totally fine. It has no bearing on my morality as a person - I’m not bad for eating it and I’m not good for wanting to eat vegetables afterwards. But it took me a long time to get to this place where I can live in the both/and (I enjoyed the weekend celebrating my son and eating delicious food and my body feels bad and needs something else) so I wanted to share what I did - and what I didn’t do - when I felt icky in my body on Monday.

Here’s what I didn’t do:

• step on the scale (I actually don’t step on the scale ever)

• beat myself up about it - I’m a mom who celebrated her precious son’s birthday, what’s there to feel bad about?

• throw out all the leftover treats in the house (we can co-exist peacefully!)

• commit to an excessive or unrealistic fitness plan

• start a diet

Here’s what I did do:

• did a body scan and took stock of how I felt physically - I noticed I was tired (not a lot of sleep and a lot of good stress for a few days), my digestion felt way off, and honestly my body image was not great!

• used that information to figure out what I needed and what would feel supportive to my body (rather than punishing through restriction or exercise) - I definitely needed to prioritize sleep, include some fiber (fruits & veggies) to support my GI system, wear clothes I felt comfortable in (no tight waistbands), and maybe incorporate some movement to help with energy/sleep/digestion

• made a plan for the week that included:

  • a firm bedtime for myself - I do this a few days a week otherwise I will stay up too late trying to soak in my alone time (the parents know!). I will literally tell my husband to make sure I’m upstairs brushing my teeth by 10pm so he can hold me accountable when I’m so comfy cozy on the couch.

  • a meal plan for the week & online grocery order - after a few days of not planning meals and eating sort of chaotically, I needed a little structure and to get groceries. Since we were already into the work week, I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the grocery store so I planned a couple meals that included the stuff my body was craving (veggies, grains, etc) and placed a pickup order.

  • choosing low-effort dinner options so that my kids & I can spend maximum outdoor time after daycare this week - with the beautiful weather in the Boston area this week, I knew that I would want to be outside and also that would naturally include a little more movement for me (chasing my kids around, walks around the block, etc)

  • practicing self-compassion - this is the biggest piece and the most challenging for many people I work with. I acknowledged that just because I felt a little yuck in my body doesn’t mean that I messed up and I don’t need to beat myself up about it - it’s just part of being a human in a human body!! I can just move forward with my life and make choices that support my brain & body. That’s it!

If you’re familiar with the concept of intuitive eating, you know about the last principle which is gentle nutrition. What I’ve described here is what gentle nutrition can look like - obviously everyone is different but it never includes strict rules or control.

And if you’re a parent looking for more support taking care of your body and unlearning diet culture, consider joining me in the Millennial Moms Club! A judgement-free space for parents who are done shrinking and ready to take care of themselves (and their kids) thoughtfully. You’ll get access to a private online community and monthly group coaching sessions with me.

Talk to you soon and in the meantime, be gentle with yourself and your body.

Once Upon a Chef Weeknight/Weekend has some solid recipes including a chicken cutlet recipe that makes me feel like I actually know how to cook a good chicken cutlet. This week, I made the saucy sesame ginger meatballs which has been in regular rotation at our house since I first made it in the fall. It’s relatively easy (rolling the meatballs is the most time consuming part) and kid-friendly. We serve with rice, edamame, and broccoli and my toddler eats it mostly without complaining (and the baby absolutely destroyed a meatball).

My other go to cookbook is Caro Chamber’s cookbook What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking and it’s one that I would recommend if you’re hoping for simple, fun, adaptable recipes. I made the cabbage e pepe and I’m not going to give away the recipe here but it was similar to this one. I loved it and my son threw the pieces of cabbage on the floor whenever he found some but loved the “spaghetti noodles” so do with that information what you will.

Something you don’t need a cookbook to make: these air fryer chicken thighs are so easy and so delicious. I’ve made them so I can have a protein on hand for sandwiches, salads, that kind of things but you could easily serve it as part of a meal with a starch and vegetable. Also if I haven’t mentioned this already, I try to be minimalist with my kitchen appliances but an air fryer is so so worth it in my opinion, we use ours most days.

Also while we’re here, might I share a breakfast I’m loving? I buy some plain Greek yogurt (also did you know that full-fat dairy has been shown to be beneficial for hormone health? A little tip for my pregnant/trying to conceive/PCOS girlies) and make some of this chia jam - super delicious, relatively cheap (a bag of chia can be expensive but goes a long way), and a great way to add more fiber/good fats to your diet. If I’m feeling really ambitious, I make this granola but otherwise I just buy whatever bag of granola looks good to me (I am partial to this one even though it is stupid expensive). The chia jam and plain Greek yogurt combo is also great if you’re feeding a baby, which I am! It’s a good way to introduce dairy and add omega-3s which is good for their brains.

Before we go, I have to plug these Cadbury Egg cookies which are sooo delicious. I omit the coconut because I unfortunately married into a family of coconut-haters but they still come out great! A fun recipe to make with kids or bring to Easter.

Wishing you many good meals this week and if you made anything good recently, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

<3 Meghan

1. Eating a snack before (or after) dinner

   Like anyone with a toddler, my child would prefer to eat snacks over meals at every opportunity. I do not want him to fill up on something less nutrient dense before dinner so he doesn’t get unfettered access to the snack cabinet but if he’s hungry and having a hard time waiting for the meal to be served, I offer him a snack of my choosing (applesauce pouch, fruit, a couple crackers, or a part of the meal that’s already been prepared). And he always gets a bedtime snack - that’s just part of our routine. Every night, he knows he will eat something (often something sweet or “fun”) before bed which I think helps him feel less obsessed with these foods.

2. Sauce on everything

   My son loooves a sauce, particularly ketchup or BBQ sauce. Do those things have sugar? Yes! Do they help him eat what’s on his plate? Yes! And that matters more to me so if he wanted to dip his chicken (or grapes) in BBQ sauce, go for it buddy.

3. Eating a meal on the couch

   My kid hates breakfast (or as he calls it “brefkiss”). It has been a struggle since he was a year old. Food is just hard for him in the morning so I know that if I force him to sit at the table, it will result in a full on meltdown and no food will be consumed so most mornings I offer him something on the couch while we read books. Maybe eating at the table is important for you and that’s okay! It simply isn’t that important to me. I like to eat meals on the couch sometimes so I’m okay if he does too.

4. Pre-loading forks and spoons

   The Baby Led Weaning people and the Division of Responsibility people stress the important of kids self-feeding and I get it! I have a lot of respect for both of these philosophies and I implement many of the principles when feeding my own kids. But I also trust that I know my kids best. I don’t think I’m ruining my daughter when I spoon feed her a puree. And I don’t think I’m ruining my son when I put food on his fork to help him focus on eating. It’s important for kids to have the opportunity to self-feed but also we gotta do what we gotta do.

5. Finishing a plate

   There’s no clean plate club in my house and there’s never any expectation on my kids to eat everything on their plate. All that does is 1) start a power struggle if you have a stubborn or willful kid (*raises hand*) and 2) teach them to ignore their body’s fullness cues. One of the things that is most important to me in feeding my kids is helping them learn to honor their bodies hunger & fullness - if they want seconds (or thirds), they can have it and if they only eat a few bites of their dinner, I try to be okay with that too (which is really hard, I get it!)

6. Strict rules around added sugar

   Unsurprisingly, sugar is one of the things I am asked about most often in sessions whether people are asking me about feeding themselves or their kids - what’s too much, what’s the risk, etc. And like most things in the nutrition space, I take a pretty middle-of-the-road approach. I check the added sugar on the labels when I’m buying snacks for my kids (note: my kids are almost 3 years and 9 months so they aren’t aware of me doing this nor do I say anything about it - I am using this information to make choices about what to serve them but I am careful to never demonize particular foods or ingredients in front of them). But I also buy plenty of things with added sugar that I feel are otherwise benefitting my kid or are just a fun snack to include among the other more nutrient-dense snacks. And as an eating disorder dietitian, I know that the most likely outcome of me limiting and panicking about sugar is that I will have a kid obsessed with sugar and sweets. All foods fit!

7. Limiting food dyes

   Listen, I’m not advocating for food dyes. I also don’t think they are worth all the fear-mongering we see on social media (and from the mouth of our incompetent DHHS secretary, RFK Jr). Certainly no one needs food dyes. I’m simply not going out of my way to avoid them because there are so many other things I value more - like making sure my kid is getting enough fiber, protein, and good fat. If there’s a food he likes that I feel okay serving him otherwise that also happens to have food dyes, I’m not panicking.

This week was a little weird around here because sickness hit the household (the never ending toddler-induced illness cycle continues) so I made a couple disjointed dinners/served buttered noodles once. But alas, here is what I was cooking up this week:

NYT Cooking’s Crispy Sour Cream and Onion Chicken was fairly simple and very tasty (if you like sour cream and onion, which we do)! It does require pan frying the chicken cutlets which sometimes is a task that I don’t have the energy for but it didn’t feel like a whole production the way chicken cutlets sometimes do. I served it with rice and green beans (the kind you steam in the bag because I am all for less dishes/we’re all full of microplastics anyway so what’s the difference?). My almost 3 year old ate it and didn’t complain so we’re counting it as a win!

Another NYT recipe - these drumsticks have been on regular rotation for us this winter. They call to bake in the oven which I’m sure is great but I throw them in the air fryer on 400ish for 10-15 minutes (I flip them halfway through) and they are delicious. Plus drumsticks tend to be a cheaper cut of meat so I’m often able to make quite a few for cheap. They are the perfect baby led weaning food - my 9 month old daughter loves them (I take off the skin to make it safer and less salty) and watching a baby with a chicken leg is extremely cute. These have become a go to protein for us in the house and then I make grain and veg (or serve leftover grain or veg) and call it a day.

One thing I made for lunch/dinner on the night the boys in my family were sick (not a recipe my husband or son would be eager to eat) was this lemon parm chicken quinoa salad from Caro Chambers. So good! Like any salad, it’s a lot of things but fairly easy to mix together once you get them all in place. I used spinach in place of kale because that’s what I had and prefer and I didn’t have fresh herbs on hand but otherwise followed the recipe. I put all the salad in one container in the fridge and kept the dressing (so lemon-y and tangy and refreshing) in another and just added it to each serving so it didn’t get soggy and weird. Plus the dressing makes a decent amount which is perfect because next week my husband is away for work and I plan on making the salad again to eat throughout the week.

I shared on my Instagram that I am always trying to bake muffins with my son only for him to eat 3 straight out of the oven and never eat them again and I regret to inform you that this mini banana chocolate chip muffin recipe did not change his mind. They are, however, tasty for humans big and small (if you have a small human who will consistently eat a muffin). Onward with our search for a widely accepted muffin.

What have you cooked lately? And should I introduce a rating system to judge both the taste and ease of each recipe? Something I’m noodling around on and feel free to chime in.

Have a wonderful week!

<3 Meghan

As both a nutrition professional and someone who genuinely enjoys food and cooking, I have ideas! And I want to share them with you. So I’m starting You Deserve Dinner, a series where I share some ideas or recipes I’ve been loving. I can’t promise I’ll be in your inbox every week but I can promise that I will share what I’m cooking, what I’ve enjoyed, and tips to help make meal planning and prepping easier for you.

Okay first off - I love the Paprika app. I am not affiliated or sponsored by them in any way (although I could be, Paprika people reach out!!) but I have personally found it so useful. It’s a meal planning app that allows you to save, organize, and rate recipes and it became my maternity leave project. It’s so easy to use and so helpful to have in my back pocket (literally) when I’m stuck on what to make for dinner - I can just looked back at things I’ve saved and go from there. All this to say that as I share what I’ve been making, I’m going immediately to Paprika to look at what I’ve saved lately.

I made these easy burritos from NYT Cooking (a subscription I think is worth it) and they were easy and delicious. A good way to get some beans in if you’re looking to increase your fiber/protein intake (but the original recipe calls for ground beef so you’ll certainly get good protein that way too - there’s also a note if you want to make it meat-free). I served with guacamole and sour cream (because my husband would pass away if we ate any sort of Mexican food without sour cream) and for my kid, I just served it deconstructed - some beans, cheese, tomato, and leftover noodles as his carb (whatever works!)

These skillet cheddar turkey burgers from Caro Chambers has been on regular rotation since I first made them last summer. They’re easy, delicious, and adaptable for both my toddler (served deconstructed and with sides - I made roasted potato wedges and a salad kit, he had cucumbers) and my baby - I just cut up tiny pieces of a patty and gave her a couple potato wedges (which she loooved).

I made these Pinch of Yum ricotta meatballs when I had my sister-in-law and her family over last week and all 4 children under 4 years enjoyed them (I’m going to be honest, I skipped the crunchy topping because dinner time was pure chaos). Served with pasta and my husband made homemade garlic bread which was delicious and a talent I didn’t know he possessed - I will now be demanding homemade garlic bread every time we eat pasta.

While we’re here, let me tell you my recent lunch that is in heavy rotation. It’s a grain bowl with:

• quinoa

• chicken (from a Costco rotisserie chicken) and/or chickpeas

• roasted sweet potato

• feta

• spinach

• olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of lemon (or I’ll skip the lemon if I’m feeling lazy)

This is a lot of things but the protein is minimal prep (if you go the rotisserie chicken route and have a husband who will take the meat off which is a task I personally hate). Feta and spinach can come straight out of the fridge. I take a little time over the weekend to cook a big batch of quinoa and throw it in the fridge (takes 20 minutes) and throw some sweet potato in the air fryer for my baby and I and then just pull all the containers out to throw everything in a big bowl at lunch time. It’s so good.

Okay that’s all I’ve got for you today - please let me know if you’re into the idea of me sharing ideas like this and please share anything good you’ve made in the comments!

Wishing you a week of good dinners!

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<3 Meghan

1. If you’re less interested in my rambling and more interested in my business (in case you are new here or found me randomly online, I am a dietitian and have my own private practice), I have resurrected my newsletter for my business which you can sign up for here. There you’ll get less random links and Love is Blind takes and more information about my offerings and work updates. Plus if you use that link, you’ll get my free meal planning guide sent right to your inbox.

2. It’s been awhile and in the past I would write about why that was but all I’m going to say is life has been life-ing and 5 months after returning from maternity leave, I’m feeling in my work groove!

3. I updated the header for my Substack (see above!) and I’m so happy to have Potato featured (for the unaware, she is my precious first born aka my cat).

If you’re still here, hi hello I missed you. In case you haven’t been paying attention, the world is pretty bleak out there. You know, wars and grown men committing terrible crimes against young girls and ICE and and and. But instead of talking about there, I thought I would share some things I have been enjoying:

• Reading on my kindle instead of scrolling

  I spent at least an hour of my day breastfeeding a baby and while part of that is trying to remind my toddler that “baby sister needs a little bit of space!”, the other part is scrolling on my phone. I spend a lot of my time on Threads these days which is fun but is also sort of a nightmare sometimes and causes anxiety so I’ve been trying to get back in the habit of reading on the Kindle app and when I’m able to do it, it feels good. If you’re looking for a romance, might I recommend First Time Caller; if you’re looking for a thriller/mystery involving trad wives, might I recommend Everyone Is Lying to You; and if you’re looking for some salacious drama of a prep school, I recommend The Academy. Just this morning I finished On A Quiet Street which did grip me but also was pretty upsetting at some points (abuse, violence) so be careful there.

• An iced matcha with lavender syrup

  Listen, I am a devoted and honestly pretty snobby coffee drinker but sometimes I like to mix it up and my local coffee shop has an iced matcha with lavender syrup and oat milk that is chef’s kiss

• Baby led weaning

  My daughter is 8 months old (how?!) and really into eating. We’ve started both my kids with the classic purees and oatmeal because my husband’s #1 parent fear is choking (fair!) and my son was happy to stay with the soft foods for awhile. My daughter, on the other hand, was reaching for table foods almost as soon as we started solids and so I’ve leaned into baby led weaning which I didn’t do as much of the first time around (my son could just…not get the hang of holding a big piece of something and eating it and by the time we could, he had his pincer grasp down and we didn’t really need to do that anymore). All this to say - it’s been so fun! I actually am enjoying planning out what I’m going to make/how I can modify our meal so she can eat it. So far her favorites have included a chicken drumstick, sweet potato, strawberries, avocado toast, and cheerios.

• My local YMCA

  I shared more about this on Instagram recently but I took a good long while away from the gym because my relationship with it had become toxic but I’m back baby and it feels good?! The benefits to me at this stage of life: it is time to myself without my children screaming at me (our Y offers free childcare which we tried once and…will have to keep trying 🤪), it feels good to do some weight training (most women/assigned female at birth folks are not doing enough weight-bearing activity!! I do not want to break a hip in my old age if I can help it!), and it’s just been…fun!? I like the classes, I like the vibe, I like that my back doesn’t hurt as much.

• Heated Rivalry

  Like every other gal or gay out there, I loved Heated Rivalry and am still thinking about it a couple months later. I loved the show, I loved the memes, I want to watch Connor Storie dance to Like a Prayer every day of my life. Other shows I’m enjoying recently - the new season of Love is Blind (Christine and Vic forever), season 3 of Shrinking, revisiting Schitt’s Creek (RIP Catherine O’Hara) and I’m still mourning the end of the Olympics which was on basically all the time in February.

What have you been enjoying recently? I’d love to hear!

Talk soon!