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Monthly postcards are my roundup of everything lately – what’s on repeat, what’s cooking, what travel is next.

Summer arrived in one day. Arrived on Friday and made herself at home.

That happens in the Midwest; having lived on the East Coast for so long, I forgot how quickly the Midwest changes its mind and with such resolution. Then stays that way with full conviction. (I’m sort of like the Midwest.)

On Repeat.

FaceTiming one of my best friends back in New York– we’ve set an ongoing date for a weekend morning– we talk for hours. Not the same as gossiping in a corner table in the city, but it’s the closest we have. I look forward to these mornings sooo much.
Reading: Just Kids by Patti Smith and Famesick by Lena Dunham. Both need zero introduction.
Magnesium + sleeping mask combo.
Trader Joe’s Guacasalsa. I’m so happy to have Trader Joe’s back in my life. TJ’s in NYC is essentially my Hunger Games. The race to checkout begins when the door opens. You’ll find the wisest New Yorkers hopping in line to shop as they move up toward checkout.
The sushi mission. The vegan sushi scene in New York is unmatched, so to find even an avocado or sweet potato roll here would make us the happiest plant-eaters on the planet. We've made it a mission.

Housekeeping.

Supplements. Generally speaking, as a vegan, you should probably get on ‘em. I’ve been plant-based for so long; I know I’m deficient in something. I had read something like, your liver holds B12 and uses very little of it daily, and could take years to really show signs of deficiency. But once deficient, major cognitive decline…, that was enough to stop me in my tracks and take it seriously. Finally.
Thorne and Future Kind were my answers.
Movement. Now that we’re settled, I could set up my routines to move like I want to again. I’m not walking like I did in New York, but I’m doing more barre now than I could afford in the city.

In the Kitchen.

Less experimenting with new recipes lately with later work nights. Heavily relying on ingredient prepping on Sundays instead. Roasting veg, cooking up rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, dicing peppers. Our go-to is a varied veggie grain bowl, or our coined "Fajita Friday" which is not truly a perfected fajita, but still gets us excited.

When I stopped eating meat, I remember finding tofu a little intimidating to cook with. I didn’t grow up cooking it at home. Years later, I’ve discovered both the easiest and my favorite way to prepare it now is grating with an ol' fashioned metal grater.
+ HOW: Press your extra firm tofu to get that water out for about 5-20 minutes. Depends on the brand. Grate onto a sheet pan. Spice it up, add a bit of soy sauce, pop it in the oven for 20 mins at 400º and you've got yourself crispy pulled tofu. Perfect for tacos, burritos, bowls… everythingggg.

Field Trips.

Took a cat sculpture workshop at a ceramics studio. Went solo, spent an hour and a half making my cat in clay form. She is my muse after all.

We saw Harry Potter in concert with the orchestra live. The John Williams score to Chamber of Secrets was pretty goosebump-inducing.
There's an extensive art fair every year – blocks and blocks, galleries opening up, vendors on the street. I hadn't been in years. Came back this month and was surprised at how much it's grown. I bought a beautiful cobalt stripe mug.