Oh, hey! It’s almost Halloween. Here’s the weird thing. I love a) dressing up; b) lots of delicious candy; and c) scary books and movies—BUT I don’t care for Halloween. Plus, it’s always a drag when Halloween is on a Sunday, amirite? Well, regardless of your feelings about what-used-to-be-Samhain-but-is-now-…-something-else, I’ve gathered a few things to help you out.
1) I’ve been trying to cut down on our meat consumption for a while. I’ll never be a full-on vegetarian (let alone a vegan), but there’s no denying that eating less meat is better both for our bodies and the planet. And when our family eats less meat, I’ve got more budget for high-quality, ethically grown products like grass-fed beef and dairy and pastured poultry and eggs. Also, eating meat sparingly has been often-overlooked counsel of my faith for almost 100 years.
Committing to a weekly CSA box has helped a lot; keeping up with the ridiculous amount of produce we get every Wednesday (for so little money!) doesn’t leave much room for anything else. But after a few weeks of that, I found myself needing some new ideas. Enter The Weekday Vegetarians, a genius new cookbook by Jenny Rosenstrach. She’s got picky teenagers, too, and her kid-approved solutions are absolutely winning: Artichoke Dip Pizza, Crunchy-Cheesy Bean Bake, and Roasted Squash and Black Bean Tacos, among many others.
2) In a related story, I’ve been on a quest to consume more fiber for a couple of months, now. The other day while I was shopping hungry at Trader Joe’s, these granola bars caught my eye. While waiting to pick up my high schooler, I ate one. Reader, they’re delicious: chocolate coating, chewy oats, peanut butter chips. And the little things have a whopping 10 grams of fiber per bar! My gut and I are both thrilled.
3) I have an enormous collection of my grandmother’s heirloom linens—napkins and tablecloths, mostly—and I love to use them. About once a year (usually just before Thanksgiving, which means now), I run out of pressed napkins, so it’s time to drag out the iron, put on a movie, and get to work. This scented Linen Spray makes the job much more pleasant. Both the Citrus Breeze and the Lavender Mist fragrances smell great and are less expensive than other brands I’ve seen. I get it at World Market, but it’s also available at Bed Bath & Beyond.
4) Maybe you want to watch something suitable for Halloween weekend, but you don’t love horror movies. OR maybe my fellow horror fans have already watched the zombie classics I Am Legend, 28 Days Later, Les Affamés, World War Z, and Train to Busan (if you haven’t, get ON that, man), and you’re wanting something fresh.
Either way, Cargo has you covered. The ever-endearing Martin Freeman stars as a father desperate to save his toddler from the zombie pandemic ravaging Australia. It’s intense and suspenseful, but I think even most of my more timid readers would be okay with it. Just watching the trailer again put a lump in my throat.
5) As always, I’ll leave you with some fab music. Here’s a new track by the Brazilian duo Àvuà, “Abrigo.” Come for the mellow mood, stay for the smiles and creamy, tight harmonies. I want this whole vibe to take over my life. See what you think.
Have a wonderful weekend! I’ll see you soon.