It can be the hardest to write about the things closest to one's heart. Does it really need to be said? The reasons for Asian hate are just so ridiculous...the reasons for Asian love just so obvious.

I have a precious Asian daughter. We travelled to Wuhan, Hubei, China during Chinese New Year years ago to meet the tiny girl I'd been loving for her whole existence. I don't think anyone needs to have an Asian daughter or a Black son in order to know that lives like theirs matter and that sometimes this value requires special attention.

People are people where ever they grow up or live. This statement does not diminish any one's value in any way. It elevates the value of each and every person as an individual. Opportunity and circumstances differ. Every person has value no matter what line of work they find themselves in. Blaming women for the fact that men want to pay for sex is not logical. Americans cannot blame the Chinese for careless American attitudes toward or poor handling of Covid-19. Just sayin'.

Unlearn fear.
Move in love.

Love,
Jane

-We were ever so lucky to spend a week at Fforest camping under stars that caught my breath. Fforest: Being, Doing + Making in Nature by Sian Tucker (one of the founders) offered a potent dose of memory + longing. Gorgeous. Glimpse above.
-Still: The Slow Home by Natalie Walton is a book I've been waiting + waiting to see. It's lovely.
-Ben Howard's new album is out. (A great pairing for the Fforest book.) We've savored two of his concerts + until concerts are a thing again...we are looking forward to this.

​Makes me smile from start to finish.
Made in Flint, Michigan from plastic water bottles.
Honor the people who grow our food.
Regenerative grazing.

Hope the sun is shining where you are both metaphorically + physically, friends.

Much love,
​Jane

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.
~Isak Dinesen

Indecision is not my usual mode. I (usually) know what I like + I (usually) trust my instincts. This year, however, I've noticed that indecision has become a sort of recurring theme. I can't decide which trainers or bed frame or job or city to commit to...these don't fit quite right, I don't like the legs on that one, I don't know if we can afford it. As I put off decision after decision...they pile up + it all starts to feel overwhelming. So I'm starting with a plan to decrease my decision making when it comes to meal planning.  :)

As usual, I don't know if my personal thoughts will be helpful to anyone else, but...here are a few of my recent thoughts on forming (or reforming) a system for meal planning:

• Up until now, my system has looked pretty much like this. 
• I'd been wanting to update this system in order to establish a little more structure + make it a little easier + quicker to plan our meals + grocery lists. Even with my system, I am often just a little too stumped when it comes time to make my list. I feel guilty about repeating meals too often, but then end up doing it anyway.
• I watched a video by Minimal Mom the other day + it just felt good to hear that Dawn makes a lot of the same meals over + over. She said that our moms used to do that + didn't apologize for it before recipe blogs + food shows, etc. Sometimes it's just nice to know that other people are doing something. (I don't really know why.)  :)
• When I sat down to work on my system, my mind was still resisting making it more specific. I realize that I often balk at creating a system, because I'm not sure I want to fully commit to it. I think I'll probably fail anyway...or that I'll want more variety...or that I just won't like it. Well, I just had to tell my brain that I want to try this + I can make changes anytime I want to. (duh.)

So...I decided to keep the plan I've been using...but to give myself two actual meal choices in each supper category...for each season. Right now the categories I'm using include:

• pizza
• rice
• soup/salad
• pasta
• root vegetable
• fish
• for 3 (one less for dinner)

Other categories I have used or considered include breakfast for dinner, frittata/pizza, grain bowl + sandwich/burger/taco. I've also considered using origin flavor categories like Mexican, Greek, Italian, Japanese + Indian.

Right now, we eat mostly vegetarian + gluten-free + considering some other food sensitivities, so coming up with meals can feel like a long checklist of can-we/can-we-not. I decided that two meals in each category would allow for many weekly combinations. I also left a few options in the meals. For example, one of our favorite meals lately is lemon rice. The base of it is jasmine rice, a little butter, lemon, parmesan cheese + scallions (because they are in season now!) + salt + pepper flakes. We would all enjoy eating it just like this, but adding peas, asparagus, broccoli +/or radishes along with some protein offers an opportunity for both variety + for using fresh spring produce.

Making seasonal iterations of this plan will offer even more chance for variety + for using the season's offerings. For spring, I chose lemon rice + broccoli/cashew rice as our rice meals. In the summer, I may choose a deconstructed sushi bowl + rice with peanut sauce as our rice meal choices. I've put some suggestions on the other season's lists, but I'll leave those decisions for those seasons.

This process reminded me of what Courtney Carver is doing with her 333 wardrobe challenge. The three month blocks in 333 have always seemed a little arbitrary for me weather-wise, but I recognize that it's more about dealing with the system (+ the vast majority of the decision making) all at once + then living + resting within its boundaries for the following three months.

I hope it's obvious that we can eat whatever we want to...whenever. This system is not meant to be restrictive in any way. It just exists as a helper for coming up with meals week after week.

A few questions I asked myself along the way:

• What would I like to eat every day? What feels nourishing + delicious + healthy? 
• What do my people like to eat?

Answering these two questions released me from feeling like I would not be offering meals that I am supposed to offer. I know this sounds ridiculous...but I had to process that. If I am offering the nourishing things they most like to eat = great! When I think about what I would most like to eat, the answer is short...not varied + long. (A grain bowl.) Great...sweet release.

• Are we getting enough protein?

This allowed me to look at my plan + to see the holes in that one area. I decided to address this by looking at the whole week in order to add a few things to incorporate throughout the week.

I have to say that I feel pretty good about crossing this task off my list. My list looks nourishing + delicious + budget-possible. I don't have to make my shopping list until Friday + it's only Wednesday. I feel like I've done my future self a favor. 

Love,
Jane

No Nasties = fair-trade certified + 100% organic cotton
Carbon neutral product + packaging.
Apparently it can be that simple.

All lovely photos via No Nasties.

Lovely images via Elizabeth Suzann.

Love,
Jane

I am invested in illustrating the possible.
~Theaster Gates

The Simple Folk makes GOTS certified, organic cotton clothing for babies, children + adults. Their pieces are made in Peru. GOTS certification comes with regular residue testing + on-site auditing/inspections throughout the supply chain, certifying not only that the cotton is organic + free from toxins, but also that working conditions include:

• ​no forced labor or child labor
• ​freedom to organize & bargain collectively
• ​safe, clean working environment
• ​living wages
• ​time off + no excessive hours
• ​​no discrimination

All lovely images via The Simple Folk.

A great way to avoid food (+ money) waste is to make the produce we bring home last longer. It doesn't take long for carrots to look like this, though a flabby carrot is still edible...to a point. When I take a little time to prepare my produce for storage after my weekly shop, I can be sure it will last the week. Meal prep goes faster too.

A few ways to make produce last longer:

• broccoli :: wash, cut + put into a jar without letting it dry off first, refrigerate
• carrots :: wash, cut into the shapes you'd like to use + cover with water, refrigerate
• scallions :: wash, cut them up + refrigerate, shake every day

• bananas :: brown bananas can go straight into the freezer with their peels on to be used for banana bread or smoothies, but I find it easiest to peel them when they have spots, break them into a few pieces, put them into a jar + freeze :: when I want to use them it is easy enough to break out as many as I'd like
• apples, lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit :: we keep in them in the fridge (apples separated from other produce, because they accelerate ripening...which can be used to advantage when desired)
• mangos :: I put them in the fridge until the night before I want to use them, when I put them on the counter
• berries + other fruit :: wash + freeze to use in smoothies, muffins or pancakes

My goal is to eat fruit fresh, but I'd rather freeze it than let it go bad.

Love,
Jane