Read, fed, watched and listened: Weekly review

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I have to split my weekly reviews into two different posts so they are not too long. Read, fed, watched, and listened is just my weekly summary of things that entertained and fed me. I used to love going to my grandparents house to read all of my grandma’s celebrity news magazines. My favorite parts of those were never the scandals, but just the pictures of celebrities buying groceries, showing pictures of their refrigerator, what they eat in a day, their makeup bag, etc. That is why I have always loved reading blogs. I love reading about people’s lives. So I am going to try and do that more — blogposts about my thoughts and plans for the week.

Red, fed, watched, and listened

I can’t sleep. I had a migraine today and ended up sleeping from 6 pm to 10:30 pm. Which is the worst because I will not be able to go back to sleep (spoiler alert – I could not go back to sleep.) I hate being up all night. It is so lonely and eerily quiet. So I decided to write. About whatever I wanted. Not for SEO. Not for views. Not to make money. A brain dump. Ugh. I hate the word dump. I wish I could find a better word for it.

So… here we go… what I read, was fed, watched, and listened last week

Read

• Four Winds, Kristin Hannah: I am currently reading this book and I like it, but it is hard to get through. However, I really like learning about this time period and researching as I read along.
• “A Covid Comedy of Errors”, Orlando Soria: I had never heard of Orlando until I read his essay on his experience as a HGTV host and influencer. Wow. I always figured a lot of work went into these DIY shows, but I did not realize how much was put onto the hosts. I also like his view on being an influencer and how the cash flow is so tricky —
  •  “I never set out to be an influencer. It’s absolutely a stupid job. And a constant punchline. No one respects it, rather than being seen a people producing the kind of content that used to be reserved for magazines, you’re seen as a some sort of tacky douchebag who takes pictures of themselves acting like a dumb idiot while raking in the dollars. It seems so easy from the outside because it is an influencer’s job to make it look easy.”

” Everything I read in 2021, ranked by genre,” The Stripe – I love a good yearly review list — especially when it comes to books. While I do not like thrillers, I received a lot of ideas for my “want to read” shelf for Good Reads.

“LED Mask Comparison and a Deep Dive into Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT),” Goals to Get Glowing – I bought a Boost LED mask last winter and was so good at using it. Then I stopped using it regularly, and have never been able to get into a routine again. Vanessa did an amazing job with all of the research, so I re-read it to motivate me to use my LED mask again. It is a fantastic resource on LED masks if you are looking for one!

Fed

We are trying to use DoorDash less, which is such a challenge for me. I always think that every meal should be something I am in the mood for – not because I am hungry. I really need to get out of that frame of mind because it not only wastes money, it can cause me to overindulge.

I do not know why I never thought of it, but I recently realized I could buy cookbooks on Kindle and read them on my iPad. I never did that because I wanted to see the pictures. However, it is making it so much easier for me to save recipes I am interested in. Anyways, I am currently reading ( guess I should have put it in my list) “Everyday Dinners: Real-Life Recipes to Set Your Family Up for A Week of Success,”by Jessican Merchant. In her introduction she talks about not needing to spend your whole Sunday meal prepping for the week — just do little things to set yourself up for success – cut up veggies and fruit and make some of the main components of your meal. It was life changing for me to hear that. So I made some Farro last week and put it in the fridge and then made lunches from it.

I threw together this salad that was inspired by a salad I saw on TikTok, but I actually didn’t follow any of the directions, just used it for the veggie inspiration.

Lunch: Honey Ginger Farro salad

• Farro ( I pre-cooked mine on Sunday — just cooked in water) – I heated up in the microwave
• Murikame (shelled edamame) – I prepped these on Sunday so they would be cold for the salad
• Coleslaw mix (I cut up my own cabbage and used shredded carrots, but this would have been easier)
• Diced red pepper, cucumbers and green onions
• Topped with Makoto Honey Ginger dressing. It tastes just like the salad dressing you get at Japanese steakhouses. I find in the produce aisle, although the honey ginger version is harder to find.

Dinner: Chicken Mashed Potatoes Bowls

This was something I threw together because I know we had the lightly breaded chicken nuggets from Costco in our freezer. Then I had mashed potatoes and gravy. And added corn. James loved it. I think I always had a stigma against chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes for dinner — like it was too “unhealthy.” That is what years of diet culture will do to you. . But it ended up being really good and something that is easy because we always have most of the ingredients on hand. I just had to get over the guilt of breaking a food rule that is implanted in my brain to always have a vegetable with dinner — my mom did not count corn as a vegetable since it was a “starch.”

• Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Chunks (Costco)
• Bob Evans pre-made mashed potatoes – I do not normally make or eat mashed potatoes, but if I do — these only. They are so good.
• Birdseye Super Sweet Corn – Love this corn and it is so easy to make
• Simple Truth Ready Made Beef Gravy – There were no gravies at the store, so I went with beef. It was really good.
• Cheddar Jack – I could have done without the cheese, but James loved this part.

Watched

• Harlem, Prime Video: A follower recommended this as a comedy like Sex and the City, but it is about four Black women living in Harlem. While I do think they modeled the characters a little too much like Sex and the City – even with the narration. It is easy to fall for the characters and get invested in their lives.
• Summer House, Bravo: This is one of my favorite shows on Bravo right now. I hated the first two seasons and did not watch it. After season 3 though? Perfection. I have been re-watching old seasons as I do MSMMBI business stuff and budgeting. I am so excited for the new season to start.

Listened

When I worked in an office, I would listen to podcasts on my way into work and sometimes on my way home — so that was like 200 minutes available of podcast listening. Since I am no longer going into an office, I have not found a good way to squeeze in my favorite podcasts regularly. This week I had a lot of repetitive tasks to complete at my full-time job, so I was able to listen to them while doing the tasks. Otherwise, podcasts are too distracting while I work. I have also been listening during my night walks and taking my “no listening to anything” walks during lunch.

Robinhood Snacks – I listen to this podcast the most frequently. It is only around 17-18 minutes an episode. Each episode goes over three big business stories. I feel like it helps keep me up to date on business news in a fun way.

Pop Apologists – I love pop culture. The sister duo – Lauren and Chan – make me laugh so much. I think I just like how close their family is and stories of their family, along with sage advice and a good vocabulary. All while discussing pop-culture and Bravo tv shows.

The Popcast with Knox and Jamie – I love this podcast. Knox and Jamie are so witty and funny. I listened to their 2022 predictions episode and laughed so many times.

Well it is 7 am and I am finally tired. Man. I can’t believe I really did stay up all night. Not sure how often I will do these reviews, but if you liked it – let me know!