Hello hello! I hope you are keeping warm this winter so far. After having fun doing another end of the year review, one of my winter projects was creating my winter intentions list for myself – a list of Good Things to take advantage of in the coming season across a range of topics.
I do this kind of planning for myself not because I want to jam-pack my days, but because if I think creatively when I’m in good headspace, I’m more likely to take advantage of my own wisdom in the dark days when I’m not. It’s a kindness that I try to practice for myself regularly. (As is updating my list of lists!)
I thought this year I’d write up my guide to share, so you can now download the Winter Good Things guide here for yourself!This 20-page resource is full of lists and ideas to inspire and motivate you during the colder months.
This guide covers a range of topics to help you feel your best, including:
Feelings: Tips on how to process and manage your emotions, as well as resources like the Feeling Wheel and Emotion Sensation to help you better understand and express your feelings.
Food: From cooking and pantry-stocking ideas to finding joy in the kitchen, plus an “all the time shopping list” plenty of goodness to keep you nourished and satisfied.
Products: Looking to make your life a little easier or more enjoyable? This mini-gift guide includes suggestions for products that can help, things that bring joy, (as well as tips on how to avoid overspending).
Curating Inputs: Want to find new movies, TV shows, or books to enjoy? This guide includes recommendations for all three, as well as ideas for curating your inputs for maximum enjoyment.
Movement: Whether you’re looking for enjoyable activities to keep you moving, ways to stay accountable with your fitness, or inspiration for what good looks like, I’ve got you covered.
Activities: From activities to do with friends to solo pursuits, plenty of ideas to keep you entertained and engaged. (Including some Boston area specific ones)
Giving: As the end of the year approaches, the guide offers ideas for giving back to your local, national, and global communities, whether through money, time, or effort.
Rest: Finally, some thoughts on the importance of rest and self care, as well as ideas for physical rest and self nurturing to help you recharge and feel your best.
With so much included, the Winter Good Things guide is sure to have something for everyone. So why wait? Get yours today and start making the most of the winter season!
Here we are in mid-summer! I’ve been working off a “Joy in July” list which includes things like “eat a lobster roll”, “sit by the water”, visit museums, and hiking, etc., to focus on experiencing good things in what has been an otherwise mildly stressful summer.
Yesterday I found myself making it to Farmers Market for the first time this season (only a month late!) and was overjoyed to find myself actually inspired with vegetables and fruit for the first time in a while. My summer meals are a lot of assembled salads, and I keep Mark Bittman’s standby Summer Express 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less from the early 2ks bookmarked.
I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I could get at Farmers Market at a reasonable price in these times of inflation, and ended up coming home this week with lettuce, a boatload of tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, a bunch of zucchini, fresh basil, peaches, and raspberries. Grabbed some of the very good OMG English Muffins. Our farmers market has a great fresh fish vendor, too, although I was an hour late for the variety! I grabbed some of the last of the local haddock, which was delicious.
Weekly Meal Plan – 7/24/22
For the past few weeks, I’ve been having trouble with decision fatigue around food – and most other things – so this week’s meal plan includes more detailed options for lunches and breakfasts as well. I always feel comfortable swapping out if I’m craving something in particular in the moment, but having *something* planned helps me from stalling out on on my eating an actual meal.
Sat: Crunchy Slaw with peanut dressing, poached haddock, sliced tomatoes
Sun: Bonchon tacos (I’ve been hearing about these for weeks. Big decision will come down to bulgogi or chicken)
Mon: Red Sox Game – eat at the park!
Tue: WeCo roasted chicken ramen soy marinated roasted chicken breast with hoisin + ginger glaze; shiitake mushroom + spring onion broth; spicy miso paste; spring beans + peas with curry leaves + wilted spinach; fresh wavy noodles; scallions + pickled mushrooms + marinated egg
Thu: WeCo SHARK-cuterie board! 6 jumbo shrimp with WECO red cocktail sauce, Matiz organic mussels in olive oil & vinegar, Squailly’s bluefish paté, piquillo jam + pickles and a sleeve of Ritz crackers
Fri: gnocchi cacio pepe (new! from Trader Joes)
Sat: Fresh catch fish, boiled potatoes, steamed greens, a bunch of lemon
Lunches include: a pot of Rancho Gordo snowcap beans, Trader Joe’s Lamb Vindaloo, and Spicy Lentil Wrap, tomato and cheese sandwiches, some adobo seasoning chicken thighs, and assorted vegetables.
💙 Taking advantage of the flight delay this morning to come up with a list of some events for our local Wellesley alum club. We have more than 5000 alums living in the greater Boston area, close to the mothership.
Boston friends, any ideas? What I’m looking for:
I’m looking for ideas around:
Learning something together
Socializing in a new way
Eating something together
Creating something together
Service projects in our community
Connecting to Wellesley
Cross Club events (reaching out to the presidents and SIG leaders)
So far, some of the ideas + planned events (with attention to the fact that many of our events will be virtual or outdoors). Both the College and the alumnae association at large already puts a ton of virtual lectures, so this is primarily locally focused:
🎨 Creating Arts:
Botanical painting class with the Wellesley greenhouse people (Zoom)
MFA drawing class
Songwriting for non-musicians class
Plant workshops (maybe at Mahoneys? Who is offering these?)
🖼 Museum-ish Visits:
We already have a group Art in Bloom Zoom scheduled with the MFA
There’s an upcoming trip to the Fogg/Harvard Arts
Mt. Auburn Cemetery Tour
Symphony (we went to BMOP and it was popular!)
🛶 Physical Activities:
Ompractice class with Reggie Hubbard
Kayaking at the Boathouse (could we do an on-campus day?)
On The Mark Archery at Gore Place
Hiking in Blue Hills
🍋Food:
Virtual cheese tasting with Formaggio
Dim Sum (we’re going to Hei La Moon)
Dumpling making class (Mei Mei? Any reccs?)
Cross-Club cooking class zooms with “virtual restaurant touristing!” of local faves across states.
❤️ Service Opportunities:
Boston Marathon Volunteering
Cradles to Crayons
Any ideas for this for a small group? Either in person, or that we can do from our homes? What else should I be adding to my list? Looking for any suggestions at different price points!
On Writing: Who do you write for? Last night I spent a few hours reading through my old online journals through college, and sharing the best nuggets with friends. One thing that surprised me was the frequency in which I wrote. Faithfully, 3 or 4 times a week. The detail. The thinking in those pages. What a gift to my future self.
I think there’s something wonderful about writing to yourself and for yourself.
Who do you serve? There’s an Adam Grant tweet going around this week. (I’m currently mid-read of Think Again, which I’m enjoying.) “Too many people spend their lives being dutiful descendants instead of good ancestors. The responsibility of each generation is not to please their predecessors. It’s to improve things for their offspring. It’s more important to make your children proud than your parents proud.”
A few of the things that I’ve been very consistent at in the new year: going to bed with a clean sink and setting the coffee maker, and meal planning for the week.
I picked up a few extra bouquets of yellow flowers to surround myself with COLOR today. Two bunches from Trader Joe’s. The pink bouquet was from a delightful zoom flower arranging class with Alice’s Table.
⚡️ This week, I’ve been thinking about activation energy. Specifically, it takes me a disproportionate amount of effort to get started on things, even if I *desperately want* to do them. So cutting down any steps at the beginning of doing something, and making the first one or two steps I do simple to focus on action is key.
For tidying dishes, for instance, if I think about the effort to wash them, my brain overwhelms. Instead, I shift the focus to the first small step: turn on the water and let it get warm. This is enough to get the whole process going, and stay consistent with it.
Weekly Meal Plan 2/19/22
Next week I’ve outsourced most of my meals to WeCo, a local food delivery service. Why? Because much of my focus is going to be on working on our platform re-launch at Ompractice! The past several months have been low on energy. And WeCo meals are delicious, and the kind of food I enjoy cooking for myself, so I don’t feel deprived of the thing that brings me joy. (They’ve now expanded to New Hampshire!)
Dinners:
Sat: WeCo sweet chili shrimp + rice bowl sweet chili shrimp, brown rice, pickled celery + cucumber and kimchi + ginger slaw with sesame garlic vinaigrette
Sun: Turkish Spinach and Meat (although this might get swapped!)
Mon: Canadian Blue Box Kraft Mac and Cheese (thanks to my sibling crossing the border for food two weeks ago.)
Fri: WeCo hot oil udon noodle bowl – udon noodles with miso-roasted greens, charred broccoli with fried garlic, torn herbs and chili oil for pouring on top!
Sat: WeCo grilled cheese + tomato soup the classic! griddled white bread with cheddar and creamy tomato soup on the side… and a pickle because why not!
What’s on your plate this week?
xo, Sam
PS: Next Retro workshop is up and live for next week. It’s a 90 minute *Do The Thing: Monthly Review – we’ll work together on a monthly review for the month of February on Sunday morning.
The Second Lunch is a (mostly) food blog by Sam Tackeff about recipes, food writing, ingredient hunting, travel, healthy living, fitness, and everything in between.
Please do not steal! Email me at sam [at] thesecondlunch.com – if you’d like to use one of my photos, and I’d be happy to share my terms. Thanks!
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