The summer of broken rules

And all of the meals I plan on making. 🙃

Did I aptly name this newsletter after my favorite read of the summer? Maybe. Maybe I did.

For some reason, that little phrase has been mulling around in my brain for a few weeks. I think it accurately depicts how I feel about my eating habits.

I’m currently in my summer of broken rules.

What does that mean, exactly?

It’s honestly exactly how it sounds: I’ve approached this summer without having any kind of “rules.”

Even though I’m no longer an active participant in toxic diet culture, I still find myself setting “rules” for specific seasons of my life. Anyone else?

The rules may go something like this: Focus only on lean protein during the week. Drink eight cups of water. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Save alcohol for the weekend. So on and so forth.

As you can see, I’m not restricting myself in any way. I’m just trying to change up my routine so I’m living healthier and taking care of my body. Nothing wrong with that, right?

But even if they seem tame, they can be pretty harsh by the end. Why? My mental health gets involved, and then everything pretty much goes to shit.

If I end up breaking my rules, I feel pretty down on myself. What if my girlfriends want to pop open a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc on a Wednesday night? What if I didn’t have time to get to the grocery store and I don’t have any fresh fruits or vegetables to fill up half my plate? What if I’m sick of making chicken and the only thing I can throw together is a skillet burger because life is just busy?

Regardless if my “rules” have the best intentions behind them, they don’t bode well with my everyday life. Especially during the summertime, when life looks a little sunnier and my responsibilities seem to, um, float out the window a little too often.

As I was staring down the path of the summer I had planned ahead, full of travel and outdoor concerts and fun dinner reservations with my husband, I knew none of these healthy “rules” I set for myself were going to last.

So I made a pact with myself: This summer, I wouldn’t follow any rules.

And you know what? My health didn’t fall apart. Because as it turns out, my body has enough intuition to know when it craves being healthy, and when I listen to it, I feel better in the skin I’m in.

A large majority of the time I choose healthy options because I like those things. But other times I don’t, like when I’m up at the lake with my in-laws or I’m in Boston for the night with my girls for a concert. Yet in those day-to-day moments, I follow my gut. I let my intuition take over instead of my rules or my cravings, and I find myself feeling really good after a meal time and time again.

Did I gain a lot of weight without my rules? None, actually. Funny how that works out, huh?

Latest reads

Catch up on some of my latest articles!

🍍 How to cut a pineapple: This tutorial makes cutting into a pineapple so much easier than you think! You can thank your favorite pioneer woman for this how-to.

🍓 Should you peel your strawberries? While we’re talking about fruit, have you ever considered peeling your strawberries? Apparently, it elevates the texture and sweetness while cutting away the bitterness from the skin and the seeds!

🍸 Espresso martinis—but make them frozen! Summer just got a whole lot cooler with this frozen take on your favorite cocktail.

🍯 Can you eat honey if you’re allergic to bees? Short answer, no. Long answer, read it here. It’s always fun learning more of the science behind the food we eat!

✈️ Travel with a reusable water bottle! Not, not just to be eco-friendly, although that’s always a plus. But your opaque water bottle could actually be a clever way to hide your personal belongings. Here’s why, according to experts.

Meals I want to make

Now that I’m not doing as much of my recipe development, I’ve enjoyed trying other recipes from bloggers I love online. Here are some of the recipes I’ve been eyeing that I want to experiment with this week.

• Heirloom Tomato Galette: It just feels really summery, you know? Tomatoes are meant for August, and when they’re not being processed into 40 jars of Grandma’s homemade sauce, they are certainly meant for something like this.

• Creamy (No-Cream!) Corn Pasta with Basil: I’m a big fan of grilled corn during the summertime, but if you find yourself with a plethora of stalks and need to just get rid of some, this creamy pasta will do. Plus, it’s great for lactose-free girlies like myself!

• Chickpea Salad: I’ve been in a pasta salad phase for a while—or, to be quite honest, a salad phase that involves anything but lettuce. It could still have lots of vegetables (like this traditional Greek salad I’ve also been eyeing. But really, anything that tosses together delicious, nutritious foods without involving leafy greens. This chickpea salad is next on the list.

What else would you like to see in this newsletter?

I know I’ve been super off and on lately with getting this newsletter out to you. Truth be told, I’m in the process of doing a revamp of my business, as well as keeping up the marketing of my novel, so this newsletter has been unfortunately neglected. While I’ll still be writing it (don’t worry, not going anywhere!) it will likely see some small changes.

So, if there is anything you would like to see this newsletter include, feel free to reply to this email or comment below in the Substack app. Would love to get your thoughts!

Until next week (yes, next week, I PROMISE).