Exclusive Ree Drummond Interview + The #1 Poem to Brighten Your Week
Plus discover 5 nutrient-dense foods to add to your menu ASAP.
Happy Monday, friends!
Welcome back to What’s Good. Since it was a public holiday last Monday, I took the week off from the newsletter, so we have a lot to catch up on! Since we last spoke, you helped raise a whopping $10,848 for abortion access in Iowa in the raffle I mentioned in the last dispatch. Thank you for supporting this important cause, and hats off to Monika of Sweet Tooth Farm and Holly of Prairie Rose Desserts for organizing the impressive fundraiser in such short order. Check out Holly’s wise post to learn about how to keep the momentum going in this long, vital fight.
In lighter news, the past two weeks have been quite delicious. I’ve started putting my first herb garden to great use, attended an unforgettable dinner at the Iowa Culinary Institute and put my Grade A Gardens CSA summer squash to work in my rendition of this Zucchini Muffin recipe. It’s definitely worthy of the developer’s “best muffin” moniker!
Beyond that, work is back in full swing and stories are publishing at a rapid clip now that the post-vacation ramp-up has passed. Let’s dive into the latest news, shall we?
What to Read…
This week held zero dull moments! Not only did I get to speak with The Pioneer Woman herself, Ree Drummond, about her summer dinner party menu and favorite TV show to watch at the gym, but I also had my first content go live on Southern Living! We’re embarking on a big SEO (search engine optimization) project to upgrade popular recipe detail pages to offer more reader service. Check out our first five how-to guides below, including one for a meringue cake that I can’t wait to recreate!
Also, don’t miss that $7 soap—I purchased a bottle and am already obsessed.
EatingWell: Ree Drummond Shares Her Best Tips on How to Host Epic Summer Parties
EatingWell: How to Eat Healthy When Mental Health Makes Doing Things Feel ~Hard~
EatingWell: Here's the Diet That Jessica Simpson Followed to Lose 100 Pounds—but Is It Healthy?
EatingWell: What Is Melatonin and Should You Be Taking It?
EatingWell: Rebel Wilson's Perspective on Weight Gain Is Beyond Refreshing
Runner's World: 5 Nutrient-Dense Foods to Add to Your Plate This Week
VERANDA: This $7 Hand Soap Smells Just Like Le Labo’s Cult-Favorite $200 Fragrance
VERANDA: Buying a Home with This Feature Can Boost Your Property Value by 78%
VERANDA: The Colony Hotel Is Redesigning Its Guest Rooms in Honor of Its 75th Anniversary
Better Homes & Gardens: Healthy Lunch Ideas That Will Inspire You to Ditch Takeout
Culinary Hill: What's in Season in July
dsm Magazine: Aposto’s New Chef Off to an Impressive Start
Southern Living: South Carolina Slaw
Southern Living: Caramel Pecan Tart
Southern Living: Cheese-and-Sausage Quiche
Southern Living: Chicken Salad With Grapes and Pecans
Southern Living: Fresh Strawberry Meringue Cake
What’s Inspiring Me…
The recovering people pleaser in me got chills at first sight of these wise words. In fact, I have this in my “Saved” folder on Instagram and keep coming back to it once every morning since I discovered this poem to set the tone for the way I want to spend my days.
This is exactly what the “good life” means to me. I want the whole feast. I want to say what I mean. I want more. ❤️
Comment below and tell me what “want” you’d like to add to this list!
I want to be in control of my own career. (But you know this already…)
As far as the people pleasing goes, my dad used to tell me “Not my circus, not my monkeys” if I was going on and on about something out of our control or that plain wasn’t our problem. I used to think it was rude and couldn’t figure out why it was hard for him to just let me vent to him. However, after he passed away, I found myself thinking “Not my circus, not my monkeys” whenever something was bothering me but I just did not have the time to stress about it. It has lifted such a weight off my shoulders.