the tinder message I'm still thinking about 1 year later 🔥

You know that experience when you hear something SO simple and compelling that it stays with you for a really long time?! It sort of sticks itself somewhere near the surface of your psyche and subtly seeps in to your life on the regular, as often as you let it? Well, I have two such gems to share this week, which combine into a reframe that might just change your cooking experience for the better...

The first magical learning was delivered to me in a Tinder message I got last year. (For those of you who don’t know, Tinder is a dating app. And if you aren’t familiar with the world of online dating, messages from potential suitors can often be repetitive, boring greetings, so the fact that I’m still thinking about this opening line tells you it really made a mark!)

This person asked if I had ever listened to a meditation lesson by Sam Harris called "The Last Time." I hadn't, but I was intrigued, so I did, and it stuck. It’s 4 mins 40 seconds and I HIGHLY suggest you listen to it here because it’s kind of life changing. (I never heard from that guy again but I'm so glad he sent me that message!)

Essentially, it poses a simple observation: how often do we actually do something for the last time EVER, without even realizing it? And if we KNEW we were doing something for the last time, how much more would we savor it, even if it were something we don’t always enjoy doing? Harris suggests that becoming conscious of this can change - and improve! - our experience of doing mundane things that we may take for granted.

One everyday thing I recently realized I take for granted is my sense of smell! Ever since I listened to this podcast/article about it, I seriously can’t stop thinking about the importance of this sense to my everyday experience and pleasure. It’s 55 mins long and I HIGHLY recommend it! (Can you imagine - not being able to distinguish dirty laundry from clean?! That would be SO annoying! And if you had Covid and haven’t recovered your smell, I am SO SO sorry - it seems absolutely awful and much more depressing than its loss is given credit for, as is illustrated in the article/podcast.)

My main takeaway from the podcast was how much we undervalue our sense of smell and underestimate just how much practical information and meaning it contributes to our everyday lives. As a cook and food-obsessed-person, I think I’m slightly more aware of how important this sense is to me, but still, this podcast really brought it home.

Since listening, I’ve noticed just how often my nose saves me from burning things. I’m appreciating how easily and unthinkingly I distinguish subtleties between "fresh," "a tad stale," "on its way out," or "gone bad."

As you probably know, there are only 5 different "tastes" (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami), but the human nose can detect about 1 TRILLION smells. Smell is completely crucial to our experience of taste and flavor.

DID YOU KNOW that when you eat, you can actually smell the food that is already in your mouth? This is one of my favorite smell/taste fun facts that I learned in Michael Pollan’s book Cooked, in which he explains this "retronasal olfaction"…

"‘Retronasal olfaction’ is the technical term for our ability to smell food that is already in our mouth. Whereas the nose’s olfactory sense - ‘orthonasal olfaction’ - identifies smells when we sniff in, retronasal olfaction identifies smells when we breathe out, as the molecules released from our food rise from the back of the mouth up into our nasal passages. Orthonasal olfaction allows us to identify smells from the outside world, including smells from foods we are deciding whether to ingest. The purpose of retronasal olfaction is different, as is the range of compounds it detects and the regions of the brain to which it reports. The signals from retronasal smell are interpreted at the highest levels of our cerebral cortex as well as in regions involved in memory and emotion. This has led some scientists to hypothesize that the function of retronasal smell may be primarily analytical, helping us to archive the vast catalog of food flavors and record them in memory for future use." (from pg 249 of Cooked)

Are you having smell memories while looking at this picture of chocolate cake?! I AM, and it's making me want some!!

The power of smells and the meanings associated with them can be breathtaking when we give them our attention. In the "Last Time" lesson, Sam Harris posits that our attention - even more than our time - is our most valuable resource and our decisions on where to direct it lends us the most opportunities to create a meaningful, rich life. Time can easily be wasted. True attention paid is a gift when it's given and when it's received.

One thing I deeply believe in is that the *experience* of cooking can be equally as pleasurable and important as the end result, if we let it. (Hot tips on that here.) As we spend more and more time on our screens and take in marketing messages selling us the promise of "more time" (probably to spend on more screens) through convenience, I will stand firm by my admission that the ACT of cooking may be just as nourishing as the nourishment it produces! Cooking is a rare activity that makes the most of (if not requires!) the use of ALL our senses. It's an activity that can be an opportunity to ground ourselves in the wonder of our bodies' capabilities - while also transporting us through space and time via the power of memories.

If - when you're cooking - you're just "getting through" the experience so you can eat, I encourage you to give this a try: pay just a little more attention - maybe even bring some of that "what if this was the last time?" curiosity and appreciation to your actions. Notice how the smells change over the course of the experience (You can still do this even if you're just microwaving a meal)!

The *experience* of cooking can be whatever YOU make it. Instead of "have to" cook tonight, maybe you "GET TO" cook tonight! I'm not saying I always feel this way - definitely not. But I do find that my new attention to my sense of smell (and admittedly, the threat of covid's ability to kill it) has made me appreciate my cooking experiences more acutely, and more often, with a heightened appreciation knowing that I might not know when it will be the last time. I hope you can also choose - just a little more often - to make your experience of cooking as joyful and meaningful as you can :).

And that's your food for thought for today! Happy cooking (and smelling and appreciating)!

love,
Jess

Magic Cold Elixir / how I stop the sniffles before they start

Cold weather usually brings lots of fun and happy things (the holidays! apples! pumpkins! squashes!), and also… COLDS, which are not so fun! Luckily - I’ve got a plan for that! And it is called the Magic Cold Elixir, or “Adult Apple Cider” as I like to think of it! You may have seen it in my Instagram stories over the last few years… it deserves its own blog post because it is THAT good, that easy, and that effective - at least for me, it seems to be!

This recipe is my version of Julia Turshen’s Cold Elixir from her lovely cookbook, Small Victories. I use the same ingredients but I’ve changed the technique to maximize use of the ingredients and allow for more sweet/sour flexibility-by-the-cup. This drink is DELICIOUS so you definitely do not need to be sick to make it! I think it tastes like an adult version of apple cider - not as sweet, with a kick of tart and spice. It would probably also be great as a mixer for a bourbon cocktail. Mainly though, I make it as part of my preventative cold regimen, so in that case, here’s what to do:  

AS SOON AS you feel the tiniest of tickles in your throat, or the slightest of sniffles, you make and drink the elixir all day or as often as possible. I repeat - you must do this THE SAME DAY that you feel the tiniest bit off! Don't wait! So - make a pot of elixir, and then also - get 10 hours of sleep! I did this last week and it worked like a charm, per usual. Tiny tickle —> two days of elixir and extra sleep —> tickle gone, cold: AVOIDED! 

Maybe it’s placebo, but if it is, I don't care - I swear it works! And even if I do end up with the full blown cold, this definitely makes me feel better, even if just comforted versus actually healed. I hope it will help you too!

There’s a video of me making this in the highlights on my Instagram profile if you want to watch!

Enjoy, and I hope you stay healthy (and cozy) this season!

xo,
Jess

PS. In April 2020, my Magic Cold Elixir got this RAVE REVIEW from Ashley:

“I drank your elixir religiously when my whole family had covid symptoms a couple weeks ago and we all became hooked… and healthy again!”

^If THAT’s not an endorsement to try it, I don’t know what is!!

Magic Cold Elixir

adapted from Cold Elixir by Julia Turshen in Small Victories
Takes ~20 minutes + ongoing warming/mixing, makes a big batch

Ingredients:

• 2.5 quarts water to start

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 1 large piece of fresh (or frozen) ginger - 3-5 inches long, ideally organic

• dash of cayenne pepper

• pinch of salt

• honey, to taste per cup

• apple cider vinegar, to taste per cup

Equipment: 3-quart pot or bigger and ideally - a muddler

Instructions:

1. Fill pot about 3/4 full with water - I use a 3-quart pot and fill it with about 2.5 quarts of water. Cut ginger into a few pieces lengthwise, leaving skins on; add to pot. Break cinnamon sticks in half and add to the pot. Add a dash of cayenne and about 1/2 tsp salt.

2. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes. I like to use a muddler to press down on the ginger to release more of its flavor. You could also use a wooden spoon for this. The liquid should turn a reddish brown color. 

3. After simmering, ladle the liquid into a large mug to fill about 3/4 of the way. Add 1 T of apple cider vinegar and 1 T of honey and stir until honey is dissolved. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking. ~1 T of each is my preference, but if if I’m drinking it all day, sometimes I’ll do less or no honey as the day goes on. 

4. Reheat the liquid as needed throughout the day, or you could move it to a slow cooker to keep it hot all day. I usually keep adding water, muddling the ginger + cinnamon to release more flavor, adding dashes of cayenne, and re-simmering over the course of 3-4 days. When the liquid no longer turns reddish brown/bronze, that means you’ve extracted all the flavor, and it’s time for a new batch. I just keep the pot on the stove covered for as long as it takes me to drink a batch, but you could also strain it and move the liquid to the fridge if you prefer. This is also great cold - although, if you like it sweet, then you’ll want to dissolve honey in the hot liquid before chilling it.

the "diet" I live by

"I’m trying to decide between keto and paleo," she said. "I’m leaning paleo, it seems easier. Really it’s just - less processed food. More natural."

"Yes." her father replied, "More natural. Just - don’t add salt to your food. Don’t add sugar. Don’t add butter."

A few weeks ago I was sitting on a log in a redwood forest, eating this very delicious homemade sandwich, when I overheard this exchange between two fellow hikers passing by.

homemade sourdough + some chicken I roasted + green sauce + cilantro butter + avocado = YUMMMM

I was struck by the normalcy of this conversation: the way we love to designate foods as "good" or "bad." How we gravitate towards diets with rules to follow and try to pick the "easiest" one. I marveled at the way she clearly knows that "natural, unprocessed" food is the way to go, and yet still feels the need to pick a "diet."

If you've never tried out a trendy diet - CONGRATS! I applaud you! But if you’re like me and many of us living in the diet-culture-obsessed western world, I'm guessing you’ve tried at least one, and/or have heard someone you love have one of these debates.
  
Why do we gravitate towards "diets" with such rules?! Aside from the (often problematic) culture around diets, I have a theory.

Per the writings of Michael Pollan: "wondering what to eat" is actually a relatively new human problem. Back in the day, people ate what their moms made them; and those moms cooked what their moms had cooked, and so it goes back and back into history. People ate what grew in their local area, which was dictated by the land and the climate, with maybe a few special ingredients traded from around the world. Before agriculture, people hunted and gathered whatever they could find around them that was edible. Originally, mother nature (and the built-in knowledge in our bodies) told us what to eat.

In modern times, we have countless questions to answer: Where should I buy my food? Amazon? Whole Foods? The corner store? Costco? The farmers market?

Once we get to whatever site/store we have decided on: What should I buy to eat?!?! OMG THE OPTIONS! And then, once I buy it, what should I COOK with this food?!?!

Decision paralysis is a real thing. When we have too many options, we get overwhelmed. The crazy array of food options can be mentally paralyzing, not to mention the countless gurus, doctors, influencers, nutritionists, family members and friends telling us what is best to eat.

I think the overwhelm is why we are attracted to diets with rules. The rules promise peace of mind and freedom from food decisions, and they also promise the "results" we seek - weight loss, more energy, better health, etc.

So we try the diet, we start to follow the rules. It goes well for a little bit, and then…. we go to a social gathering or a restaurant or pop on Seamless and BAM - the diet is suddenly impossible. The rules feel restrictive instead of freeing. We desperately want whatever tasty thing is on offer and beckoning to be eaten.

Diets and rules work great in a vacuum. But we don’t live in a vacuum. We live in a world that is full of tasty temptations - some of them worthwhile treats that bring us joy, some of them addictively-designed processed foods that make us feel crappy. So how do we balance our desire to eat healthy with having a social life and also truly enjoying delicious treats?!

This is a question I grappled with for most of my life… and I am happy to report that I actually figured out a solution that really works for me. And I have now sustained it for about 3 years :).

TODAY - it's time to tell you about it!! Because a) it determines the kinds of food I cook and talk/teach about, which is what you're here for, and b) because I think it might help you too.

You may be thinking, "But Jess! Some foods really ARE bad and some foods are good, aren’t they? I mean, lots of people have great success on diets."

Well… yes… but I would argue that most of the diets do the same thing - they get people to eat "unprocessed, more natural food" - just like the hiker woman knew, but needed a "diet" to actually act on.

I would also argue... we humans are omnivores, we can thrive on many different kinds of diets, so really... any food is fine in moderation. It's just that moderation is ambiguous and harder to live by; "rules" are easier to follow because they are clear.

I should also say - I have tried MANY diets in my life (In high school I tried a two-week strict diet of salmon and greens to clear up my very-bad acne. It actually worked! but it did not feel sustainable.) In doing diets, I learned a lot about how my body feels when eating different foods.

I think that curiosity as a motivator can be a healthy reason to "try" a diet. Sometimes we accept the way our bodies feel as "normal" simply because we don’t even KNOW we could feel WAY BETTER if we ate a different way / eliminated a certain food we don’t even realize is negatively affecting us (my personal experience on that here). So - I DO support healthy experimentation, on occasion, with diets. And I believe that mainly, the RIGHT answer about what's good for you can be best determined by noticing how your body feels and reacts after eating different foods.

Two more things about health before I get to the details of my personal "diet" solution:

1. The way I eat and live is based on the fact that I am already quite healthy and my goal is to maintain my health. If I had a specific health condition, I would absolutely be thinking about my diet as a way to help heal my body from, or potentially resolve, that condition, which might then include getting really specific about what I was eating. I believe this is what doctors and nutritionists and specialists are for - to advise on nutrition in these kinds of situations.

2. I am also lucky in that I don’t have any food allergies. Food allergies and sensitivities are serious and I don’t mean to minimize the seriousness of these for people who have them.

So - about three years ago, I wanted to be done with other people's diets and rules, but I DID want some structure to live by in how I eat. If you haven’t picked up on this already, I LOVE TO EAT, above all else. So I know that I love eating way too much to be healthy with ZERO structure. So I decided to design my OWN guidelines that fit me and my values. I wanted a LIFESTYLE, not a diet. So I created one!

I’ve been living this way for a few years now, and I have never felt better in my body. I don’t spend time stressing or wondering what to eat. I just live my life. IT'S THE BEST.

It is only in the last two weeks that I am actually putting exact words to this "lifestyle," and so I'm super excited to share them with you and hear what you think!

So, without further ado... let me introduce ... (this is a working title)...

80/20 Striving (a lifestyle)

the structure:

• 80% of the time I eat super healthy (veggie-centric), 20% of the time I am fully free to indulge in anything I want to eat

• 80% of my meals I cook; 20% I eat out/other

• 80% of my meals, I make in 20 mins or less*; and my 20% effort of prep/cooking ahead of time makes this possible

• VEGGIE-CENTRIC = 80% of my food is (mostly green) VEGGIES + spices, seeds, nuts, healthy fats; 20% is add-ons: meat, fish, legumes, carbs, starchy veg, dairy, fruit, other

• 80% of my cooking is intuitive AUTOPILOT (the same 10 "formats" of foods I always make); 20% of my cooking is fun EFFORT (new recipes/complicated stuff that is worth-it to me)

And if you wanted to really zoom out, you could say that:

• 80% of the year, I eat this way, and 20% of the time I do not (holidays, traveling, vacation)

{*the 80% of meals made in 20 mins or less is true for me as a person only cooking for myself; I *think* this is possible cooking for two, I am not as confident this is possible cooking regularly for a family... I am sure my methods would help things be faster! But I can only say for sure what I do for myself currently.}

I used the word STRIVING here very intentionally. This is not about measurements or calculations. This is about STRIVING. It is an ongoing, active practice towards the 80/20 balance. To be honest, it is only in looking back on the past 3 years of how I’ve been eating and cooking that I can see it actually fits this roughly 80/20 ratio.

A KEY part of the 80/20 Striving lifestyle is that I observe when I am veering into more-indulgent trends, and when I do, I either A) gently bring myself back towards 80% veggie-centric (or I'm if eating out a lot, I'll eat veggie-centric OUT as best I can) OR, if I'm being REALLY proactive, I'll b) plan ahead and eat a little *extra* healthy before I go on vacation/come up on the holidays/etc. The key is - I know that I can get back on track when I return to my usual 80/20, and this prevents me from stressing when I'm in a period of more indulgence. MUCH LESS STRESS, MUCH MORE ENJOYMENT.

Obviously it's crucial here that I cook 80% of my food. You also likely noticed the 80% "INTUITIVE AUTOPILOT" cooking - this is the kind of cooking that I've been really honing over the last couple years. And now that I'm teaching cooking - THIS is the food/cooking I want to teach. These 10 "formats" or categories of dishes that I've mastered are what allow me to make 80% of my meals in 20 mins or less, made possible by my 20% effort of prep/cooking ahead of time.

The 10 "formats" - which each include favorite recipes/skills/habits are what I'm going to be teaching in my online cooking courses for the foreseeable future, until I have gotten all of this content out of me and into the world, helping you!

I realized this week that what I've been sharing about for the last ~2 years is really a cooking lifestyle, more than just cooking "lessons." And the power of a lifestyle is that you don't have to THINK about it, you just LIVE it! It's built in. Which allows you to spend your mental energy on whatever else excites you in life, while also being EXTREMELY well-fed and feeling GREAT :).

Phew! That was a lot! And I have a lot more to say on it! But I will leave you here to digest all that. Thanks so much for reading and being part of this journey with me!

so much love,
Jess