The Little Things Newsletter #430 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’ve been home for almost a week and I’m not entirely sure where the time has gone. I’ve gifted myself the last week of our summer work-free – and I’m still pretty happy about it. I’ll be back with new recipes to share next Monday. In the meantime, there are thousands of recipes already on the websites – check them out and find something new to try!

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Nothing new from me, but my friends have been sharing all kinds of deliciousness. Check these recipes out for inspiration this week!

I need to make this Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad soon. And this Chicken Panzanella sounds fantastic. 

This Broccoli Rice Casserole looks creamy, cheesy, and perfect for pretty much any meal. It would be great with some juicy grilled chicken. 

And this recipe for Whipped Goat Cheese and Blueberry Balsamic Crostini is absolutely calling my name.

Oh! And that reminds me that Rebecca’s Roasted Garlic and Artichoke Goat Cheese Fondue is one of the tastiest goat cheese inspired things I’ve ever tasted. (It’s a copycat Rusconi’s recipe and it’s truly fantastic.)

German Chocolate Cake is one dessert that I absolutely can not turn down if it’s being offered. And this one looks soo good!

My FAVORITE THING this week is this magnetic cell phone holder. I’ve been using this phone mount for almost 2 years, and I just bought another one for my new car. We have them in all of our vehicles now. It’s the easiest thing ever to use!

What I’m READING: This Is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo MD. Dr. Naidoo is a psychiatrist, nutrition specialist, and professionally trained chef. She draws on a great deal of scientific research to explain the many ways in which food contributes to our mental health, and illustrates how our diets can help treat and prevent a wide range of psychological and cognitive health issues. 

While food isn’t going to cure everything, there are a great many studies that have proven how beneficial certain foods can be for specific health issues. I found this book to be fascinating. (Side note – this isn’t a book you need or even will want to read straight through. After a great intro, it’s basically a reference book and designed to be used that way.)

What I’m LISTENING to: The Abide Christian Meditations podcast. A friend suggested that I give it a listen and I’m grateful that she did. If I’m honest, there may have been an eyeroll (on my part) when she first recommended it, but I decided to give it a chance. It’s kind of like a very relaxing slow paced devotional. Most of them are about 15 minutes in length and they’ve been a great addition to my days.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 ESV

Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile!

Mary