Sunday Summary - 04.03.22

Written By Maggie McMichael

Planning for Summer

Last week I mentioned I got a new job, and this week I was thrown right into the deep end! Unfortunately, I have to balance two jobs until they’re able to backfill my old role, but I’m excited to be getting my feet wet with the new gig regardless of how crazy things have become.

After what is sure to be a wild few months, I’ll be ready for a true vacation so our planning is in full swing! We have a good friend coming to say with us in April, we’re going on a short, family getaway in May to visit my older brother, and adventures to both Disney and the Caribbean will follow. I’m also in talks with some close friends about getting a girl’s trip on the books, so it’s safe to say there is a lot to look forward to!

I love the anticipation and planning phases of trips almost as much as the trip itself, and I’m already looking forward to adding the itineraries to the Travel Smarter section of the website.

Reading

I know, I know! Last week I told you I’d be reading a book about the Women of Pan Am next, but I realized that there was no wait for this book through the Libby app, so I jumped on it.

I waited months for this book last summer, and it was finally made available in October. Since I’m an incredibly seasonally oriented person, I ended up skipping it to read some Halloweeney type book. Now that I’m craving the beach again, it was finally time to dive in.

This is straight from Amazon, but I think it does a good job giving you the vibe of the book without spoiling anything: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Summer and “undisputed boss of the beach read” (The New York Times) comes another timely and deliciously twisty novel of intrigue, secrets, and the transformative power of female friendship.

I read Big Summer last year and was proud of myself for reading such a twisty book, so I’m hoping I can be just as brave in round two. I’m approximately 5% of the way into it, so I’ll withhold any thoughts until I’ve read a substantial amount of the book!

Watching and Listening

Watching: No Time To Die - This is the last Daniel Craig installment of James Bond and is worth the 2.5 hour watch. I hadn’t seen a Bond movie in a minute, and I didn’t feel like I was missing too much. Know that you can watch this kind of “out of context” and you’ll be alright.

Listening: These were the podcasts from the week that were all over the place and all very good. Welcome to my varied interests!

Cooking

This week you’re getting our live menu! The new Half Baked Harvest cookbook arrived on our door step earlier this week, and we were itching to taste some of her new recipes. If you, too, got the new book, I’ve outlined all what we’re whipping up this week if you want to cook along with me.

Often times people feel required to cook a recipe exactly as written. With a little math, you can change up recipes to fit your desired serving sizes, and you can always omit or sub certain ingredients to fit your dietary needs. While the latter comes with a bit of practice, it’s okay to take risks. Cooking is way less scientific than baking, so take some creative liberties!

Here’s what’ll be on our table this week with all the deets on how we’ve modified the recipes to fit our needs:

  • Breakfast

    • Prosciutto Breakfast Cups

      • We’re halving this recipe, because it calls for a dozen eggs and we needed a few of those eggs for other recipes this week (and didn’t want to buy two dozen.)

    • Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

  • Lunch and Dinner

    • Candied BLT

      • We made this last night, and while the aioli was fantastic, I’d probably just use regular mayo (with Tabasco!) next time for ease.

    • Crispy Feta Cauliflower Bowls with Goddess Sauce

      • We’ll use any of the left over romaine from the BLTs in this bowl and mix in some of the arugula required for the following bowl to ensure we use up all of our ingredients.

    • Spicy Paprika Chicken Bowl

      • We traded out the sweet potatoes for her Brussels sprouts recipe from the ‘Sides’ chapter, since we were already eating sweet potatoes in the nachos.

    • Sweet Potato Nachos

      • We bought 1 pound of potatoes instead of 2 since I’m just cooking for two people, and I was skeptical about how well this would reheat.

      • Similar recipe

Photo from Half Baked Harvest - This is a similar “sweet potato nacho” recipe that you can access for free on her site. The recipe from her book doesn’t call for cauliflower, FYI!

The Latest

While you’re reading this I’m editing a ‘Spring Essentials’ video (now uploaded!) We chat through my wardrobe staples, springtime skincare, and even a lil something for your pup!

I also have a cooking video planned for later this month, and believe it or not, we also have enough empty products for another video soon. Watching my bathroom cabinets slowly empty after having an incessant backlog of products has been freeeeeeing!

How I Beat The Sephora Sale Discounts

For all products I run out of, I’m doing my best to replace them with products that are filled with more mindful ingredients and are a bit easier on the planet with their thoughtful packaging. These types of products tend to be a bit pricier, but they’re worth it to me.

Right now, the spring Sephora sale is happening. VIB Rouge members get 20% off for the duration of the sale, VIB members get 15% off for a portion of the sale, and all other Insiders slide in at the end to get 10% off.

If you’re not a VIB Rouge member, and you’re sadly watching every shade of product you had in your cart slowly go out of stock - don’t fret! I’m here to show you how you can get the products you want now for even cheaper than 20% off :)

Here are a few things that have been added to my shelves lately and how I snagged discounts on them:

Youth to the People

  • If you hold VIB Rouge status at Sephora, you can get all of these products 20% off right now + free shipping

  • If you aren’t VIB Rouge (me either!), you can get 7.5% cash back through Rakuten + an additional 20% off if you use the code MOREYOUTH on the YTTP website.

Kosas

  • If you hold VIB Rouge status at Sephora, you can get these products 20% off right now + free shipping, but they’re out of many shades thanks to the popular sale.

  • If you shop through the Kosas site directly, you get 10% off if you buy the bundle, and the code MAIPHAMMY gets you an additional 15% off the discounted price.

Note: The codes listed are random ones I found through Honey - I’m in no way connected to them!

Curious about how I find these discounts so easily?

The video linked below was published around the holidays, but the tips apply year round! I explain how you can easily stack Rakuten cash back with codes from Honey to get the maximum discounts on most online shopping.

I hope you have a great week!

Maggie McMichael
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Sunday Summary - 03.27.22