Sunday Summary - 4.16.23
Reading
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
I feel like 2020 and 2021 were big years for Colleen Hoover. Everyone I know was reading Verity, and since it had some crazy ending (that I’m still not totally aware of, because I think that book is a little too freaky for me…), people were immediately sucked into her entire collection of works.
When I saw the recent headlines about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni starring in the movie version of this book soon, it was just the kick in the pants I needed to hop on the Colleen Hoover bandwagon.
I’m only about 20% of the way through this book at the time I’m writing this summary, so I don’t have strong thoughts or feelings at this stage!
Here’s the description, in case you’ve also been curious about these widely popular books: Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
Watching
The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple+
Like I mentioned last week, the book by Laura Dave has been turned into a TV series! I downloaded the first two episodes to watch on the plane rides this week — will report back, but reviews are promising so far.
Cooking - Easy Weeknight Meals
I’m on the road this week for a work trip, so last week we focused on cleaning out the fridge and freezer by eating a hodgepodge of really easy-to-throw-together meals. I wanted to share with you some of our favorite freezer and pantry staples for quick weeknight dinners!
We like to keep two pouches on hand at all times. All you have to do is rip open the top, pour the contents into a sauce pan on the stove, and reheat. At the same time, I usually cook about a cup of rice and throw in a little lime zest and cilantro if we have them available. This is a super filling meal ready in the amount of time it takes for you to cook a cup of rice!
We typically buy this at Costco, but while I was searching for a picture of the product I noticed that the same brand is also sold at Walmart!
These come in a two pack, and all you have to do is remove the plastic, preheat your oven, and bake the quiche for 38 minutes if you put it in straight from the freezer or 28 minutes if you have the patience to let it thaw first.
Highly recommend adding a few splashes of hot sauce to your slice and eating the leftovers for breakfast the following day!
This combo tastes just like the Chik Fil A Southwest Chicken Salad, and it is DELISH. All you have to do is air fry the nuggets for 10 minutes on the default setting and then throw them on top of the salad. If you want to fancy things up a little bit, add some fresh red onion and habanero jack cheese! You can find the chicken nuggets at Costco, Kroger, or Tom Thumb, depending on where you live.
Weekly Favorites for Him
I got this Freefly hoodie for Bryan for Christmas after discovering a similar product from some vacation friends we made in Hawaii a couple of years ago. He wears it every weekend to do yard work and has raved about how lightweight and comfortable it is. In fact, he loved it so much he just bought a second!
I can also attest to the quality of this particular hoodie. After washing it weekly for 2 months or so, it’s still in great shape with no pilling. I do highly recommend letting it air dry, though! If your significant other is an avid outdoorsman, runner, yard aficionado, etc. keep this in mind for your next gifting occasion!
Same brand, another great product! When Bryan placed the order for the additional sun hoodie, he also decided to refresh his bathing suits after 5 years or so. He got two pair — one light blue and one dark blue, and they both received two thumbs up! These swell shorts are lined and come with a zippered pocket on the back. You could get away with wearing these as regular athletic shorts, too!
Packing for a Work Trip
In light of my work trip this week, I wanted to share the last video I uploaded on the topic to show you what I’d typically pack for this type of travel. In this video, I was packing for a super quick 24-hour trip, so I opted to use AWAY’s smallest suitcase, the Carry On. This week I’ll be gone for a bit longer, about 3.5ish days, so I opted to use the Bigger Carry-on. If you want to see me pack in the bigger suitcase, you can do so here and here.