Week 54: sicilian sips, spring outfits, recipe organization, and more
plus, the best ballet flats and an English garden road trip
Welcome to this week’s edition of Five Favorites! A newsletter that’s big on small moments.*
*Sent from my couch while watching the monitor and praying that my baby sleeps longer than 30 minutes.
Recommendations are served weekly and vetted by a real person, not an algorithm. I appreciate your support!
May 14, 2025
I’ll keep this short, friends. Oh, how I’ve missed this space!
The past few months have been full of obstacles in both my personal and professional life. Along with a hot shower (and my post-shower skincare routine 🫶🏻) writing this newsletter is the one pocket of time I feel most like myself, pre-motherhood. I won’t lie — finding the time is a massive challenge right now, but I’m so glad to be here with you.
As always, I have plenty of favorites to share.
Pssst…hundreds more recommendations are available in this newsletter’s archive and the directory. I’ll also have a new series debuting soon! Thank you for staying tuned as I navigate this wild transitional season.
wearing
The most thought I can put into what I’m wearing right now seems to be what is clean and within an arm’s reach. One day I’ll put some more thought into getting dressed again, but that’s not my reality right now. Comfort > style.
The one item I reach for to feel a bit of polish on my way out the door are these ballet flats from Schutz, which have become a true go-to. It’s tough to get a spot as a go-to shoe. These are crazy soft yet also supportive?! When paired with my hair in a high bun, I feel like a dainty lady who has her sh*t together (instead of the opposite.)
sipping
No matter how much water and tea I sip throughout the day, I often find myself parched and in need of something different to quench my thirst. This simple mix, inspired by a past spring trip to Sicily, always hits.
Limone e sale is a combination with a surprising ingredient that might give you pause. That is, until you try it. It’s simply fresh lemon juice, sparkling water or seltzer, and a pinch of…salt.
The result is similar to the citron pressé I always rave about, but with a salty kick instead of sweet. The salt helps replenish electrolytes when you’re sweating a lot, but it also makes a lemon water the slightest bit more interesting to drink.
The amounts of each ingredient are completely up to you and your tastes, but I like about half a lemon squeezed into a glass, about 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and chilled sparkling water, on ice.
Garnishing any drink is an easy way to fancify your everyday, so I’ll often add a lemon slice or whatever herb is on hand to the glass. Recipe here, if preferred. Yum.
meal planning
I’ve begun sorting my recipes into three simple categories, and I thought I’d share here in case this fits where you are in life. (If not, consider this your nudge to get creative with your recipe grouping!)
Instead of the typical breakfast/lunch/dinner or even easy/medium/hard classifications, all recipes I save for meal planning are now:
everyday meals
trying not to order takeout
hosting and/or luxuriating
‘Everyday meals’ consists of quick and easy go-tos I can turn to and expect to have most of the ingredients in my fridge, pantry, or freezer. This is where I keep recipes I’ve made before that I know I can lean on for an easy, flavorful meal.
‘Trying not to order takeout’ meals are even faster so that I can prepare them instead of ordering delivery. I also place meals in this category that I crave from restaurants, such as quick noodle recipes or tacos.
‘Luxuriating’ is exactly what it sounds like, and it’s the meal category I save the most and cook the least. But I love having a place to save the recipes that require extra time, whether that’s prep or shopping time, and that I’d serve to company. Marking them as aspirational rather than regular keeps my kitchen efforts efficient and realistic, which is what I need in this season of life.
As an example, here are three taco recipes from each category:
Everyday: Avocado Sweet Potato Tacos
Trying not to order takeout: Chipotle-Honey Chicken Tacos
Luxuriating: Tacos de Carnitas With Salsa Verde
How would you most realistically group the recipes you’re cooking? I’d love to hear!
watching
Yes, I’ve joined the masses who are watching The Pitt, on any occasion that I can. I usually have about an hour after both kids are asleep before I go to sleep myself. So although it’s intense, it’s also one of the most immersive shows I’ve ever seen — which is what I need after a long day.
I’m not a medical drama person, but I love this show. The storytelling format of every episode being an hour of the emergency room shift is brilliant. The range of life and humanity that you see in the patients and the doctors themselves is also incredible (shoutout to Dr. Mel, my favorite character.) If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s definitely a favorite to consider.
reading
Links I loved this week:
Short-distance friendship (a poem)
An Epic English Gardens Road Trip (sign me up)
Spring outfit formulas (love this idea)
This week’s bonus links for paid subscribers are below :)
ICYMI
Until next week!
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