Monday Missive: January 11

What We’re Reading and Watching

My super quick read last week was Self Care by Leigh Stein. It’s a very very dark but funny novel about three women working at a social media company that is specifically for women to talk about self care. The book pokes fun at some of the extremes of self/care wellness, the climate after the 2016 election, the start up world, cancel culture and influencers. It honestly felt like it could have been twice as long, but it was fun and the characters were relatable. - D
It was the lovely Duchess Kate’s birthday this week and I really enjoyed this article and how she has evolved into her royal role in The Telegraph! - D

In attempt to fix my dull winter skin, I remembered a brand that I used to use all the time, Clark’s Botanicals, and reordered a few favorites from their line. The Dual Charcoal Detox is just as good as I remembered (I use it nightly and rub it into dry skin, let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse off), and the Retinol Rescue Overnight cream and Smoothing Marine Cream are both very moisturizing while also exfoliating, which is so effective at fighting dullness for my skin. - E
My goal of gardening more this year has me doing lot’s of online research. Julia Berolzheimer has so many ideas and resources for beginning gardeners on her site, and I just ordered these cute pots based on her recommendation to start my indoor herb planting. - E

I’m planning to make a big pot of the GOOP Lentil and Chicken Sausage Stew with Kale for the week for dinners. It looks yummy, protein-packed and gluten free, and is a part of their New Year Detox plan. - D
I made the Sweet Potato Hummus from the GOOP cleanse and it’s so good! (But I’m a sucker for anything with tahini and sweet potatoes). I had it with veggies and Mary’s crackers and really enjoyed it. Next, I’m going to try the grain free seed bread recipe as a healthy dip vehicle. - E
We’ve been all about cozy and easy food this week, which means Ina’s Weeknight Bolognese has been on regular rotation-my ten year old made it for us for dinner on Saturday night with an assist from her sister on the accompanying salad. It felt like a parenting dream come true! - E