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Hi Reader,

This past week I've had a batch of lovely comments, both as a response to this newsletter and in the comment section of my 2026 goals article. It's not only encouraging and reminds me why I continue to do this even as the online industry has gotten more and more complicated, it's super helpful!

Because if I don't hear from you about what content you are liking and what is making a difference in your life, then it's harder for me to plan and know if I'm hitting my goals of being useful, encouraging, and inspiring us towards simple homemade lives.💜

Remember to hit reply and let me know if there's something specific you'd like to read more about here!

Happenings

For the past 10 days we've been taking care of our daughter's dog, Noodle (a long haired dachshund), while she and her husband are in Hawaii. While she's added to our schedule and time, naturally, (especially because she's only 8 months old) she's been so fun to have around.

Such a cutie, right? For a puppy, she's been so good and has learned the schedule we have for our dog, Jynx (who grudgingly puts up with her 😂) and has calmly become a part of it, even waiting her turn to eat. Plus, she's a little love and craves touch and attention, so that doesn't hurt.😍

Healthy Protein-Packed Breakfasts

I realized that I didn't have my breakfast category listed in the drop-down on the website, so I fixed that this week:

So I thought I'd highlight some of the recipes I have that start your day off with more protein that will help you feel full all morning long:

• ​Quick Mexican Breakfast Bowls – High Protein, Only 6 Ingredients​
• ​Easy Maple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal – Protein Rich, Freezer Friendly​
• ​Easy Maple Cinnamon High Protein Granola Recipe​
• ​Make Ahead High Protein Eggs with Cottage Cheese​
• ​Quick Healthy Turkey Patties Recipe For Breakfast (15 Minute Recipe)​

​One of my biggest tips to eating healthy, real food that help you maintain or lose weight is to repeat meals and keep them simple. So I thought I'd share with you what my breakfasts look like in real life - I keep to a general schedule that looks like this:

• Sunday & Monday: Granola with berries and milk. I don't like yogurt, sadly - if you do, it's easy to increase the protein with Greek yogurt. And I use frozen berries when berries aren't in season, thawing them a bit before adding them to my granola.
• Tuesday & Thursday: Eggs + breakfast meat. Depending on my schedule and what I have in the freezer this will either be quick fried eggs (often fried in chili crisp - yum) and Amylu chicken breakfast sausages from Costco or the turkey patties with a piece of homemade toast, OR the cottage cheese egg bake, OR the Mexican bowls, OR a scramble like my favorite Mediterranean version. I add whatever fruit is in season - lately it's been grapefruit.
• Wednesday & Friday: My granola breakfast OR two of the baked oatmeal cups. I split and toast the baked oatmeal (they've usually come from the freezer) and top them with thawed berries (or fresh when in season), and then drizzle it all with a bit of peanut butter (so good - and I picture it like this in the recipe).
• Saturday: "Big Saturday Breakfast." It's in quotes because this is what Brian has always called it and looks forward to when we're home. It's basically a big scramble or egg bake with bacon or sausage and the addition of hash browns and every once in awhile a donut if Brian has made them (it's one of his things he likes to do...).

What you won't see here are chia puddings or overnight oats. Ugh, the texture issues and goopy soggyness of it all is a total turn off for me. So, no you won't be seeing those recipes on the site any time soon! 😂

From The Blog

​Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix with Sriracha and Honey​ A delicious sweet and spicy nut mix made with sriracha and honey that's great for a quick, healthy snack that’s easy to customize. RECIPE HERE!

​January 2026 Garden Update & Plans​ A January garden update with a look at what’s growing now and encouragement for gardeners who are dreaming and preparing during the slower winter months. READ IT HERE!

A few more things

#1 - I was surprised to see the sweet and spicy nut mix I updated this week as zero reviews or ratings, even though it's been on the site since 2016.😳 If you've made it or if you get a chance to (it's a really good flavor with less sweetener than many of these types of recipes) please leave a rating and review - I'd really appreciate it!💜

#2 - My cousin told me about this wonderful book series I've been listening to on audiobooks and it's just made these last few weeks delightful! I had seen the title on Hoopla about a month ago, but I thought maybe it was one of those real-life western diary books? My cousin assured me it wasn't - they are a series of short novels set in 1880's London written as diary entries (the books each cover 2 months so are short). The heroine is wonderfully funny and the scrapes she gets into and the characters she knows have made me laugh out loud at times. There are many layers to this series - outrage, bittersweet, romantic, friendly, as well as comedic - but overall it's just a lovely new literary person and world to know.

#3 - Years ago I discovered how much better 100% linen towels were over cotton for our hand-drying kitchen towel because they dry better. I had gotten a set at Ikea, but recently realized that almost all of them have holes. I priced out some ready made towels at $12-$17 each in colors I didn't actually like that much. So I visited my favorite resource for reasonably priced linen, fabric-stores.com, and found they sell a 100% narrow-width rustic linen made for towels! I ordered a couple of yards of rustic linen with a green stripe (hard to find) and I'll I need to do is cut, hem the short ends, wash and I'll have the exact color and style I want for about the same price as ready-made.😀

Here's to a lovely week - I appreciate you reading and following along!!

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