Lettuce romaine calm — here comes the sun
— it's april, my spud muffins
Hi friends! First and foremost, I am deeply moved about those that subscribed to the first newsletter. I hope that this monthly routine (maybe more frequent?) becomes something to look forward to as we roll into a new season, new intentions, or maybe for some of us — more of the same. All is welcome. I would love any feedback on what you guys would like to see, what you liked, or questions you have surrounding nutrition. With that, let’s dive in, shall we?
Spring has sprung [read: is springing; actually read: wants to be sprung]
…here comes the ultimate PNW spring tease.
Ways to use herbs + spices this spring:
— fancy up your breakfast with chives, dill, oregano, rosemary, thyme, or others on eggs, a tofu scramble, or cottage cheese
— lavender or mint in a cocktail or mocktail
— use fresh mint for a chocolate chip mint smoothie
— lemon verbena, chervil, or parsley with pasta (fun fact: chervil is also known as French parsley)
— add sorrel leaves to a salad or soup; make a sorrel-based pesto
— poppyseeds in salads, baked goods, oatmeal, protein mug cakes
— sumac is excellent on roasted veggies (i.e., asparagus), in homemade hummus, topping off store-bought hummus
— fresh herbs in a vase with flowers in your home
EAT
April mood board
— soft/hard boiled eggs: toast, salads, for fancy hummus, an easy snack, as a pizza topping
— pickled onions: throw in a stir fry bowl, in a salad, avocado toast, on a charcuterie board
— homemade sourdough bread: you heard me, this pandemic time hobby is making a comeback. Who doesn’t love homemade bread? While that’s a unanimous yes, the making of said bread is a love-hate relationship I’m currently working through. It’s a bumpy road and only for the strong-willed, of which I have an abundance of.
— spring cleaning: clean your oven! clean out your closet + find clothes to donate! clean out your pantry!
— potential April Intentions: Getting outside more. Lunch break or evening walks. Spring cleaning. Find one thing to add into your week that is for you. Take 1 thing out of your calendar to make more time for rest + rejuvenation. Switch out pictures around the house. Pick 1 new fruit or vegetable to try this week.
What I’m cooking
Breakfast:
Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Bars (v)
—I have made these with different berries and they are always delicious; I usually pair with greek yogurt to help blood sugar balance and increase protein
Smoothies!! With the weather warming up, they are coming back into the rotation
—Go to: PB&J
— Ingredients: Protein powder (1 serving size or 20-30g), 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 tbsp chia seeds, greens, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, and 1/2-1 cup almond milk (add milk as needed and depending on thickness preference).
— Instructions: Add everything to a blender and blend away!
Dinner:
Marinated Butter Beans, Ricotta, + Charred Artichoke Hearts with Fresh Herbs
— my God I wish I came up with this recipe; Todd + I paired with grilled chicken and fresh sourdough bread and it was, as Mama West says, ‘lick the plate’ good
Lemon Herb Couscous Salad with Cucumber and Radishes
Spring Hot Honey Halloumi Bowl
Dessert:
Salted Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Additional ideas:
— went out last Thursday and has more ideas to excite the palate!
For Each Season’s ‘Spring Recipes’ Pinterest Board
— a bounty of inspiration
LISTEN
Spring playlist:
— I love music. It’s always on in our house and at one point, making perfectly curated playlists was part of my job. Therefore, I give you a curated spring playlist. I hope it brightens up your spring days as much as a zesty lemon while holding room for the juxtaposition that is spring — a smorgasbord of sunny days and rainfall.
3 reasons you should supplement with creatine
— an excellent podcast from one of my favorites on why creatine supplementation should be an easy, inexpensive “yes” for us all looking to improve health - a much more holistic supplement than what most initially think of when pondering creatine (I know you guys are ruminating on creatine as often as I am). Aside from the extensive research on creatine resulting in muscle mass and performance benefits in both younger1 and older adults2 when paired with resistance training, there’s increasing evidence presenting creatine’s ability to improve cognitive capabilities, including memory performance3 and intelligence. Most widely accepted protocol is 3-5g/day4. Time of day has been debated, but overall, exercise physiologists and researchers suggest that as long as you’re taking it consistently and building up the creatine reservoirs (storage), you will see benefit.
— Creatine Recommendations:
Around here, we like supplements that are third-party tested, as this implies companies are inviting external groups to grade them based on purity. Another verifier is NSF Certified Sport, who determines whether what is on the label is in the package. Here are some creatine supplements that are Seasonal Staples-approved.
READ
Gratitude + gratefulness on overall health
— over the past year I have had quite a few curveballs thrown my way. With any obstacle(s) comes quite a few feelings *cue the 5 stages of grief*. After hitting the latest slump and allowing myself to work through all of my feelings, I was reminded of the power of gratitude amidst challenges. A gratitude practice has been shown to not only impact mental well-being56 including the prevention and alleviation of depression7, but can improve physical health including cardiovascular outcomes, underlining the significant connection between the nervous and cardiovascular system8. UCLA Health suggests tips for building a gratitude practice that includes writing down what you’re grateful for, shifting your focus towards positives of a situation or in your life, and taking a pause to make room for perspective9. The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley wrote an exceptional paper on defining gratitude, discussing various intervention tactics, and how being grateful benefits not only the individual implementing practices, but society as a whole10. For those walking through challenging circumstances, I encourage you to see the good within the hurdle.
Seven life lessons from spring
Staples:
— patience is key (one I’m still learning)
— there’s room for everyone
— there is hope after hardship (a daily reminder for myself as we move into April)
REFLECT
“A lack of thankfulness turns honey into gravel.”
— along the lines of having moments of reflection for perspective and to remain grateful, this is a phrase our pastor said within the last month that I will continue to carry with me into the spring.
“A rising tide lifts all ships.”
— in our world, often the thought progression is if one wins, the others lose. Where that may hold true in sport moments (sorry participation award people), a challenge for us is to begin to paint our efforts, endeavors, or wins, as an opportunity to not only lift as we rise, but recognize we didn’t get there solely on our own efforts/accord. (Very relevant as we come to the end of March Madness.)
SLEEP
— as the weather changes, so can our sleep habits!
Huberman’s Toolkit for Sleep
Staples from the Toolkit [particular to spring]
— sunlight exposure within 30-60 minutes of waking
— sleep enhances. Sleep heals.
— sleep changes with the seasons, it will vary. Listen to your body!
— opening windows as temperatures increase
COMING SOON
— first couple city guides on Substack
— expanding monthly produce to other regions of the US - midwest, california (why you so big?), southeast, etc.
— gut series coming on IG! There’s so much misinformation floating around social media (PERIODDTTT), including claims surrounding gut health, what impacts it, and how to improve it. A big push for me in having a social media platform/presence is the opportunity to educate - less confusion, more health! The series goal is to educate on why our gut health is important, break down the basics (i.e., prebiotic vs probiotic), educate on inexpensive, easy ways to help improve gut health, etc. This is actually one of my favorite things to discuss because research is showing more and more that gut health is interconnected to overall health. I also wrote my master’s thesis pertaining to gut health, so you could say it’s close to the heart for me…or stomach. (Stop stop, I’ll be here every month.)
Enough from me!
Looking forward to spring together. Until next month!
Making the most of each season,
Mads
Mills, S., Candow, D. G., Forbes, S. C., Patrick Neary, J., Ormsbee, M. J., & Antonio, J. (2020). Effects of Creatine Supplementation during Resistance Training Sessions in Physically Active Young Adults. Nutrients, 12(6), 1880. https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fnu12061880
Chilibeck, P. D., Kaviani, M., Candow, D. G., & Zello, G. A. (2017). Effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscular strength in older adults: a meta-analysis. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 8, 213-226. https://doi.org/10.2147%2FOAJSM.S123529
Prokopidis, K., Giannos, P., Triantafyllidis, K. K., Kechagias, K. S., Forbes, S. C., & Candow, D. G. (2023). Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Review, 81(4), 416-427. https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fnutrit%2Fnuac064
Rae, C., Digney, A. L., McEwan, S. R., & Bates, T. C. (2003). Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. The Royal Society, 270(1529), 2147-2150. https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frspb.2003.2492
Diniz, G., Korkes, L., Tristão, L. S., Pelegrini, R., Bellodi, P. L., & Bernardo, W. M. (2023). The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein, 21https://doi.org/10.31744%2Feinstein_journal%2F2023RW0371
Bohlmeijer, E. T., Kraiss, J. T., Watkins, P., & Schotanus-Dijkstra, M. (2020). Promoting Gratitude as a Resource for Sustainable Mental Health: Results of a 3-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial up to 6 Months Follow-up. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22, 1011-1032. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-020-00261-5
Iodice, J. A., Malouff, J. M., & Schutte, N. S. (2021). The Association between Gratitude and Depression: A Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Depression and Anxiety, 4https://doi.org/10.23937/2643-4059/1710024
Wang, X., & Song, C. (2023). The impact of gratitude interventions on patients with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 14https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2023.1243598
Health Benefits of Gratitude. (2023). UCLA Health, https://www.uclahealth.org/news/health-benefits-gratitude#:~:text=Taking%20a%20moment%20to%20be,to%20help%20with%20overall%20relaxation.
Allen, S. (2018). The Science of Gratitude. Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude-FINAL.pdf