big mac turkey taquitos
my injury chronicles, and ingredients I won't skimp on
Happy Sunday and welcome to this week’s edition of R&R. I’m so glad you’re here 🥰
We had quite the commotion last weekend so wanted to share the story of my shoulder injury.
Last Saturday night as I’m about to turn in for bed, Reggie had come up for some bedtime snuggles (as she does most nights 😭). After some mandatory pets, I stood up on the bed (dumb) to jump off the bed (dumb) and my foot got tangled in the sheets. What followed was a very dramatic shoulder-plant onto the ground. And my phone that was in my hand (dumb) took flight and smacked the window.
I was buzzing with adrenaline so I couldn't quite figure out what was injured. After a few minutes I got up, but my right arm refused to cooperate, and my knee was busted. Amazingly, the phone and glass were fine.
I wasn’t keen on spending Saturday night in the ER waiting room so I got some ice and hoped for the best.
Sunday morning, the pain was worse, so off to the ER I went. Four hours later, the doctor finally gave me the news—just a sprain! Cue a mini meltdown on the way home, because although it wasn’t broken, she wasn’t sure how long recovery would be. I had learned very quickly I am not ambidextrous. I couldn’t brush my teeth, get dressed, and not to mention cook! But Kyle got us Chipotle and my favorite snack while I iced my shoulder and I started to feel better.
Either I’m very intolerant to pain, or very quick to heal, but either way I’m pretty much back to 100%. It’s wild how much we can take our bodies for granted. While it definitely sucked, it was a solid reminder to appreciate the little things—like the ability to put on a T-shirt without needing a personal assistant!
ICYMI: Recipes from the week
With a bum shoulder I had to go easy on myself this week so revisited one of my more loved lunch recipes, 20 minute shakshuka and levelled up my canned tuna with my Crispy rice tuna bowls.
BTS:
Your weekly glimpse into a variety of behind-the-scenes things like how I develop recipes, kitchen fails, deep dives, techniques, and anything else you want to know! If you have a burning question or something you’d love to see, leave a comment below and I’ll include it in an upcoming BTS.
This week’s BTS: 5 ingredients I won’t skimp on (and 5 I will)
I get asked a lot if certain ingredients are “worth it”. While this can be subjective, I wanted to share a few of mine, and more importantly why. There are of course exceptions to these, if I’m using an ingredient as the star of the dish, always find the best version of it. If I’m really mixing it in and it won’t be noticed (eggs in a cake) then just skimp because you won’t notice.
I want to acknowledge that "splurging" on groceries is a privilege, and not everyone can—this is a 100% judgment-free zone. But this is also an educational space, and I always want to share my experience. I’m sharing what I’ve learned from trying different types so you don’t waste money on things that aren’t worth it. And to be honest, most of the items I “don’t skimp on” come from Costco so they are relatively affordable still if you can find space to store them.
5 ingredients I won’t skimp on? (non-exhaustive)
Jarred pasta sauce: as someone who highly values a good pasta dinner, I don’t want to waste my pasta on a trash sauce. As someone who also highly values a quick and easy meal, I have no shame in using a jarred sauce, so long as it’s good. Sometimes it does hurt a little to spend $8-$15 on a jar of sauce, but it hurts more to waste dinner.
Eggs: until I started eating “good” eggs, I never noticed how much of a difference they can make. Free-range organic brown eggs are my choice. The yolks are brighter, and the flavor is significantly better. As someone who has a fickle relationship with eggs, I think these are worth the splurge to prevent the ick.
Olive oil: a lot of olive oil sold in North America is actually rancid. So if you think you don’t like the flavor of olive oil it might be because you haven’t had “good” olive oil. Look for one that is made and bottled in Italy and has an expiration date. (I get mine from Costco).