Lunch Notes | Greek Meatballs & What's Saving My Life.

Meatballs for lunch + a look into what's saving my life. Some are saying it's the shortest edition of Lunch Notes you'll ever read.

Welcome to Lunch Notes.

Lunch Notes is born out of a desire to use my daily lunch break better. I hope that this feels like a note that someone tucked into your lunchbox. Or like a class newsletter tucked in your cubby that a cringy keener kid made for you.¹

In today’s issue, we have…

• A Greek meatball recipe I love for lunches

• A deep dive look into what’s saving my life — little habits, practices, or things making my life better.

Without further ado - welcome to Lunch Notes. 🧡

I love food that can go in a plate bowl, and these Greek Meatballs from All the Healthy Things fit the bill.

They’re filling, great to reheat, and are amazing with rice, tzatziki, hummus, and loads of veggies. If I know I won’t eat them all for lunch, I’ll freeze them and use them in the fall, when I need a quick lunch or dinner and don’t want to go through all the dinner.

Plus, the added benefit of eating them out of the plate bowl is always a slam dunk from me. Try them and let me know!

What’s Saving My Life.

I’m not the first person to do this, & I probably won’t be the last — but I always love reading a list of What’s Saving My Life from others…including Emily P. Freeman, Modern Mrs. Darcy, The Lazy Genius, Shauna Niequist, and others.

The origin of this question - “What’s saving my life right now?” comes from Barbara Brown Taylor in her book, Leaving Church… but this transcript from The Next Right Thing with Emily P. Freeman tells me there’s a more complex origin.

Whatever the origins may be… I love thinking about this question.

And… it’s hard! Many of the things I’d normally think about including for this section, I’ve already covered in previous newsletters… like my 2 pm slump menu, my Five Star Fall plans, and a style challenge to have fun getting dressed while working from home. But it was good to zoom out on my life and see a smattering of things saving my life. Practices, habits, and rhythms that are giving me a bit more zen instead of zany.

So: here’s what’s saving my life these days.

• A fresh roll of film being developed: I am giddy on the days my film is developed. I save all the photos onto my phone, I text everyone photos of themselves, I make Dave sit down and look at all of them with me. One thing I noticed in these last two batches of getting the film developed is: I never hate photos of myself when they’re taken on film. There’s only ever one option — but I’m always happy with it. In a world where options, filters, and AI images abound, there’s something so special to me about capturing one moment in time.
  

  

  

  

  photos from a summer on film

• Trying a new lunch recipe every week: I could have sandwiches every week for lunch and be happy. But I’ve loved how this little newsletter has made it so I want to try a new lunch recipe every week. (And made it so I don’t skip out on lunch every other day because I don’t know what I’m having - I always have to have an idea because… newsletter!) I’m surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed taking the time to ingredient prep or meal prep for lunch.

• Starting smaller than I want to, but seeing the benefits: It’s one of The Lazy Genius Principles: start small. I guess I thought that was for other people, but not for me. Over the last few weeks, we’ve instituted a ten minute tidy in the house (where Dave and I go through the house and commit to tidying for ten minutes) — and suddenly, we’re able to make cleaning progress on the house, as opposed to whole Saturdays spent cleaning. I am committing to 15 minute Peloton workout classes — 15 minute bike rides with Ally Love or 15 minute strength workouts. I went to an appointment this week after a recent PCOS diagnosis and thought I would walk out of there with a whole new health protocol and way of doing things. Instead, she gave me some supplements and asked me to drink more water and eat way more vegetables. This all feels very boring and not flashy! How good for me!

• Watching less TV: This summer, we finished our Brooklyn 99 re-watch. One thing about me is when I get close to finishing up a series, I go all in on wanting to finish it. Which means that Dave and I were watching an episode or two every night as part of our evening. In this in-between time of not having a show we’re re-watching, we’ve both been watching way less TV. We’re back to watching Only Murders in the Building, and I’m hopeful we’ll start The West Wing as our fall re-watch show. But for now: watching less TV is on a life-saving list for me.

• Setting up a great e-book reading experience: If you’re a person who follows e-book lovers on Instagram, you’ll maybe know about this… but I got the e-book clicker and have put an e-book holder in my cart as well. I am preparing for my hibernation season! Catch me cozy under a bunch of blankets!

• Not having TikTok on my phone (& generously deleting Instagram from my phone): After my social media break earlier this year, I have re-downloaded TikTok on my phone once (1 time), and that was… in the midst of the break, after my half-marathon, where my whole body was in pain and I wanted to shut my brain (and body!) off. I did it the one time, remembered how this is not a place where my brain thrives, and got right back off. I use TikTok like a boomer now - I type in the username of the person whose videos I want to see. Also, after listening to this Bad on Paper episode where Leslie talks about deleting Instagram when it isn’t in use on her phone (and hearing Olivia take this advice and changing her phone relationship!), I’ve been doing the same. It is truly the best. Delete stuff from your phone! Do it!

• Re-reading books by listening to audiobooks: I’m really following the blueprint of my sister here (she did this with Emily Henry books earlier this year), but I’ve been re-reading Abby Jimenez books by listening to them on audio. (Shout out to the Spotify audiobook feature - a game changer for me, who never wants to listen to the audiobook once it’s ready for me on Libby!) I listen to it when I’m doing chores around the house (the ten minute tidy!), when I’m in the kitchen, when I’m beep-bopping around the house. Sometimes, when I’m in the bath and just want to settle! I have been loving this habit.

• Listening to playlists I’ve organized as Hannah-core: Lately, I’ve been playlist fatigued from listening to the same songs and albums over and over², so I’ve gone into my Spotify Playlist folders. (Please don’t get me started on Spotify playlist organization, one of my great passions.) I’ve been heading back into some older playlists that aren’t on regular rotation for me — like the rom-com jams playlist, a spring cleaning playlist i made a few years ago, and the Spotify playlist that holds all the songs that remind me of the radio station I listened to growing up: 102.9 k-lite FM.

And that’s all for now. 🧡 I hope you’ll pause and write a little list of 6-12 things that are saving your life right now (and then share with me because I’d love to hear about it!)

I hope this was a nice, short break away from whatever you have on your plate - whether you’re reading on a work break, your lunch break, or with your coffee on Friday morning.

If you have ideas for future Lunch Notes topics or things you’d like to see me write about here, please let me know and I’ll add them in to my (chaotic) content calendar.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your lunch!

1. I can own it, fine. Yes, I did this. I’ve always been who I’ve always been.

2. It’s Trompsingel (Another Life) by Donovan Woods. Over and over again. That’s what I listen to.