Running with Ender on a rainy morning.

Seeing my spiralized pasta primavera from Quick + Easy Spiralizer on Delish Knowledge this week.

Getting Sophie on a (loose!) nap schedule and bedtime routine, and having a glass of wine with dinner at 7PM every night.

This nightgown that makes me feel a lot less frumpy than I was feeling going to bed in old tee shirts the past few months.

Light-filled evenings--well worth the lost hour of sleep, in my opinion.

What are five of your favorite things right now? 

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Before we moved to California, Rob and I made the drive down to Litchfield Beach in South Carolina to spend two Memorial Day weekends with my best friend Tina, her husband Michael, and a group of their friends--sometimes small, sometimes larger, but always so fun.

We've only done it twice, but every time spring and Daylight Savings rolls around I think about that little yellow house and the gorgeous screened-in patio where we'd all sit with margaritas and chips and queso dip and watermelon, playing cards and catching up and laughing for hours. Tina and I would always wake up early every morning and walk on the beach with cups of coffee, before heading back to the house to start breakfast while everyone else began to wake up.

Even when we're on vacation--whether in South Carolina or Sonoma--it's always the quiet moments with Tina that I treasure the most: walking through the grocery store together for bacon and eggs and kebab ingredients; going to barre together; making a pot of coffee in the morning before taking a walk. They remind me of what it might be like to live in the same place and not have to plan out our time together the way we have for so many years.

Tina and Michael came to visit us in California right after we moved in 2016, and again just a few weeks ago to meet Sophie. Once again there were those everyday things--getting Thai takeout on a Thursday night and a couple of gel manicures on a Saturday morning. It always simultaneously makes me feel happy and sad--thankful for my friendships that have withstood time and distance, and bittersweet nostalgia coupled with dreams of a life all in one city--where you live close enough to each other that they can stop in for coffee on a Sunday morning, or any other made-up scenario that I catch myself daydreaming about when California feels especially far from Richmond or Charlotte. My friend Corri and I used to never actually make plans on Sundays but somehow always end up in my backyard with our dogs and a bottle of wine. I miss that.

I was test driving a car yesterday and mentioned that we were from Virginia but had moved from North Carolina, and further down the road when he brought up front-wheel vs. four-wheel drive, I found myself talking about Minnesota. The salesman looked at me with surprise as he said "You sure have lived a lot of places!" It reminded me that so much of my life so far has been framed by a narrative that's fragmented into here and there and back then and one day. I've always had trouble standing still--focusing on being content with the present and not looking back longingly or charging forward aggressively. 

But now there's Sophie, and for once, I savor every single moment. Whether it's a smile or a nap or a snuggle, she changes so much and so fast that I constantly catch myself saying "I can't wait until she...well I can wait, I'm just excited for her to" laugh or crawl or sleep through the night. I pulled back into the dealership where Rob was pushing our daughter around in the stroller and realized that my whole life was standing there on that sidewalk.

I still dream of being able to drive to see my mom on the weekend, or having a Sunday night takeout and Game of Thrones tradition with our friends back east, of going to Target with my friend Paige and our kids, story time at the library, snacks on her kitchen island as the babies play.

But for now, where we are is just right. 

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes, and definitely the one that got me into spiralizing in the first place; so obviously it had to go in my cookbook! I love spiralizing the veggies in an otherwise "non-spiralized" recipe--I think it makes it a lot more fun and also cuts down on prep time significantly. I'm excited to be sharing another Quick + Easy Spiralizer Cookbook sneak peek with you today--hope you enjoy!

Bánh Mì Lettuce Wraps from Quick + Easy Spiralizer Cookbook

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup white vinegar, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or gluten-free soy sauce)
• 2 carrots, spiralized
• 1/2 of a spiralize dcucumber
• 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound pork cutlets, cut thinly into bite-size pieces
• 4-6 lettuce boats--either romaine or butter lettuce, for serving
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup white vinegar with the coconut aminos. Add the carrot and cucumber noodles, and radishes. Cover and set aside (or refrigerate for 1 hour--see tip).
2. In a large bowl, combine the honey, sesame oil, the remaining teaspoon of vinegar, and the red pepper flakes. Add the pork and stir. Marinate for 10 minutes. (If you want, you can do this at the same time as the pickles and let the meat marinate for an hour as well.)
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the pork in the marinade for 5-7 minutes, or until the pork strips are cooked through.
4. Set up your lettuce wraps by laying out lettuce boats and filling them with cooked pork. Top with a generous serving of the vegetable noodles, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.

Tip: If I'm not in a rush, I like to do a quick pickle with the carrot, cucumber, and radish, so if you have extra time, mix up the veggies and refrigerate them for an hour for even more flavor. 

This post is brought to you in partnership with Rockridge Press.