Power Nap #110
NTK in 2026 / The Best News in America Right Now / Protein Brownies?!?
I need your input!
I got to sit in on a book club Monday night for I Just Wish I Had A Bigger Kitchen and at the end I asked them what they want to see more of from Naptime Kitchen and what they have enjoyed over the years. It got me thinking about how to best serve this community in 2026—and it hit me: I just want to hear straight from you! I shared this on Instagram stories, but I know many of you aren’t on social media for various reasons. So I didn’t want to miss the chance to ask: What do you want to see more of from NTK in 2026?
I’ve put together a short survey—just 5 questions and it takes less than 5 minutes. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!
GIVEAWAY WINNER!!! Congratulations to Kayla Groh for winning the Material Kitchen Knife Set giveaway from last week! These gorgeous knives are yours! Check your messages so we can get your address and ship them to you. Thank you to everyone who commented on the Freezer Guide post last week — I got so inspired to pack my freezer for the winter!
In Case You Missed It
This may be the best soup I have ever created - Coconut Lime Wild Rice Soup. It’s got a million shortcuts and feels like a warm hug. Recipe here.
Nate and I had to recreate this scene in The Barbie Movie after seeing Allie in her Halloween costume.
I reviewed the second “Is it worth it?!” kitchen gadget: the kale de-stemmer.
I recently reviewed this makeup bag (a SOLID $23 option compared to my beloved Cuyana makeup bag) and I love how it folds out to visibly show everything in the bag but is still compact! Jess bought it immediately and is obsessed.
I created a Freezer manifesto of sorts: The Naptime Kitchen Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your Freezer. Read it here.
I created a bomb dessert for a dinner party recently: Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Coconut No-Bake “Pots De Creme”. Get the recipe here.
Want to make Advent more meaningful this year?
This Power Nap is brought to you by GoodKind!
This is the fifth year our family has used GoodKind and their wonderful products—for both Advent and everyday family life. They’ve created an exclusive NTK bundle for our community: one GratiKube + one set of Advent Blocks for 25% off and free shipping!
Advent Blocks make it easy to start (and actually finish!) a meaningful Christmas devotional. This all-in-one kit is genius. The hands-on blocks keep kids engaged, and each day includes a short devotional. I love how the picture on the block correlates to the stories and you will be shocked how much our kids remember! In just a few minutes a day, they help anchor your family to the true meaning of Christmas.
The GratiKube is perfect for daily table conversation. Ours lives right by the dinner table—just roll it and see which of the 12 prompts you land on! It could be something that made you laugh, a favorite food, or something hard you overcame that day. It’s such an easy, organic way to teach kids to notice the good—and noticing so often leads to gratitude. We’ve loved using it for two years now, and I especially appreciate how compact and easy to store it is when not in use.
Use code NTK25 for 25% off of the bundle!
Things Nate Found Interesting
If you are new, this segment is where I put articles I found interesting. It doesn't mean I necessarily agree with everything in every article (sometimes I even disagree!). Also, I do my best to link to free articles, but occasionally articles may require a subscription or require you to create a free account. I try to note when that is the case.
Nate Silver, a statistician and writer best known for applying data analysis and probability models to politics, sports, and culture, on “how early you actually need to arrive at the airport.” Interesting throughout. I agree with his general take that you rarely, if ever, actually need to arrive even two hours before your flight to safely make your flight. However, I consistently arrive at least two hours before flights. Two reasons: First, I like to have plenty of time to get a water/snack and go to the bathroom. The latter is non-negotiable for me before a flight. And second, I agree with Elizabeth Van Nostrand: “‘Should I take a 5% risk of missing an irreplaceable Christmas flight, or be on my laptop in a slightly worse place for 30m?’ Easy choice.” More analysis here.
All the way back in Power Nap 5, I reviewed a book on parenting and said: “The primary danger for well-meaning parents in our society is not ‘under-parenting’ (i.e., neglect), it's ‘over-parenting,’ never putting our kids in situations where they are likely to fail, face adversity, or be in danger. The best thing we can do for our kids is not to prevent them from failing, it's to walk with them through failure so they learn the right lessons.” This week, I saw this article on “obstacle parenting” (via The Browser) — a pendulum reaction to the once popular (still popular?) “snowplow parenting” or “bulldozer parenting” (removing obstacles our kids’ paths). I’m not sure I’d go as far as intentionally making kids’ lives more difficult, depending on what exactly you mean by that; however, I am all for “cultivating focus and endurance” or what I’d call “grit,” which seems to be genuinely rare in younger people and a massive advantage if you have it. Developing grit does, in my opinion, require letting kids be bored, struggle, and fail. None of those are easy to do, and doing those will almost always make your life harder in the short term. But parenting is a long game, and character can only be built the same way Hadrian planned to rebuild Rome (“brick by brick, my citizens, brick by brick.”).
In a time when bad or negative news seems to be in high supply, this may be the best news in America right now:
This came from Derek Thompson, who writes for the Atlantic (among other things). He said: “This seems to be the first period on record when every major cause of premature death—overdose, auto accident, homicide, obesity—is falling *at the same time*.”
Things We Devoured
Jess here. I made the best protein brownies and they lived up to their name. To be honest, I made this entire pan for myself but my kids loved them too and ate their fair share, much to my dismay. So I made them again two days later - they’re THAT good. The brownies are flourless, sweetened with a little maple syrup, and super easy. I used Ballerina Farms creamy chocolate protein powder. They come together in one bowl with no special equipment required. I used whole milk in place of almond milk. Each serving has 7 grams of protein so might as well eat one when you finish a workout 😉.
I just love the way you do life. Loved your book. Always love seeing the emails about new Substack posts. I don’t regularly check IG, so I get most of your content through Substack. I just want more of the same. I especially love when you deep dive into specific things, like how you approach kids’ birthdays, how you make the most of your freezer, etc.
Good morning! I was wondering what the best to reach out to Kate about a virtual zoom with a book club would be. I sent a message via the website and didn’t hear anything and wondered if there was another/better option. Thanks!