Power Nap #88
Great TTAM tips from Caro Chambers! / A plea from Kate / Nate gets weird with Picasso pics / Molly's Meal Train Idea has our mouths watering!
Hey there! If you found me from Caroline Chambers WTC for a meal train newsletter - WELCOME! A few resources you might enjoy!
Here are my tips for bringing a meal to someone in the hospital.
Want to love on a mom with young kids? Take her this. Get the container here.
Last year the Naptime Kitchen community helped create a resource containing hundreds of the best recipes to take to a loved one. If you haven’t seen it here is the Take Them A Meal Manual: A collective guide for feeding friends.
I have en entire section of freezer friendly recipes (perfect for bringing someone) on my blog. Find them here.
In Case You Missed It
These gel heel inserts ($13 for a two pack) are LIFE CHANGING. Even if you don’t have heel pain, they make any shoe SO much more comfortable.
I love this shirt and skirt for tennis, but also everyday athleisure! The shirt ($12) is the perfect crop length aka boxy but you can’t see my stomach with something high waisted like this tennis skirt.
I asked Anna Mae “what barrel jeans are the least barrel?” and she sent me these. I was not expecting to love them so much. Or for them to be from Gap!
As mentioned above, Caroline Chambers sent out an incredible newsletter to help you think through what to cook for a meal train. Read it here. Here are three things she said that I loved:
The most important thing to remember: Anything you bring to a friend who is postpartum, grieving, sick, or otherwise overwhelmed or feeling down will be appreciated and get the message that you love them across. If prepping a home-cooked meal feels overwhelming to you (maybe you’re postpartum or are going through a hard time yourself), go ahead and drop off a frozen casserole or send them a DoorDash gift card instead. They will absolutely still feel the love!
Drop the food off in something you don’t want back. Your friend does not need to spend time or energy thinking about how or when they are going to return your Le Creuset!
Bring something for the picky eaters. If you’re taking food to a family, it’s a nice touch to throw in a few safe-bet items for kids
(Sidenote: Caroline has an insane Substack!! She shares a recipe weekly and her “so into that” emails are some of my favs! If you aren’t subscribed, what are you waiting for?!)
“There are good books which are only for adults, because their comprehension presupposes adult experiences, but there are no good books which are only for children.”
— WH Auden
PLEASE, WATCH PARADISE
Kate here. I am working on an upcoming newsletter all about things I am consuming (spoiler: it’s basically zero books and a crap ton of TV and recipes)…but I need to just make sure we are all caught up on Paradise. I LOVED this show. Can’t stop thinking about it. Huge twist at the end of episode 1. The soundtrack. Thrilling but not overly scary. STERLING K. BROWN AND JAMES MARSDEN?! please watch it (on Hulu).
Nate’s Book Reviews
Night Shift by Stephen King - Early collection of King's short stories. I enjoyed them, like I enjoy most everything by Stephen King. It reads quickly. Some of them are definitely meant to be scary.
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke - This was a short novella (I read it in probably 30 mins) by the author of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (which I loved). It was not very good.
2666 by Robert Bolano — This book ranked high on the NYT best books of the century list — number 6 on the critic's list and number 64 on the reader's list. It's long and sweeping (900 pages). It's five loosely connected stories that in one way or another involve Santa Teresa, a fictional Mexican town on the US border, where hundreds of women are violently killed over a period of years. I can see why it's critically acclaimed: there is not much else like it. It’s INSANELY dark with lots of violence, particularly towards the end. I don’t think I can recommend it in good faith.
Wolfhall by Hilary Mandel -- This also showed up on both lists (14 on readers, 3 on critics). It is historical fiction and the first in a trilogy. It follows Thomas Cromwell, who worked for Henry VIII. Lots of people I'd heard of but didn't know much about show up in the book: Anne Boleyn, Thomas More, Thomas Cranmer, Tyndale, Luther, Pope Clement, Catherine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey, and more. Overall, I think I liked this. In retrospect, I wish I would have read it instead of doing an audio book. It was sort of hard to follow in spots (lots of people named Thomas, Ann, Mary, etc.).
Picasso and Paper - Takeaway: Picasso was very odd. Some of my favorites are sprinkled throughout the rest the newsletter.
Easter Blocks by GoodKind
This section of The Power Nap is being generously sponsored by GoodKind. All thoughts and opinions shared here are uniquely my own. Thank you for supporting The Power Nap and Naptime Kitchen, GoodKind!
Our family has been using the Easter blocks from GoodKind for three years now and we continue to love the tradition! They have two different sets, the original (pictured above) and the mini, a petite 4-block version. The Easter blocks are designed to be an engaging conversation piece at the table during Holy Week paired with the included devotional guide that tells the Easter story leading up to the resurrection. The kids love that they can play with the blocks while we talk about Holy Week and lighting the candle makes the meal feel set apart. They have worked so well for all of our kids ages throughout the years!
In addition to the two versions of the Easter Blocks sets, they also have the Easter Bundle, which comes with the Easter Blocks mini set and the adult devotional and board book. This is already a great value, but my code makes it even better!
Molly’s Must-Haves
“Molly's Must-Haves” is brought to you by Kate's best friend Molly who is a meticulous researcher. Each week she is going to share an item, the problem it solves, and why she chose it. This week, she is sharing her go-to recipe when bringing someone a meal.
Take Them a Meal March: Instant Pot Greek Chicken Bowls
People really seem to love these Greek chicken bowls, they’re versatile and can easily be modified for dietary restrictions. I make the chicken in the Instant Pot and drop it off with rice, naan, tzatziki, hummus (all store bought!) along with an easy cucumber and tomato “salad.”
For serving, we typically add rice to a bowl and top with chicken, Greek salad and desired toppings (hummus, feta, tzatziki, etc.) It's always nice to serve pita or naan bread on the side! The great thing about this meal is it can easily be made dairy free or gluten free and since each component is packaged separately, each member of the family can make their bowl to their preference. Always a win! Want to print this recipe? Get it here. - Molly
March Madness is coming!
Be on the lookout Sunday evening for an email from us with a link to sign up for the annual NTK March Madness Bracket Challenge. Get excited because the prizes this year are even better!
Eager to create an account to prepare for the bracket release? Do so here.
Paradise was so good!
Kate, I love TTAM tips. I think you should highlight ACCEPTING meals with gratitude. It's hard for people to ask for help or accept it! I am a recent breast cancer survivor. During treatment, many people brought us meals. We honestly would not have needed them as we were fine! But a friend, and also breast cancer survivor, told me "take the soup." She said, even if your family won't eat it, even if your freezer is full, even if you don't need it, take the soup. LET PEOPLE LOVE ON YOU! And it was the best advice I received. To be honest, I ended up "re-gifting" some meals to others because I knew they would like the veggie soup more than my kids would or because they are an elderly neighbor who could use a visit. Of course, I didn't tell the original giver that I did so, but it felt okay to have permission to pass on the love that was given to me!