june recap + favorites from the best month <3
your monthly recap and chit chat with me in my "more than just the food" newsletter💁🏻♀️
welcome back to my series more than just the food, please where we chat about all the things going on right now that aren’t necessarily focused on food. except sometimes food obviously is going to trickle in.
this month was absurdly busy. honestly i think i blacked out from june 14 until the end of the month with work, kid’s things and everything going on. but it is always my favorite month, when it starts to get warmer and there is SO much in this recap for you to read about.
p.s. don’t forget about my june family meal plans where we share 28 recipes every single month with exclusive substack-only recipe (grilled steak arugula salad with crispy shallot dressing), grocery lists, substitution ideas, prep tips and MORE broken down week by week. 96 cents per week to have access to every single meal plan ever!! once you join you can access every single week i have ever shared <3 july launches next week!!
birthday recap!!! guys there are so many june babies it is WILD. my birthday weekend was just what i craved: family time, low key party with friends, one too many desserts and sunshine on the day itself. i link my bday outfit below too as i loved it. we also did an overnight trip to 1 hotel brooklyn with my girlfriends for our 4th semi-annual adult getaway. honestly just 1 night sometimes is all you need to chill and refuel.
cadootz - OH CADOOOOOTZ! where do i even begin? i have said this before and i will say it many more times, starting a brand with the cleanest ingredients is truly a wild journey. there is so much more to this than makng a product and getting it onto shelves. follow us on IG so you don’t miss updates!
cadootz recap (more formal recap coming next week!):
we kicked off with our PR team who is also helping us write out our brand messaging, brand story identity book and more. this will come in handy for pitches, social media tone of voice, etc. i LOVE this part of building a brand.
we spoke on a panel at fancy food show in NYC! so fun and great to connect with other founders and people in the space.
we have spoken with over 2 dozen amazon agencies to see who can help us launch in the fall there and who is a fit. tons of great options but honestly just too many!
we traveled to our dream retailer to launch in. i cold called emailed and pitched cadootz and they answered in a few minutes! was WILD. more on that soon.
we also learned that having cute names for our flavors is silly and we are going to go keep things simple with cheddar, ranch and honey mustard. and by silly i mean IMPOSSIBLE with trademark issues.
we are building out our pricing archictecture. it’s crazy how we need to map this all out at day one. nope we will not be in target tomororw or costco next week, but we do need to know what we are going to charge there because it impacts what we charge NOW.
other updates: sent off our packge for legal review, spoke to brokers, distributors, people who want to invest (we aren’t fundraising yet!), building out our website, influencer launch kits and more that i am missing because i blacked out.
grt shrt ventures - the venture arm of our business made it’s first two investmewnts for fund ii. pioneer pastures and jesse & bens with our eye on a few others to join soon. we are also still fundraising (funds are always fundraising lol) and it is so cool to have so many of you involved in our investments too.
summer house - i am years late to the obsession here but omg i am hooked. i have been binge watching season 5 in the background when i do busy work (like write this newsletter) and when i want something to just chill and watch at night. it is so good. going to start from the early days too after season 5.
baby girl - this movie is like soft core porn. nicole kidman is phenomenal in this. my friend told me about this movie and it is raunchy!!! highly recommend but you have been warned.
XL freezer safe storage bags - i know i probably sound like a broken record at this point but these bags are great for freezing larger quantities of food if you want a plastic-free option. or it’s great for storage in general.
electric toothbrush - my husband got me hooked on an electric toothbrush and it is great. love the green color too i have. honestly a good gift idea to give someone or yourself tbh.
grocery/beach/anything bags - i feel like these bags go so viral. they are great to keep on hand. i use them for pool bag/beach etc. and they have so many different colors
crinkle cut fries cutter - okay if we are being honest, i bought this like 3 years ago and totally forgot about it. now i am using it every week! it is so fun and a great way to switch things up for your potatoes. i also have a dill pickle potato recipe coming soon using this tool too.
outdoor twinkle lights - it’s the season for our lights!!! these stay up all year around and we love them. they add such a vibe to the space and they are great for outdoor use.
gloves for the gym - yes ya girl who is now doing HITT workouts is also now wearing glove because callus is real and i was freaking out. my friend who is very into her workouts says it’s a great option!
meat handling gloves - i do not like touching raw meat (freaks me out) and i love having these gloves on hand for meatballs, burgers, anything.
pokemon binders - THIS IS OBVIOUSLY MY KIDS. but if your kids are as obsessed with pokemon as mine, these binders are golden and keep the cards organized instead of all over the house. also what is my life.. this is what i am recommending now lol!
silicone meat masher - i tossed the black one (apparentlry that is more toxic) and replaced it with this white one. it is SO GOOD for mashing ground meat easily.
glass drink dispenser - love love love this summer entertaining! and it is glass and bamboo.
glass drinking glasses with bamboo lids - my beverage girlies these are a must!!
linea bucket bag - I LOVE THIS BAG!!! the bag of the year guys. i use it all the time. usually it’s between it and the paloma bag. i love them both so much and they are great quality for the price.
align workout tank top - i bought this for myself for my birthday and she is cuteeeee. except don’t make the same mistake as me and get a size smaller then accidentally take the tag off and get stuck with a small top. oh well. i usually size up btw in lulu.
UV shirts for summer - YES WE NEED THESE! bye sun i don’t like you on my skin.
matching skirt and top - i wore this on my birthday and she is cuuteeee. also packing it for paris next month.
jelly flats - i bought these last august and they are amazing. i wear them so much more often than i thought i would.
red zip hoodie - another random purchase that turned into such a great addition in my closet. i love it for the gym, around the house, whenever. i also really like the red color i have.
designer knock off sneakers - i want shoes for paris that are comfy and i can walk around in and the ones i love are $$ these dupes are great and were picked by my friend who doubles as my stylist.
cozy shorts - i LIVE in cozy shorts in the summer. it’s like my lounge wear sweatpants obsession for the warmer months. these are great and run on the bigger size. i usually do an XS.
rome new shorts - chic denim shorts do exist. and these are so fun and chic and great for my paris trip!!
biker shorts - i will be wearing this daily thank you.
these cutie oat milks - WILLA’S WE LOVE YOU! my kids are die hard willa’s organic groupies at this point. they call it “special milk” because them it’s for special occasions. which has now turned into a daily snack. but i’m not mad about it. they make these kid’s oat milks with protein in them! i found them at target and my kids are OBSESSED! they have 8grams of protein in them. not to mention they are super clean ingredients. certified organic, glyphosate-free, etc. they have this plain oat milk for kids and then the chocolate one! willa’s makes organic oat milk that’s glyphosate-free and they are the only brand to sue the whole at (not just the oat sugar) which is why their oat milk is richer tasting, lower in sugar and higher in protein! plus willa’s kids also has calcium and DHA omega-3s. all organic all pure ingredients and using the whole oat rather than just oat sugar. willa’s unsweetened is super clean and great for baking or cooking and the barista froths perfectly for lattes.
mini fans - so my kids sit on a bus for about 45 mins every day to and from camp. and YES it is hot some days. so i got them these fans to keep them cool. they’re mini and cute and great to them to cool down.
swimming goggles - still unsure why kids are so obsessed with goggles. but these are the ones they have and love.
camp backpacks - we bought these last year and they still have them! they were great to fit the dozens of items for camp all summer. i do not splurge on camp backpacks. these are low-key and great.
booster seat - we finally got a booster seat for ezra! which he is so excited about. and i feel like this is a huge moment for us. especially being with 3 car seats (yes it’s a cluster!). but booster is fabulous and great way to save some space in that backseat.
summer crocs - we buy crocs for the kids every single year. they beat them up and wear them daily and it’s the best kid shoe on the planet. use this as your reminder to order some ASAP for your kiddos.
thank you to willa’s organic FOR sponsoring part of today’s newsletter! being able to work with my favorite brands and help spread the word about them is a DREAM!
my favorite dessert EVER - MANDEL BREAD!!!! i have eaten this basically every single night this month. my mom’s OG reicpe with some tweaks to make it lower in sugar and gf for the peeps who need.
make a recipe on my website you loved? please leave a rating and review on my website!! i LOVE to hear from you and it helps more eye balls get on the recipe you loved too!
JUNE’S RECAP:
🍪cinnamon sugar pop tart cookies
🫐berry cheesecake overnight oats
🍚kung pao chicken and rice bowls
🍫peanut butter cup cottage cheese truffles
🥗southwest crispy chicken and rice salad
🍏no juicer needed beet carrot apple juice
🍫protein-packed cottage cheese brownies
🍰sneaky healthy chocolate cake
🍓glazed strawberry cinnamon roll bread
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mmmmm crispy shallot dressing all day long
Wow! What a month! Excited to continue to follow along on the cadootz journey! Summer House is definitely one to watch! Love all the comfy summer apparel recommendations! The tzatziki chicken salad was a hit and will definitely be a summer staple! Have a wonderful week and Happy Fourth of July!❤️