Julia Dzafic

How to combat seasonal allergies step 1: Don’t stick your nose in a blooming tree to ‘get the shot.’ Probiotics might not seem connected to seasonal allergies but I’ve learned over the years that gut health is very much related to allergies. Foods to avoid: There are more obvious inflammatory foods to avoid like alcohol, dairy, sugar, and wheat, but if your allergies are really intense, you might also want to avoid histamine-rich foods. Since my surgery last May, I’ve been under doctor’s orders to use a sinus rinse 1-2x/day.

J. Crew Factory makes one that is almost identical to it (my grey one is from there) and it’s about half the price which is great. J. Crew Sweater Blazer (Comes in 8 colors and J.Crew Factory makes a very similar one for less than half the price) / Similar Pink Sweater ($68) / Jeans (50% off! ) / Scarf (Gifted)/ Sunglasses / Pumps (Gifted, 40% off) J. Crew Sweater Blazer (Comes in 8 colors and J.Crew Factory makes a very similar one for less than half the price)

In the meantime, enjoy this picture of Amalia from last year about 30 seconds before she pooped right in her Easter basket. Basket: We bought this Easter basket from Pottery Barn Kids last year and have it stored in the attic. Amalia already has too many Easter books because my family loves buying them for her, so we’re going to hold off on any more but her favorites are Llama Llama Easter Egg, Where Are Baby’s Easter Eggs? , and Little Blue Truck’s Candy: We decided to go old school and put pastel M&Ms and wrapped pastel mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups in plastic eggs.

It feels really good and it’s been fun to experiment with new recipes (like this one) and ingredients (like shishito peppers). To make this more structured I’m giving myself a “rule” to cook at home for everyone in my family at least 5 nights per week for the month of April which will allow us to order in or go out twice a week. The plan is to meal prep to some extent on Sunday and Monday nights and then create one new recipe each week to keep things interesting. I like to peruse these passively all week long, and when it comes time to put together my shopping list, I can go back through the recipes I’ve saved and be sure I have all of the necessary ingredients.