Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Podcast

Hello my friends, and welcome back to the podcast! Today is a very special day, as in lieu of a regular podcast episode, WE’RE HAVING A PARTY. I gathered together five of my very favorite past podcast guests, who are all acclaimed food writers, cookbook authors (and fellow Substack publishers), for a festive—and seriously fun—holiday special, featuring: Hetty Lui McKinnon, Ellie Krieger, Andrea Nguyen, Sarah Copeland, and Lukas Volger.In the show, we dive into our favorite holiday traditions, what the holidays looked like for us growing up, the recipes we love to make, our favorite desserts (find out who makes all the cookies and who prefers just eating them instead), how we navigate the busy season, Chanukah, recipe failures, Lunar New Year, and more. The episode is also packed with recipe inspiration, from menu ideas, to serving suggestions, to desserts, and more. We have all shared one of our favorite holiday dishes, which I’ve featured in the newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/holiday-special-2024LINKS* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore* One-on-one sessions with Nicki: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/coaching-and-cooking-sessions* Episode with Hetty: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/food-as-connection-cooking-winter* Episode with Ellie: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/easy-summer-recipe-ideas* Episode with Andrea: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/andrea-nguyen* Episode with Lukas: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/lukas-volger* Episode with Sarah: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/sarah-copeland This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

Today we're diving into holiday hosting, gluten-free baking, and healing around food with award winning cookbook author, photographer and professionally trained pastry chef Aran Goyoaga. Her latest two books include: Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple and Cannelle et Vanille: Nourishing, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Meal and Mood.Aran describes her childhood growing up in her grandparent’s pastry shop in the Basque region of Spain and explains how baking became her connection back to her family when she moved the United States in her early twenties (and how she eventually left the corporate world to become a pastry chef). Aran also shares her journey going gluten-free due to health issues after her kids were born, and we dive into Christmas, offering tips for stress-free hosting and gluten-free baking.Aran also opens up early in the conversation (11:14) about how she found healing around food after experiencing an eating disorder in her early twenties. As we’ve explored here on this podcast, food can be so nuanced—it can be a driver for connection and love, and at the same it can be a source of deep stress, particularly for women. We share these stories here to let you know that you’re not alone if you’ve ever felt anything similar, and also that there’s healing to be found.Aran has also shared her recipe for Sweet Potato & Chocolate Marble Gingerbread, which you can find in the newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/aran-goyoagaEpisode Links* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore* One-on-one sessions with Nicki: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/coaching-and-cooking-sessions* Aran’s website: https://www.arangoyoaga.com/* Find Aran on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannellevanille/* Aran’s latest book (one of my favorite cookbooks), Cannelle et Vanille Bake Simple: https://amzn.to/3ZqCujo This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

I have such special episode for you today featuring somatic educator, writer and artist Abigail Rose Clarke (you might remember Abigail from season 2 of the podcast in one of my favorite episodes ever— link below). Today’s recording is extra special, as it was recorded live at Split Rock Bookstore (my favorite local bookstore)!In this episode we dive into Abigail’s new book, Returning Home to Our Bodies: Reimagining the Relationship Between Our Bodies and the World. Abigail shares tips and tools for finding grounding and support within our very own bodies, especially during times of overwhelm, stress or turmoil. Abigail and I explore the power of awe and curiosity, we discuss what it means to be in relationship with the world around us, and Abigail offers tips for how we can stay rooted in love, even when our lives are challenging.We recorded this episode back in October, but the timing for airing it couldn’t be better as we head into the holiday season, when it’s so easy to get untethered from ourselves due to seasonal stress, family dynamics and expectations (not to mention the current political climate). I think you’re going to find Abigail’s wisdom incredibly nourishing, and I hope it will help you navigate the season ahead with a wider perspective, deeper grounding, and a bit more grace. EPISODE LINKS* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore* One-on-one sessions with Nicki: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/coaching-and-cooking-sessions* Listen to my last episode with Abigail: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/abigail-rose-clarke* Abigail’s website: https://www.abigailroseclarke.com/* Find Abigail on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigail.rose.clarke/* Buy a signed copy of Abigail’s book: https://www.splitrockbks.com/book/9781623179380* What it Takes to Heal, by Pretis Hemphill: https://www.splitrockbks.com/book/9781623179380 This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

I have such a fun, delicious and inspiring conversation for you today. We’re diving into everything Thanksgiving with three-time James Beard Award-winning food writer David Leite. David is the founder of the website acclaimed website Leite’s Culinaria and is the author of The New Portuguese Table and Notes on a Banana. He also publishes the newsletter The David Blahg.David shares his strategies for preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, not just logistically, but also emotionally. David and I both spent years of our lives stressing over the holidays and have found tools to bring us more ease, including planning menus that can be largely prepped ahead. David describes the dishes he makes (warning: you will leave hungry), and he shares his prep timeline (don’t miss David’s pumpkin cake and pumpkin meringue ice cream recipes in the links below!). You can also get my make-ahead Thanksgiving menu and prep list, along with my favorite side dishes and desserts (all of which are gluten-free) in the links below.David also opens up about his experiences with depression and offers simple but profound tips and tools for supporting ourselves emotionally this season. These are tools that any of us can benefit from, and they feel more relevant than ever. As David says, it’s critical that we drop our expectations, know our own limits, and give ourselves the grace to not do it all (or any of it). His motto is, “If I can’t do it, I can’t do it,” which is something I’m adopting for myself. If I can’t do it, I can’t do it, and that is perfectly okay. Finally, I just want to remind you that no matter how you’re feeling in the season ahead, you’re not alone.EPISODE LINKS* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore* One-on-one sessions with Nicki: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/coaching-and-cooking-sessions* Nicki's Thanksgiving Recipes & Prep List: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/lets-talk-about-thanksgiving* David’s Website: https://leitesculinaria.com/* David’s Newsletter: https://davidleite.substack.com/* Find David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidleite/* David’s Pumpkin Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting: https://leitesculinaria.com/7518/recipes-pumpkin-cake-maple-cream-cheese-frosting.html* David’s Pumpkin Meringue Pie Ice Cream: https://leitesculinaria.com/365909/recipes-pumpkin-meringue-pie-ice-cream.html This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe