Sunday Dinner: Volume 1

What we watched, read, ate, and shopped last week plus some sales!

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Before we get into what Missy and I have been up to this week (you know, as if we were having dinner?), wanted to bring attention to a couple of good sales going on!

• Raybans are 20% off - I never wore expensive sunglasses until Raybans and while they are expensive, I think they are worth it. And I love how they always make me look chic. You can check out all of the pictures of me and Missy in ours here.

• Maya Fragrances 25% off - I wear Base everyday - it is a musky skin scent that reminds me of a stronger Nemat Amber Oil. I always get compliments on it, too. Missy prefers the rose scent. If you have ever wanted to try, you can try a mini of Base and rose for an extra 10% off!

• Nordstrom point multiplier event - if you are a cardholder you can get 10X points or 5x points for all other members (do not need a card). I stocked up on things that rarely go on sale. Stack the Rayban savings and point multipliers. Or buy some Uggs. I bought these for Rebecca since it is what she wanted for Christmas but they were sold out. I also cannot recommend these pajamas enough - my favorite!!! They also still have stock of these two mini Westman Atelier highlighters for 40% off!

• I love this Theraface Depuffing Wand way more than I thought I would. It is $20 off right now and if you ever have face pain - it is worth it. It de-puffs too, but I like to use as a heated massager on face. neck an shoulders.

Sarah’s Plate

What I Watched

I don’t watch a lot of TV. I don’t have the attention span and am often overwhelmed by all the choices and spend more time watching previews of TV shows vs giving up before watching anything. That, and I am always on my phone for work, so I tend to use reading as my distraction of choice because then it forces me to take some off screen time.

Last Sunday Rebecca, James and I watched the Grammys together - something we have never done before. We rarely watch much tv together as it is - but especially not live tv. It was so fun seeing Rebecca react to seeing all of her favorite artists on TV and watching them perform their overplayed songs. It reminded me how nice it is to experience pop culture moments together - to see each others reactions vs. one of us already knowing what is happening because of social media. There is always so much discussion around the youngest generation and their phone habits, but I think the adults are just as guilty - at least in our household.

After watching the Grammys last week with James and Rebecca, I realized I need to remember how important it is to experience events in real-time with people you love. I loved finding out the winner of an award at the same time as Rebecca. To tell her, “That is the first Black woman to win the Country Album award in 50 years.” To sneak in some educational conversations that revolve around acceptance and privilege. To understand why art is so important to daily life from a real-world perspective.

It is why I love Super Bowl Sunday so much. Besides having a ton of appetizers for dinner, we never did anything special for the game but always watched it together. It is, weirdly, a hard grief day for me because it is the quintessential “Sunday Dinner” memory for me. The ads, the half-time shows, the game (okay, I may not have been as attentive during that part), the resulting inside jokes. Thankfully, we never miss a Super Bowl together. Missy, James, Rebecca and I will go over to my brother’s house tonight to watch the game, provide snarky commentary, and get updates on each other’s lives - what Sunday Dinner is all about.

What I Read

I have been so tired and working so much (tax season and trying to get organized now that Missy is working more with MSMMBI) that I have not been reading as much before bed.

• Deep End - Ali Hazlewood’s new book Bookshop.Org¹ | Audiobooks - get 2 free²

  • Spicy Romance that revolves around a 21-year-old collegiate diver’s romance with a collegiate swimmer. It is more graphic than other romance books I have read and deals with BDSM ( I never watched or read 50 Shades of Grey, but that vibe), but it honestly did not seem that different from other romance books I have read. It was probably one of my favorite books of hers because even though the female lead was young, she was not as annoying as her other main characters. I also thought it was interesting learning about diving and swimming and ended up watching a lot of videos on the dives and races mentioned. I did try to listen to it, but it was hard to get through because the male love interest is Swedish and has a Swedish accent and it sounds like a SNL sketch when the sexy scenes come on.

• Fourth Wing - Full Cast Audio ( Part 1 and Part 2 - on major sale)³

  • I have been in the process of re-reading Fourth Wing series before starting Onyx Storm. I read the book initially, but have been listening to the full cast audio version and LOVE it. It brings the book to life in a whole new way for me. My only complaint is that they split up the books into two different audiobooks, so you have to use two credits. HOWEVER. it is on MAJOR sale on Libro.FM - only $5.99 for each book - Part 1 and Part 2

    • While Fourth Wing is a fantasy book, I do think it is a pretty easy fantasy book to understand (coming from someone who has a hard time with complex world building).

What I Ate:

I had a white chicken chili that I made from throwing a little bit of everything into a pot. I always feel bad when I talk about how delicious something was without having a formal recipe, so my goal is to re-create it. Because it was the best one I have made thus far. This is my new favorite kitchen tool (4th pic) - it is like a spatula meets a spoon and is made of silicone. It is constantly going in and out of stock and I have no idea if it went viral somewhere, but I love it and it is worth every penny. ⁴I also love these wooden spatulas if you do not want to do silicone.

I discovered this recipe in Weight Watchers 7 years ago and still make it twice a month - it is so fresh and delicious. I like to use bone broth for extra protein! We made a lot of quick meals last week or ordered takeout. One of Rebecca’s favorites is something I invented in college because it was so cheap - “tuna noodles.” A can of tuna and one of those Knorr’s Butter Noodles side, cheese, and bagged vegetables. It is her favorite meal.

You know I love talking about my food hyper-fixations. On our girl's trip to Cabo, my IG friends ended up seeing a hyper fixation in real life - me becoming obsessed with the resort’s chamomile tea, which they changed over during the middle of our stay, and I almost broke down. Thus, I am obsessed with tea again. I have always loved this tea that tastes like lemon loaf for an after-dinner treat. Other things I have been loving:

• These Nature Bakery’s Oatmeal Crumble bars are SO good. The apple is fantastic and perfectly tarte - like apple pie. We have also been loving their brownies - fudgey and sweet. Rebecca even likes them! I also picked up these Rx Oat and Nut Butter bars and really like their texture! They have a little bit of a crisp to them and remind me of energy balls. I like the oat and honey best, but the dark chocolate peanut butter are similar to a no-bake cookie in taste. I want to try the blueberry ones next.

• My favorite protein powder⁵ because it is vegan, tastes good (and not grainy!) with just water or milk, and contains both protein and fiber - so an actual meal replacement for me since I hate eating breakfast unless I am on vacation. I like the strawberry flavor best and will add lemon juice to reduce the sweetness. [ Sampler pack | Strawberry ]

  • I am also liking this prebiotic shake, which is very chocolatey and has 15grams of fiber and protein per serving. If you are not used to consuming that much fiber, I would start with half a serving and work your way up!

• Starbucks potato and cheese egg bites are back! Request them well done. Trust.

• These Doritos - OMG - you must try. Especially if you love General Tso’s flavor - they remind me of the taste of peppers stir fried in General Tso’s sauce - delicious.

Girl Scout Cookies - My favorites are Thin Mints (stored in fridge), Samoas, and the S’mores (kind of like an E.L. Fudge sandwich cookie - the last year for them though!).

• Girl Scout Cookie season is in full swing, and as the Rebecca’s troop cookie leader, it means I have another part-time job during February and March. If you want to buy cookies, I linked our troop link where you can have them shipped or donate some. I divide the cookies sold evenly among the girls or you can always buy from this unhoused troop in NYC, who has the same type of cookies we do!

What I shopped

• I have been obsessed with Salt and Stone since discovering at Nordstrom. The candles are SO good.The burn beautifully, have an incredible throw and fill your entire house with fragrance. I love the Santal and Vetiver (like Le Labo 33) and the Bergamot & Hinoki (so fresh and clean - reminds me of a hotel lobby like Westin).

  • Use our code SISTER15 to get 15% off on their site. You can also try out some travel size items at Revolve - they are more than half off and free shipping!

• I bought this Cotton Silk sweater at Banana Republic last month and LOVE IT. I hate sweaters and it is rare for me to find one that I can wear because of my sensory issues. This one is soft without being too heavy (sometimes 100% cotton is too heavy) and still warm. I ended up loving my blue so much I bought another color.

Empty and Repurchase - a lot of my skincare staples emptied this month so it has been a big repurchase month for those!

• Defanage 8-IN-1 BIOSERUM - 25% off right now

  • I use this at the end of my nighttime routine. I have been using for 4 years at the recommendation of Goals to Get Glowing. I do not even know the details on how it works, I just know that there are clinical studies that show how it not only helps your cells create more collagen, it also helps wake up inactive skin cells. Yes, I use a lot of things to help my skin create more collagen, but I only use two pumps of this 3-4 times a week ( I could use every night, but forget) and it usually lasts a year. I focus on eyes, face and neck.

• My favorite hyperpigmentation serum. This serum has made a BIG difference in my sun damage spots and melasma. It is antioxidant serum that is 10x more powerful than a Vitamin C serum ( I still use a Vitamin C serum on my neck and hands - as this is too expensive for those areas, too). 15% off with our code Sarah&Missy.

• I just emptied my favorite winter moisturizer, and since it is 30% off and another 20% off coupon right now, so I bought another one.

• Shiseido sunscreen and cotton squares

  • I love this stick sunscreen ( buy 2 and save 15%) and used one up while in Cabo. It is also one of Rebecca’s favorite to re-apply sunscreen because it does not get in her eyes. I love it because you can easily re-apply over makeup.

  • I also just used my last cotton square from them, so I added on to my order. I love these because they do not absorb too much of the product and are so soft and silky.

Missy’s Plate

What I watched

Severance. I started watching it on the plane back from Cabo then immediately made Anders watch. I generally don’t like stressful shows but I love the aesthetics and the thought-provoking aspect and it’s not scary (in the horror sense, at least.) PLEASE someone talk to me about it because none of my close friends are watching it (yet.)

Also casually rewatching Drive to Survive on Netflix. I love when Anders and I have a common show or sport interest. I am very into formula one since last summer and I love that it’s a “sport” that emphasizes personality of drivers and that there is a science/engineering aspect to it with a travel aspect. Basically it’s the venm diagram of things I like and it’s been so fun for Anders and I to get into together. They are on a break now until March and the new season on Netflix drops then too (based on 2024 season.) maybe I should do a PowerPoint on it for y’all? Haha.

What I ate:

I made one of my favorite “easy” homemade pastas. Ricotta gnocchi! It’s way easier than potato gnocchi and I love how fluffy it is. Pairs so well with crunchy veggie like asparagus. Here is the recipe/s I used. 20 minute easy ricotta gnocchi and Creamy Asparagus and Prosciutto Pairing. I used my favorite Baker & Olive garlic olive oil and spices you can find here. 10/10.

What I’m wearing:

Genuinely this week, I’m wearing loungewear. I’ve been so sick all week. Sarah made me try the Aerie pants and I’m OBSESSED. You need them.

What I’m striving for:

My closet has erupted into my bedroom and office. My goal this week and weekend is to organize and get ready to redo my closet! Yay! No! Ahhh! Be on the lookout for a fire sale of clothing in sizes 12-22. It’s not sponsored by Container Store in any way, but I’ll share updates as I used them and the more value/affordable line - Elfa. I’ll be honest, I’ve made little progress in cleaning as I have been sick and, quite frankly, overwhelmed. But here’s hoping I’m a new person this week.

What I’m looking forward to:

Anders had to travel to NYC for work this coming week and guess what?! Ya girl is tagging along. We’re going to spend Valentines in the city and I’ll have ton of time to gallivant around if anyone wants to meet up. Haha, jk. Kinda. I just love NY. Truly, I feel like my best self there.

Whew! That was a long one! Did you like this format? I know it was too long. I am still trying to figure out the format. Most of all, I am just trying to be more consistent with sends. Let us know in the comments if you have any feedback! Thank you for reading!

XX Sarah & Missy

1. Bookshop.Org benefits small bookstores! I try to shop there before shopping on Amazon, but since I read a lot on my Kindle, I was mainly using Amazon. The E Books are comparable to Amazon prices, too!

2. I use Libro.FM for my audiobooks. It is the same price as Audible - I pay like $15 a month for one audio credit. Right now if you sign up and use the code SWITCH, you can get 2 free credits.

3. See above.

4. It says it is hand wash only, but that is just because of the wooden handle. If you do put in the dishwasher, I just make sure to rub oil on it afterward to help prevent cracks.

5. I am on Mounjaro, a GLP, so I need to increase both my protein and fiber intake.